Ignite Me

I read Shatter Me, the first book in the series, two years ago. I ate it up. Although I was on vacation at the time, my nose was constantly jammed into that book. It was a fantastic read, and I have rarely found a book that encapsulated me so. Juliette’s heartbreaking story, and her new-found solace in Adam, made it a beautiful and compelling story that I quite literally could not put down. It was a simply fantastic book. At the time I read Shatter Me, no other books in the series had come out yet, so I finished the book and moved on with my life. Only recently did I even learn that it had become a series, and I was reluctant to get back into it because of my reservations about the originality of the story. However, I was convinced to give the series another try, and so I did. I was instantly blown away by the writing style the author used. It was powerful and moving, getting the point across in a way that was interesting and thought provoking to read. The author has a very strong voice, although at times it was overly dramatic (but this was mostly when Juliette was dealing with Adam.) The story line was brilliantly paced, and there was never a point where the book was slow or boring to read. However, it wasn’t constantly in motion with action on every page. It was a good balance at a comfortable pace. The character development throughout the series was perfect. We watch Juliette go from a scared little girl to a strong, brave, powerful, independent young woman. We watch Adam go from a kind, gentle, affectionate boyfriend to a hateful, relentless, and eventually submissive ex. We see Warner, in Juliette’s (and our own) eyes, go from a sick, evil captor to a misunderstood, broken but still loving man who saved Juliette’s life even after she broke his heart. But like in all stories, there are characters who change, and ones who stay the same. Characters like James, Kenji, Castle, and Anderson are static characters, and their presence in the story is just as powerful as the dynamic ones. The author brilliantly found the perfect balance of static and dynamic to create a cast of characters that get our emotions flowing. The evolution of the relationships in this story is gold. First we have Juliette and Adam. As mentioned before, their relationship turns toxic and she realizes that he is no longer what she needs, and vice versa. Then there is Juliette and Warner. She doesn’t want to admit her feelings for him because she is still confused about Adam; but she knows deep down that Adam was her past, and Warner is her future. When she finally admits that she loves him, it is a beautiful thing that they create, and I don’t know about other readers, but it left me wanting more about their relationship. Aside from romantic relationships, there is the relationship between Juliette and Kenji. He was the main comic relief in the series, and it was much needed. The story would have been much less fun to read if he had not been a part of it. Kenji and Juliette’s friendship was such an adorable thing, and the fact that they become closer in Ignite Me makes it even better. Not to mention that Kenji was totally hilarious and had me laughing out loud at several points in the series. And then there was James and his relationship with everyone. With Juliette, he was always loving, as children often are. He was loving to everyone, but his love was of special significance to Juliette because she had spent her whole life knowing that she terrified people. The fact that James, young and vulnerable, so openly accepted her was a beautiful thing. His brotherly bond with Kenji was very touching and brought out the softer and less foul-mouthed side of Kenji. James wasn’t innocent to the world, but he didn’t let it make him hateful. Instead of harboring the pain inside him and letting it rot there, he chose to be resilient, as children often do. When you see James and Warner together, it is very interesting to see how he reacts to James’ blunt questions. Warner isn’t irritated or offended, and he answers honestly to every question. James seems to bring out the best in everybody, even Warner. But perhaps the most interesting relationships to study would be between Warner and the other characters. With Juliette, he is openly affectionate and willing to do anything to make her happy. With the remaining group from Omega Point, he is honest about the fact that he cares nothing for them; but he harbors them anyway, because he cares for Juliette and she cares for them. Warner’s relationship with Adam is filled with hate on both sides, until the end of the book when Warner learns of their shared blood. Then, he is willing to let down his pride and anger in order to bond with the only family he has left. But the most important relationship to the story is between Juliette and herself. She grew up believing that she was a monster, that she deserved to be locked up in her cell. When she meets Adam, she begins to see herself as more than that, but her self-esteem is entirely built on him. After they discover that she can hurt Adam, she begins to see herself as a monster again, and she starts to spiral back down to what she used to be when she was in the asylum. But then she trains with Kenji and discovers what she’s capable of and you see her confidence rising again, this time not based on another person. She has relapses of insecurity whenever Adam tries to get her back, but she stays strong. From then on, she is powerful and confident, and she begins to see her powers not as a curse, but as something she can use to her advantage. We finally see her step into her full self, the person she was always meant to become. And that is the lesson we can learn from Juliette. We all have our demons. The ones that chase us, make us afraid and vulnerable and the ones that make us question whether we even deserve to live. The ones that demean our self-worth, make us see ourselves as nothing more than a sorry waste of oxygen. Just like Warner’s tattoo says, Hell is empty and all the demons are here. But Juliette made a choice, and we can make the same one. We can choose to not become our demons. We can choose to make them our powers, to use them for our advantage. We can use them to make ourselves strong. And when we do, and the whole world seems to want to come down on us, we can quote Juliette and say, “’I’d like to see them try.” That is what a great author does. They give us characters that we can relate to, and that make us think about our lives and the things we can do to change everything. That is why I believe that this series is one of the most brilliant ones that I have ever read. So kudos to Tahereh Mafi for not only giving us a great story, but giving us a story with meaning that we can take into our own lives. This series will forever be close to my heart for that very reason.

