Unravel Me + Fracture Me (novella)

By Tahereh Mafi

5/5

“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.”

I am absolutely loving this trilogy. There was so much character development in this book which I loved and I enjoyed it even more than Shatter Me which I didn’t think was possible.

Juliette is such a wonderful character. I think we saw her at her absolute weakest in this novel but we also saw moments of strength which shows how much her character is developing. Her and Adam’s relationship was so heartbreaking but I can’t wait to see what it means for the final instalment. Warner is still so utterly confusing but his character is developing so nicely that I can see myself falling in love with him. James was adorable and I am glad we got to see more of him and his relationship with Adam and Kenji (who I think may be my favourite character).

This book was intense and fast-paced, the perfect dystopian read. I can’t wait to read the final instalment! I love Mafi’s writing style as I feel you can really get into Juliette’s head but also really embrace the other characters as well.

Fracture Me

“In Fracture Me, Adam, Juliette’s first love, will do anything to get her back.”

I love these little novellas as we get to see inside the head of a character other than Juliette. I adored Warner’s novella because we saw a whole new side to his character but I didn’t feel the same way about Adam’s novella. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a 5/5 novella for writing style, I just no longer feel the same way about Adam’s character that I did in Shatter Me. I think he is weak and dragging Juliette down but I hope we see a different side to him in the final instalment as I loved his character in this first book and would like to love him again.

Shatter Me + Destroy Me (novella)

By Tahereh Mafi

4.5/5

“I have a curse. I have a gift. I’m a monster. I’m more than human. My touch is lethal. My touch is power. I am their weapon. I will fight back. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal, but the Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon. But Juliette has plans of her own. After a lifetimes without freedom, she’s finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time – and to find a future with the one boy she thought she’d lost forever.”

I have been waiting to read this trilogy for so long and the time has finally arrived. I started Shatter Me and had to force myself to put it down so I could go to sleep but I picked up straight back up again as soon as I woke up the following day. The hype around this series has not disappointed me.

This is so unlike any dystopian series I have read which is good because I often find them to be incredibly predictable. This book was fast-paced from start to finish and I never knew what was going to happen on the next page. The characters were vibrant and alive – I adore Juliette, she is such a strong female lead despite being utterly vulnerable, and I fell in love with Adam as soon as we met him (I really hope he doesn’t disappoint me as the trilogy progresses). Warner was a wonderful villain - I loathed him but was entirely curious about him and I’m looking forward to learning more about him in the following books.

The world created is so realistic which what makes this book so wonderful and frightening. The ‘power’ that Juliette has reminds me a lot of the Mara Dyer trilogy which is one of my favourite trilogies and I’m excited to learn more about this world as I feel I am going to be kept on the edge of my seat throughout reading the next two books.

It is so hard to review this book without spoiling it so I’m just going to highly recommend that you pick up this book if you are a fan of dystopian novels.

Destroy Me

“In Destroy Me, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45, refuses to let her go.”

Destroy Me is the first novella that bridges Shatter Me with its sequel Unite Me. The story is written from Warner’s point of view after Juliette has escaped with Adam.

It was really interesting to read from Warner’s perspective as he was such an interesting character in Shatter Me – I loathed him but at the same time, I was intrigued by him and wanted to learn more about why he is the way he is. This novella was the perfect way to learn more about him though it has left me with more questions than answers, which is not entirely a bad thing.

I can’t wait to read the next novella which is from Adam’s perspective in between the second and final book.

The One Memory of Flora Banks

By Emily Barr

3.5/5

“Flora has amnesia. She can’t remember anything day-to-day: the joke her friend made, the instructions her parents gave her, how old she is. Then she kisses someone she shouldn’t – and the next day she remembers it. It’s the first time she’s remembered anything since she was ten. But the boy is gone.”

This book is incredible. It was so gripping making it unbelievably difficult to put down. The story follows Flora who has Anterograde Amnesia after she kisses her best friend Paige’s boyfriend on the beach after his going-away party. Flora remembers this kiss the next day despite not even remembering simple things like how old she is and as a result, when her parents go to France to visit her sick brother, she jets off on a wild goose chase to the Arctic to find this boy.

The reason I gave this book a 3.5 is purely because of how repetitive it gets due to the first person narrative meaning we are constantly reminded of things as Flora reads her notes and remembers who she is and what she is doing. I understand that this is a key feature in understanding Flora and I like how honest it makes the novel but it does get rather repetitive. Flora was a wonderful character who I was rooting for the whole way through the book. I was rather indifferent towards most of the other characters but Jacob, Flora’s brother, was brilliant and I found myself liking Paige at the end of the book as she redeemed herself by helping Flora. On the other hand, Flora’s mother was a character I really could not like, especially as the events unfolded and don’t even get me started on Drake!

