Monday, February 11, 2013

Review: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me
(Shatter Me #1)
by Tahereh Mafi

Publication Date: February 5th, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 480
ISBN: 9780062085535

Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Goodreads

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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. (Goodreads)
Tahereh Mafi has once again managed to blow me away with her insane writing skills. After pining away for Unravel Me for over a year, I have finally read the book, and I am torn on if I love this just as much, or more than Shatter Me. 

Unravel Me picks up a few weeks after Shatter Me left off.  Juliette is trying to cope with her new surroundings after being locked away for so long. She is free; free of the asylum and free of being Warner’s captive. But things aren’t as she hoped in her new surroundings. People still avoid her, she feels like an outcast, and Adam is being distant, dealing with his own issues.  But with the help of some unlikely sources, things soon start to look up for dear Juliette.

Juliette is such a great character. I have always really enjoyed how strong a character she is. Adam, I think, is one of the most perfect male leads ever.  I have always loved the relationship between Juliette and Adam. They care about each other deeply, and at times their love can be fierce. There were some moments in the book between Juliette and Adam that had me tearing up, they were so intense. Ok, tearing up is putting it mildly… I literally had to sit the book down and go in search of a hanky!

Ms. Mafi made such a very interesting character in Warner. I didn’t really care for him too much in Shatter Me; I found him to be such a heartless character. Then I read some from his point of view in Destroy Me. From there, I started to care for him just a little bit. We get to see yet another side of him in Unravel Me, and I must say, it was a completely unexpected side of him. While I am definitely not Team Warner, I do care for him, just not as much as Adam.

Kenji was an unexpected joy in this novel. To be honest, I didn’t really pay much attention to him when we first met in Shatter Me. But in Unravel Me, he proves to be such a great character, and definitely one of my favorites. He is hilarious, but he also does what he has to do for the greater good. I love Kenji.

I found the storyline for the book to be very realistic and engrossing. I could definitely feel all the emotions that Juliette was going through, and I am glad to see that things weren’t perfect for her right away. While the self loathing did get a little old at times, I am glad that she went through it, because it made it feel more real to me.   Ms. Mafi did an excellent job with the descriptions as well; I could picture the setting perfectly in my mind.  The story definitely had me on the edge of my seat at times, especially at the end!

Overall, I think I enjoyed Unravel Me even more than I did Shatter Me. (Which happened to be one of my most favorite books of 2011.)  This is definitely a series that I will reread over and over again. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!

Happy Reading!



9 comments:

  1. I didn't pay much attention to Kenji either at first, but now he's a favorite. I read this one last summer, as soon as I got my hands on an arc, and I loved it so, so much, even more than Shatter Me. Mafi just keeps getting better.
    Fantastic review!

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  2. Thanks for getting me even more excited to read this. The library should be getting this copy soon. So can't wait.

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  3. Ooh, nice! I like that Warner (even though I hated him in the first book -- in a good villain kind of way) is developing into something of a conundrum... MUST READ THIS BOOK! Loved the first book and it's good to hear this one might even top it!

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  4. Fabulous review!! I'm reading Unravel Me right now :D I'm really curious to see this different side of Warner stuff that everyone keeps talking about. I don't think I'm quite there yet in the book!

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  5. Yes, so much Kenji love! I also kind of ignored him in book one. I think it took me so long to realize he was a good guy, by the time I did the book was over. He was my favorite part of the book. Great review!

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  6. I just finished Shatter Me, and I can't wait to start Unravel Me! Shatter Me was spectacular. I'm glad Kenji is in Unravel Me, because I really like him. Great review!

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  7. I completely agree about Kenji! I liked him well enough in Shatter Me, but positively adored him in this book. :) Juliette frustrated me a little and Kenji did a brilliant job voicing my opinion of her every now and again. Anyhow, I'm glad you enjoyed this! Brilliant review. :)

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  8. SO EXCITED FOR THIS CHRISTY!!! I've heard so many good things about Warner in this one as well as the novella, but like you, I didn't care for him in book one so I'm looking forward to seeing if he changes my mind. I'm also nervous though because I LOVE Adam and I worry Warner might test my loyalty. I'm reassured a bit by your review though, you seem to be still firmly in Adam's camp:)

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  9. May I just say that I am so EXTREMELY glad that you are still rooting for Adam? I am too. There's a lot to like about Warner, especially since we get to know him better, but still Adam would be better for Juliette.

    Also, Kenji rocks! I truly enjoyed seeing him come into his own in this book.

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Thanks for stopping by! :)