Finally! Week #3 in my month long review of Tahereh Mafi’s “Shatter Me” series! This week I review Book 3 in the series–“Ignite Me.” This is the final book in the “Shatter Me” trilogy, although not my last review for the month! Read on to find out more!
Synopsis:
The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, called “a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love.”
With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam 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. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her.
The Shatter Me series is perfect for fans who crave action-packed young adult novels with tantalizing romance like Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Legend by Marie Lu. Tahereh Mafi has created a captivating and original story that combines the best of dystopian and paranormal, and was praised by Publishers Weekly as “a gripping read from an author who’s not afraid to take risks.” Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and satisfying end.
The Review: 5 stars out of 5
I don’t have many words to say other than, Wow. This final book soared far above what my expectations could have conjured in my tiny little imagination! I could not have predicted the direction Tahereh Mafi would go with this story, but was pleasantly surprised when I read that last sentence. *sigh*
Juliette: I’m so happy to see how her character grew throughout this entire series–particularly in this novel alone. At the beginning of the series we see a broken almost soulless being, and it was so fulfilling to see her evolve into a strong confident woman. Yes, this change makes things different between the relationships she has with others, but I felt this depiction was true to life. I enjoyed watching Juliette as she discovered each new facet of her newfound power, and appreciated that her true abilities unfolded slowly over time, and that she didn’t master all elements of herself in a single chapter.
Warner: Ahhh, Warner/Aaron! Definitely not the same person as book 1, but in an entirely welcome way! To be honest, in book 2, I wasn’t so sure how Juliette could have feelings for him (although, strangely, I wanted to have feelings for him, too.) But this book solidifies who he is as a person, and why he is the way he is. It gives hope for him for a future and truly pulled at my heartstrings when Juliette turned him away. By the end, this guy is definitely the one I was rooting for, in all levels of the plot line. Yay, Aaron, for not turning out like daddy. P.S. I also loved that we saw a foreshadowing of where the name of this book came from, back in book 2!
Kenji: I love this guy. (Who doesn’t, right?) In book 1 he served as more the comic relief character, while in book 2 he moved to annoying leader/friend. But in this book, he truly comes to be Juliette’s best friend, and I loved this about him. He’s always been a major character but somehow I think I viewed him as minor. In this book he breaks free of that mold, however, and he is possibly my favorite character of the entire series now!
Adam: *Spoilers* Oh, Adam. How I wanted to love you. Or even like you, really. Sadly, both Juliette and Adam have changed too much for their relationship to be anything other than toxic. Yes, by the end things have worked themselves out to a tolerable balance. But really, I mostly just wanted to smack this boy throughout the entire novel. Thankfully, Kenji was there to do it for me.
Final thoughts: Okay, so it’s no secret that I love, love, loved this series! Again, I appreciated this final book simply because it was so very different than I thought it would be. Also, I must say, I was counting the pages once I got close to the end. I honestly couldn’t see how Mafi was going to resolve the story effectively with so few pages left! I even went so far as to Google if there was a fourth book coming out. (There isn’t, BTW. *Sniff, sniff*) But just wow. Mafi not only tied up all loose ends, but the ending didn’t even feel rushed, like I thought it might. It ended with hope, but also left it so wide open to allow the reader to consider the direction of things for themselves. Do yourself a favor and give this series a chance!!
Next week I will tackle the novellas that go along with this series. Be sure to check back to see how they affect the overall arc of this fantastic series!
Happy reading, friends!
(“Ignite Me” by Tahereh Mafi is a YA dystopian novel with mild language and mild sexual encounters. Appropriate for older teens and young adults.)