Oh my Shatter Me series heart, I LOVED this book! Like I'd make out with this book... okay maybe not that, but I seriously loved this book so much. The shortened review: Oh my Warner heart! This book is AWESOME!! I have so many Shatter Me series feelings right now I don't even know what else to say other than GO GET THIS BOOK! Mafi has render me speechless right now. I don't even know what else to say at the moment without sounding like a Shatter Me fangirl who can't stop rambling about how awesome this book is. The REAL review: Do NOT read this review if you have not read the rest of the series *slight spoilers* Tahereh Mafi is a writing goddess, or maybe she has that secret talent I like to call writing brilliance. Whatever you want to call it, Mafi has it. There's no other way to explain the awesomeness of IGNITE ME! This book literally ignited all those feelings I tried so hard to keep in while reading this book, but failed miserably at doing. I snort laughed, sighed, swooned, teared up, and laughed until I was crying. This book is nothing but awesome! Literally. Juliette grows up a lot in this book. I admired the fierce, determined heroine she becomes. Tahereh does a brilliant job at showing her struggles with overcoming her preescptions of Warner, Adam, and herself, as well as situations that lead her to where she is now. The realization of how wrong her presceptions have been is a hard thing for her to accept. It was what was driving her, and now everything she thought she knew is wrong. I liked getting to see her struggle with that. Because now Juliette has to figure out where she stands, what she's going to do, and figure out her heart's desire. For the first time in her life, Juilette has never been more free to be herself. More free to make her own decisions, and to follow her heart. It's empowering to be free. Seeing Juliette accept that and embrace that freedom was bitter sweet, and oh so fabulous all at the same time. I loved that Tahereh showed me, vs telling me about her struggles. It's what emotionally gripped me with the story. If you read Unravel Me, then it's no spoiler about where Juliette and Adam now stand. Seeing her battle over her feelings of how things used to be to how things are now between the two was heartbreaking, but incredibly empowering at the same time. Anyone who's had a first love and a first heartbreak will understand exactly what Juliette is going through. I did. Along with that, you'll also understand her hope for where things can go for her and Warner. Understanding the differences in how Juliette felt about Adam and Warner were well established and discussed in this book. It was perfect. It made sense to see and understand the changes in her feelings for both guys. I loved that I got to see that. Not only with her, but with Warner and Adam as well. There's a conversation between Juliette and Kenji about the changes that I loved in this book, as well as the inner thoughts Juliette has as she sorts out her feelings, and the truths of what she's learning. I admire the fact that Mafi didn't rush these feelings and emotions. Everything that unravels in this book has been built up and hinted at in the previous books/novellas in this series. I loved how everything happens in this book. I've said this from the get go, I LOVE WARNER! I just have to say, I KNEW IT!!!! I knew there was so much more to him than we have previously seen, and now we get to see more of who Warner really is. I swear I fell in love with this Warner as much as Juliette. Like her, he's broken, stronger, fiercely determined, and totally vulnerable. Then there's the swoon worthy factor. Oh my Warner. Talk about igniting things.... Warner knows how to ignite a slow burning fire that literally melts the pages. Mafi writes these sizzling moments between Juliette and Warner perfectly! I love what she gave us on the page, and what gets taken off the page. When you read those scenes you'll know what I mean. It was perfect. Ignite Me is full of passion, tension, and action. I love it when an author can emotionally pull me into their book. Between the threat of war, the desolation that is evident at times, and then friction between a few characters I found my self fidgety and literally on edge. I felt like I was about ready to snap in two at times with the mounting tension. Leave it up to Kenji make me laugh so hard I'm crying during those times. He can make those tension mounting scenes laughable. His lines are by far the best in this book. No other character has made me laugh out loud as much as he did. I swear if Mafi published a Kenji quote book, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. He at times reminds me of the things my brothers would say. I love that brotherly love he has for Juliette. These two have such a great, real, best friend chemistry. I loved the scenes when these two were together. Who wouldn't want a best friend like him?! Kenji is by far one of my all time favorite literally secondary characters! I thoroughly enjoyed how everything that has been set up in the previous two books in this series played out in IGNITE ME. It was brilliant! Looking back at everything the has previously happened, it all made sense now at the course of action some of the characters took, and the direction the story went. Tahereh was still able to throw in some great twists, but everything from the romance, the action, the friendships, and shocking truths all made sense. Everything in the other first two books lead up to everything that takes place in this book. To me, nothing, even down to who Juliette gives her heart to, was shocking to me, because of how well Tahereh set up the over all series's plot. It was perfect! IGNITE ME is the perfect ending for a series I am so sad to say good bye to. Now that I have so many Shatter Me series feelings, you'll find me curled up on the couch re-reading Ignite Me over and over again.

