After the explosive ending of Unravel Me, going straight into Ignite Me felt underwhelming. I felt so let down by what I was reading. A lot is revealed in the first few chapters that undoes a lot of what I understood the characters to be. I'm glad that it made some actions in book 1 less problematic, but (without revealing too much) it felt a little like Juliette's original emotions were invalidated, even though they were what got her relationships to the stage they were in. I also think it meant a lot of Warner's behaviour in book 1 didn't make any sense given his motives. It was kind of explained, but not enough to convince me that this wasn't the same as pressing a reset button on the past.
It may seem strange then, that I have given Ignite Me a 5 star rating. But that is because, after the first 10%, THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD! Not as good as Unravel Me, which I will admit is my favourite, but still I was obsessed.
It still wasn't very plotty, but there was enough to drive the story so that I was still incredibly anxious for the outcome. Plus, as always, I was incredibly invested in the characters. On the surface Warner is an unforgivable monster but underneath he is so intensely troubled and driven by his emotions. Kenji is so witty and supportive whilst also hiding his own burdens. And Juliette's exploration of how she feels and her rise to self-confidence and power is utterly inspiring. I loved reading about the journeys of these three characters in particular, and I am so glad it isn't over, because I'm not willing to let go of them just yet.
These characters are funny and tortured and stunning, and their relationships were breathtakingly written. Despite being a story of growth, Mafi doesn't write one where people are expected to change. Instead, it is about love and growing into the person you truly are and were always meant to be, and that is what makes it shine.
★★★★★
YA Romance/Dystopia
Book 3 of 6 in the Shatter Me series
guns, death, blood, torture, violence
Ignite Me was hands down, my favorite book from the series. I agree the first 10% seems to make Warner more human, but to me, it makes Juliette feels manipulated and why would you pair her with someone who manipulates her? But other than that, I love how action packed this book is and how much Juliette has grown as a character!
ReplyDeleteTasya // The Literary Huntress
It was so good! Juliette's character growth has to be by far my favourite part of this series. I am beyond excited that this series gets to continue :D
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