Unravel Me

Title: Unravel Me

Series: Shatter Me Trilogy - book 2

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Young Adult Dystopia

Number of Pages: 461

Publication Date: January 2013

Publisher: Harper Collins

Summary (from the back of the book): Juliette is still haunted by her deadly touch. But now she has teamed up with other rebels with powers of their own, she'll be able to fight back against the Reestablishment to save her broken world. With the help of these new allies, she will learn the secret behind Adam's-and Warner's-immunity to her killer skin.

I didn't particularly like the first book in this series but I had heard that it gets better as you go along so I picked up Unravel Me and I'm really glad I decided to. Everything that I didn't like in Shatter Me seems to get sorted out in this book and everything that I was uncertain of, was cleared up. It's not often you come across a second book in a series which is the one that holds it all together. 

The main thing that I disliked in the first book was the relationship between Adam and Juliette, and Warner and Juliette. It all felt a little forced. After reading this second book and watching the characters develop I began to understand why the characters came across like this. In Shatter Me all the characters seemed to be going through the motions, doing what they thought was expected of them. But in this book they start to see that maybe they need to think a little of themselves and do what they want. But not quite as much as the reader realises how much they need to rethink a few things.

I was also glad that who the Reestablishment was and their goals were brought more into this story. Once again I did, however, find that the role of this corrupt group did play a slightly less significant role than Juliette working out who she is and what her abilities are, and her boy issues.The ending of this book has set up the Reestablishment to play a huge role in the final book and I hope I won't be disappointed. 

Que some minor spoilers....

In this second book we learn why it is that Adam and Warner are immune to Juliette's powers...but more importantly we see Adam stop being immune to Juliette's power. Something which brings a staggering amount of reality into the story. When Juliette and Adam realise that he is not quite as immune to her powers as they thought, they are forced to seriously reconsider their relationship and whether or not it is wise for them to keep seeing each other. When Juliette pulls away to protect Adam, we also get to see a darker side of Adam. Especially when he is put in situations involving Warner.

Without Adam acting as a crutch on reality for Juliette, she is forced to be a little more independent and we begin to see her learning to live and not just existing. Juliette begins to make friends and with Warner a prisoner at Omega Point, we get to see her interact with someone who actually understands what she has been through. It is through Juliette's interactions with Warner that as a reader you begin to understand how badly Juliette has been forgetting to live her own life, how much she has been relying on others and doing what she thinks is expected of her. And much like the first book, Warner pushes all her buttons and makes her react and feel. Something that Juliette has spent a large chunk of her life trying not to do.

I found Unravel Me to be the book where the story started. In many ways I have found Shatter Me to simply be the starting point, the book that sets the scene. But now the story has really begun.