4.5 ***This is part of a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the other book(s) so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.*** I enjoyed reading the book. I read it quickly: I started and finished this book in 1 night. There were some surprises that I didn't see coming. The ending felt rushed. I am not disappointed that I read, but this is not an absolute favorite series. Would I read the entire series again someday? Probably. But I was not left with an "OMG! I love this series so, so, so, much!" feeling. But I do really like it, and enjoyed reading the trilogy. (And I will probably look into reading the novellas sometime in the future.) The Story: Overall, I think the story went along nicely. It pretty much picks up where Unravel Me left off. I felt that this book was face-paced and it kept me really interested in what was going to happy next. And oh boy, steamy. Just. Wow. I think that chapter was one of the steamiest scenes I have read in YA. But for me, the ending felt rushed. I was expecting this big EPIC finale. But instead we had the build up then the fight was over before I realized. And I was left thinking "That's it?" What happens next? What happens to the characters? I was left wanting more. Which left me a little disappointed. Not enough to hate the book or anything, but I wanted some more answers. And I wanted more of a big epic battle at the end. So either I have to choose in my head the answers to these questions....or maybe Mafi decided to leave it a little unresolved in case she decides to visit the world again in the future. (I doubt this, but never say never...right?) The Characters: Juliette: I personally liked her character development. I finally felt like she went from this scared little girl to someone that can stand up for herself. She has become fierce and is on her way to being a leader. She has become more likable (at least for me) and more independent. And I love that she seems to be feeling more at ease with her power. Warner: I found Warner's character to be likable in this book. I was pretty surprised that I ended up liking his character as much as I do. I almost feel like I went from absolute hate, to heart-thawing hate, to liking him in the span of the trilogy. I like how his character developed and shifted. I liked being able to see him in a different light. Maybe it was because Juliette knew more about him as the series moved on so her eyes opened up more to see his true self. I just know that I no longer hate Warner. Adam: I don't hate Adam. Not in the least bit. But I also didn't really like him in this book. Continuing on from Unravel Me, Adam just has more hate and bitterness wrapped up in him. Yeah, he has been through a lot. And I understand being mad and frustrated, but goodness, I really hated a lot of the things that he does in this book. And I especially did not like his attitude. He almost feels like a completely different person. Maybe this is the character he was always meant to be, but I was hoping that it was just a rough patch and he could get back to his old self eventually. Kenji: Oh. My. Goodness. I think it is safe for me to say, I really do think that Kenji is my favorite from this series. He is funny and strong. I just want to hug and hang out with him myself. And I just adore his friendship with Juliette. And I LOVE that is just a simple boy/girl friendship without ANY form of romantic entanglements. My Recommendation: If you liked the other two books, then you would probably like this one too. I feel there was character development, action, romance (steamy), and some resolution. But for me I was left with some desire to know more of what would happen next.

