Title: Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Release date: November 15, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 338
Source: BEA

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.

Wow!  I’m kind of speechless right now.  I knew Shatter Me was going to be good but I had no idea I would love it as much as I did.  This one is definitely one of the best debut novels I have read.

Juliette has been locked up for 264 days.  She has been in isolation for that whole time.  When Adam is thrown into her cell one day she’s not sure if she should be happy that she has company of terrified of what she might do to him. You see, Juliette can kill with a single touch.  And now someone else knows about her gift and they want to make a deal with her.  Will Juliette choose to become a monster and use her gift for power or will she fight back for a chance at freedom and the boy she has always loved?

Shatter Me is a new kind of dystopian novel.  Sure the world is the same as a lot of others; bleak and hopeless, but that is where the similarities end.  Tahereh Mafi really made dystopian her own.  I don’t feel like I can compare it to another book because it was just so unique from the characters to Juliette’s crazy ability.  The first thing that came to mind when reading about Juliette’s ability though was X-Men.  I loved it!

I also have to mention the romance in this book.  I normally wouldn’t dedicate a whole paragraph to the romance but I have to.  Adam and Juliette were so good together.  Adam was so sweet and caring but also strong and protective.  It was so hot!  Juliette was not weak by any means but it was very refreshing to read about a guy who is not afraid to show how he feels and stand up for the girl he cares about.  Also, there is a shower scene.  That’s all I have to say.  =)

My absolute favorite thing about Shatter Me was the writing.  I really wanted to share some quotes with you guys but I would be sharing the whole book.  I honestly cannot pick a favorite passage because they are all so beautifully written.  I actually found myself tearing up many times at how Tahereh Mafi described how Juliette was feeling.  I have never felt more connected to a character.

Overall, Shatter Me is a new favorite of mine that I recommend to everyone.  I could gush about this book for days.  Go check it out!

Rating: A++