Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Unravel Me

by Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me releases two months from tomorrow on February 5, 2013! I cannot wait for everyone to read this book. Then we can all start anticipating the final installment together. 

Thank you to HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this story and keep defending Adam. Check out this post for an excerpt from the 'In Defense of Adam Kent' letter I wrote to get a copy of the book.

Read: November 2012
Published: February 5, 2013 by HarperCollins (2 months!)
Source: ARC from publisher
Category: Dystopian/Paranormal Romance
Series: Shatter Me book 2


tick, tick, tick, tick, tick
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. (From Goodreads)

NOTE: Unravel Me is book 2 in a series. My review contains SPOILERS for Shatter Me. If you have yet to read it, see my review HERE

Before I start talking about Unravel Me, I want to tell you two truths.
1) You should read Destroy Me before picking up Unravel Me. Written from Warner's perspective, Destroy Me gives you insight into his mind and tells you about what he is doing between the first two books of the series. Whether you like or loathe Warner, Destroy Me will give you a new perspective on the Shatter Me antagonist. The novella is also an important transition to the events that take place in Unravel Me

2) After reading Unravel Me, I am still Team Adam. However, I am unsurprised that people have fallen for Warner, and I don't blame them for it. (Much.)

When Unravel Me begins, Juliette is struggling to fit into her new home. 

Unravel Me starts soon after the end of Shatter Me, and Juliette is attempting to settle into life at Omega Point. However, she's having some trouble adapting. This is not really surprising considering how much psychological damage she's suffered throughout her life, including her recent solitary confinement in the mental institution. She has been shunned by nearly everyone she's ever met and as a result is distrustful of people. She also lacks social skills, because she was only ever taught to keep away from people because she could hurt them. On top of that, Juliette is trying to come to terms with who she is and what her powers are. Basically she's a mess. 

The only place Juliette feels safe is with Adam, and she relies on him. But Adam has been kept busy at Omega Point, and he can't be there for her all the time. He also has his own issues going on, which creates even more tension for an already stressed out Juliette. 

Although I understood why Juliette was so depressed throughout this book, I did start to get annoyed by her constant moping and second-guessing of herself. She also made some choices in this story that I did not agree with. BUT I was also pleased with how she eventually worked through everything. The high emotional content of Juliette in Unravel Me made me thankful for Kenji, who is excellent at putting things into perspective for her and for easing the tension. He has become one of my most favorite characters in this series. 

Two people can touch Juliette. 
At the end of Shatter Me, Juliette knows that Adam is not the only person who can touch her, but she hasn't told anyone else about Warner. In Unravel Me, I was biting my nails waiting for that news to come out. I also couldn't wait to discover why Adam and Warner can touch Juliette. Unravel Me answers both questions and of course it creates tons of drama. 

Mafi's prose is still divine.
One reason why I fell in love with Shatter Me was Juliette's unique voice. The way that Juliette and her world are portrayed through Tahereh Mafi' exquisite writing captured my heart. I was completely taken by the story and emotionally tied to Juliette's journey. 

When I started Unravel Me, I was excited to be back in Juliette's world again. Right away, I was able to recapture the magic of Mafi's prose, which is just so beautiful. However, this book stressed me out in places, and that made it hard for me concentrate on the words making up the plot, instead turning the pages quickly to find out what happens next!! But that also means that I was completely invested in this book. Seriously, I could not put it down. 

The leader of The Reestablishment makes me shudder. 
We do find out a lot more about The Reestablishment and the structure of the government in Unravel Me. We also meet the man in charge, and he causes all sorts of problems for these characters. If you've read Destroy Me, you know exactly the person I'm talking about. 

I still have a lot of questions about the world in which Juliette lives. But this series is the story of one girls' growth, and I think the sheltered nature of her life and the stress she's been facing has kept the focus off of some of those bigger questions. We also don't get much more information about the 'science' behind people's abilities, and I am really curious about those answers. 

