Shatter Me / Tahereh Mafi

TITLE: Shatter Me
AUTHOR: Tahereh Mafi
OWNED BY CCLS? On order.

Juliette is untouchable. (Scratch that.) Juliette's touch is lethal. Her special powers are actually to blame for the death of a young boy at a supermarket. Due to this particular incident, Juliette finds herself locked away by The Reestablishment (a futuristic type of government) with no hope of ever seeing the outside world. She has been deemed a monster and a criminal and even her parents were glad to see her go.

While Juliette is "living" in her cell, The Reestablishment offers her the chance to live a life free of cells in exchange for using her special power to torture other prisoners and parterning up with Warner, a Reestablishment leader.

Will Juliette's desire for human connection force her to choose to use her powers for evil or will a surprising encounter with a guard cause her to believe in a better life, and in love?

M's Verdict: I'm on the fence. The premise was interesting and the ending left me wanting more, but I wish the beginning had been more to the point and less wandering. It seems like Mafi took a long time working up toward the roller coaster romance between Juliette and Adam and the thrilling escape from The Reestablishment.

In regards to the actual writing, something that drove me absolutely NUTS in the beginning of the book was Mafi's lack of commas. I'm the first to admit that I am queen of run-on sentences, but come on! Plus the strike through text and repetitive phrases was kind of annoying too (I do understand that it was a way of understanding Juliette's thinking process, but I still found it bothersome). Here's what I'm talking about:

Just like all of the other new YA books I've read recently, I smell a sequel if not a series... So if you enjoy Shatter Me, find comfort in knowing there must be another one coming along shortly!

Click on the title header (above) to check out Tahereh Mafi's site (book trailer & more available online).

What Hannah's Been Reading: books to GIVEAWAY!

I've been reading furiously over the past few weeks. We've gotten some pre-published books in here at the library, so I've been trying to check them out and see which ones we might buy for the library. BUT we can't put the pre-pubs (see how cool I sound when I call them that?) into our teen collection here, so my plan is to give them away to one of you lucky lucky blog readers.
The first book I read is called Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell. She's an author of juvenile lit, but this is her first book for teens. The book is about Janie Gorman, who lives on a farm with her parents and little sister. Everyone else in her family is 100% into farm life, but starting high school with goat poop on her shoe is not what Janie had in mind. In her desire to fit in she tries joining a jam band, hanging out with senior citizens, and meeting a new friend named Monster.
If there was one word that I would use to describe Ten Miles Past Normal it would be Cute. With a capital C. It seemed to me like there was a lot going on in the book and that the characters could have used some further development. I feel like there were definitely some plot points that could have been developed more, but all that being said, the book was enjoyable, and it was cute, and it was a quick read, and PLUS, you'd get to read it before anyone else, because it isn't even being published until next month!

The other book I read is called Wither by Lauren DeStefano, who is another new teen author. This book is the first in a trilogy, and it is set in a future America where girls only live to 20, and men live until 25. Wealthy men marry early and have multiple wives, most of whom are kidnapped and forced into marriage, like the main character Rhine, who is taken from her home in New York and brought to Florida, where she forced into marriage with a wealthy young man. However it is one of the servants, Gabriel, who Rhine falls in love with as she also plots her escape.
I was surprised that I liked this book. I read it really quickly--it was one of those stay up late to finish it books. It reminded me of a lot of other teen books that are out right now, though. It was kind of Incarceron by Catherine Fisher + Twilight + Delirium by Lauren Oliver, though not quite as well done as any of those (except Twilight... don't get me started on Twilight). I'll be interested to see where the plot goes in the next two books though.

So, here's the giveaway part. Just enter your name and e-mail address here, and I will do a drawing for the winner on March 1, and just so you know, no one will be able to see your e-mail address, and it won't be used for anything other than me sending you an e-mail to tell you that you won.

What Mrs. N's Been Reading - For the Win

Just finished Cory Doctorow's For the Win. I'm a big fan of Doctorow's Little Brother, so I snagged this one when it came in. Although there are some similarities, this one is a bit different. If you're about to take a course in macroeconomics, or any history that covers the rise of unions, I'd suggest that you check out For the Win. Now, if you aren't, don't let that last sentence frighten you away from this one either. It starts out a little slow, and follows about half a dozen people in alternating chapters. Although you're getting several people's stories at once, you can see where Doctorow is heading to bring them all together later in the book. He does an incredibly good job of explaining basic economics, and labor relations, both of which can be incredibly dry, but does it by introducing them in a futuristic world based on gaming. In Doctorow's world, some online games have taken on a life of their own to such an extent, that the economies of the most popular games are larger than the economies of most actual countries. Kids are being used as almost slave labor in third world countries and the Pacific rim, to prop up those economies, and keep American kids pouring money into the games. Corporations and unscrupulous bosses are getting rich, while the main labor force struggles to eke out an existence. A movement starts, to unionize the gaming workers, but they need the backing of other unions to have a chance. The rich bosses use force, sometimes deadly, to try to keep their workers in line. A violent confrontation and uprising is almost guaranteed, given the circumstances. Highly recommended!

What Mrs N's Been Reading - The Hunger Games

Finished Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games late last night. Wow! I see why this one has been so popular. It's set in a futuristic country, taking up what's left of North America after several natural disasters and wars. There is a central government area where all of the power and money are, and 12 outlying districts where the people live under oppression and in severe poverty. There had been a 13th district, but after they led an unsuccessful attempt at an uprising, the entire district was destroyed to set an example. Now, as a reminder of the uprising, the central government holds the annual Hunger Games, where a boy and girl from each district are chosen at random and put into a cordoned off area to fight to the death, with the last child left alive winning fame and fortune for him or herself and a year of extra supplies for their district. The people in the districts are forced to treat the games like a festival, and to watch it being televised. I won't give away more of the plot, but I will say that it's well-written and compelling reading. I put myself in the hold line for the sequel, and I very seldom read more than one book in a series. Enjoy!

What Mrs N's Been Reading - The Adoration of Jenna Fox

I've enjoyed most of the books that I've read recently, but it's been a while since I finished a book, closed it, and just sat there and said, "Wow!" That is, until last night. OK, actually it was a little after midnight, so I guess technically it was this morning. Anyway, I just finished Mary Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox. Wow! What a great book! It opens with 17-year-old Jenna waking up after having been in a coma for several months. As she adjusts, she notices a lot of things that just aren't quite right. Her mother has moved her across the country. Her dad is still visiting occasionally, but still lives back east. She has no contact with any old friends, and mother is reluctant to let her out of the house. She has been given video of her life to try to jog her memory. As she starts to put the pieces together, she realizes that something is horribly wrong. The book deals with some heavy issues like life after death, the nature of the soul, and what it really means to be human. But it does it without being preachy, and keeps you absolutely riveted to the story. There really isn't anything objectionable for middle-schoolers, but I'd recommend it for high school students and adults, simply because they will get a lot more out of it. Very highly recommended!