I'm writing this review immediately after finishing the book, so as to be able to remember all the details. I will give spoilers, but first, let me give you the non-spoiler version: This book is perhaps one of the greatest endings to a trilogy I have ever read. I dare you to read it and not fall in love with it. Now, for my complete evaluation that does involve spoilers... ________________________________________________________ I've read many books in my life. Some have been truly life-changing, but most have disappointed me. This series blew me away. The plot was outstandingly unique. This is no Hunger Games or Divergent (although I recommend it to fans of those books). This idea, this concept, is not your average futuristic novel. Mafi has created an intricate world of unfinished business, secrets, corruption, and war. But beneath all of that, we learn that beauty can still come out of a world like this. Juliette essentially begins the change from one giant world of poverty to something that starts to resemble peace. And although the characters were very important, the romance was not the sole reason of my enjoying this series; the setting was one of the main reasons why this series was so good. Now, although the plot/setting were important, I believe that this trilogy had an astounding amount of character growth for each individual character. Juliette- Oh, wonderful Juliette. I don't even know where to begin. Juliette is one of those rare characters that really, truly cannot make her readers dislike her. Mafi has done a brilliant thing here- if you read carefully, you'll have noticed the sheer amount of strike-throughs in the first book. And I believe this represents Juliette's caution, her lack of confidence and her basic fear of being a monster. She didn't want to say the wrong thing, so she was constantly getting rid of anything questionable. But sometime during the second book, we observed a phenomenon; Juliette was beginning to say things and mean them. By the time we finish Ignite Me, the strike-throughs are only a distant memory. And I've got to say, I'm really freaking proud of Juliette. If any character showed growth, it was her (also note her super-confident tone, things like "I will kill them," or "I did not request gloves," etc.). And although Adam seems to be denying that she has any good left in her, we all know that she had it in her the whole time. Adam- You know, I really liked this guy at first. At the time of his arrival, he really was good for Juliette. But she broke down her barriers, and she simply couldn't be with someone as gentle and sensitive as Adam. And my heart broke for him. It did. In fact, I read ahead immediately after finishing book one, and, seeing that she was with Warner, I abandoned this series for a while. But I forced myself to keep reading, and Mafi did an excellent job of slowly telling us, "Okay, you need to accept that Adam doesn't belong with Juliette." And that's fine. I still love that Adam is present in the books, I just wish he would have not sulked around all the time. But then, he did seem to be coming around at the end. So really, my conclusion for Adam is that I hope he can put himself back together. He deserves it. Warner- Ah, Warner. Aaron Warner, eternal receiver of Juliette' s love. I honestly lost count of how many times I smiled to myself while reading this book, solely because of something he said or did. First of all, I am all for his calling Juliette "love." It isn't stupid like "babe," and it's not too formal, either. It has just the right amount of poetic essence, and I like it. But anyway, I just want to inform you that if you are somehow still on the first book, and think he's terrible, he's not. Warner is a confusing mess of perfection. He actually has a softer side, yes but it's not like in most books, where a character breaks down that side and comes out a complete softie. Although his rudeness was mostly an act, he still has that introverted, brutally honest shell. But I love him. He's not condescending to Juliette, nor is he too sensitive for her. He only makes her stronger. And boy, does he know how to be intimate (I'm in love with the whole 'coming-up behind-Juliette-and-whispering-in-her-ear' thing.). But in the end, Warner is just an amazing character, and he's worth dealing with all the secretive moments. Kenji- Hilarious, attractive, wonderful Kenji. This guy is the main source of my smiles, laughs, and endless uses of the 'highlighter' tool. He can make any situation better. But here's the thing: he has this unexpected serious side. And I was so relieved when Mafi revealed that side, because I honestly hate characters who only serve the purpose of being comical relief. He has a deeper personality, an admirable one, that truly completes him. And although he is great for being funny, I really enjoyed reading about his struggles with his past, too, and getting to know him on a deeper level.

