Defy Me (Shatter Me, #5) (2024)

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3/29/20
It's still difficult to rate this book. Definitely not 4 or 5 stars, but I don't know if I could go lower. This book's two halves are competing to be the worst half: the first half is SO boring and over-explained with no plot points, and the second half is the characters calling themselves by new names with cliche and annoying dialogue. I didn't find myself as upset by this as I was the first time(s) I read it, but I don't think the book got any better. I just was more prepared that it wasn't going to be what I was hoping.

4/28/19
This review is going to sound really negative, but truthfully, I think this book has equal parts good and bad. The difference is, whereas all the other Shatter Me books’ good parts outweighs any bad that exists, this book had so many terrible scenes and lines of dialogue that were not be redeemed by the sparse action and melodramatic romance scenes. There’s really no way for me to jump into this other than chronologically, so here we go.

Reunions

The reunions sucked because the stakes felt so low and I never felt any adrenaline or excitement about their reunion. It was just sort of…. Oh. Like, Lifetime Movie Network called and they want their script back. Every single line of it was so annoying, and nothing about them reuniting was unique. There was no description of the desperation of the two or how each other looked; it was all Juliette’s cliche crying and apologies, and blanket statements like “he’s alive” and “he’s intact." Since we’ve known for 300 pages that Warner is fine, it’s really anticlimactic for Juliette to be like omg he’s alive!! Like yeah, we know. I just really was not digging this writing at ALL.
More than the dramatic cheesy dialogue and Juliette breaking out into cliche sobs, I LOATHE how she was the one apologizing to him. Juliette did NOTHING wrong in Restore Me except not communicate with him, but she blamed herself for everything and Warner didn’t even think to, I don’t know, APOLOGIZE BACK‼ Warner was literally the one in the wrong but Juliette was the one apologizing profusely. I wanted them to solve their sh*t instead of pretending like everything will be perfect until the end of time. Which is another thing that bothers me.
In Restore Me, Kenji very accurately stated something like, "You have to talk and figure out your sh*t before your relationship can be okay," but the second warnette made eye contact in this book, their relationship was perfect all over again with zero discussion except "no more lies" which like..... blah! Again, I felt like a bunch of development from Restore Me just got dumped down a drain. I wanted Juliette to continue being angry with him. I wanted her to demand an apology and them to have a long discussion about what went wrong instead of them collapsing into each others’ arms crying melodramatically and then her apologizing and them being like NOTHING IS WRONG WITH OUR LOVE AND OUR PAST IS THE PAST AND WE WILL BE TOGETHER FOREVER!

The engagement

I don’t like it. I get it. But I don’t like it.
I understand Warner's motivation. I understand the “we don’t know we have tomorrow, so I want to be together now.” But…. there’s so many flaws in that logic. I think mostly, it’s knowing Tahereh said that she’s not killing off Warner or Juliette that makes it so anti-climactic. Warner being worried they won’t survive is just kind of bullsh*t because…. we know they will. Also, I know that Warner says he considers their residence in 241 a new beginning free from obligation and the beginning of a new life, but it’s such an unceremonious, boring place. I wish that their engagement could be attached to somewhere that’s sentimental for them rather than just a tent in the middle of nowhere. I’m also trying to justify these criticisms against knowing that Warner isn’t one for theatrics. I understand he wouldn’t want to make a huge deal out of it, but his not knowing he’s supposed to have a ring is just… out of character? Especially when he’s able to chime off random facts about Tangled.

Writing Style
I think this is the part of the book that let me down the most.
Shatter Me has been an iconic book for its metaphors and description and lush detailing, so it’s like this book is from another author completely. There’s a difference between evolved writing and laziness. It just completely lacks any character or setting descriptions. Both within each scene and throughout the entire book, if I didn’t have the characters’ faces and descriptions memorized, it’d be hard to even get a sense of what they were like. Particularly in the reuniting scene and with Juliette’s biological parents, I think the writing veered toward dry and boring because it left out any unique descriptions that would make those scenes more vivid or meaningful. We're meeting her real parents for the first time, which is HUGE, and we don't even get their hair color until the end? It was just so sloppy.
Also, there were certain points where new information would be revealed and someone would ask a rhetorical question, and you could tell it only functioned so that readers could keep up with the story. Honestly, this criticism is mean, but it felt like this book was written for the dumbasses who ask stupid questions about the series because they didn’t understand the subtlety of the previous books and so Tahereh started spelling things out plainly—far too plainly in my opinion. I know books in series should stop and give you an idea of the previous books, but still, the number of times that characters stopped and asked such clunky rhetorical questions and had paragraphs-long recaps of stuff we already know just became disappointing.
Also, the two week time skip within this book is something I really don’t like. A lot of opportunities were lost to flesh out the world building and Juliette's parents and stuff. I feel like we were cheated out of descriptions of Juliette’s day-to-day life that really would have expanded the story to a more meaningful level. We never got scenes of her pretending to have her memory wiped. We never got scenes of her interacting with her parents, pretending to be civil, never got her reactions to information as she was receiving it, only in hindsight. I’m just upset that SO much of this time skip was omitted because I think we lost a lot of valuable information and details. I was so excited that this book was set in New Zealand, but we literally didn’t get a single description of it other than the brief time she was on a balcony, which was told in a flashback. Massive let-down.
Finally, the cheesiness! The dialogue in this was awful more times than not. Usually, warnette lines are iconic and meaningful, but I could actually compile a list of lines they say to each other in heated or passionate or cute moments that completely ruined the mood for me because they were so cheesy or typical or blah.

