Novel Review: Find Me (Shatter Me, #4.5, #5.5) by Tahereh Mafi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Genre: YA Supernatural Romance

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: October 2019

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Calling all fans of Tahereh Mafi’s New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series! This gorgeous paperback bind-up includes Shadow Me and the fourth novella in the series, both in print for the first time ever.

In Shadow Me, Juliette is still reeling from Warner's betrayal, and Kenji is trying to balance his friendship with her with his responsibilities as a leader of the resistance against the Reestablishment. Things get even more interesting when an unexpected person from Omega Point’s past surfaces.

The fourth novella brings readers back to the Shatter Me world one last time before the final novel installment in the series hits shelves in 2020.

The Shatter Me series is perfect for fans who crave action-packed young adult novels with tantalizing romance like Divergent and The Hunger Games. This captivating story was praised as "a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love" by Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

And don’t miss Defy Me, the gripping fifth book in the Shatter Me series!

The Cover:

Ugh, why are these covers so gorgeous? All of them in this series, I love them so much. And in the paperback, there's one cover on the front and the other on the back.

Review:

This features both of the novellas between the books in the second trilogy. Both in Kenji's point of view.

I read Shadow Me when it was first released. It's the time right before Juliette is kidnapped, and largely stars how Kenji is growing closer to Nazeera and how he feels about her. It also shows his immediate reaction and devastation at Juliette's disappearance.

In Reveal Me, we get to see what's happening to Kenji as the fifth book is ending. He's trying to push through and be himself, but also he's seeing things that everyone else isn't, and it's making him think he's crazy for it.

In the second one, we really get to see the bond between Kenji and Juliette. While Kenji is falling for Nazeera, he doesn't trust her and he's having some issues regarding that. But him and Juliette have an incredibly tight bond, they understand each other and they're there for each other on a different level. That's really showcased in this novella, and it's one of my favorite aspects of this series. I love their relationship, so it was sweet to see.

We also get to see a new side of Nazeera here, as she opens herself up to him a little bit more, which he needs from her if they're going to have a relationship.

This was a really nice little tidbit of info and insight, and I truly love Kenji. I can't wait to see how this wraps up next.

Novel Review: Stars Above: A Lunar Chronicles Collection by Marissa Meyer

Rating (Out of 5): ~4-4.5
Genre: YA Sci-fi Fairy-tale Retelling, Novella Collection
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan)
Release Date: February 2, 2016
Spoilers?: No.
Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.
Wishlist Thursday. Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The enchantment continues....

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

With nine stories—five of which have never before been published—and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

--
The Little Android: A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles.
Glitches: In this prequel to Cinder, we see the results of the plague play out, and the emotional toll it takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch….
The Queen’s Army: In this prequel to Scarlet, we’re introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.
Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: Thirteen-year-old Carswell Thorne has big plans involving a Rampion spaceship and a no-return trip out of Los Angeles.
The Keeper: A prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit.
After Sunshine Passes By: In this prequel to Cress, we see how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna.
The Princess and the Guard: In this prequel to Winter, we see a game called The Princess
The Mechanic: In this prequel to Cinder, we see Kai and Cinder’s first meeting from Kai’s perspective.

Something Old, Something New: In this epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of the century...

The Cover:

I absolutely love this cover. It's beautiful and goes along with the other colors so well. The image works well for a last collection of the series. I love it.

Review:

A couple of these stories had been released before, but I’d only read one of them, and there’s a nice variety here.
There’s a story featuring Scarlet and her grandma when she was little, during the time that Cinder was first brought over. There’s Wolf’s past, when he was first brought into the army and went through the transformation. Cinder’s story, and Cinder and Kai’s first meeting through Kai’s eyes. There’s a little mermaid-based side-story featuring different characters.
My favorites, though, would have to be Thorne’s story, from when he was growing up and rebelling against his family, and how he helped a girl classmate. Thorne is fun and a sweetheart even when he tries not to be. And Cress’s story, when she was taken from the other shells and used for the queens surveillance. Her story is just sad and hopeless.
But, of course, the main story that everyone is looking forward to, the last one, a last little epilogue. I will admit that I’d wanted more from the other characters point-of-view. But aside from that, it was perfect and adorable. We get to see all the characters again, see how they’re doing and what the world is like now, and there’s a wedding and scheming and it’s just so cute. I love it.
This series could not be more perfect and I will always be wanting more of it. I’m just kind of obsessed with the characters and everything about it.