Shatter Me and Unravel Me are among my favorite reads, so I was highly anticipating Ignite Me. From the start I was completely locked into the story, soaking up all of Mafi's beautiful writing, absorbed in Juliette's story. Tahereh Mafi once again proved to me that she is a true artist of the written word, entwining beautiful prose with witty banter with lyrical thoughts with true-to-life dialogue. It is always a pleasure to read her words. STORY: Ignite Me picks up right where Unravel Me left off, throwing us right back into the story and Juliette's mindset. We are faced both with Juliette's struggle and growth to find and be her true self, and we are faced with how our characters will ultimately decide if and/or when they will fight The Reestablishment. But one thing you must understand is that this story is really more of a study of its main characters and the human condition and centers around Juliette, not necessarily her world at large. While The Reestablishment and Anderson are problems to be solved, they aren't the predominant focus. If you are looking for lots of high intensity action scenes, you will be disappointed. More than anything this is a story of character, watching Juliette grow from novel to novel (as can be seen not just from Juliette's words, but from the writing style progression itself), and looking at characters beyond just the surface level. Going into this story with an open mind and not setting plot expectations will definitely benefit the reader. If you want lots of action and don't want layers of delving into relationship thoughts and drama, then this might not be for you. If I were to guess, I'd say it's 20% action, 80% relationship and character development (and this might be generous). JULIETTE: This is truly Juliette's story more than anything. We really get to see Juliette complete the growth she started in Shatter Me, becoming the person she ultimately was meant to be, but was too afraid or too oppressed to become before. Mafi writes Juliette's story beautifully, truly fleshing Juliette out. I loved reading about Juliette's personal growth, her desires and wishes, her dreams and goals, her strength and determination. I loved watching her find herself and not letting other people determine who she is. It was refreshing to read about a heroine who found strength and trust in herself without it being put-offish. We also get to see how she has embraced being around her friends, which is amazing considering where she came from. And, yes, we get to see her love life develop, which was also quite amazing (though more mature than the previous books). WARNER: While we see Juliette grow and become who she was meant to be, we see Warner reveal who he has always been but no one could see it or he didn't show it. There are many revelations about Warner, and though we got a glimpse of these things in Unravel Me, there is even more to come here. Watching him was both heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time. Now I'm not going to say Warner was a saint in the past or anything, but I really loved getting to know him and truly seeing his whole self. His interactions with Juliette were particularly powerful and clarifying and beautiful. They really strengthened each other. But there were some other moments with other characters too (avoiding spoilers), that I found quite touching and revealing. ADAM: If you've read Fracture Me, then you've already had a glimpse into Adam's psyche and where he was at in the beginning of Ignite Me. While I didn't like all the ways Adam was written here, I do understand where Mafi was headed with him, I just thought a few instances were a bit extreme. I understand that not everyone is exactly as we see them, that there are many underlying layers to a person, and no one is perfect or reacts perfectly. With Adam, while more of himself was revealed, I still felt like his character wasn't developed quite as much as Juliette and Warner's and I wish that he'd been fleshed out more. But I still felt pretty resolved with where he ultimately landed. KENJI: Ah, scene-stealing Kenji! There is nothing not to like about Kenji. I could read an entire series just about him. He is the perfect best friend, partner, ally, cheerleader, support person, comedic relief, reality check, and all-around awesome guy. LOVE TRIANGLE: Yeah, it's there, kinda sorta. Well, it really just lots of drama. And no, I'm not going to say what happened with this crazy trio. I think a quote is best used here, and this quote can also be used as a warning: "This is, by far, the craziest s*** I have ever seen," Kenji says. "I really never would've believed it. Not in a million years." "It's like a soap opera." Ian nods. "But with worse acting." "I think it's kind of sweet," Winston says. ENDING: Avoiding spoilers, I will just say that the final conflict felt rushed to me. With all the relationship stuff, I was hoping for a little more balance when it came to the actual action and climactic conclusion. There were certain things I was hoping to see and certain questions I was hoping to get answered, but not all of them did. But perhaps, like in life, we aren't meant to have the answers to every single question out there. Remembering that it is Juliette's POV reminds me that perhaps all those other things just weren't important to her at this time. The final conflict is quick but satisfactory and I have no complaints of the ultimate conclusion. The end itself, the final pages, were beautiful and lovely and fitting just as I imagined Mafi would have left it. OVERALL: The Shatter Me series, even with the few issues I had with this final conclusion, still remains amongst my list of series favorites. The combination of Tahereh Mafi's gorgeous writing and her complex and beautiful characters is reason enough to read this series. Ignite Me is a wonderful conclusion, and I truly enjoyed reading it.

