If you like young adult literature with science fiction and fantasy, you have surely read, or seen, the novel Shatter Me. Written by Tahereh Mafi, it is one of the young adult novels that, after its release, was very popular with young people.
But What is Shatter Me about? How many books are in Shatter Me? What has the author written? We will tell you all about it below. Shall we begin?
Synopsis of Shatter Me
As we've told you before, Shatter Me is a first-person young adult novel. The protagonist, and the one who tells the story, is Juliette, who is 17 years old and is capable of killing anyone she touches. From there, the story develops with a romance and the inability to touch so as not to hurt anyone.
Of course, you should know that this It is not the first book in the saga, but the fifth.. Actually, if you had to start with the series, the first book you should read to really understand the story is Shatter Me.
You'll see, we'll show you. Here's the synopsis of Shatter Me:
"Maybe one day I'll come back.
Maybe one day I'll come back.
to be free.
Nothing will ever be the same.
The fate of Omega Point is unknown. Everyone Juliette cares about may be dead. The war may be over before it even begins.
Juliette is the only one who stands against the Reestablishment. She knows that if she survives, the Reestablishment must end.
But to take him down and defeat the man who nearly killed her, Juliette will need help from the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together to defeat the enemy, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew about Warner, Adam, and her own abilities was far from the truth.
As you can see, you don't learn much, as if the story had already begun. On the other hand, the synopsis of Destroy Me gives you much more information about the story of these books:
«Juliette hasn't touched anyone for exactly 264 days. The last time she did, she accidentally killed someone. Now she's locked up for murder and under constant scrutiny by the government in power: The Reestablishment. The same government that promised its citizens it would fix the mess Juliette sees through her window: there are no birds in the sky, the trees no longer exist, people are dying of disease, and the survivors whisper "war." But one day, a cellmate, Adam, arrives, and Warner, the son of the government leader, becomes obsessed with her. Juliette's situation will change in ways she never imagined, forcing her to make a choice: be a weapon or become a warrior.»
This way, you'll have a better understanding of the plot. Of course, this saga is not very new, because in its country of origin, the United States, it began to be published in 2011. However, in Spain it was not released in Spanish until 2023.
Is it a single book?
Shatter Me is not a stand-alone book. We're warning you right now. It's actually the fifth book in a series of 11 books. These are:
- Destroy me.
- Destroy Me. Short novel.
- Unravel me.
- Fracture Me. Short novel.
- Turn me on.
- Restore me.
- Sóbrame. Short novel.
- Challenge me.
- Reveal to me. Short novel.
- Imagine me.
- Believe me. Short novel.
How many pages does the book Shatter Me have?
Telling you exactly how many pages there are in the book Shatter Me is not easy. Because if we look at the original version, in English, it consists of 338 pages. However, the version published by the publisher Puck contains 448 pages in paperback. In digital, on the other hand, it consists of 374 pages.
So depending on the version you choose, you may have more or fewer pages, although that doesn't mean you'll miss out on any part of the story, far from it.
Opinions and reviews of Shatter Me
As for opinions, the truth is that Shatter Me was well received. On Amazon, for example, there are very few one, two or three star reviews, yet almost all of them are concentrated in the five star category.
It should be noted that this is the fifth book, which means that it has fewer readers than the first books, especially for those who wait for the saga to be complete. That is why it has few reviews for a successful book (at least in its country of origin).
Even so, for young audiences it is a saga that has been very popular and that has meant a new twist in this literature.
Who is Tahereh Mafi
Tahereh Mafi is a writer. Of Iranian-American origin, became known in the genre of young adult literature. Born in 1988 in Connecticut, she is the youngest of the family. At the age of 12, she moved to Northern California, and two years later to Orange County.
She studied in California and graduated there as well. She speaks (to a greater or lesser degree) eight languages and Shatter Me was her first novel, although, to write it, she says, she wrote five manuscripts beforehand.
After the success of that book, she has published more and more until she finished the saga (and stretched it out in some aspects). Her last book was the second in the series These Woven Kingdom, which would be translated as These Woven Kingdoms. For now, in 2024, she has not published anything, so it may be that she publishes something before the end of the year or we may go to 2025.
One of the reasons why Tahereh Mafi's books are so attention-grabbing is because she doesn't focus on stereotypes, clichés and assumptions about women. In reality, they are all different and they are not afraid to be so; they don't refuse to conform to roles either.
For her, the women she portrays in her novels are strong, independent and successful, regardless of whether there is something about them that makes them different or whether no one wants them around.
Works by Tahereh Mafi
Tahereh Mafi He began publishing in 2011 and has published a novel almost every year. So, the truth is that you have plenty to choose from. Here is a list taken from Wikipedia.
Shatter Me Series
- Shatter Me.
- Unravel Me.
- Ignite Me.
- Restore Me.
- Defy Me.
- Imagine Me.
- Destroy Me.
- Fracture Me.
- Shadow Me.
- Reveal Me.
Compilations
- Unite Me. Compilation of Destroy Me and Fracture Me.
- Find Me. Compilation of Shadow Me and Reveal Me.
These Woven Kingdom Series
- These Woven Kingdom.
- These Infinity Threads.
Unique books
- Furthermore.
- Whichwood.
- A Very Large Expanse of Sea.
As you can see, if you decide to read Shatter Me, you'll have to start from the beginning to understand the whole story. The good thing is that all the books in this series are in Spanish, so you could buy them all together and dedicate a few weeks to the series. Those who have read it don't regret it, on the contrary. Have you read it or are you planning to do so?