Book Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me #1
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Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Publication Date: November 15th 2011
Format: Hardback
Pages: 252
Summary from Goodreads;
Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. 
The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.
Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.
Rating:
*** 3.99 what? It was a great read .. just one little thing..
Thoughts:
Okay, cover.. meh. I don't think too much of it really. Didn't care for it but didn't hate it. I really like the background and the pose the girl holds though. The title looks amazing! 
The characters in Shatter Me all had their own personalities. Every single one of them and I really liked that. Juliette was a really strong yet stubborn character once you think about it. She's been through a lot and the book really does a great job at explaining the events she's gone through. You really get to feel for her and root for her after you understand her. Adam was so sweet and understanding yet strong at the same time. The villain in this novel was both evil and not.. thinking about it, he's been through a lot too and truly only wanted someone to understand him but didn't know how to express it resulting in really bad decisions but I really wish I get to understand him in the next book. Kenji was a hilarious character, no joke. I laughed so much reading his sarcastic replies and attitude.
The romance was brilliant! It was so swoon worthy and cute. Adam. *sigh* I really liked the little twist when Adam and Juliette first met and how she saw and remembered him. I found it absolutely intriguing how they had a background already and immensely enjoyed how they didn't fall in love at first sight.
The plot, I'm afraid, didn't pick up until a fourth into the book. For me, at least. There are little scenes along the way that make up for it though. Then starting from the middle the plot takes a turn and bam! Action and suspense everywhere! I wished I'd gotten to know more about the past and the Reestablishment though.
The writing was interesting. It's very descriptive yet not. There's lots of literary devices which added a really great touch to the story. For those who don't know what those are.. it's metaphors, symbols, personification, etc. I loathe the ending, really. It was a cliffhanger.. and the next book comes out in 2013. 2013! There is a novella coming out though. Hopefully it makes up for the wait.
I recommend this to anyone looking for a suspense filled novel with a paranormal twist and great characters.
First sentence: 

"I've been locked up for 264 days."

Book Trailer: I adore how the words break into little pieces! Brilliant!

“Hope is hugging me, holding me in its arms, wiping away my tears and telling me that today and tomorrow and two days from now I will be just fine and I'm so delirious I actually dare to believe it.”
― Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me