The name changes

I think Juliette's name change had the potential to be okay. Two things could have sold me on it: first, the characters actually continue to call her Juliette UNTIL she’s indicated that she doesn’t want to be called it anymore. I know that’s her birth name and her “real” identity, but the other characters deciding for her that that’s who she’s gonna be rubbed me the wrong way. I understand Nazeera, or even Warner, considering her Ella, but everyone else being so quick to jump on board just felt really icky because it was like they were deciding who she was without her being there or her consent.
Second, I wanted Juliette to have a longer and/or more meaningful discussion of why she didn’t want to go by Juliette anymore. I understand why she doesn’t. I understand Juliette is an old name, one that was only given to her by Anderson as a cruel joke. But I feel like she deserves to keep the name Juliette because she reclaimed it. Anderson labeled her a tragedy but she rose above all her trauma and metamorphosed her pain and fear into love and action in order to better herself, her friends, and her world. She overcame the name and the abuse of the man and the stereotypes that came with it. Reverting to Ella, I understand, is somewhat of a clean slate and shows her heritage as a person of power, but it’s just not the same person to me. If she would have taken more time to unpack why she wants to be called Ella instead of literally only just saying “it’s prettier,” then I wouldn’t be as upset. This applies both in Juliette’s and Warner’s point of view.
Warner deciding so quickly that he likes the name Ella more and he wants to default to that with no transition just felt so off. In general, I think this relates to the fact that after they got their memories back (*cough* infodumps of flashbacks), they did very little to reconcile past with present, so it was like their memories never actually blended their present selves. They never had a moment of looking at each other with the weight of new memories on their backs, and they never even talked about their shared history other than “do you remember me?” and “yeah.” The majority of Warner's feelings for Juliette developed during the last four months, so it felt really uncomfortable that he would revert back to Ella so quickly when it was Juliette he felt such deep feelings for. I’m not saying it’s entirely unrealistic, just that I wish there would’ve been a longer explanation or transition rather than the abrupt jump from one name to another with no notable differentiation between the two.
Waiting four years to publish add-on books and then changing the identity of your main characters five years after their established names is just too much for me. I’ve been loving these books for almost seven years and I can’t make that change overnight, even though I’m trying to be more willing to see them as Ella and Aaron.

The sex scene

It’s weird that all my complaints about this book are about the romance because warnette is literally what keeps these books afloat but this was just bad!!! 90% of my trouble with the romance is because the name changes make my brain think they’re different characters, but still. The dialogue between them is so clunky and it just reads like Fanfiction for some reason. Also, for a reuniting make-up sex scene, it was drastically underwhelming, the same type of fade-to-black that chapter 55 was, but without any of the climactic angst or sexy dialogue. Also, Juliette is not a screamer and I will die on that hill. Also, yall got condoms???? I’m NOT dealing with a book 6 pregnancy plot. Also, the fact that afterward Kenji waltzes in the room while they’re both half naked is just so out of character. I know this is all so specific but like…. ugh.

