So, Here We Are...

Let's take a crack at this, shall we? I've actually been meaning to start this for a while, but because I'm a huge procrastinator it never really happened. However, since it's a new year and all, I figured it's now or never, you know? I hope that you'll find my two cents useful, informative, or another adjective that I can't think of right now. Feel free to recommend books or fan-girl about them, because this right here is fan-girl central for book worms. On that note, why don't we start out with a book that I just finished reading that I absolutely loved:

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi is the sequel to Shatter Me which pictures a dystopic world where nature struggles to keep existing and animals have evolved to the point where birds don't fly anymore. The government has been overthrown by a group called "The Reestablishment" which causes havoc to those under it's rule (which is basically the whole planet) and exterminates those who speak out against the movement. The book is narrated by seventeen year old Juliette who has been locked away in an asylum for years owing to the fact that she holds the ability to kill people by simply touching them. However, when "The Reestablishment" takes her captive, Juliette must decide whether or not she wants to participate in the killing of people who rejected her years ago, while she was still free.

I found this book fantastic! The writing was well thought out, the plot twists were reasonable instead of random, and the whole story line was so enthralling that you couldn't put it down for a minute. Often times, sequels tend to be a bit of a let-down when compared to the original book, but Unravel Me didn't follow that rule at all. The characters kept evolving throughout the book, unlike a certain OTHER dystopian novel *cough* *cough* *The Hunger Games* Don't get me wrong, I love me some H-Games! But frankly, the Shatter Me series takes the cake in comparison. I was however, quite disappointed with the fact that she decided to throw in a love triangle, because just once I'd like to see a YA novel that DOESN'T have one. We're all tired of them and they've become way overused. Take some notes from J.K Rowling, who didn't need a love triangle to have a successful series.

But, I'm really quite impressed with Mafi's ability to set up for a sequel without throwing a huge revelation in the end for impact. Both books leave you hanging, but it's not a traditional "cliffhanger" situation, and surprisingly, that's pretty hard to find. For being relatively new on the scene, Mafi is making a pretty good name for herself and I look forward to reading more of her work.

I'm going to give this 4 out of 5 stars, because the writing was intelligently thought out, but I feel that the love triangle was a little unnecessary. This still doesn't change the fact that I'm going to be waiting shamelessly at the doors of chapters smiling like an idiot when the third comes out.

-Ally