Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Series: Shatter Me (bk. 2)

Genera(s): Dystopian Sci-fi/Romance

Subjects: superpowers, abilities, supernatural, mutants, resistance to government, love, war

Setting: District 45 (Somewhere in California?) The Reestablishment 

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, Juliette. Present tense (usually).

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 461 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover, and now in Paperback!

List Price: HC: $17.99, PB: $9.99

Publisher: HarperTeen

Summary/ product description: “tick

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tick

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it's almost

time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.”

My Review: It’s been over two years since I first read Shatter Me (as an ARC, sometime in September 2011). Unravel Me came out last February and I feel like an idiot for waiting almost a year to read it. I will not make that mistake with the final book Ignite Me. That’s for sure.

I loved this book so much that I feel like there isn’t enough word in my vocabulary to express it. The writing style of this series continues to amaze me. The poetic use of fragmented sentences and bad grammar works so well, it sounds like a diary. I still love the strike-throughs. I love all the metaphors and similes and when Juliette’s imagination runs away with her. I love the hyperboles and they show her anxiety and panic toward things. Juliette is so relatable in that she gets nervous, and doesn’t always feel confident. She learns to get over herself in this book. She has low self-esteem and learns to be confident. She grows as a character. She starts out withdrawn and then opens up. She’s so well developed, even when she become a bit scatter-brained. She learns that her ability can be more than a curse. She can’t hide because she’s too afraid that she might hurt someone. She’s can’t be meek. She has to be strong. Strong-willed, stubborn, determined. And she needs to fight for what she believes in.

Out of all the characters in these books, Kenji is my favorite. This Japanese-invisible-ninja-clown of a guy is a bundle of excitement and joy. I can see why he was Tahereh’s favorite character to write. He’s funny and a goof ball sometimes. He’s caring and kind, but sometimes annoying. He’s teases and likes to be the comic relief. He’s the guy that makes people feel comfortable. He’s a very important person in Omega Point. His invisibility allows him to spy, and make sure the coast is clear on missions. He makes me laugh, and I pretty much underlined almost every line he had in the book. With Kenji, there’s never a dull moment. 

I also like Adam. He was pretty moody in this book. He had his own issues to deal with. Tahereh had already told us this spoiler: “Adam has a power.” He does. I completely forgot that he didn’t have one in the first book besides being able to let Juliette touch him. And somehow Warner can touch her too. We get a look inside Adam’s head in the short story Fracture Me, and a look inside Warner’s head in Destroy Me. I already knew that Warner had an ability after reading Destroy Me (it sounded like Empathy to me). Warner is very perceptive, but he’s also kills without remorse. Ever after reading the famous chapter 62, I’m still Team Adam. Maybe Warner will change his ways in Ignite Me. But Adam still has my heart, and even if Juliet chooses differently, I’d still want Adam. Chapter 62 was steamy and sexy though, but so far as to seem like erotica.

This book had no shortage of action and science fiction. It’s filled with super powered characters and world building and missions. Castle (who had dreadlocks he wears in a pony tail and may or may not be African American) has telekinesis/psychokinesis. He can move objects with his minds and feel the energy of those objects. This instantly made me think of Glitch by Heather Anastasiu or X-men. Castle is like Professor X, kind of. There’s other characters who can control electricity, heal or stretch their limbs like rubber. There’s so many unique abilities. We also get a better look at what society is like in this series. The Reestablishment and how it’s split up and controlled. We also find out some very big revelations. We get to meet Warner’s dad, and we find out Warner’s name!

If you have not read Shatter Me, then you are missing out so much. If you love X-men, or pretty much anything from Marvel or DC comic, then read this series. If you liked Glitch by Heather Anastasui, Renegade by J.A. Souders, Divegent by Veronica Roth, Maximum Ride by James Patterson, then I recommend this series. If you love this series and have not read any of those books I just mentioned, then add those books to you TBR pile. 

I have less than a month to wait for Ignite Me, which is out February 4^th. There are not ARCs for Ignite Me, so we can all read it at the same time. Also check out the E-Books Destroy Me (Warner’s POV, in-between Shatter Me and Unravel Me) and Fracture Me (Adam’s POV, in-between Unravel Me and Ignite Me). 

Cover Art Review: I loved this cover since I set eyes on it. I love the eye with the icy eyelashes and the title. It’s so different from Shatter Me’s original cover. It’s breathtakingly beautiful. It’s made by Colin Anderson and inspired by Sharee Davenport. The eyes on each cover are the same. Each blue with a bird reflected in it and the same clouds in the background. Each is a different season. Shatter Me=Fall, Unravel Me=Winter and Ignite Me=Spring and Summer.