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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Destroy Me (Shatter Me #1.5) by Tahereh Mafi Review (spoiler alert)



Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

ebook, 109 pages
Published by HarperCollins
Published on October 2, 2012
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Synopsis: Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

This novella picks up right after Warner is shot by Juliette, written in Warner's point-of-view. The reader gets to learn more about Warner's background, reign, and his quest in finding Juliette before he welcomed her into the compound. All his life, Warner has been looking for someone like himself, someone who he could relate too and in this novella we discover why he believes that person is Juliette.

Although it's only a novella, I am thoroughly impressed by Mafi's writing skills, because of how well she was able to illustrate Warner without letting Juliette's voice leak into the story. I found that the only hints of Juliette was when Warner was thinking about her, where it belonged.

That aside, I have a real problem with the romanticized villain. I believe that this novella was written to give Warner a whole new dimension that us readers could not get from Juliette's point-of-view, and I greatly respect Mafi's work but at the same time I'm tired of feeling bad for the bad guy. In this case, I believe that Warner and Juliette went through similar experiences, but your experiences are not the only thing that makes you who are, it's your decisions, your choices. Can any of you tell that I'm pro Juliette and Adam? Haha.

Strengths/Likes:

1) Very well written, as I have stated before. I was very impressed how seamlessly that Mafi was able to build a whole different outlook through a different character's eyes.

2)  I believe that Warner's voice was really well crafted, I could really hear him speaking through his words and got to know him very well.

3) I really liked reading Warner's files, it made the whole story seem more real. Very interesting read.

Weaknesses/Dislikes: 

1) Although I found that it was interesting that Warner killed Seamus Fletcher because he found that he was beating his wife and children, and in general was not providing for his family, I just thought it was out of character for Warner. We here over and over again how Warner believes that the best way to move his people is through making them fearful of him, but how is it that at the same time he believes in going out and seeing the civilans and being nice to them? I get that for The Reestablishment he needs to keep up the appearance that he has the civilians' best interest at heart, but it just doesn't match up.

2) I didn't like that even though it's clear to me that he loves Juliette but instead he acted in ways that only chased her away. He states repeatedly how he wants to talk to her about what she went through and about her abilities and yet he made her feel unsafe and like a caged animal. In my opinion, he may hate his father, but he actions are very similar.

Favorite Quotes (bought as an ebook, so again I don't have page numbers): 

"A betrayal that somehow seemed impossible. That she would leave me for a robotic, unfeeling idiot like Kent. Hist thoughts are so empty, so mindless; it's like conversing with a desk lamp."

"Torture is not torture when there's any hope of relief"

"I've come to believe that the most dangerous man in the world is the one who feels no remorse. The who never apologizes and therefore seeks no forgiveness. Because in the end it is our emotions that make us weak, not our actions"

Coming soon: Review of Tahereh Mafi's Unravel Me. 

Ebook.

Kindle Price: $2.99

ISBN: 9780062208194

Published by HarperCollins

3 comments:

  1. I read this probably a week ago and I enjoyed it. I liked it a lot more than Shatter Me.
    -Jane @ http://theperksofbeingaborkworm.blogspot.com/

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  2. My main problem with Shatter Me was the writing style, that's why I thought that this novella stood out a lot in comparison.

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  3. DESTROY ME is fast-paced. It is surprising. And it's more than a touch heartbreaking. Even though it's not necessary to the story arc, it is necessary to gaining a better understanding of one of the series' more important characters, one who has a significant role in UNRAVEL ME.

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