u/rosesrosae

I feel like this series was a toxic relationship for me, legit a tug of war of love and hate. I honestly feel stuck in the middle because I enjoyed some of it but there was just too much I couldn't think back on without my hair turning white. This may ruffle some feathers but if your a huge fan of this series, like a die hard fan, this rant is not for you, boo.

Before I vent all my frusteration I'll just give credit to the things I absolutely loved about this series until...I didn't.

Kenji. I have no other words or explanation but that man, honestly way sexier than warner and adam on so many levels, just fight with a wall if you disagree. I never once hated him, which is not saying he isn't flawed, sometimes he goes overboard with the sex jokes and doesn't always support Julliette i hoped he would. I mean he is a good friend and trying his best but, i just missed his brutal honesty so much, he was litterly the 1 thing that kept Julliette grounded BEFORE warner and AFTER adam. Apparently he was inspired by tahereh mafi's brother so I thought that was kinda neat and cool. I honestly remember laughing so hard at his jokes in the first book, this man got me kicking my feet and giggling. Everyone's like warner better be fucking fine as FUCK in the live action, but I'm like no babe, it's kenji that needs to be aura farming. He is the moment and he is the icon. Don't get it twisted now.

The writing. Now...listen. I know some people don't mess with a purple prose but I didn't think it was all that bad. Maybe that's just preference but when it came to the strike through and the metaphors I wasn't so distracted by it. Did all of it make sense? No, most definitely not, it felt like something someone would say when they're high. BUT I felt like the metaphors and strike through just gave personality to Julliette before we really got to know her. Though for the strikethrough I honestly didn't think it was a good decpection of someone who is crazy or mentally insane. I just feel like there were better ways to show that and felt more like something you want to say but can't say. I genually didn't think Julliette was crazy or feral in the first book, i just felt bad for her. But again, if she was crazy she would have acted aggressive, whispered to herself, scratched her fingernails on the walls, screamed anything that genually makes you think: : "oh this bitch is crazy." I also know she was screaming in her sleep but that's just trauma, havung a mental illness doesn't mean your crazy. That is a stigma.

The pacing. The pacing was really good and plausible. I think it should really be most recognized for it because the transitions were really well placed, BUT there were times when it was overdramtic in execution but still landed well, kindof.

Emotional vulnerability. Props, fireworks, flowers. Give miss mafi a round of applause again for this amazing depiction on emotional vulnerability, letting Julliette feel, cry, grieve, smile, laugh, and think rather than just making her a badass on the spot. I think that's what makes the shatter me series so different from other books, it really takes the time to make you feel what the character's are feeling.

Now...the cons...yikes...

In book 1, regardless of what people say, I think Julliette was not the pick me girl everyone claimed her to be until book 2, book 3. A lot of people claimed that she was the weakest and most annoying to read and didn't like how reactive she was and little agency she had. As a person who loves agency, i completely get it, i perfer katniss everdeen over any whiny teenager crying because she isn't getting enough attention, but i genuinely felt Julliette had so much potential in such a soft character. I fear you rarely see that in ya, let alone dystopian ya. As it wasn't the best read with the endless purple prose and metaphors that made me feel like I was deciphering ancient texts at times, I felt like I got to really understand who Julliette was and can become. But I started to feel most annoyed when I realized there was going to be a love triangle simply from their being two love interests that just so happen to be brothers. (I just knew it was gonna be messy.) I'd say in book 1, I was really in odds with warner because I saw all the quotes that got me to buy the series on tiktok and I was feeling very iffy because they did not hit the way it did out of context. It felt weird reading him say and do those things, like he needed to be in a straightjacket or contraption of some sort to keep him from being that horny and...him. For me it was standoffish, I got the appeal of warner but didn't hit as good as people were making it to be. Also a lot of what he says is very on the nose so that was also something that wasn't for me I guess. I also knew he was going to be the main love intrest because that's how these books go, I haven't read one ya book where the evil or antagonist love intrest was not the final choice. The only thing I hadn't known was how it was going to happen and made me want to keep reading and trust the process, as well as Julliette's agency and growth. Unfortunately, both we're a flop (IN MY OPINION)🥀