I’ve never had such a crazy reading experience in my life before until Ignite Me came around. I was crying, swooning, laughing, bursting, shattering, unravelling and igniting all over the place as I took in this book’s splendour. To quote one of the best characters in this book: “This s*** is bananas.” I’ve previously expressed, that I think Tahereh Mafi is a genius. She’s also an insanely talented writer. Mafi, I would like to believe, has this magical power over words. She puts them together in a sentence, doing away with coherence and punctuations at times, and her words just amaze you. They’re so completely raw and ardent and they stir so many emotions. With this third and final installment, Mafi completely grips readers with her profoundly beautiful writing and her awe-inspiring characters. I think what makes the Shatter Me series really stand out, aside from Mafi’s writing style, is the way Juliette, the story’s heroine and protagonist, is empowered. Juliette has always thought of her power as terrifying and destructive. As the series goes on, and most importantly in Ignite Me, Juliette learns that her power can be also be liberating and exhilarating. That her power comes not from her touch but from within her. The change in Juliette’s perspective and mentality is truly striking. She’s come such a long way already but even then, she’s still second-guessing herself a lot. With Ignite Me, however, she’s more grounded than ever before. Juliette is finally ready to stand up and get some sweet, sweet revenge. She’s finally found her voice and she’s finally ready to speak up and become a leader. It was breath-taking, watching her character grow. Even merely as a reader, I felt a sense of pride for Juliette- like being there for her as she rose and got ahold of her strength also empowered me. In many ways, it did. Mafi sends such a powerful message to everyone who has ever hated herself or felt like a coward: Stop living in fear. Fight back. Break free. Juliette isn’t the only one who appears to have changed in this last book. Adam, one of the male leads and Juliette’s first love, also transformed right before my eyes. I’ve never been on Adam’s team but I’ve never hated the guy. Not that I hate him now too… but his attitude here was just so different from before. I do understand where the bitterness comes from, why he’s so hopeless and angry and desperate. I really do. But if I were being honest, he was insufferable and more often than not, I wished Juliette would kick him in the head. Having said that, part of me thinks that this difference in Adam also pushed Juliette to become even stronger. Ultimately though, I think Warner’s encouragements helped Juliette more. I loved loved loved the way he believed so much in Juliette. I’ve sided with Warner’s character (GO TEAM WARNER!) ever since the first book and most especially after reading Destroy Me. Ignite Me reminded exactly why I shipped him with Juliette. Warner is always so intense and passionate- and it’s incredible. How much he loved Juliette, how much his heart ached, how much he hurt. I felt for him and I cried for him and I can’t deny that my heart is totally, completely his. Aside from glimpsing Warner’s emotions, I loved seeing how smart, keen and thoughtful he was. Basically, I fell for him all over again. Since I’m already talking about how bad I got it for Warner, let me just take a moment to reminisce how gloriously scorching Chapter 55 was. I LITERALLY WAS AT THE EDGE OF MY SEAT. Thank god, I didn’t fall over. Seriously, so much hotness. Ignite Me is probably the sexiest dystopian novel out there. Aside from the sexiness, Ignite Me also had hilarity to it all thanks to the secondary characters. Kenji shall go down in history as one of the best secondary characters in YA, I’m sure. He’s Juliette’s bestfriend and I adore him so freaking much. I love him for always being so frank and honest and for providing much needed comical relief. I love him for always having Juliette’s back. I also adore James, Adam’s little brother! The two made the story so much more refreshing. All in all, Ignite Me was phenomenal and extraordinary. Tahereh Mafi, you’ve perfected the series and I’m so completely grateful that your books came into my life. Igniting many hearts for sure, this series-ender was all I could have ever wanted and more.

This was a powerful end to a compelling story! I am awed by Juliette's journey and empowered by her strength, but I do have problems with this book. Spoiler Alert I love the development of Juliette and Warner's relationship; how they are not afraid to be honest and how they understand each other completely. And their intense passion is HOT! I did not like who Adam became and did not completely agree. I just don’t see him being that cruel to Juliette after all they went through. Kenji stole the show once again; not only demonstrating his comic genius, but reveling his heart as well. Problems My complaints mainly have to do with Anderson. I guess I was waiting for more of an explanation as to who he was and I expected him to play a much larger role in this book. He doesn’t even say anything. We find out in an earlier book that Warner used to sit on Anderson’s lap and play a game with items in his pocket. At what point did Anderson go from a caring dad to the Supreme Commander? Then we find out Anderson used to be a drunk loser who threw beer bottles at Adam’s head. How does he go from that to becoming the most powerful person in the nation? I was really hoping we would find out the answers to those questions. I also thought Mafi would tell us why some people have powers or provide at least one theory… mutants? Effects from Nuclear power? I also 100% believed that Anderson had a power too, if all three of his sons had powers, then it only seemed to make sense that he would as well. I was disappointed to find out he didn’t. I was hoping James would get to use his power in this one, maybe learn to project and help heal while Sara and Sonya were captured. I did not like how short the final battle scene was, not even 30 pages. I really expected a great deal more fighting in this book. I thought there would be several small battles leading to one major battle. I was waiting for the Omega Point characters to showcase their powers and become important to the resistance. AND I thought Adam, Warner, and Juliette would have to put their differences aside, and learn to combine their powers in order to stop Anderson’s power and win the war. I am not sure I completely buy Juliette becoming the new leader, don’t get me wrong, I love it, but something about it does not sit with me. But even with my complaints, I still loved this book and will read it over and over again. I am secretly hoping Mafi will write a sequel from another character’s point of view because I am not ready to let go of this series.

