I was around when Shatter Me was taking the online world by storm, and it seemed that everyone was reading it or had read it. I vividly remember seeing the eyes everywhere and hearing the name Aaron Warner frequently. It genuinely seemed like an interesting story, so I decided to give it a go and was happy to find that this series, for me at least, lived up to the hype.
I was recently reminded of the series when I saw that a new release was coming this April. As I was reflecting on this iconic dystopian YA series by Tahereh Mafi, I thought it would be interesting to rank the main books.
6. Shatter Me (Book 1)
Starting with the lowest first, I have the first book in the series. Shatter Me does well at setting the scene of the world and the characters, and it sets itself apart by creating a very unique scenario: the main character Juliette's dangerous powers are impactful to her personal arc and the politics of the world. However, everything is just getting started and it feels like there's more to come, so the first book is interesting but isn't as fulfilling as the rest of the series.
5. Restore Me (Book 4)
I feel similarly about Restore Me as I do about Shatter Me. The series was published in two separate trilogies with Restore Me being the first leg in a continued story. It's developing and introducing a new storyline, and picking up with characters in a somewhat different place than where they were left. Because of this, we are led to the same issues as the first book: it's interesting but feels like an introductory point.
4. Unravel Me (Book 2)
From what I remember, Unravel Me started picking up the pace as we're learning more about politics, Juliette is uncovering more and more about her powers, and we have more interesting characters. It's ranked 4th because it still felt like it carried the unfinished nature, and that there's tension still to be relieved in the next book.
3. Defy Me (Book 5)
Defy Me, again, has the same pros and cons as Unravel Me, but it's ranked higher because I liked the second half of the series more. It feels more settled, sure of its direction because the perspectives feel sharper and the characters (new and old) have interesting development.
2. Imagine Me (Book 6)
I think Mafi's writing comes to life in the climaxes of the stories because we've reached what we've been building to over the last several hundred pages over the course of three novels. While it was very gripping and fitting for where the characters are at, the finale didn't feel quite as satisfying as the climax in the book I have ranked first.
1. Ignite Me (Book 3)
Ignite Me was by far my favorite book in the Shatter Me series. It was a satisfying conclusion to the storyline between the first three books: the mysteries and tension really paid off. Plus, it gave really made the characters shine because their vulnerabilities were written in a poignant. Everything coalesced to create a satisfying book.
The Shatter Me series is a blend of dystopian tension and character development that highlights the political landscape and personal journeys of Juliette, Aaron, Kenji and so many more that creates a fascinating story. There are also several novellas that occur in between the main novels.