Novel Review: Unite Me (Shatter Me, #1.5, #2.5) by Tahereh Mafi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Genre: YA Paranormal Dystopian Romance Novellas

Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)

Release Date: February 4th, 2014

Spoilers?: Some.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Perfect for fans of Tahereh Mafi’s New York Times bestselling Shatter Me trilogy, this book collects her two companion novellas, Fracture Me and Destroy Me, in print for the first time ever. It also features an exclusive look into Juliette’s journal and a preview of Ignite Me, the hotly anticipated final novel of the series.

Destroy Me tells the events between Shatter Me and Unravel Me from Warner’s point of view. Even though Juliette shot him in order to escape, Warner can’t stop thinking about her—and he’ll do anything to get her back. But when the Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment arrives, he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner cannot allow.

Fracture Me is told from Adam’s perspective and bridges the gap between Unravel Me and Ignite Me. As the Omega Point rebels prepare to fight the Sector 45 soldiers, Adam's more focused on the safety of Juliette, Kenji, and his brother. The Reestablishment will do anything to crush the resistance . . . including killing everyone Adam cares about.

The Shatter Me series is perfect for fans who crave action-packed young adult novels with tantalizing romance like Divergent and The Hunger Games. This captivating story, which combines the best of dystopian and paranormal, was praised as “a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love” by Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

The Cover:

The cover on this book is both the covers for the novellas, Destroy Me and Fracture Me, one on the front and one on the back. I love them, honestly. They're gorgeous, much like the others in the series, and I love that the eye is closed instead of open. It's just all-around beautiful.

Quotes:

• "Torture is not torture when there’s any hope of relief.” (Destroy Me, pg. 33)
• "Love is a heartless bastard.” (Destroy Me, pg. 102)
• "I have a heart, says science, but I am monster, says society. […] But sometimes I think—sometimes I wonder—if I were monster—surely, I would feel it by now?” (Juliette’s Journal, pg. 190)

Review:

I’m so glad that publishers seem to be collecting short stories and releasing them in a paper book edition. Not only because I don’t like reading stories on my computer, but also because it’s nice having a complete physical edition. Especially since I got to read Warner (and Adam’s) short story before reading the final book in the series.

Firstly, Mafi’s writing still just impresses me, I love it. She portrayed Warner really well, and she really pulled off Adam, no matter how much I didn’t like him. Then we got to read some of Juliette’s journal, and I just love being in her head. Her voice is so well done.

So, the first short story in this is Destroy Me, Warner’s. I was intrigued by him in the first book, and liking him in the second (and starting to vote for him for Juliette), so reading this was really nice. It gave a really nice insight into his head, seeing his relationship with his father, as well as seeing how he really feels for Juliette. And you really get to see the full extent of his feelings for her here, and it’s honestly really nice. He sees her in such a nice way, falling for her so honestly. It made me like him a lot more, and I liked seeing his actual reasons behind his actions.

Then there was Fracture Me, Adam’s story. I liked Adam in the first book, and still rather liked him in the second (although was starting to catch on to some things…). But now I just think he’s a rather asshole. I’m really surprised by this, but he really looks down on Juliette, and Kenji, thinking that he’s the only useful one around, the smart one, and that he has to take care of everyone. It was a little condescending toward Juliette at times, and that really got on my nerves. Then there’s the fact that, when he’s stressed, he takes it out on the people around him.

Plus, it became really apparent to me how differently the two look at Juliette. Warner believes in her, even if he’s a little misguided at times. He truly sees her, and cares for her. Adam, on the other hand, has some kind of reverse hero-worship for her (meaning that he has to be her hero and save and protect her, like she’s fragile and naive). And then, near the end of the story, he pretty much completely turns his back on her. It really kind of pissed me off. (Kenji, on the other hand, was sweet and responsible the entire time. He’s the best.)

I’m surprise by how much my feelings changed from reading this, and am now really glad that I did read it.

The last was an extra, a short excerpt of Juliette’s journal. I generally just love being inside Juliette’s head, love her way of looking at things, the writing style used for her voice, so I rather loved this. It was nice getting an excerpt of what was going on in her head earlier on during her isolation. Sad, but really nice. 

I am really glad that this was released in paperback, and that I picked it up. It was really, really good. I’m supremely impressed, and now even more excited to read the final book.