Friday, February 28, 2014

Review: Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi

Firstly, thanks to Allen & Unwin for this review copy <3



This review contains spoilers for Shatter Me and Unravel Me but not for Ignite Me

Date Read: February 11 - 12 2014
Release Date: February 26th 2014
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Source: Review copy via publisher
Genre: Paranormal
My rating:  (Not enough stars)

Synopsis:
"The exciting and chilling conclusion to the internationally successful Juliette Chronicles series. With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world … but that’s not all he wants with her."

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“I have been waiting for this moment for a long time now.”

Gosh darnit it’s going to be SO HARD to write this review without Ignite Me spoilers because so much of this book centres on Juleitte and a certain someone and the way things turn out… But here goes.

The first sentence continues off from the last page in Unravel Me so we remember straight away what happened to Juliette and where she is… And who she’s with. I’m immediately drawn into the the action-packed world Mafi has created because her writing – Juliette’s thoughts – demands this sort of panicked style of thinking. And away we go…

Props to Mafi for Juliette’s absolute growth in Ignite Me. She has shed the self-pitying, self-wallowing shell that cocooned her in Unravel Me (let’s be honest, if not for Chapter 62, Unravel Me would have gotten 3.5-4 stars rather than the 5 I gave it). She is strong. Independent. She harnesses her power. She wants change. And she’ll stop at nothing to get it. I loved this take-charge personality she finally shows! I admit I was really shocked at this despite her getting shot being a wake-up call. It was a very sudden change because all of Unravel Me she spent hating her power and worrying about Adam. But whatever, I loved Juliette here. And to be honest, a lot of it was supported by a certain someone who knew her potential. Juliette’s willingness to learn and to control her power was refreshing. I also adored the fact that she finally realised she didn’t need Adam or Warner to define her. She defines herself.

“I forge forward or die.”

As secondary characters go Kenji Kishimoto is one of the most spectacular I’ve read. Can he PLEASE get his own book/spin-off series? He really deserves it. Ever the comedian and ice-breaker, he was overlooked for his skills and military prowess. But here in Ignite Me I thank Mafi for giving him his own place and time to shine; and boy did he shine. I loved the exchanges between him and Juliette – jokes aside, they had many deep and meaningful conversations and I saw a side to Kenji that I knew must have been there but wasn’t explored til now. We see the weight that he carries, the responsibility he feels and his amazing support as a friend. Never faltering, never doubting, ever the faithful friend – why can’t we all have someone like that in our life?

“You can’t bullshit me with your innocent act.”

So… Romance… Um… Where do I start? *Bites lips* I can’t do this without spoiling. You all surely remember Chapter 62. Thought THAT was steamy? Wait til you get to Chapter 55. Won’t say who it’s with. Won’t say who she ends up with, except that it’s HOT. I was just squealing and rolling around in bed dying of fangirl happiness after Chapter 55. And chapters 56, 57, 58… and many more after that *fans self* Woah can Mafi write wonderfully sweet, passionate, intense and lovely passages without being explicit. That is a skill in itself. This is THE book chapter of the year guys. Not kidding.

“It’s the kind of kiss that inspires stars to climb into the sky and light up the world”

I really loved how Warner worked together with Juliette to try and take down the Reestablishment. The two complimented each other so well and I thought Warner brought out the strength in Juliette – he really saw her potential. I was actually surprised at how quickly things progressed with their plans and the way the story moved. It was all action from the get-go and I was surprised (and pleased) that Mafi managed to tie up loose ends with subplots that had been introduced in previous books. I basically had all my questions answered amidst the thrilling plot – really I couldn’t ask for a better conclusion.

What drew my attention with Shatter Me was Mafi’s unique writing style. It blew me away how she wrote Juliette’s thoughts exactly like one who thinks they’re going crazy (or so I would assume) would write. Seeing that change as Juliette grew throughout the series was wonderful because there were still elements that remained and I could see that in Ignite Me – the lack of punctuation when Juliette panics or is stressed; the way she uses ‘ands’ a lot and strings lots of verbs together to show she’s losing control; and the repetition and adjectives that really accentuate her thoughts give Ignite Me this integrity and uniqueness I’ve come to adore with the series.

“He pulls me into his arms.

And I fall.”


If I could sum this book up in one word it’d probably be passionate. Passionate in the way Juliette takes on the responsibility of taking down the Reestablishment; passionate in the way the characters strive to make the world a better place; the writing is passionate; heck the title is passionate, I mean come on IGNITE ME. But omg the love and the romance was the best part and it drive the book and gave it the most passion and it was sexy and this was so perfect ok I’m done.

“You’re finally ready to fight.”

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