Review Detail

Everything that I ever want a YA dystopian story to do, Tahereh Mafi does that thing. Every type of romance that I want to occur, Tahereh makes it happen.

The Shatter Me series is everything I've ever wanted in a dystopian romance, and then some. Ignite Me is the perfect conclusion to the series. When I say perfect, I mean as perfect as the green of Warner's eyes, as the planes of his chest and the waves of his hair. Yes, that perfect.

In Ignite Me we reunite with Juliette and Warner on the Sector 45 military base, where J. learns about the supreme commander's utter destruction of Omega Point. Juliette and Warner must reconcile their feelings for each other while trying to stay sane and plan to overthrow Warner's father. Anderson. The supreme. Juliette does most of the planning; she is confident and strong and learning more about her powers than she ever thought possible. She is the lifeline of the story, pushing it forward and pulling you along with her goals, her feelings, her needs.

Because this is mostly a story about characters. About self-discovery and confidence. About being who you are and being okay with it. About getting stronger, and helping your friends, and being accepted by them. The drama between Juliette, Warner, and Adam centers around Juliette changing from a terrified, weak, pathetic, yet sweet little girl into a confident, strong, outspoken, and wild woman. Yes, she has changed, but here's the thing: Juliette wasn't herself before. Adam didn't fall in love with the real her. Warner was able to see who she really was all along, and he did terrible things to try and help Juliette realize that herself.

And you know what? He did it. "You were right all along," Juliette says to him. It is amazing how Tahereh made us hate Warner at first, so fiercely. Yet now. . .now he is so dear to me. Warner has made an incredible impact on me throughout the Shatter Me series. More than Anderson, more than Juliette, more than Adam or even Kenji, Warner has had the most powerful and complex emotional experiences. I respect him so, so much, and I love Juliette for respecting him, too.

Alright, can we talk about Tahereh's writing style? Because it is the best thing ever in any YA book. I am so serious right now. Juliette's stream of consciousness, free-thinking prose is simply incredible. I cannot get enough. It is so powerful, so compelling, and so *real*. I don't know how she does it so well, but I know I don't ever want this series to stop.

Ignite Me is supposedly the final installment. I can't believe it. I want to watch Warner and Juliette and Adam and Kenji fight all the battles and win all the wars and have all the heart-wrenching moments together. Well, I'm glad I got to enjoy this much. Thanks, Tahereh~!