Of course I'm going to talk about the love triangle.  

I'm just going to come out and state that YES there is a massive love triangle that pops up in Unravel Me.  It is something that truly blindsided me, and was extremely difficult for me to come to terms with. Honestly, I was heartbroken when I found out about it from earlier reviewers, and I had to go through a mourning period (I am not joking). When I read Shatter Me, I fell hard for Adam. With the same bird in Juliette's dreams inked on Adam's chest, I was certain that he was the one for her (I still think this!). I thought Warner was a brilliant villain

Unravel Me challenged all of my beliefs. Against my better judgement, I found myself considering Warner as an option. He is still Warner, but he is also not what he seems.  As much as it pains me to write this, there are several reasons that make him an attractive choice for Juliette. However, some elements of this story also seemed too convenient - or inconvenient as it were - and I felt a manipulated by some of the details of the plot. I will readily admit that many readers will disagree with me, and even relish these elements. (I have written a more in depth essay about the love triangle, that is filled with spoilers. But I don't want to post that until after Unravel Me is available in stores.)

Despite everything, I am still rooting for Adam, and I predict big things for him in the next book. I am also crossing my fingers for a novella from his perspective. 

You might need a fan for this one. 
Unravel Me is quite steamy. Juliette has never been able to experience physical touch before, and she craves it in a way that is palpable. This heightens the drama and intensity around the two people who can touch her. Tahereh Mafi writes in a way that is able to convey a lot of heat without giving away too many details. All I can say is WOW. 

I am completely addicted to this series. 
Unravel Me solidified how much I love Tahereh Mafi's writing and these characters. I seriously went into this story determined to continue to loathe Warner. But I just couldn't do it. It is a testament to her incredible talent as a writer that she's been able to confuse me as much as she has. However, there were also times that I felt like the plot was pushing me in certain directions, and I wanted to scream "that's not fair!" But I trust Mafi's ability to confound and astound me. Her first two books have blown me away, and I'm already counting down until the moment I receive the final book in the series. 


Cliffhanger Scale: Medium
Love Triangle Factor: Medium-High

Rating: 4.5 stars (For the sake of Adam)

15 comments:

  1. BRILLIANT REVIEW!

    YES! Total, total agreement with everything you said and this is coming from someone who is, as YOU know, feeling VERY Team Warner right now!

    YES, the moping (especially in the first part) was borderline overkill.

    YES, Kenji Kishimoto absolutely ROCKS my socks off (I next want a book with Kenji as the star that he is SO meant to be!)

    YES, to Mafi challenging the reader on all they believed about Warner (and Adam, and Kenji and Juliette for that matter)

    YES, to the holy-horses amazing SWOON (sheesh, this is a steamy YA book, I LOVE IT!)

    And YES, to the amazing, talented writing of Ms. Mafi. One of my favorite writers, hands down. Like you, I cold not put this book down once I started it!

    Sigh. I'm spent just thinking about it again.

    Way to go Lauren, your honest review summed everything up perfectly. So happy you got to read this one early (and your "In Defense of Adam" letter still cracks me up!)

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    1. Thank you so much, H! I cannot tell you how much I appreciated being able to talk through this entire book with you, and to VENT as I was reading it. It made the experience so much BETTER. I am getting all emotional again as Asheley is reading the book. My heart rate keeps picking up when she tells me where she is. AHHHHHHH!!!! I'm going to have to read this again soon.

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  2. I want to say so many things but I'm still having my "stress out" period. The one you talk about here ---> "However, this book stressed me out in places, and that made it hard for me concentrate on the words making up the plot, instead turning the pages quickly to find out what happens next!! But that also means that I was completely invested in this book. Seriously, I could not put it down."

