Just like the title, this book will shatter your perception of young adult and dystopian novels. Juliette is cursed with the power of lethal touch. After 264 days of being locked up in an asylum alone, a mysterious man named Adam joins as her new cellmate. Afraid that she will hurt him, she tries everything she can to stay away from him. Then finds herself getting slowly more interested in him as the days go on. 

Soon Juliette finds herself in the grasp of the Reestablishment, a power hungry government that has tricked people into believing the world is worse than it truly is. Warner, son of the Supreme Commander, wants to use Julliette as a weapon. Without any other choice, Juliette is forced to go along with Warner’s and the Reestablishment’s plans for her and her power. 

Because the series is particularly complicated, sometimes it’s hard to remember that the characters are just teenagers. We are introduced to a powerful female lead on the first page in this novel. The love interest, Adam, is discrete and mysterious at first, but later on his secrets are revealed, causing tension between him and Juliette. Warner, who is obsessed with Juliette and her powers, is one of the best characters. He goes through a lot of development throughout this book and the whole series. But we really dive into his backstory in the second book, Unravel Me. The rest of the characters are sure to keep you engaged and interested, as well.

When we are introduced to these characters, Tahereh’s writing style is easy to digest but still is extremely detailed and intriguing. She includes a thorough walk through of each character’s physical features and backstory. Especially when Juliette was introduced, her writing is simple to follow and understand.

I would recommend Shatter Me to someone who is looking for an intriguing, fast paced book that feels like a movie. For all who like dystopian, action, or romance, I suggest you read this novel.But anyone could read this and enjoy it because of its well thought-out story.  Overall, Shatter Me was amazing and a great start to the series. If you don’t believe me, I guess you might just have to read it.