Random/Dumb complaints (ie. things I wish were different but it’s just my own selfishness and let down expectations, not necessarily flaws with the book or writing itself)

•I will always harbor resentment that we weren’t given a scene of all the characters reacting humorously to Warner’s first name. At this point, even if we get it belatedly, it’s still not gonna be that funny. For so many characters (including Juliette) to name drop Warner so often and all the side characters give no response, it reeeeally let me down that there was no theatrical or funny moment of them being like “hahah whoa you have a first name!” like not even Adam gave a reaction. It just makes me think that maybe they knew all along, and that kinda makes me sad bc for soooo long, once again, I thought they didn’t know and it would’ve been funny if they found out.
•Juliette waking up in her childhood bedroom and meeting her parents was a disappointing scene for me because it felt like the same character she was at the beginning of Ignite Me. In Restore Me she went through this whole transformation of “now I don’t give a sh*t” and she got so much more confident, yet she still became such a blubbering mess multiple times in this book. Now again, I don’t want this to be construed as me calling Juliette weak or annoying because I will LITERALLY fight anyone who thinks this and it’s the number one thing that gets me heated when I see it in negative reviews, but still, the way Juliette’s dramatic reactions to things felt so out of character with the growth that she experienced in the past two books.
•Ppl were roasting Delalieu so hard and my lil snake man did not deserve it. Honestly if the twins don’t heal him im unstanning
•The first time I read the book, I got a lot of anxiety from the idea that Juliette was “made” almost like a robot rather than a human being. This isn’t quite a criticism anymore, but this book is teetering on the edge of uncomfortable and if that is expanded or exploited in book six, it might make it irreparably painful or unrealistic for me to read.

Questions/theories

•HOW DOES ANDERSON KNOW WHAT WARNER’S BEEN DOING?????? WHY THE SEX IN THE AFTERNOONS LINE?????? IM SO DISTURBED I’M BEYOND WORDS WHAT THE FUUUUUUU
•What are the plans Anderson made for James and Adam?
•What if Leila is in the asylum?
•Why does Warner remember his mom in the NZ lab? Is what juliette experiences as her mom works on her what Leila was inflicted with?
•Anderson told warner “I stole your memories of a lot of things” and I neED TO KNOW WHAT ELSE HE DOESN’T REMEMBER!! Did he have a childhood with Adam in it? Are there memories with his mom? Baseball? Other siblings? More abuse? Idk I’m stressed

4/3/19
The more I think about it, the more and more I think this really just isnt on the same level as the other books and theres 2 major plot points that i really just don’t like, so im lowering this to 4 stars or maybe even a 3.5.

4/2/19
4.5 stars?? Something stops me from giving this a full five because there were actually a number of things that I'm not a fan of, but I know from past experience that rereading it helps it feel more real, so I might just have to do that, but still.

I devoured this so fast I didn't even have time to mark it as "currently reading" on goodreads. but HOOOLLYY sh*tTTTTTTT this plot twist had me literally running around my house and screaming!!!!

this one did that thing that i despise, the thing that a lot of extended series are doing. :( when we finalize something in a previous book, let's let it rest please. overall this was still fun, but only because i'm a ride or die for these characters. (kenji for president) the plot direction is having me go ???? and the world building is a bit on the weak side, but i think my expectations were so low going in knowing all the negative reactions i had seen, that i ended up enjoying the book overall!

scorching hot tea was served
we have decided to stan forever

Yuhhhh this book was fire

Book 3 and on make me understand why this series is so hyped. Gives me that feeling I had in middle school, binge reading dystopian series 🤤

AARON ALWAYS FELL IN LOVE WITH HER EVERY TIME. i am on my knees.

➸ 3.75 stars

“my heart is yours.
please don’t ever give it back to me.”

— this was so much better than restore me. like wtf this book was a whole emotional roller coaster—it had so many shocking revelations and twists and they just wouldn’t stop, it was insane. MY MIND WAS LITERALLY EXPLODING, the plot definitely kept me on edge.
i enjoyed how in juliette/ella and warner’s pov we were shown flashbacks from when they were younger. THEY WERE TOO MUCH FOR MY HEART TO HANDLE, ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!

i hated how juliette’s character development completely backtracked in restore me, but in this book we finally got our badass, strong, powerful, independent girl back and she finally took control of her life again. this book uncovers so much we didn’t know about her past, it left me shocked and sick to my stomach.
— IDESPISE her parents for everything they did to ella, emmaline and warner. they deserve to rot in hell. evie got what she deserved in the end.

“aaron always fell in love with her. every time.”

— warner, in my aaron warner feels rn. i love him. i need him. i want him. i loved reading his pov - it was so beautifully written, he is possibly one of the most complex and most developed character. it was so good to finally see him happy and loved at the end bc he deserves the whole world.

”i have loved you my entire life.”

i loved reading from kenji’s perspective, it was a perfect addition to this book. his narrative was really entertaining to read.
— i adore nazeera and kenji. when he told her he couldn’t look at her bc she’s “too pretty” my head was spinning. i need a book just about them <33

the ending is so wholesome, i might just cry.
tahereh mafi, i will be sending you my therapy bill.

I’M DEAD.

