Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: Harper Collins (November 15, 2011)
Length:352 pages
Source: Walmart
Format: hardcover

Description from Goodreads:

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.
My Thoughts:
     
      Shatter Me...Oh, Shatter Me! This book has me so confused! First off, I love this book. I love the world, the characters, and the writing. Anna is an amazing heroine. She is tough, caring, quiet, and yet you can tell there is something dark in her at times. Readers can really connect with her story and get the sense of just how alone she has been in the world all of her life. In regards to Anna, I thought I would find the cross out words annoying or distracting. They were the exact opposite. They offered the reader another way to connect to Anna's character; expressing not only her feelings, but her eventual transformation. Adam is also a likeable character. He is sweet, caring, and protective. However, there was another man that pushed his way into the spotlight, stole the show, and made me feel all together  uncomfortable. Warner ...never have I ever liked such an absolutely despicable villain so much in my entire life. He is right up there with the king of literary villains, but something about him is so compelling. I must admit that I had to go online and google to see if I was the only "freak" who felt this way. Thankfully on Ms. Mafi's website she explains that this doesn't make me weird. The last character that really stood out to me is Kai. There is something about his shameless flirting that is highly appealing and I hope to see much more of him in the sequel.
  
      When writing a post-apocolyptic/ dystopian novel world building is one of the most important things a writer must get right. If readers can't picture the world, they can't connect to the book. The world that Shatter Me takes place in is absolutely brilliant! My only complaint is that I found this world so intriguing that I wish there had been much more background information on how it got that way and what is going on now. My last gushing point that Shatter Me does absolutely fabulous on is the violence! I love a book that gets down and dirty with the fighting. Shatter Me's violence and darkness is what turns a good book into a great one!. The second installment can't come soon enough for me. I give Shatter Me a 4 1/2 STAR rating.

Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner

Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner

Liza and her town have lived in fear of all things magic since the War. Before she was born, the world of human and fae collided in a war unlike any other. Magic spread through the human world infecting, plant, weather, animal, and human alike. Magic is the stuff of nightmares. Plants can strangle you, trees have a life of their own, hawks can hunt you as prey, and some children have been touched by magic. Liza’s world changes when her little sister is born with magic. “And cast out the magic born among you, before it can harm its parents.” Her father leaves her baby sister in the woods and the only things left of the tiny life are the bones. When Liza starts showing signs of latent magic she does the only thing she can think of…she leaves. Liza and those she gathers along the way will fight tooth and nail making a journey few if any have ever came back from. They are going beyond The Arch into Faerie. The question is will they make it? Will they come back? Will they ever be the same? Or will they be lost in visions of faerie forever?

Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner is amazing! I am kicking myself because I have had this book for over a year and am just now reading it. This slim book is deep. When I first picked it up I wasn’t expecting a dystopian world filled with magic. I find this a refreshing take on this genre that has become so popular. The way the world has become so desolate and unwelcoming contributes to the haunting voice of Liza. The descriptions of the dying world around her are absolutely beautiful in a dark eerie sort of way. Each character is essential in their own right and has a distinct personality that contributes to the desolation and need to survive in this harsh world. Even those who died haunt the pages of this novel.  The ending of the story is spectacular! While writing this review I learned that there is a part two to Liza’s story. I can’t decide if I am eager to see the evolution of this world or apprehensive. I can’t imagine on another  book living up to the perfection I found this one to be. This is a dark book, but I recommend that all lovers of YA, dystopian, and faeries read it. I give this book a 5 STAR rating!

***Bones of Faerie Extras***

Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner has approximately 256 pages and was published on January 26, 2010 by Random House Books for Young Readers. There is a sequel to this book called Faerie Winter and is available now.