Original Review: When I first read Shatter Me last June, I wasn't completely sure what to think about it. The strikethroughs, the flowery prose, the repetition of words without commas...it took me awhile to adjust to the writing style. Nevertheless, I finished the book in a day and was intrigued enough by the story that I immediately downloaded Destroy Me to my Kindle app and drove to another branch of my county library just so I could pick up Unravel Me on my way out of town for vacation. Reading Destroy Me convinced me that Tahereh Mafi's writing style in Shatter Me was deliberate. So I decided to go with the flow and went into Unravel Me with a lot more confidence...and was absolutely and utterly captivated. The now-tempered strikethroughs and descriptive writing style that had somewhat hampered my enjoyment of Shatter Me, I now viewed as strengths. And the plot twists? The love triangle? The character development (one character's in particular)? So, so good. I knew going into Ignite Me that the strikethroughs would be gone, and so I wasn't surprised at their absence when I read the teaser chapters at the end of Fracture Me. What was kind of funny, though, was how much I missed them. I was a little worried, actually, that in losing the strikethroughs, we'd lost a valuable part of Juliette's character. But I worried for nothing. Juliette has ATTITUDE in Ignite Me and it's an awesome thing to behold. She's no longer afraid to say what she means, ask for what she wants, and...well...talk back to the people who tick her off. The result is sometimes hilarious, sometimes painful, oftentimes awkward, and all around incredible. I cannot stress how much I loved some of the conversations in this book. That's not to say that there weren't a few things I wish had been done differently. I was left with a few questions that I really wish would have been clarified and there were some developments with the plot (especially at the end) and a few character interactions that I wish had been more deeply fleshed out, but it wasn't enough to affect my ultimate enjoyment of the book, or the series - which is quite possibly one of my favorites ever. This is a solid 5+ star book in my opinion. Follow-Up to Original Review: I've thought a lot about the plot weaknesses in Ignite Me since I wrote my original review. As I continue to process the book and read other people's reviews, I keep coming back to one question: does a book with such a weak overall plot deserve a five-star review? Is it possible for a book's other strengths to neutralize what would otherwise be a crippling weakness? [WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD] In all honesty, I had several issues with the plot throughout the book, but for me, the two most disconcerting were: 1. The complete underutilization of Anderson as a villain. Tahereh Mafi set him up so well in Unravel Me (which I thought had quite a strong plot with several amazing twists and turns)...and then, poof! He was gone. No dialogue, no taunting, no recounting of Warner's weaknesses and his many sins. Nothing. He should have, at the very least, had the dissatisfaction of seeing his sons stand united against him. 2. Juliette, even the kick butt version of her we see in Ignite Me, is in no way shape or form ready or qualified to take over the world (or even what's left of the country). I don't care if she can eat bullets for lunch. She's seventeen. Heck, even Warner isn't a believable supreme commander, and he has years of training and military experience. It would have been more believable had the book ended with Castle as Merlin and the rest of the Omega Point survivors ruling via King Arthur's roundtable. But (and this is a huge but)... What Tahereh Mafi does right in this book, she does so very, very right. It's so beautifully written that I can't help but keep reading my favorite parts (and there are many) over and over and over again. The dialogue is snappy and fun and just so very enjoyable. But what captivates me so much about this series is (okay, I'm going to say it) Warner's character development. I'm going to go as far as to say that the most truly powerful thing about the Shatter Me series isn't Juliette's transformation, it's Warner's. This series is truly Juliette AND Warner's story. It's not a series about a dystopian government, or supernatural powers, or even two hot guys who like the same girl; it's a tale of what can happen when somebody believes in you enough to look beneath the ugliness on the surface to see the beauty underneath. To love someone when nobody else will. Tahereh Mafi presented us with what appeared to be a villain in Shatter Me and then proceeded to deconstruct him over the next two books, leaving us with a character who, as Juliette would say, is entirely different and yet exactly the same. I believe the key to understanding Warner's character is this: "'If you hide your heart, he will never be able to take it from you.'" It's the justification for everything he ever did and why he was able to tell Juliette that he was the same man he'd always been. The Warner we met in Ignite Me was always there, he was just hiding. We (the reader) saw glimpses of that person in Shatter Me, it's just that we, like Juliette, lacked understanding and perspective, and therefore couldn't completely understand what it was we were seeing. If I were rating this book on plot alone, it wouldn't get more than three stars, four if I consider other factors that I would normally consider. But I can't give this book fewer than five stars. I just can't. Because despite its technical deficiencies, there is something truly unique about this series that makes it stand out from almost everything else I've ever read. And I can't overlook that.

