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.

So this isn’t really just a review, this post has 1) A big thank you, 2) Several beautiful international covers for Shatter Me, and 3) My favorite quotes from the novel. So let’s get to it:

First of all, I have to say a huge thank you to Sunny of Blue Sky Bookshelf for sending me this book when she heard I hadn’t read it. Sunny is a fantastic blogger friend who I love to chat with; when she recommended Shatter Me, and I told her that I was trying to get my library to order it so I could read it, she went a step further and sent me my own copy! Seriously, she is so sweet. You should most definitely go check out her blog:

Now, on to the book!

Shatter Me, Shatter Me, Shatter Me. What can I say that hasn’t already been said? You’ve probably read Shatter Me yourself by now, and if you haven’t, then you probably know what the plot line is about, so I’ll just skip the recap.

I think what I liked best about Shatter Me was how it was completely unlike any other book I’ve read so far. I thought that the poetic writing and the use of cross outs intermingled with the dystopian setting was very unique and very interesting.

I thought the cross outs were a great way to show what was going on in Juliette’s head. I think a lot of us have an immediate reaction to something before thinking something else, or really have another opinion, and the cross outs were a fun way to convey that.

It was really interesting to see how Tahereh painted her main character. We get to see Juliette really struggle with whether she was insane or not and whether she was a good person or not. We get to see her struggle with what the world has become, struggle with everything she’s been through, and struggle through a wide range of emotions. We really get to see all of the emotions coming through Juliette, from love to hate to desperation to confidence; which is something I thought was great.

Cynical Cindy Says:

While I’m really glad I got the chance to read this book, it wasn’t really my cup of tea.

Favorite Quotes

I spent my life folded between the pages of books.

*

“Aw, you trust me?”
“As long as I have a clear shot.” I tighten my hold on the gun in my hand.

*

…I’m almost certain I’m going to fall off a cliff in an alternate universe where no one will ever be able to find me.

Check out these cool covers for the international editions of Shatter Me:

Polish:

I love this cover, though Juliette looks a bit like a ballerina.

French:

and

Look at the dresses and the sparkles on both of these covers!

German:

I love the dress and the city in the background!

Czech: 

It looks like a prism!

Swedish:

Hmm. The tally marks remind me a bit of keeping track of the Silence in Doctor Who.

Which cover do you like best?