    I love so many things about this book OF COURSE. And then there are so many thing that make my mind go all CAPSLOCK. This is another one of those books that I need to read in front of a camera - so you guys can see how it is tormenting me (but in a good way). Or I wish we could sit down together at a table and talk about it. Because as animated as I am in my tweets and emails and direct messages or whatever, I will never be able to tell you and Heather how ANIMATED I'm feeling right now. Never ever ever.

    *pauses to put head in hands*

    I can't say anything else that Heather hasn't already said. But I'm making tons of faces and my heart is beating wildly! I agree with everything...so far...

    ALL of my tweets and direct messages to people have been very dramatic.

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    1. Clearly, this book makes me go all CAPSLOCK as well:) Sitting down together and hashing this book (and series) out now goes on my bucket list, FOR REAL. If I ever hit the Powerball we are DEFINITELY doing that;)

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    2. I cannot wait to discuss this book in FULL when you finish it!!!!! I am still stressed out about UM and the HUGE number of REVELATIONS. CRAZINESS!!!! You just can't believe what is in store for you, dear. Also I feel the same way about CAPSLOCK and this book. I should have written my whole review in CAPITALS. And added EXCLAMATIONS!!! at the end of every sentence.

      PLEASE take a video of yourself reading. Or time-lapse photos!

      Let's get together yeah yeah yeah! I want that to happen so badly!!

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    3. (I am embarrassed by the number of exclamation points in my comment)

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  3. Thanks for your thoughts! This is one of my top to-reads of 2013 and I just can't wait to read it. Thanks again!

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  4. Ah, thank you. So I definitely have to read Destroy Me first. I did buy it, just haven't had the chance to read it yet. I will definitely make sure to do that first now. Unravel Me answers the question on why they can touch her? Yessss! I can't wait to find out. Thank you so much for your review! :)

    ~Sara @ Forever 17 Books

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  5. Cliff hangers and love triangles are not my thing. But I loved Shatter Me and this is a fabulous review!

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  6. I recently read Unravel Me, and I still believe Adam and Juliette will end up together. Their love for one another just pours off the page. Their story started in Shatter Me.. and I fully believe that one thing is clear, they love each other more than life itself.

    I don't like this.. triangle forming. I don't think it's needed at all. But now they have added this forbidden element to Juliette and Adam, in my heart I know they are IT for each other.
    I'm just a bit afraid because I know don't know what Tahereh will do.

    I personally don't think Ch 62 is any less different to the hot scenes of Adam and Juliette in the early parts of the book.

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  7. Oh my goodness! I have to tell you how great your review is. I felt EXACTLY the same way you did upon hearing this story now has a love triangle. "Mourning period" is really the perfect term for it -- it was so upsetting to me and made me TERRIFIED to read the book. Thanks for expressing your thoughts on the triangle (and the whole book) so eloquently. It's definitely put me at ease :) (And yay, Adam!!!)

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  8. Awesome review. Just got done reading it and feel the same. I'm totally Team Adam. I feel that Juliette in this book was all over the place with her feelings. I also believe she gave Warner way to much credit. I believe that her attraction to Warner has a lot to do with the fact that she knows she can touch him and no harm will come to him. But with Adam (Who she still Loves, I think) touching became an issue which lead to the breakup. I'm just frustrated after reading this book. I really felt like Adam got thrown under a bus In this book. There are so many Team Warner fans out there, so its nice to see Adam getting some love. What makes it worse is that Adam is still fighting and trying to find a way for them to be together and Juliette is off (almost) doing the deed with Warner. Arghhh!!! Anyway great Review!!!!

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  9. Oh my God, I thought I was the only girl who was in love with Adam! Here in Brazil everybody is Team Warner, and I just don't understand...but after 4 ou 5 readings, I think Juliete will end up with Adam. I found out that Juliette never wrote a single line about be in love or have a strong connection with Warner like she has with Adam...anyway, I'm gonna have to wait till may to read the final book, but I hope they get together!

    *I'm sorry for the English...I'm still working on it!!

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