Monday, February 18, 2013

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi
 
This is a young adult dystopian novel (Rated N-17)
 
 ♥♥1/2
(Two and a half Excellent Hearts)
 
Book Summary
 
tick

tick

tick

tick

tick

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.

 
My Review
 
I’m choking, choking, choking on metaphors underneath the surface that is the pool of the words this author’s written trying to breathe, trying to survive to enjoy the wreckage that is this book.
I’d forgotten this because time is like a distant memory shoveled under the barrage of books that I’ve read and built over the memory of the why’s, the why’s, the why’s  I didn’t like the first book.
The laughable compelling story line intrigues me. The undercurrent, the undercurrent, the under tow keeps pulling me under, dragging me down, trying to kill me with the writing style.
This story feels like fan fiction had to be inspired by the X-Men. Add to it that it is depressing dystopian. Top it off like a melting ice cream cone a child holds as it tumbles from his hand, it’s predictable yet sad.
It like a race, a race, a race, a marathon of metaphors stung on each sentence like Christmas lights trying to dazzle, trying to get us in the mood, only succeeding in reminding us they’re there with their over usage.
Let me just say that the strikethrough font is brilliant. It doesn’t bother me although it was weird in the first audio book, but in the second they did a better job. The repeating, repeating, repeating words also didn’t bother me as much in this book as it did in the first. The use of a metaphor, metaphor, metaphor in each every sentence took a beautiful flower and made it into a trampled garden with boot prints that look purposeful in their destruction of what could have been wonderful. And that annoyed made me murderously annoyed.
Juliette got on my last nerve in this book. How do I loathe her? I’ll count the ways below in the spoiler section. But I will say this, I got her in the first book. I tried to sympathize with her in this one despite her mistakes. But one gets to a point when I just can’t.
I am also pissed that the author made Adam so lovable in the first book, that despite Warner’s interest as an awesome villain in the first book, Adam was the guy. Then came the novella. And I knew what she was going to do. She set the stage. And I’m sorry. For me first impressions are lasting. I can understand Warner but that doesn’t change my feelings. And if I heard one more time about how he was better looking than Adam, I’ll claw my eyes out. What are we saying that looks are more important than character???? And if this author pulls an Andrea Cremer, Bloodrose on us, I will add her to a short list of authors I won’t read anything else they write. Adam deserves a HEA even it’s not the one he wants.
Then there is predicable plot. Everything is predictable. Juliette is nothing but Rouge from X-Men, and instead of a futuristic X-Men setting, we are give a Shatter Me, dystopian setting. And did I mention that dystopian apparently means depressing. Gah! Every last one of them.  Then you add the laughable Maury Povich moment (more in spoiler section).
Still, if you haven’t watched an X-Men movies or read the comic books (wonder what the creator would think if he knew about this book) and you don’t mind the over heavy usage of metaphors, you will probably like this one. Not my cup of writing style tea.
In the end, I will most like read the next book. I will probably download the book and not listen, so I can skim. It’s like a train wreck. It’s horrifying but you can’t tear your eyes away. Your mind is filled with questions about how, why and what will they do? So yes, I will painfully read the next and hopefully last.
SPOILERS * Don’t read if you haven’t read the book. But for those who did, this is what bothered me most.
Ode to Juliette, why do I hate thee, let me count the ways.
*Selfish, selfish, selfish girl. She is supposed to interrogate Warner to find out about two guys that have been taken. And instead of even asking one question about it, she wants to indulge him. Answers his stupid questions about her life. These guys could be tortured, yet she asked nothing. And I’m pissed. It is Warner who freely gives her the information later. This could have been handled better.
*Selfish, selfish, selfish girl. I know she is tormented about not being able to touch anyone. I got that from Rouge in the X-Men and I get it here. But really, kissing, touching, let’s have sex with the guy that tormented you, trapped you, tried to get you to kill for him. And like another reviewer said, all of a sudden she’s in love because he held a damn dog. Really. I mean, he shot a man point blank. He nearly torched to death the man you claim to love. These are humans by the way. And I don’t agree with animal cruelty, but his care of an animal over his cruelty to humans has you loving him??? Ready to break the heart of the guy that protected you, would have given his life for you???
*She lied to everyone about Warner. Everyone who has done nothing wrong to her ever. Nothing. But she protects the guy that hurt her and the ones she cares about (Warner). UGH. These are the lessons we are teaching girls. L
*Then really, really, really, the Maury Povich Paternity test. Warner and Adam brothers. Adam all of a sudden can’t touch you but Warner can. How cute to explain her betrayal. And I don’t care if Warner is hot. I don’t care if he is the more interesting of characters. For once, can an author show a little character and have the girl choose the nice guy. Adam didn’t deserve this. And Juliette is dead to me. I smiled, smiled, smiled when I thought she had been killed. I hoped, hoped, hoped, this was the last book and that was it. Unfortunately not. L
UGH! If you want to hear me rant more ask me a question about this one, lol.
MY OWN QUOTES from my own words while reading
*I’m choking, choking, choking on the metaphors  breaking the surface of the pool of words trying to breathe, trying to survive enjoy.
*Shoot me now! Shoot me. Unravel my misery. I’m trying, trying, trying to listen to the last 2hrs, but Juliette is making it almost impossible.
*Slut, slut, slut and I want to strangle her. Shatter her in a million pieces and unravel them in the breeze. Grrrrr.
*Revenge is sweet and best served cold. And I am smiling, smiling, smiling….I’m pretty sure not the response the author was expecting.
END OF SPOILERS
 
Audio Review
Kate Simses captures Juliette’s whinny nature perfectly. She also does a good enough job at keeping the other main characters' voices distinctive that I didn’t have any trouble following.
My UN book boyfriend, Warner.

 
View all my reviews

*Disclaimer - I am not the owner of this picture. I found it on the web for causal fun use on my blog for which I receive no compensation. If this picture belongs to you (you are the copyright owner) please let me know and I will remove it.

6 comments:

  1. Okay, I'm not going to read this review yet. This is next on my audio list and am terrified of spoilers but I see your rating and it makes my heart sad. :( But you're pic of Warner gives me the warm fuzzies! I love him ~ *sigh*.

    I'll come back after my read & give a proper comment! :)

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    1. Cool. No spoilers until I wrote spoilers in bold, lol. I try to do no spoiler reviews but sometimes it can't be helped, lol.

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    2. Just finished and came right back here. Now, I LURVE me some Warner but don't think he deserves to get the girl. You and I have the same thoughts on Juliette. She was torture in this book. The entire book I was thinking 'just do SOMETHING'. You know, other than mope and whine and mope some more. Blech... I still love the story though. It's like some catastrophe that I can't look away from.

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  2. That it was. And I'll be reading the next one like everyone else. *sigh*

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  3. Wow. You´re lucky because you are english and you can read this book now! but I must wait because I don´t now much english!! Fucking life....

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    Replies
    1. Yes, well I understand your pain. I really love this German song Lila Wolken and I being in America, I can't buy it. It suck. Such is life.

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