Reactionary Reading: Shatter Me

November 15, 2011

Welcome to the another edition of Reactionary Reading, a feature where I share my reading notes with all of y’all! This week I’m publishing my notes on Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, a book that I LOVED reading.

For those of you new to this feature, there are a couple THINGS you probably need to know about it. So, here’s how it works:

I have gone through and redacted major spoiler information. (Yep, just like the government does.) If you’ve read the books, or if you don’t care about being spoiled, feel free to highlight the redacted portions so you can read the text. (It’s like a game! Sort of.) But there might still be minor spoilers involved. So if you’re the type that hates knowing things before you read, DO NOT PROCEED. And please keep in mind that this is all in good fun and are just my thoughts and opinions. Also, bad language abounds.

So without further ado, may I present my notes on Shatter Me.

Half sleeves, dark hair, and blue eyes?! THIS IS MY DREAM GUY. RIGHT HERE. IN THIS BOOK.

I’m really diggin’ the use of the strike through.

OMG and his name is Adam. Oh man. I hope he turns out to be a good guy and not a colossal asshole.

p. 23: “I realize for the first time that he’s not wearing a shirt.” HOW ARE YOU JUST NOW REALIZING THIS NAMELESS GIRL?!

p. 26: Lackadaisical! I LOVE the word lackadaisical! Also, the word ennui, which is the word right after lackadaisical. Holy Jesus, I love Tahereh Mafi.

This sentence is brilliant: “I hate the lackadaisical ennui of a sun too preoccupied with itself to notice the infinite hours we spend in its presence.”

OMG Tahereh Mafi is 23! I am so wasting my life.

p. 41: “There are fifteen thousand feelings of disbelief hole-punched in my heart.”

p. 48: ADAAAAAAAAM. Well. I still have hope.

p. 53: “There are wire cutters carving holes in my heart.”

Chapter Eleven is effing heartbreaking.

p. 73: “I hope I disappoint Warner in every possible way.” Get it girl.

Mafi has such a way with words. Her verbs! And metaphors! Good GOD this lady can write.

p. 121: I. Am. SOBBING.

p. 123: I love that all of her dresses have pockets. Pocket dresses are THE BEST.

p. 130-131: The evisceration of women who use child leases is INCREDIBLE.

I don’t really know how I feel about No-First-Name Warner. I mean, obvs he’s AWFUL, but there’s also something else going on. Or maybe I’m getting Stockholm Syndrome from this book.

BTW: Adam. Still swooning over that one.

p. 141: “I want to cripple his cockiness with the palm of my hand.” DOUBLE ENTENDRE FTW.

p. 148: Oh holy, yes.

p. 150: Oh hells bells. I bet Warner is going to deny that he gave Adam permission to dismantle the cameras/mics. Ohhh I’m so preemptively mad.

p. 156: “He squeezes me against his chest and I marvel at the power, the glory, the wonder in such a simple movement.”

p. 159: Aaaaaand I’m crying again.

p. 171: Wait. She can break through walls?!

p. 174-176: YES PLEASE.

“My fingers are tugging at the them of his wet clothes and his eyes widen for only a second before he rips the material off himself. He grabs my hands and lifts my arms above my head and pins me against the wall, kissing me until I’m sure I’m dreaming, drinking in my lips with his lips and he tastes like rain and sweet musk and I’m about to explode.“ O_O

Ok, now that she’s all with Adam, I’m now wary of him. I’m all kinds of concerned he’s not as great as I think he is and that Warner was actually trying to save her from him. Or something. But that’s obvs crazy right? RIGHT?!

p. 231: DEAR. GOD. The pants-melting.

p. 243: I love that she loves guns.

p. 266: ROAR.

p. 269: “He tastes like peppermint, smells like gardenias.” HE’S A DUDE. DUDES SHOULDN’T SMELL THAT WAY.

p. 296: Ok. For some reason I’m just NOW starting to wonder why some people can touch her and others can’t. When it was just Adam, I was like WHEEEE. And then when Warner could I was like, Well, ok, that sort of figures. BUT NOW. My brian is catching up or something because I’m like, “Wait. How does this work?!”

p. 302: WTF is going on?

The tonal shift has totally caught me off guard.

When’s Warner gonna show up again? Because I’m pretty positive he is NOT dead.

But if he is, awesome. . . . although. He was such a good villain.

p. 314: So . . . we’re now at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters?

p. 316: Awe, I love Brendan.

p. 338: “I offer Adam a blank stare. He grins, “Try it on.” I stare differently.”

Hmm. That book was a whirlwind of THINGS. MANY MANY THINGS.