Unravel Me - Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) - Tahereh Mafi
Grade: YA
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Our lips touch and I know I'm going to split at the seams. He kisses me softly then strongly like he's lost me and he's found me and I'm slipping away and he's never going to let me go.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. 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.

Haunted by her past, terrified of her future, Juliette knows that in her present, she will have to make some life-changing choices.
Choices that may include choosing between her heart - and Adam's life. (Description from Goodreads)


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After the incredible success of Shatter Me, the amazing emotions of Destroy Me and the endless talk from my closest book friends, it's not hard to believe that I was desperate to get my hands on Unravel Me. Aussie cover disappointment aside - I really enjoyed this book, even with a few hiccups, it was a good sequel; which was great considering the YA world has had a few sequels that miss the mark a bit.

We start the book two weeks after Juliette, Adam, Kenji and James are accepted into the life of Omega Point. The high of finding other talented people is starting to wear off and Juliette is left wandering how she can begin to control her power - or if she even wants to. I found these moments to be very slow. Not a lot of information was given to Juliette about the Omega Point lifestyle and she spent way too much time hiding and trying to escape the idea of using her gift to help - and hurt - people. I did feel sorry for her. She's been thrown into many different situations and just expected to go along with the bigger plan: Used by the Reestablishment as a weapon or used by Omega Point at the big power that's going to stop the Reestablishment - but either way she's being used. I felt like she hasn't been given the chance to make up her own mind and I kept hoping she'd stand up for herself more.

I was sad at the pace for the first half of the novel. I just kept wanting more. We do get a few twists and turns, but not enough to make the wait for the next step more bearable. I kept wishing for something major to pop up to turn the book around. The biggest save for the novel came in the form of Warner, but he doesn't feature much in the first half. Fortunately, I got my wish through someone else. The person that saved the beginning of the novel was Kenji. He was loud and enjoyable in the first book and even more so in Unravel Me, even if there were a few moments when I wanted to shake him for things he said.

I really enjoyed the potential for destruction in this book, with Omega Point and the Reestablishment preparing to wipe each other out. It was so uncertain, there was no way of knowing which side was going to come out on top. Juliette doesn't really get caught up in the thick of the fighting, but we do get to see the danger through her eyes. I'm looking forward to seeing how it's all resolved in the final book.

Unravel Me is very much a book of weaknesses. Unfortunately that was true of both discovering many characters' vulnerabilities, as well as people just being weak - the main three being Adam, Castle (the leader of Omega Point) and sadly Juliette. I hate when I don't love a main character as much as I want to, but it's hard to enjoy the story when Juliette won't stop feeling sorry for herself. All the crying and st-stuttering was drying me mental. Add to that Adam, who was pretty useless all book and Castle, whose dedication to making Omega Point a refuge sometimes clouded his judgement - I just couldn't stop shaking my head. The exception to this was Warner.

Warner. Warner. Warner. I did go into this book with massive expectations for Warner's role, so my opinions might be swayed, but he brought out so much emotion and so many reactions for me. Oh, I just adore him! He's one of those characters you can't help being intrigued by, and while not everyone might love him, we all want to know more about him. I was crushed, broken and beaten emotionally by Warner's openness and actions. I wanted to hold him and never let him go. We did discover a few of his weaknesses in this book, but that just make me love him more. He's no longer this twisted ruler - he's so much more than that. With a few interesting twists and a mass of secrets being revealed around him, Warner helped raise my opinions of Unravel Me!

Like Shatter Me, the ending leaves you wanting more. Not so much a cliffhanger, but a game changing moment. I have absolutely not idea how this series is going to end, but I'm excited.

4.5/5 stars


Kim
(Originally posted on Goodreads)