Every couple of months Berls @ Fantasy is more fun and I take a look at our very long To Be Read shelves and select a book that we both want to read. And then we read it and chat about it. We’ve changed it up a bit to make it simpler. Instead of a lengthy chat, we’re interviewing each other on our respective blogs and asking – Was it good for you?
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
I was so bummed this book didn’t work for me but to learn that Berls had given it 4 star I was surprised since I marked this as a DNF (I just coudn’t get through it at all). Since I don’t do a full review for DNF books only a few sentences on Goodreads I thought we wouldn’t be able to do this post but seeing that we have two totally different views I think that will make an interesting Was it good for you?
Kim, I was not a big fan at all of Mafi’s writing style. What did you think of it?
OMG I loved the writing style!! Within the first chapter I was already blown away by how incredibly poetic it was. She has these marvelous descriptions and Tafi knows how to use a metaphor so well you just feel what’s happening. She writes very stream of consciousness, including constant striking of thoughts – which I admit confused me at first, but once I understood what the sound was, I thought it was brilliant. Like most poetry, I could never right that way, but I still stand in awe.
Maybe I’m just not a fan of poetry lol. What did you think of the narration?
I think that the narration totally helped make the poetic style come to life. Most poetry is meant to be read aloud and I don’t know if I could have read this book. I probably would have read it aloud because you really have to hear the rhythm and pace to get how beautifully written this is. Kate Simses nailed it in every aspect for me.
I didn’t love the characters either so, What did you think of Juliette, Adam and Warner?
I’m crazy about Juliette, because I just feel so bad for her. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to spend your entire life not being able to touch anyone. And the hostility this birth defect (because that’s what it is essentially) has left her with is just horrible.
That she’s come out of that still caring about others is amazing. I’m okay with Adam – I kind of stayed on the fence about him throughout and I don’t completely feel their connection. Warren is perfect as an evil villain kind of guy, just a tad bit psycho and scarred they way they should be
I like dystopian but the world was missing to me, Did it make sense for you? Did you like the dystopian feel?
Yes and no. That the world around us has been destroyed to such an extent is completely believable. The thing is, we spend so much time locked up with Juliette that we don’t really get to see much of it. I think what’s really hanging me up though is the very X-Men feel of the storyline. The further the story progressed the more it felt similar to X-Men and I hope it doesn’t completely go there – it would just wipe away the originality I loved when I started it.
Alright, Berls, I guess this was good for you, So tell me what would be your twitter review (aka 140 characters or less)?
Poetic words haunt you almost as much as the girl giving them voice. I felt for her, cheered her on & can’t wait to see her kick ass in #2!!
To see what I had to say about Shatter Me head over to Berl’s Was It Good For You? Post since with was a DNF for me I will not be writing a review. And if you’ve read Shatter Me I’d love to know – Was it good for you?
This is a terrific post Michelle! I love The back and forth with you and Berls. I don’t think that I’ll be giving Shatter Me a try…I’m really not fond of a poetic writing style. Have a great week!
Not really a poetic style person so I am really glad I never decided to try this one.
It was just written so strange. I kept waiting for it to make sense.
Shatter Me also was a DNF for me, I just couldn’t get through it. Just like you I didn’t like the writing style at all. I didn’t got that far, so I can’t really say much about it, I read until page 80 I think and then decided it wasn’t worth the struggle. So many people seems to love this book, but I just can’t see why.
I didn’t get far either. It was painful to listen to. I returned the audiobook. Not even worth trying again IMO.