Shattered! (in a good way!)
Thank you to Allen & Unwin for sending me this copy!
Where to start with this review? Maybe with the heart wrenching affliction that Juliette has lived with every day of her life...my heart ached for her the whole novel. She has never known the warmth of a parents' embrace, the feeling of a kind touch. All her life she has been told she is a monster. She has no idea how to interact with other human beings, even though you can see the yearning in her to be good, to help.
Juliette Ferrars has the ability, through her hands, to suck the life out of any human being she touches. But she does not want to harm people, she doesn't want to be a danger to society. People are frightened of her anyway and when she accidentally kills someone, she is locked away in an asylum.
Being inside Juliette's head fascinated me. I felt like I could feel what she was feeling. The writing style really suited this kind of novel. I kept willing her to be brave and strong even though if I was in her position I don't know if I could endure like she did. I see her as an intricately woven tapestry - there seems to be so much more to her than has been revealed in this book, maybe more than she even knows herself.
I've read a lot of dystopian YA over the last few years but if it's done well and is original, like Shatter Me, then I'm not likely to get sick of it. Yes, it does have the usual world-gone-to-shit background, although we are not yet told exactly why (this just frustrates me in general but it has nothing to do with the story and everything to do with my impatience!), but Juliette's place in it and what may be her future role makes this one different to the many others. She's not normal (clearly!), she has a gift, or curse, and I'm looking forward to see how that influences her decisions and her future.
I almost finished this review without mentioning Adam, then I realised I couldn't do that! Adam is ... interesting. A little bit too much the perfect boy seen in so many YA romances, but I like his relationship with James and there's definite intrigue! I think there's more to him too.