Possible spoilers ahead…
So, I keep seeing blurbs and descriptions advertising this book as having a “riveting dystopian world,” of being a “thrilling superhero story” (both on the back blurb of my paperback copy) and of being a “dystopian thriller” (on wikipedia)… however, that’s not really accurate. I mean, yeah the world is dystopian, and the main character can kill people by touching them can I please have this power, and mayyybeee that makes it a dystopian thriller.
But in my opinion, it was just romance. Lots and lots of romance and pretty words and oh my so many metaphors, and that’s great, except I was really expecting there to be more to this book than romance… just based on how it was advertised. And perhaps, in the next book or the one after that there will actually be more to the story than lust they never stop kissing like… that’s fun and all but they were on the run and could’ve died at any moment (or at least, that’s what was implied… the impending doom wasn’t really there, hm, does that excuse the ill timed make-out sessions? IDK) and metaphors.
Juliette, our heroine, was absolutely forgettable (back blurb says otherwise… back blurbs are so unreliable). She starts off in an institution, so it’s completely understandable that she isn’t very bold or strong in the beginning of the book, she’s obviously a bit traumatized from everything that’s happened to her. But throughout the book she’s just very stubborn and seems to care very little about her survival.
In fact, all she really cares about is being touched by Adam, in lots of ways, if ya know what I mean. Which is also kinds understandable… she usually kills people when they touch her, which is not really ideal, but I mean, she’s being held captive and that’s all she’s concerned about really. And then later, when she and Adam escape, that’s still all she cares about. It’s kind of ridiculous, but eh, oh well.
Adam wasn’t very believable, and neither was his or Juliette’s backstory and shared history. I mean, I suppose Adam could have been in love with Juliette since they were young teens who never even spoke to one another because it’s totally possible to love someone you’ve never spoken to EVER… not once and he saw how kind and good she was and decided that he had to find her when she went missing. Totally plausible.
Lastly, the prose…….or poetry????? idk. SO. MANY. Metaphors… really… in almost every sentence. Metaphors are nice, they’re pretty and paint pictures… but too many can become a bit overwhelming. It took awhile (like 250 pages) to adjust to the writing style before I could really read without it distracting me. It’s a very… creative way to write but like I mentioned before, it’s a bit too much, it’s overwhelming at times.
I really don’t know what to make of this book. It was entertaining. I was entertained. If you overlook all of the nonsense, it’s a pretty fun book. It wasn’t impossible to read, but it really just annoyed me so much. Proceed with caution if you plan on reading this.
Aw, that sucks!! I know what you mean, though. I actually gave the first book 4 stars initially, but the way I feel about the book now is NOT 4 stars. I actually don’t even really care for it that much. (Why the crap did I give it 4 stars, anyway?!) The metaphors drove me nuts!! It was total overkill. (Those thankfully aren’t as bad in the other two books.)
I will tell you this, though – it gets better! I didn’t care all that much for the first book, but I LOVED the second and third. As far as the romance, that doesn’t really go away. It gets pretty steamy in the second and third book at times, and I’m not usually a fan of romance at all, but I loved it. I’m also hardcore Team Warner (which you don’t see why until Destroy Me and Unravel Me, I didn’t even LIKE him in Shatter Me and he’s now my #1 book boyfriend of all time).
I would say still give Unravel Me a try. If you don’t like that one, you more than likely won’t like Ignite Me, either. But it’s worth a try! (Although you should read Destroy Me first, it’s pretty important as far as novellas go because it gives you some insight to Warner’s character!)
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I didn’t mind the romance, just the timing… like they just escaped and then they were all over each other. At this point, I have no idea how I would ever like Warner, but then again, I haven’t seen much of his character yet. He’s obviously the villain in book 1, so I’m curious to see if and how that changes. I’m glad to hear that the rest of the series isn’t so bad. I think I already have one of the next books (not sure which one) so I’ll consider continuing with the series. Thanks for the comment and for sharing your opinion on the series, I’ll definitely keep it in mind! 🙂
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I thought that about Warner, too! Hopefully your opinion will change like mine did 😉
If you get around to reading Unravel Me you’ll have to let me know what you think!
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I think I will end up reading it. I’ll definitely let you know! 🙂
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Aw, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t like this book more! I actually loved the writing style – it’s so unusual and conveys Juliette’s mental state, and I can get behind overly flowery writing if there’s a reason for it. But I agree with you about the romance. The kissing sessions aren’t the best-timed (although I think that’s a common problem in dystopian novels), and I felt like Juliette’s attraction to Adam was based more on the fact that he was the only one who could touch her than on real romantic feelings. And the romance just gets more frustrating as the series moves on and a love triangle emerges. (Warner will always be a villain to me, not a love interest!) Anyway, I’m looking forward to Furthermore, which will hopefully have beautiful writing sans so much romance.
Oh, and thanks for your comment on my June wrap-up post and good luck wishes re: college!
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I didn’t hate the writing style, it was just distracting. Which, like you said, had a purpose to it, so it wasn’t so bad. It’s interesting hearing different perspectives on Warner lol I’m not sure what I’ll think as the story progresses, but I’m excited to find out! Thanks for commenting 🙂
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At the time I totally loved this especially the beautiful prose. Sorry it wasn’t for you. Hopefully book two grabs you more. I read the novellas for this as well and recommend them.
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I’ve heard good things about the next book and the novellas from Jessi and Emily, too, so I’m definitely gonna give them a chance. Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll be sure to keep it in mind. I feel like I would’ve appreciated this book more if there was more to the plot, but I’m sure as more of it develops in the next books I’ll grow to like the series a bit more. At least, hopefully. Thanks for commenting! 🙂
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