Review : Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2)
Author : Tahereh Mafi
Publication Date : February 5th 2012
Publisher : HarperCollins
Goodreads- The Book Depository

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it's almost

time for war.

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.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

Personal Thoughts

When I read Shatter Me in 2011, I enjoyed the book, but I didn't love it as much as everyone else. Then, early reviewers started buzzing about how good Unravel Me was and well, I joined the hype because it got me all excited. When the release date finally arrived, I couldn't wait to get my grabby hands on the sequel. Let me tell you all, all that hype was definitely worth it because Tahereh Mafi outdid herself with Unravel Me. At the end of this book, I was left emotionally wrecked.

Juliette, the main character, was a frustrating one. She is still adamant about accepting her gift as a gift. Instead, she views it as a sort of punishment and curse bestowed upon her. I will admit that she is very difficult to like. Her attitude is not something that I look for in my dystopians : weak and whiny. But, I'm guessing that Tahereh Mafi made her appear as such a delicate character on purpose : She wants us to see Juliette bloom slowly. For almost two thirds of this book, Juliette did nothing wallow in self-pity. Thankfully, Kenji was there to put her in her place. Ah Kenji! I think this guy might be my favorite character in this series. He was funny, charming and brash, which was a perfect combination for him. I loved how he was honest and not afraid to tell Juliette what he really thought of her frail, whiny attitude. To be honest, Kenji stole the scene for me in this book. I already liked him from the first book, but that love increased by a notch or two in Unravel Me. As for Adam, I can't say much about him. I still really liked him, but part of me felt like he wasn't a prominent figure. Now, I really don't want to talk about Warner, but I can't do that now, can I? Warner, Warner. Here's the thing, I know Warner has a HUGE fan-base after Unravel Me, but I'm still not convinced by his character. He might be a really swoon-worthy character, but I honestly don't trust him and his intentions. I'm sure he loves Juliette and all that, because his love is palpable throughout their scenes, but to me, he's still a psychopath. Yes, even after Chapter 62, I'm still Team Adam.

Plot-wise, I thought Unravel Me was much more action-packed than Shatter Me, but I also felt like Unravel Me was a lot more character-driven than plot-driven. We get to see a lot more of Omega Point and we learn more about the Reestablishment's leader, Warner's dad. I'm not sure about any of those two "organizations" because they both seem incredibly fishy to me for some reason. It's just a vibe that I got while reading. Now, on to the romance. I was not a fan of the love triangle. There, I said it. Although I knew one was brewing from the first book itself, the confirmation of the love triangle did not please me at all. I think if Warner had been anyone else, it would not have bothered me as much. Juliette and Adam's relationship face obstruction after obstruction when Juliette begins to learn more about her power over the course of the story, but they still really love each other and every scene they were in was proof to that. As for the writing, Tahereh Mafi did it again. Her prose is absolutely enchanting. I know a lot of readers aren't a huge fan of her writing style, but I personally think it's mesmerizing. It pulled me and it was easy to get immersed in the beauty of her writing.

I experienced all sorts of emotions with Unravel Me : happiness, anger, frustration, shock, sadness. I experienced all of it, which is why I think that Unravel Me was an amazing read. The fact that I felt all sorts of emotions while reading this book just shows how engaged I was in it. In the end, despite my little issues with this book, I thought Unravel Me was a fantastic sequel.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5