This was SO MUCH BETTER THAN I WAS EXPECTING IT AND I WAS EXPECTING TO BE FANTASTIC THIS WAS EVERYTHING.

This just made it to the third best book in the series for me
(Ignite me, Unravel me and Defy me).
Warnette is life. Although the ship name is not the best. And the only reasons I’m still reading this series is because of Warnette and Kenji. That’s it.

I have one word to describe this book:
EVERYTHING.

And now I have to wait 1 year for the next and final book of this series.

4.5 stars this book was crazyyyyy! There was so much new info, so many twists and turns. On the one hand I read it so fast but on the other hand, it was a little overwhelming with how much new info we got. I also feel a bit mixed on the plot twists like they do change the original story quite a bit which I'm not sure how to feel about.

I did love the romance in this one though!! The new info just shows how deep their love is.

1.5 stars

Me: don’t disappoint me like Restore Me did
Defy Me: okay
Defy Me: *throws plot, characters, world building, everything into fire*

Buckle up because this is a long one. It only took me four hours to write *hysterical laugh*

And here ends my love story with the Shatter Me series. This is seriously the end, because FOR SURE I’m not picking up the last book in this ridiculous “continuation”. I gave this series all my trust and love and look where this led me, to a one star review. To be honest, I wasn’t happy after reading Restore Me, but I liked it enough to want to see my favorite characters again. I was curious to see how the author could make all those weird plot twists work. I knew I would not love this book, but I thought I would at least enjoy reading it, not hate it. If only I knew Tahereh Mafi was pulling a Rowling on all of us, because now my memories of the entire series are TAINTED.
I didn’t sign up for this. I didn’t sign up for a book to completely and utterly betray my reader soul.

But let’s start from the beginning. Because I regret so much even thinking about reading Restore Me and Defy Me, but how could I know? Both books start so promising. I was enjoying myself for the first 20% of this book. Kenji has now his POV and I loved it so much. He’s the freaking best. And now I realize I liked the novella because it was from his point of view. That whole scene with Nazeera? My favorite part in this book, and I was one of the people explicitly against seeing them together. The reason is that that scene is the only one that feels authentic, the rest is pure fanfiction.

My only two favorite parts, and just because Kenji is his usual cutest:

“Will you at least look at me when I’m talking to you?”
“Can’t.”
“What?” She sounds startled. “What do you mean you can’t?”
“Can’t look at you.”
She hesitates. “Why not?”
“Too pretty.”

“Nothing is going on with me and Nazeera,” I say. “Drop it.”
“All right,” he says, picking at his pizza. “Makes sense. I mean she’s not even that pretty.”
My plate falls out of my hand. Pizza hits the floor. I feel a sudden, unwelcome need to punch Ian in the face. “Are you— Are you out of your mind? Not even— She’s, like, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life, and you’re out here saying she’s not even that pretty? Have y—”
“See what I’m saying?” Ian cuts me off. He’s looking at Winston.
“Wow,” Winston says, staring solemnly at the pizza on the ground. “Yeah, Kenji is definitely full of sh*t.”
I drag a hand across my face. “I hate you guys.”

Keep these scenes in mind because it’s practically the last you’ll see of the real Kenji Kishimoto. And speaking of this, do you remember of good old Omega Point? Well, then forget about it. Because all of them, including Adam and James, have only like two pages. Continuing the trend from Restore Me. Because who gives a sh*t about them when Warner and Juliette—oh pardon, Aaron and Ella— are the only ones that can stop the Reestablishment. And when Ian, Winston and the others don’t even “know Juliette that well” [quoted], because they’re not friends.

The actual structure of this entire book is painful to read. Not only nothing happens till 70% in (at a point where you actually just want it to be over), and there is an unnecessary flashback every other chapter, but all the chapters also end with the characters fainting, collapsing, being injected something, attacked. Every time it seemed like the plot was finally going somewhere, the characters’ vision would fade to black. It was an endless annoying cycle. But there’s more. Everyone (Warner, Juliette, Kenji) is locked up in the exact same spot for the majority of the book, so they all just monologued and overthought the same things over and over again. How was I supposed to enjoy that? This book was just a fill-in, nothing more. Tahereh’s flowery words were there but they were empty this time.

