Book Review: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Pages: 416

Genre: YA Sci-fi

Pub. Date: February 4, 2014

Series: Shatter Me (#1), Unravel Me (#2)

Source: Personal Copy

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew - about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam - was wrong."

If you've read Unravel Me, you know that Juliette almost died, but thanks to Warner, she was rescued.  She wakes up at Warner's base, but at least she is safe. Warner tells her that Omega Point is decimated and that all of her friends are most likely dead.  This obviously shatters Juliette's world.  As Juliette spends more time with Warner, she realizes that he isn't the "bad" guy that everyone thinks he is and he explains why he acted the way he did in the past.  This also blows Juliette's mind and she starts to let her feelings for Warner come back to the forefront.  When Juliette heads back to Omega Point, she finds that there are indeed survivors and they make a plan to take down the Reestablishment.  And even though we have heard that before, Juliette is different in this book. She vows to destroy the Reestablishment and we believe her this time.  In Tahereh Mafi's Ignite Me, the final book in the Shatter Me trilogy, readers will be thoroughly entertained and fans of Warner will be beside themselves with happiness.

I liked Juliette the most in this book as opposed to the other books in the series.  She really is starting to get a handle on who she is, what her powers entail, and what SHE wants out of life.  Her whiny relationship with Adam is over and she starts to allow herself to have feelings for Warner whom she sees in a whole new light, thanks to his recent confessions.  I liked that Juliet was more about Juliet in Ignite Me; she focused more on what she wanted out of life and that I liked.

Which leads me to Warner. I, from the start of the series, always was sort of leaning towards Warner. I found him to be mysterious and the typical bad boy, but in Ignite Me, readers learn more about him and his secrets. He isn't the bad guy we thought he was and has reasons for acting the way he did in book one and two. There were many swoon-worthy moments between him and Juliette.  I was VERY happy about this.

Oh, Adam.  Mafi conveniently made him a dick in Ignite Me. Although Adam's newfound behavior made it easier for readers to see why Juliette was gravitating towards Warner, it also seemed a bit too convenient, if that makes sense. Like all of a sudden he goes straight up crazy and says things to Juliette that I never thought he would.  It seemed a tad out of character, but nonetheless, I wasn't a fan of him in Ignite Me. At all. 

Even though I gave Ignite Me five stars, I did have a few small issues with it.  For starters, Juliette has no real girlfriends in the book.  This annoyed me. She finds herself being "best friends" with Kenji, who teases and flirts with her from time to time, and then also finds herself in a love triangle with two pretty good looking guys.  I wanted some estrogen in Juliette's life or at least a female role model to look up to.  Secondly, I also felt like Juliette sort of had Bella Swan syndrome around Adam in this book. He pretty much tells her off and she sort of hyperventilates and wants Warner to come save her.  I was hoping she would stand up to him and not just crumble into a million pieces and rely on Warner to "fix" it.  However, by the novel's end you do see improvement in this department. Lastly, I felt like there were many events that were too easy in Ignite Me, like things just slid into place.  However, I am happy with the ending, which is a rarity in a trilogy. I thought Mafi wrapped it up nicely and I was smiling by the novel's end, which is why I awarded it five stars.

So, if you are looking for an entertaining fantasy series, one that will include adventure, action, superhero strength, plot twists, and hot guys, then pick up the Shatter Me series. Despite my very small issues with it from time to time, it has quickly become one of my favorites.