Review: Great Insights and Tantalizing Possibilities
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 15, 2013
This novella that follows "Shatter Me" gives us a great deal more insight into the evil Warner, son of the supreme commander of The Reestablishment regime. While he is clearly the antagonist in "Shatter Me," this time around the block we get to see the forces that have molded him into the man-shaped creature that he is now.While it is easier to see why he behaves as he does it still does not excuse his behavior, nor his lack of backbone. By this point in his life he should at least be able to stand up to his own father, or better yet take advantage of their relationship and rid the world of such a horrible beast. That seems like it would be the ideal solution since Warner seems to have a fairly large suicidal streak running through himself, and he knows there is no way he could kill his father without being killed himself.The way Warner relates to Juliette through her notebook that got left behind is sad and rather pathetic. He invades Juliette's private thoughts by reading and rereading her journal until he can almost recite it verbatim and decides that they are too much alike one another to be apart. He feels that they are soul-mates, and that since he understands her so well, she too must understand him. Or would if given the time according to the few semi-rational brain cells he still has firing.That his physical disability, caused by Juliette, eases the way for his mental breakdown is somehow poetic justice. As his body heals his obsession with her spirals farther out of control, causing cracks in the facade holding all his fractured pieces together. As he frantically searches to find before his father locates her and destroys her, Juliette and Adam are settling in to the Omega Point. Their precipitous flight from the military base caused some problems, particularly when Kenji showed up at their door, leading Warner et al. directly to the home Adam had so painstakingly created for his ten-year old brother James. Kenji leads them to the safety if Omega Point, yet it still feels a bit like a betrayal to Adam, having to walk away from the safe environment he took such pains to builds for James.Kenji, Adam, and Juliette settle in at Omega, but Juliette struggles with being apart from Adam since there is a men's wing and a women's wing, with no middle ground. Add to this only seeing Adam for a few moments each day and Juliette is beginning to fray around the edges. On top of that is the way she is treated in Omega, with parents pulling their children away from Juliette, people moving to the far side of the corridor when she walks by, and the less than friendly glances she get. So it should be no surprise that she is struggling, yet Castle puts the blame on Juliette's shoulders, saying she isn't actively trying to be one a part of their community.Between the revelations of just how unstable Warner is when it comes to Juliette, and the trio's escape from Warner's clutches at the military compound, this made for a fascinating read. Shorter than Books One & Two of the Trilogy, it offers very interesting insight into a complex character that plays a pivotal role in the series. Easily worth the brief time it takes to read, and well worth it for the light it sheds on some of Warner's motivation. This book is actually part of the trilogy in my opinion, even if not considered a trilogy book, in large part because much of what takes place here is referenced in "Unravel Me."