Book Talk → Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Book 3 in the Shatter Me trilogy

Young Adult Fiction // Categories: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Romance

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Publisher: HarperCollins

Format: Paperback • 416 pages

Rating: 5 stars

Filed under: love triangles, superpowers

Please note that this is a book talk, which means there will be SPOILERS. If you have not read Ignite Me, the third book in the Shatter Me trilogy, I would not advise reading any further!

Although it's been a while since I've read Unravel Me, I can't believe I forgot how beautiful Tahereh Mafi's writing is. I'm sitting here trying to figure out exactly how to coherently say how I feel about Ignite Me while Tahereh's writing things like, "I am a pile of bones on the floor and no one knows it but me" (p. 314) and I'm just like ... HOW?! One of the things I love most about reading in the poetic, diary-like format is being able to see everything that Juliette thinks and how she wrestles with her emotions.

"And we are quotation marks, inverted and upside down, clinging to one another at the end of this life sentence. Trapped by lives we did not choose." (p. 301)

I can't stop thinking about how beautifully crafted the characters are. Kenji will forever be my favorite—the fact that he is both funny and serious at all the right times makes it so easy to love him. And WARNER, oh man. To be honest, I didn't care much about him in Shatter Me and Unravel Me, but Ignite Me SEALED THE DEAL. So many swoons in this last book, I tell ya. He kind of reminds me of Klaus from The Vampire Diaries—the "villain" you hate but end up loving after being exposed to who he really is.

Did Adam seem a little too emotional to you? Not to say that being emotional is a bad thing. It just didn't really match up to who he is. His outbursts and need to control Juliette made me want to yell at him. James was very cute, AS ALWAYS. I loved the part when he addressed the relationship between Juliette and Warner. So innocent, so adorable!

     "Why do you call her 'love'?" James asks. "I've heard you say that before, too. A lot. Are you in love with her? I think Adam's in love with her. Kenji's not in love with her, though. I already asked him."
     Warner blinks at him.
     "Well?" James asks.
     "Well what?"
     "Are you in love with her?"
     "Are you in love with her?"
     "What?" James blushes. "No. She's like a million years older than me."

I have never been this emotionally invested in so many fictional people from the same world. Each character is so clearly written and defined. If you pulled any piece of dialogue out, you'd know exactly who was talking to who.

Although I generally loved this book, I did end up feeling confused about certain things—like how the heck Juliette got so powerful and became this bullet-dodging, ground-shattering superwoman—but I can overlook it. Tahereh Mafi did such a great job with character development, and everything else going on (world building, action, etc.), was something extra—the cherry on top for me.

What are your thoughts on the Shatter Me trilogy? Is it one you'll be re-reading? When did you realize you loved Warner? (Just admit it.)