Book Review: Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2)

Unravel Me

Tahereh Mafi

5/5

This is the second book in the Shatter Me series. Juliette has escaped from the clutches of the Reestablishment and found a group of rebels who she has a lot in common with. For the first time in her life she's around other people with superpowers, individuals who have faced similar alienation. She's desperate to shed the fears and insecurities which she's held so close her entire life and be a real asset to this revolution. 

A lot of people come after Juliette. She has a lot of baggage, which I think is fair considering the weight of her backstory. I read this book for the first time as a 12-13 year old and I liked it but I was annoyed by the characters. I think I understand it a lot better now, not that I have similar traumas but just trying to understand where they're coming from and how they interact with each other. I was mad that Adam got ditched the first time I read it, rereading the dialogue between her and Warner though had me real emotional and nostalgic and I really could understand it. Also I think it's a better representation of a normal teenage condition and the idea that your "first love" isn't going to necessarily be the person who's best for you. 

This is also much better to read knowing it's six books. I think that the first time I read it I was mad about how easy and convenient everything was. But seeing it from this new perspective and knowing the extent which the plot is going to go makes it a lot easier to get behind. I also think, for whatever weird reason, I was trying to read critically in eighth grade and not get invested in characters who felt toxic? Honestly though, it feels a lot less toxic and more tragic reading it the second time around. I really appreciate their arcs and how awkward they are, I don't think someone who has been raised to be anti-social would have an easy time in being social. But also I can totally see where Castle and Kenji are coming from, they're great characters to call her out on her bullshit and tell her to get her life together.

So all in all, it's just a really great book to read. It's almost a comfort read because it has exactly what you would want from a kind of romantic dystopian. It's not too heavy on the plot and not too heavy on the romance and really the perfect balance. I can't wait to finish the rest of my reread and see more from all my faves.