Review: Not what I thought he'd be
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 17, 2013
I remember the first time I heard about Shatter Me. It sounded interesting enough and the cover looked pretty good so I got it on the iBookstore. I had it on my library for months. I don't remember why I decided to pick it up the day I did, but I do remember thinking WHY THE HELL DIDN'T I PICK THIS UP SOONER?!?!?!? after reading about ten pages. I was that hooked. So much so that I bought a hardcover copy of the book (with the old cover) AND I bought the paperback version with the new cover. Ever since then I've been in love with Tahereh Mafi's writing style. Juliette captivated me from those first few pages and she hasn't set me go. Not one bit. When I found out Warner was getting his own novella, I freaked! I'm not sure if it was a good freaking out or a bad freaking out. But one thing was clear: I was picking that sucker up. And I did. And after reading Destroy Me I was conflicted like no other. I still loved Adam, but after being inside Warner's head, I had started to sympathize with him. Then I read Unravel Me and I was never the same.A couple of months ago Mafi announced she was releasing yet another novella, this time in Adam's POV. I WAS SO PSYCHED!!!! I'd fallen in love with Adam from the beginning, and while I'd grown to like Warner, I was still Team Adam. All the way. So when Adam's novella was released today, I immediately bought it.Fracture Me starts off right before they set out to fight. Reliving those scenes through Adam's eyes was... interesting. I'm so used to Juliette's constant mumblings and scattered thoughts that reading Adam's more grounded thoughts was a bit disorienting. Still, nothing to write home about. The more I read, the more I was let down. I absolutely freaking hate feeling like this, but I'm so disappointed in Adam. His constant need for her to be back at Omega Point and away for the fight was so annoying! Makes me believe he sees her as weak. *SPOILER* And to think, if he'd gotten his way, Juliette probably would have ended up dead. Things between Juliette and Adam were shaky in Unravel Me, but I always believed he loved her. And after reading this novella, I'm starting to think that while he may have loved her at first, now he just loves the idea of her. I hope to God I'm wrong.I completely understand Adam's dedication to James. I LOVE James. I think he's an amazing little kid. And I totally understood Adam's need to keep him safe at all cost. James is the only family he has left--he's basically raised him. It's been to two of them against the world for so long and I admire that. I love that. I love them. So I agree with Adam when he went off after James instead of Juliette. But I got the overwhelming sense that Adam was just done with it all. I understand being sick of all the fighting and running and fearing for your life. I get why Adam wants to just get away from it all--but that's not happening any time soon. He knows that. We all know that. And what I couldn't understand was this: the girl he claims to love so much has been captured and taken who knows where, and even once he's reunited with James, Adam is still hesitant to rescue Juliette. Ugh, I just wanted to reach inside the pages and slap some sense into him. Thank God for Kenji. I felt like it was Kenji who was in love with Juliette, not Adam.Overall, I sort of wished I'd never gotten inside Adam's head. Maybe I built him into this amazing guy--and he is--but his reluctance just killed me. Yes, Juliette broke his heart, but after all they've been through together? I expected more. And now I'm just that much more conflicted in my feelings about Warner. Because even though Warner's kind of a sociopath, he truly loves Juliette. I believe that. His way of showing it may be completely out of the norm, but I feel it in my gut that he would do anything for her.I'm both dreading and anticipating Ignite Me. This is when it all goes down, and at this point I have no idea what's going to happen. Juliette loves Adam. But she also loves Warner. The one thing I do know is this: the conclusion to Shatter Me is going to explosive and unforgettable. *sigh* Now I just have to find a way to occupy myself until February 4th.