Julliette completely disregarded all the things warner did to her, say to her, and made her do. I mean i still can't go over how not knowing that she didn't know it was a simulation made a difference?! I'm sorry but I think the point of a simulation is meant to mess with your head or did we all forget the plot of divergent. And the fact that it was designed to make her do something she clearly wasn't comfortable with, espicailly it regarding a child is just inducing more trauma onto this poor girl. Like how did you not know she wasn't overjoyed to have to kill a hologramic baby with her hands. I'm sorry but powers or not, you should fucking know when someone isn't going to enjoy killing something real or not. Not all of us are psychopaths warner. 🙄

And let me not forget, this man has powers that let's him sense people's emotions!! I mean that's just contradicting any claim anyone says that what he did was not wrong or couldnt be held acocuntable because he could clearly know when Julliette is distressed and that girl was stressed 99% of the time in that damn book. It would be blasphemy to say his powers were what made him think she wanted it. Right...

So if Juliette was screaming the word no but warner's powers was telling him like a little devil in his ears that she is actually saying yes and wants him, it wouldn't be his fault because he didn't know better. Again, it doesn't take a fucking genius to know when someone doesn't want you! I mean this girl has gone through enough phases in book 1 for it be so clear she did NOT want warner! And even if Juliette had feelings for warner, she didn't give him consent to kiss her OR touch her in all the sexual ways he did in book 1. Because I've been reading countless of arguments of people saying it is just that ONE scene and I'm like ladies, ladies, no. Let's do some re-reading.

I feel like this all starts with the author ngl, and i don't want to scrutinize miss mafi, but i mean as an author it is you responsibility to take accountability over certain faults in your book. I don't really blame her that much because she was a new author and hadn't really gotten a hold of writing fiction or ya, so i get it, but there is a great effect you have with your readers when it comes to stuff like this. I think there should just be an understanding that if your going to write about dark romance, dark fantasy, or sensitive topics you need to not only know what your talking about but make sure your not romantizing it during the process because reading does build perception, and i fear if i read this book when i was 12 i would have fallen victim to the warner cult. (No offense warner fans.) Because i honestly would not have known better or the full extent of how impacting books can really be espically to people my age. As well as the fact that the books are 12 and up, it wouldn't be something I think even 12 year old me should have been reading because again, I wouldn't know better.

I also feel like some of the hypocrisy lies into how people talk about the adam vs warner. I swear this book felt like the dystopian version of twilight and it was the reason why I had to dnf it because the adam hate is so unjust and I really saw it in book 3 and it really gave me the ick. I mean I've seen so many comments where people were bashing adam (wishing him dead and everything) and making warner sound like an angel from the heavens above. They make Warner sound like some martyr and adam like a whiny little bitch. I was just like...what is going on?! I mean can we all say that if we were all in Adam's position we would have crashed out?! Maybe not the way he did but we would have some harsher things to say to Julliette then some "go drop dead, diva" like he's Regina gorge from mean girls. I mean when i was reading his argument during the whole fight in book 3; I couldn't help but nod and give him a round of aplause because yeah, Julliette NEEDED to be humbled. I feel bad for my girl, but she was so out of pocket in book 3, I was like who are you and what have you done to Julliette?! And people keep claiming that she is badass in this book but honestly I felt like that's when all the pick me allegations made sense because she was constantly going to warner and being like:

"Pick me. Choose me. Love me." I mean every page was like my man my man my man my man my man my man and my OTHER man. I was like calm down latto.

Also with the warner and Juliette stuff in book 3, I felt like Julliette was pushing warner. Idk if I'm not the only one but she was forcing alot of people's hands in that book, and i just felt strange when she just declared her love for warner right after his mom JUST died. And trust there were several times when I gave Julliette grace for her ignorance but at the end of the day, your at fault regardless how much you knew. I mean even before his mother's death he was scared to get in a relationship with her because she legit played in his face with that Adam name slip. And again, she was throwing so many mixed signals even i was confused because she kept telling warner that she wants to be JUST friends and then the next day be saying something else. I swear idk how nobody got upset at Julliette not one time. That would be impossible for me.