I loved the Arctic setting of this novel as I have never read a book set here before – I love the cold and winter and I found myself experiencing Norway along with Flora and wishing I was right there beside her. I feel as though the unusual setting really added to the suspense of this novel.

This book was one of those where I thought I knew what was going to happen at the end yet the reality was so different and that’s what makes this novel so special. If, like me, you find yourself getting a little bored with the repetitiveness, keep going because the end of this book makes it so worth it! I highly recommend this book and I already know I am going to be reading it again!

Uprooted

By Naomi Novik

3/5

“A dark enchantment blights the land. Agnieszka loves her village, set deep in a peaceful valley. But the nearby enchanted forest cast a shadow over her home. Many have been lost to the Wood and none return unchanged. The villagers depend on an ageless wizard, the Dragon, to protect them from the forest’s dark magic. However, his help comes at a terrible price. A young village woman must serve him for ten years, leaving all she values behind. Agnieszka fears her dearest friend Kasia will be picked at the next choosing, for she’s everything Agnieszka is not – beautiful, graceful and brave. Yet when the Dragon comes, it’s not Kasia he takes.”

Prior to reading, I had heard great things about this book but sadly, I was disappointed. A loose-retelling of Beauty and the Beast sounded right up my street and I was sensing some major acotar / acomaf vibes that sadly didn’t come through.

Don’t get me wrong, this book is utterly magical - the world created is breath-taking and how Novik creates a character in the Wood is amazing. However, I don’t know if I just wasn’t in the mood for a fantasy novel when I read this but I found it really difficult to read and multiple times I wanted to just give up and pick up another book. I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters and none of them really stood out for me; I thought Agnieszka was rather irritating and the Dragon was too broody and really didn’t impress me. I was expecting a little more romance which I didn’t get as this book mainly focussed on war and the battle with the Wood which, while it was incredible in itself, got rather repetitive after a while and I was just waiting for the end for it to be over with.

Perhaps I’ll pick this book up again when I’m really in the mood for a fantasy novel and enjoy it but sadly this time round, it really didn’t impress me. However, if you’re a fan of high fantasy I am sure that you will love this book and I do recommend it for the world Novik created. 

The Song of Achilles

By Madeline Miller

5/5

“Had she really thought I would not know him? I could recognise him by touch alone, by smell, I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”

This book is absolutely breath-taking. Not many people know this but I am a huge fan of Greek mythology and so when I spotted this vibrant front cover in Waterstones I knew I had to read it. I did not have any knowledge of the story of Achilles and Patroclus before reading this book but I know that no matter what I learn or read about them next, it will not compare to this book.

The story is told from Patroclus’ point of view and the story spans around 20 years. Patroclus is exiled to live with King Peleus after accidentally killing a boy and it is there he meets Achilles, beginning their epic story of friendship and love. I was a bit unsure about Patroclus’ character at first as he appears weak but he flourishes within his relationship with Achilles and by the end of the book I utterly adored him. Achilles, on the other hand, had my heart from the very beginning – he is brave and beautiful, and his love for music and Patroclus is inspiring. There are many other important characters within this book but they are overshadowed by the intense relationship between Achilles and Patroclus. This is a story about them and all the other goings on come second to their story.

This book take my breath away; it made me smile, laugh and cry, and it has made its way into my favourite books. This story will stay with me for a very long time and I know I will go back to this book time and time again as this is a love story that I will never get tired of. I highly recommend this book to everyone, even if you do not know anything about Greek mythology. 

How to Fall in Love

By Cecelia Ahern

4.5/5

I have been a big fan of Cecelia Ahern’s for a while; I read Where Rainbows End around 6 years ago on holiday and it has remained one of my favourite books to this day. I had been debating buying How to Fall in Love for some time but every time I was in a bookshop, there was always a YA book that caught my eye instead. After receiving a Waterstones voucher for my birthday I was finally able to purchase this book and I am so glad that I did.

The story follows Christine and Adam, a man she saved from jumping off a bridge, and their two weeks together as Christine tries to make him fall back in love with life before his 35^th birthday. Just from reading the blurb I knew I would like this book as it was guaranteed to make me cry and if you have read my reviews before, you will know that I love books that make me cry. Of course, this book did not disappoint. It was romantic and heart-breaking, a real roller-coaster book to read. I thought the characters were brilliant, especially Adam and Christine’s sisters. They were vibrant and alive and I feel that I really connected with them. There were humorous parts which broke up the heartbreak and added to the beauty of this book. The gorgeous Irish setting completed this book and made me crave a visit to Ireland even more.

I will most definitely be reading this book again and I highly recommend it to everyone. I can’t wait to read more of Cecelia Ahern’s work.