Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

 

On Friday, I finished reading Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. This dystopian science fiction novel is about Juliette Ferrars, a seventeen-year-old girl who is locked up in an asylum by the Reestablishment for murder because her touch is lethal. After 264 days, a boy she knows from school, Adam Kent, is put into her cell. Juliette isn't sure if he remembers her or if she can trust him, but she can't deny her attraction to him or her desire to have a friend. Two weeks later, a young leader of the Reestablishment, Warner, decides to take her on as a project and Adam is revealed to be a soldier. Even as Juliette spends most of her days with Warner, she and Adam fall in love while spending time together at night in her room. Juliette believes that Warner wants to use her as a weapon for torture, but as they get to know each other, she is increasingly troubled that Warner may want her for something else. With an opportune moment in a few weeks, Juliette and Adam decide to take the risk to escape the Reestablishment.

I thought this novel was absolutely spectacular and I can't wait to read the rest of the series over the next few weeks. While I understood Juliette's connection with Adam and enjoyed their romance to a degree, I couldn't help but be compelled by her relationship with Warner because I love a good enemies-to-lovers romance and definitely saw the potential over the course of the story. I will be honest, though, and admit that Warner is pretty despicable at times. He terrifies Juliette because she doesn't really know what his motivations are. She shows stubbornness when he offers her comforts, like clothes and food, and is reluctant to allow him to test her powers because of her past. Her parents didn't want her and she couldn't make friends even before accidentally committing murder. At the beginning, it's clear that Juliette was deeply lonely, and I felt so bad for her, but thankfully Adam was the first to show her compassion and I definitely hope she can make more friends in the future. Despite his terrible actions and seeming insanity, I also think Warner cared about Juliette in his own way and wanted to protect her. Being one of the leaders of the Reestablishment, he must have been very aware of the dangers of the situation, and I don't really think Juliette even gave him a chance before he did anything wrong, but that's one of the challenges of reading a story in first person for me. There can be moments of unreliability when the readers are only receiving one character's perspective. Anyways, Shatter Me was very suspenseful and really picks up the pace when Juliette and Adam make their escape. I would recommend it to anyone who likes action and adventure with some romance.

Me (Moth) by Amber McBride

 

Yesterday, I finished reading Me (Moth) by Amber McBride. This realistic fiction novel in verse is about Moth, a teenage girl whose entire family died in a car accident. Afterwards, she moves in with her aunt where she has been living for the last two years. At the end of her junior year, she meets Sani, a boy who is coping with ongoing depression. When her aunt leaves, Moth and Sani decide to go on a road trip to the Navajo Nation, where Sani is from, seeking their roots. While on their journey, Moth tries to help Sani and they begin to fall in love. Even though Moth reassures Sani that she will stay, he is sure that Moth will leave him because he is keeping a secret that could tear them apart.

This novel in verse was like nothing I've ever read before. It was beautiful, but the end devastated me. I was fascinated how the story was told through the life cycle of a moth, though. It was really fitting because the main character is named Moth. I also enjoyed how Moth and Sani gradually feel in love. I loved how they connected through music and dancing, and I thought it was cute how they added lines to a song, dubbed "Summer Song", over the course of their road trip. I was hoping for a happy ending, but there were small hints throughout the story that foreshadowed otherwise that I just wasn't able to put together until the big reveal at the end hit me. Nevertheless, I did like the very last poem of the story, which was hopeful. With its themes of first love and identity, Me (Moth) is an unforgettable novel in verse for anyone.