The copy i recieved was very smooth and was very beautiful until there was a slight damage/torn from the back of the book . Other than that very fast delivery plus a great book

Et bien voilà, après tant d'attente, une nuit blanche et une journée passée à lire dans l'anxiété la plus folle, c'est fini. Et je ne peux m'empêcher de me sentir horriblement triste de quitter cette histoire extraordinaire et tous ses personnages. Difficile de faire un avis sans rien révéler de l'intrigue, et surtout de la fin de ce troisième et dernier tome. Je crois bien être passée par toutes les émotions possibles et imaginables pendant sa lecture : joie, tristesse, amusement, peur, dégoût, enthousiasme, excitation, allégresse, frustration, dépit, soulagement, angoisse et j'en passe... Mon dieu, Tahereh Mafi est à la fois une sadique, un génie et un tortionnaire. Mais c'est avant tout une merveilleuse conteuse d'histoire, qui n'a pas peur de prendre des risques. Jusqu'au bout j'ai été incertaine quant à la fin de l'histoire. Jusqu'au bout j'ai espéré, j'ai pleuré, j'ai ri et j'ai aimé. Mais ce mot est trop faible je pense pour expliquer ce que j'ai ressenti pendant ma lecture. Je me suis retenue de nombreuses fois d'aller jeter un coup d'oeil à la fin, et cela m'a mise dans un état pas possible. Cela faisait longtemps que je n'avais pas vécu une histoire en même temps que je la lisais, et j'en ressors exténuée. Exténuée mais franchement impressionnée. Il y a des moments de grâce dans ce roman. De fabuleux passages qui vous transportent totalement, une histoire d'amour merveilleuse, qui n'est pas forcément celle qu'on croit. Mais il y a également des choses terribles qui sont dites, qui s'y passent, et auxquelles il est impossible de rester indifférent. Tahereh Mafi a chamboulé toutes mes certitudes. J'ai vraiment apprécié Juliette dans ce tome-ci. J'ai aimé celle qu'elle est devenue. J'ai compris ses choix, même si certains n'ont pas été faciles. Je l'ai admiré, je l'ai détesté. J'ai adoré les autres personnages secondaires présents. Kenji m'a fait plus rire que jamais, et sa relation avec Juliette est adorable. James est si attendrissant. Même Castle, Alia, Ian, Lily et les autres m'ont touché. Même Adam. Et bien évidemment il y a Warner. Warner avec tous ses secrets, Warner avec tous ses fantômes, ses états d'âmes et ses peurs. Warner avec sa volonté d'acier. Warner avec son coeur immense et ses sacrifices perpétuels. Ah Warner, il n'y a pas de mots assez forts pour le décrire. Je crois être encore plus tombée amoureuse de lui dans ce livre que dans toutes la série confondue. Il est imparfaitement parfait, et restera pour moi le personnage littéraire le plus complexe, le plus fou et le plus beau que j'ai jamais vu. Alors je ne vous dirais rien quant à la fin. Je ne vous dirais pas qui Juliette a choisi. Parce que sinon ce serait trop simple, et que ça ne l'est pas. Parce que ce serait vous gacher le plaisir, et que cette série vaut vraiment la peine d'être lue. Je crois bien qu'elle est aujourd'hui ma série littéraire préférée, tous livres confondus. Mais je peux vous dire une chose par contre : ce dernier tome était fantastique, tout comme le reste de la série d'ailleurs. C'est un énorme coup de coeur pour moi.

Edizione perfetta del mio libro preferito. Arrivato senza difetti, tutto perfetto

Ignite Me is favourite book of the series so far, cause we now know that there are more books in this series 😉 and I definitely feel that there needs to be more books as I feel a new fight is just beginning... My favourite parts of this book are: Mainly Juliette and Warner 😍 they are such a better match together but I need more of them. I had goofy smile on my face every moment they were together 😍🥰 And Kenji, he’s my favourite secondary character in this whole series and I love his friendship with Juliette. My thoughts on the whole “original” series is that I feel it would do better as a TV show, I just feel that some things aren’t convaid very well and would come across stronger on screen as only “seeing” things from Juliette’s P.O.V. means certain moments get a bit lost in translation, but I did find that 2 & 3 books had much better writing and I was able to get more involved in the story. Now the question is do I wait for the final book to be out or do I just drive right into the fourth book 🤔😄

Very good !!! Came in great condition ! Loved it <3