Thursday, March 8, 2018

[Book Review] Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi


The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, called “a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love.”

With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her.


5 STARS 

First, I have to start off by saying this is the third book in a series. So although I will not be spoiling anything that happens in this book I may talk about some minor things that happen in previous books. Nothing too spoiler-y but it is inevitable and I cannot review the book without bringing up some stuff. It's mostly who the main character ends up with in the end. So if that is something that'll bother you, just know this book series is amazing and you should read it. 

This is such a great ending (at least, so we thought at the time it released) to an amazing trilogy.  I genuinely feel like the books get better with each one. I originally read this trilogy in college, and I am not sure if it's because I had so much on my mind at the time or if it's because my mental health is not what it used to be, but I really connected with Juliette's story arc. I also realized I remembered almost nothing about the plot of this story, so most of this re-read felt brand new.

I love the cast of characters in this book. Juliette is one of my favorite fictional woman characters because she has been through so much but she comes out so strong in the end. And it's a hard but natural process where by this book her character has completely evolved into this badass woman who will do what she has to in order to not only protect the ones she loves but also herself. In a lot of young adult dystopian books, especially with female protagonists, the main character will not hold a lot of value on their life. But a Juliette states, she plans on living after this war. Granted, I do think that she would easily die for the ones she loves, she doesn't plan on anyone dying. And I love her for it. I also love Warner's character arc. It's funny because in my review for the first book, Shatter Me, I couldn't fully understand everyone's love for the guy. But now I get it. I love the way he treats Juliette, but also the way he craves love (romantically, platonically, and familial) despite his cold front he puts on. I love the way their relationship forms. The building of their relationships, the conflicts they have, and the respect they hold for each other feels incredibly natural. Kenji is still one of my favorite characters, but I think this book alone Juliette has taken my spot as favorite. However, Kenji's moments of friendship with Juliette are absolutely amazing. It's so cute and I found myself either giggling constantly or sobbing when they had their moments. Adam was of course, kind of the worst, and he gets even worse in this book. But that is not an unpopular opinion. 

The writing improves with each book, and that's saying something because I really love Tahereh Mafi's writing in Shatter Me. I think as the world expands and we get to see the fuller picture of everything happening we also get to see more of Mafi's talents. Which makes me even more excited to start Restore Me. I don't think I have highlighted and typed up notes (they're on my kindle) in any book (or really any series other than Harry Potter) more than I have for Ignite Me. There are so many beautiful, hilarious, and heartbreaking moments that had me going through a whole range of emotions. Although I do not typically go towards dystopian reads as much as I used to, this book is more than that. It's about self love, finding the value in yourself, forgiveness, grief, friendship, etc. 

This book is my favorite one out of the three but especially when it comes to the plot because it had me a bit of a mess. I was hooked into the story and I needed to know what was going to happen next. The action was intense, the characters coming together to form this badass team was amazing, and I think the way everything came together was exactly what I wanted. It is one of those endings where you're satisfied, but also you want more. I cannot believe we have a new book in this series. I cannot believe it's on my kindle just waiting for me to start reading (which I'll be doing, the moment this review is up). 

I cannot recommend this series enough. I do think that it's the kind of series where as the story builds and evolves the more invested you get in the characters and plot. I could understand why people weren't a fan of the first one and stopped but at the same time I think Ignite Me is worth getting to because it's beautifully done.  Please, let's talk about this book series in the comments if you've read it. Have you read Restore  Me yet? No spoilers please! It only came out two days ago so please be considerate. However, I know this is the internet so I have to get my butt into gear and read it before I am spoiled.  

Thanks for reading! 


 

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