I also felt so bad for adam AND warner, because I feel like in book 3 they were truly neglected as characters and we're used for plot manipulation to get Julliette with warner. I felt like it was more focused on Juliette accepting her feelings for warner than both of them finding healing in one another. Maybe cause it wasnt multi pov but I just i think it's a waste of potential and a chance of writing a good redemption arc. I feel like it would have actually made me accept their relationship more and continue reading if Julliette had not forgiven him so quickly like he didn't traumatized her. I feel like book 3 was honestly a punch to book one's throat and everything it stood for. Julliette's vulnerability, Adam's past and feelings, warner's actions, and kenji's sense of humor (I was too mad in book 3 to laugh at his jokes.) I feel like if book 3 just made them friends and THEN had them get together in the later books it would have been GOOD. like actual GOLD. I would never put the book down because I would feel like it was earned not rushed and had decent enough time to actually grow into something mature and realistic. I feel like just because the book says they got to know eachother over months doesn't make it actually feel like it's been months for the readers so it needs more space and time to let it feel more impactful.

As well as Adam's character. He deserved so much more than just an angry jealous ex that lives and breaths for Julliette like she's his life line. I swear adam made me laugh more than kenji did in book 3 because he just kept clocking Julliette's tea. I think the only time when I wasn't pissed at Julliette was when she said to adam:

"Maybe you're just really good at turning me off." I was like DAAAAAMN. No she didn't. But unfortunately she somehow managed to make me even more pissed off after that with her "you better tell warner about YOUR family secret or I will" bs and that "Adam's tattoo was a symbol for me and warner's love because it is a white bird with a crown and warner looks like Casper the ghost and his father is a dictator." Be so fucking for real Julliette i know you lying.🤥 Talking about the universe was trying to tell me something, which was another thing that pissed me off because why the fuck are you saying the UNIVERSE was trying to get you and adam to break up because there was too many obstacles in the way between her and adam. Right....like you and warner aren't jumping through rings of fire to be together. I mean your memories got wiped like a dozen times, but appearantly that's not a sign from the universe?! Idk like in realistic terms I would have been pissed off if my ex blamed the universe or fate as a reason for us breaking up, just say you fell out of love with me, and if you think of it adam was completely left in the dark about a lot of things from Julliette, so to see her with warner, must have felt like a big slap in the face. BUT as much as i give credit to adam he was expressing his frustration in all the wrong ways which was also pmo. 😒

I think i would have perfered if Julliette just said I'm not into adam anymore and she just liked warner more but it felt like the author was jumping through hoops to try so hard to get the reader to not only forgive warner but to make it feel like he did nothing wrong and he was just a sensitive boy with trauma, which is just the worst thing you can do to a character (IN MY OPINION).

Like if it weren't for all the things he did to Julliette and everyone else i honestly think it wouldn't really matter if they got together, it would be cute and everything, but like it wouldn't be such a hot and heavy issue. As well briging a character down to build another character up, i really didn't fuck with that. I feel like a good depiction of a redemption arc is just zuko. (aka, The man of my dreams. 😋😍) Because in the show they weren't trying to make him seem like this harmless little boy who isn't capable of doing any wrongdoing because his father is a LITERAL DICTATOR. It took 3 seasons for him to actually change sides because he finally understood not only what he did wrong but the weight of his actions. He never was like my father is a jackass so I'm a jackass, and nor did warner, but when Julliette is just gassing him up like he is god himself I was just disgusted because I don't think I would have liked zuko the same if he was justified the way warner was justified. Zuko was a victim to all the tyranny the fire nation brought onto the rest of the world but he also was apart of that tyranny and BELIEVED he had no choice but be apart of it like warner and his dad. But the show never makes zuko a hero because aang said so, nor did I think he was because sokka forgave him or katara, because he actually took actions to be a better person regardless of who was watching and who he was siding with. Zuko was a child and warner was 19 year old man but still young. They were both misguided and desperate but never once did they justify they're faults. It's just fucking Julliette and those rocks in her head going clink clink everytime she needed to use her brain. 😒 😑 🙄