Unravel Me (Shatter Me Book 2)

SPOILERS It's not bad, however, the more I read it, the more I feel that the main lead is stupid. Sooo stupid and I just have to shake my head or scream everytime when she does something stupid, irrational or keep secrets that are important. Walner keeps her as a prisoner, tested her, tried to kill Adam but what's the Juliette thought? I CAN'T HATE HIM, FEEL ATTRACTION TOWARDS HIM?! Of course you can. I also dont understand why she doesnt want to work on her relationship with Adam. He can learn to control it but she always acts as a big cry baby. Overall, I love all the characters accept from Juliette. The book is catchy and nice to read just Juliette is pissing me off every page.

Despite having some issues with the first book in this series, Shatter Me, I enjoyed it enough (particularly the last few chapters) to immediately pick up this sequel. I’m glad I did, because the things that made the earlier instalment good are present and correct and in many cases improved and most of the things I was less keen on – notably the wilder excesses of flowery language and the ultra-convenient plot points – have been resolved. There were still some strikethroughs and some strange metaphors, but partly due to an in-book calming of Juliette’s mental state and partly (I suspect) to an out of book maturing of the author’s style) they are much more restrained, and as a result, much more powerful when they do occur. Plotwise, there are two key differences between this volume and the first, both of which should be obvious to anyone whose read Shatter Me. Firstly, for most of the novel, the action moves to Omega Point, the rebel stronghold, and safe house for people with abilities like Juliette’s. Sadly, we’re seeing this amazing place through Juliette’s eyes, and initially at least, she mostly sulks in her room, so we don’t learn much about its ways or its inhabitants. I understood her fears and thought her behaviour was actually more believable than this traumatised girl suddenly been a happy part of a team, but it still made for a frustrating read. Secondly, while still maintaining most of his role as primary antagonist, Warner makes clearer his true feelings for Juliette, and starts to feel like a viable love interest. Fair warning – this does all basically descend into full-blown love triangle territory. Personally, despite the fact it’s been horribly overdone recently, I still enjoy a good love triangle when it’s done well, and this is one of the best I’ve seen, particularly in this volume. But I know many people really dislike them, so if that’s you, I’d steer clear, as despite all of Omega Point’s plotting and a climactic battle towards the end, the romance is still centre stage here. As a further warning, I’d strongly suggest that you read the novella Destroy Me before this, as it really explains his personality, demonstrates that his feelings for Juliette are genuine, and cast a different light on some of the seemingly indefensible things he does in Book One. Unless you really, really love genuine villains, I think you’d struggle to see him as an acceptable love interest if you haven’t got this background – however hot someone is, you probably shouldn’t get steamy with them if they previously made you torture a toddler. Warner is an exceptionally strong character here, moving from the compelling but rather one-dimensional villain of the first novel to someone gloriously nuanced and conflicted, but still ultimately fun to read about and terribly sexy. His scenes with Juliette are a masterclass in sex...

I enjoyed this book and found it better than the first. The storyline develops and the plot moves at a good pace. Juliette is a good main character. She has so much power and yet she doesn't know how to use it. She finally starts coming into her own in this book. She gains in confidence and bravery. Adam, however, was starting to annoy me in this book. I found him quite selfish. He may be trying to look after Juliette, but she was actually better off without him. She only gained in confidence when he wasn't there. He holds her back and is actually quite needy. Warner is the reason I have given this book the rating I have. I absolutely love him. We see the real him in this book and get to see more into his background and upbringing. He may have done some horrible things, but you can see and understand why he has. The last third of the book, I just fell in love with him. He, for me, made this book what it is. It was nice to see the others abilities. Everyone was unique in their own way. Overall, I would recommend this series. The storyline is good and enjoyable. I would also recommend it just because of Warner. Jessreviews.co.uk

Oh how beautifully complicated is this book?! The more I dive into Tahereh's world the more I absolutely fall in love. Juliette is such an amazing and versatile character. She's delicate but strong, full of hope and consumed with doubt and so certain where here heart lies and yet completely uncertain at the same time. The further we get into her story the more twisted and complicated it becomes. I love the people who surround her and build her up and make her stronger. The unexpected friendship with Kenji, her love for Adam but her need to keep him safe and at a distance, the bond she is building with Castle and the friendships and ties she is forming with others at Omega Point. And her difficult and tumultuous relationship with Warner and what truth her getting to know him further exposes. Oh I am so excited to jump into Ignite Me and find out what happens.

3.5 Stars. I didn’t like this book as much as the first one, but having read the third book I can definitely say it’s worth reading Unravel Me to finish the series. This story takes a different turn in this book. Shatter Me felt more dystopia, this book felt more like X-men, which was cool, just very different. We see all of the characters growing up in this book. They take on new responsibilities, especially Juliette. Some characters grow closer while others grow apart. Though Juliette’s relationships were a huge part of the plot in this book, like the first, Unravel Me focused a little more on the world that Juliette lives in and how Juliette can affect that world and help people. Still though, the heart of this story was with it’s characters. I started to really love Kenji in this book, but he also seriously frustrated me when he complained about Juliette and Adam’s relationship. I get that Adam and Juliet were dramatic at times, but I felt like Kenji lost sight of how important Adam was to her. He acted like she was just any other girl with a boyfriend. But, that’s not what Adam was to her. For Juliette, losing Adam mean losing the ability to touch another human being. It meant being deprived of an entire aspect of love and affection. I just got annoyed with Kenji trivializing that. But, we also see Kenji and Juliette spending more time together in this book and the beginning of a great friendship starts to develop. Spoiler: Juliette’s breakup with Adam was totally heartbreaking, and completely real. I liked that they tried to make it work, but things just kind of fell apart around them. As the book went on I kept wanting for them to get back together, but there was this moment when it just felt like too much time had passed. They’d missed their chance, and that was awful, but from that point on it just felt like it wouldn’t be the same if they got back together. I just loved how real it was. The romance that starts to bloom between Warren and Juliet threw me at first. I enjoyed seeing another side of Warren’s personality, but I really hated him in the first book, so I didn’t like the idea of them being together. However, as the story went on he started to win me over. I also enjoyed that his character didn’t change too easily or too quickly. Spoiler: And, their almost-sex scene at the end was totally hot. The end of this book left me rethinking who these characters were. Juliette is figuring out who she is and thrown into a social world for the first time. She grows up a lot. And, both Adam and Warner surprised me. I was left thinking that neither one of them were exactly who I thought they were in the first book.