It gets worse tho. Remember when I didn’t like the plot twists in Restore Me. Ha ha you fool. Those were fine compared to what happens here.
So now the dying nature and animals and everything were an illusion? An illusion maintained for years on the entire world by a single person who is on the brink of death? Excuse me? Ow give me a f*cking break.
But the worst plot twist involved amnesia, which is in my opinion the worst plot device EVER. There’s a reason why soap operas use it all the time, because it’s easy to throw it in there to add drama and justify everything. It’s CHEAP, but it’s even cheaper if you use it to deconstruct the basis of the entire series to sell more books. Or if you mess with it to explain how Warner and Juliette have always been soulmates and have always fallen in love even after their parents deleted their memories multiple times. What is this sh*t, The Good Place???
After that “revelation”, nothing is the same anymore. Juliette is now Ella (because we looove to change the main character’s name in the second-last book) and Aaron and her are now cringey spineless cliched idiots. They remember their past and that’s it, other characters replace them. They are unrecognizable. Like, Warner suddenly is afraid of being seen naked and still worries about his back scars (I thought we were past that phase?). Juliette keeps going on about how she can’t live without him and blah blah blah. At that point, Kenji and Warner’s conversations also sounded cringey.

There’s this part near the ending when Warner decides it’s a good idea to ask Juliette to marry him, but then Kenji interrupts because in his opinion he needs to prepare more and buy a ring. First of all, what the f*ck is that? Where did it even come from? Second, why all the drama and pages about this stupid marriage where Kenji convinces Warner to wait, and then Warner asks her later the same? What was the freaking point?? And I swear the actual proposal was the cringiest thing I’ve ever read in my entire life.

Juliette suddenly turns into the savior of the world too.

I blink. Stare at Castle. “You told her about me?”
“He didn’t have to. Things don’t stay secret for very long around here,” Nouria says. “No matter what The Reestablishment has you believe, we’re all finding ways to pass messages to each other. All the resistance groups across the globe know the truth about you by now. And they love you more for it.”
I don’t know what to say.

SAME. Now there are more groups? And they talk? From when?
“And they love you more for it.” LOL, hilarious.

Last but not least, Castle and Anderson.
I wanted Castle to shut up so badly in this one. The Restore Me trend goes on, and he’s the omniscient god of this second trilogy. He knows everything about everything and everyone but he doesn’t talk. Other characters reveal stuff and he’s there nodding along. Then he decides the best thing to do is shoot the plane Warner, Kenji, Juliette and Nazeera are on, because he somehow knows that Nazeera, who can fly and save everyone, is with them. And I’m here laughing about how convenient this is. Because Kenji and Juliette were supposed to leave on the plane without Nazeera and Warner if they didn’t show up in time. But what if Nazeera wasn’t on the plane, you idiot?
Near the ending of the book he and his daughter casually mention that his daughter was the one to shoot her with poison when they still were in Sector 45 and then he’s like:

“Let’s get settled before we keep talking,” he says. “This is a long conversation, and it’s an important one.”
“Let’s have it now,” Aaron says.
“Yes,” Kenji says angrily. “Now.”
“She tried to murder me,” I say, finally finding my voice. “Why would you bring me here? What are you trying to do?”
“You’ve had a long, difficult journey,” Castle says. “I want you to have a chance to get settled. Take a shower and eat some food. And then, I promise—we’ll give you all the answers you want.”

You don’t think she wants to know before she settles? Maybe because she needs to be sure that she won’t get murdered during that shower? Bitch please.

Anderson is a different kettle of fish. He’s alive! …wow, what a surprise, I never would have guessed. He always turns out to be alive, probably because no one ever bothers to check if he’s actually dead. He’s practically immortal, but he keeps being bested by Juliette and Warner and getting various serious injuries like a dumbass. He just stays there and waits to be shot, but not before warning them to not do it because of consequences. Nonexistent consequences, if you ask me.

Some months ago I said that the cover for Defy Me looked way too similar to the one for Restore Me, and that it looked like they were out of ideas so they recycled the old cover. Well, I get it now. Because the cover and the content match. They are both thrown out there, recycled and empty. I should have known.

Do I still love this series? Yes, but only the first three books. I will pretend these new books never existed.

“Whatever, bro. No judgment. The world’s on fire. Have some fun.”

I think that sentence indicates the overall mood of this book, because wow, the world truly is on fire. *lol* Joking aside I’ve to admit that my feelings about “Defy Me” are pretty mixed. On the one hand this was totally not what I expected it to be, but on the other hand it was still good somehow?! I don’t know how to explain this but I was kind of disappointed by how it all turned out, yet at the same time I was going with the flow and enjoyed many scenes and parts of the book.

“Shatter Me” is one of the first series I binged and loved and there’s always this sort of nostalgia when I read another of Mafi’s books. I just love Warner, I adore Kenji and I like Juliette (or Ella) and therefore I’ll always be happy to read more about them. The longer this series continues the more it gets unrealistic and crazy though. And this is me, one of the series biggest fans, speaking their mind. So while I’m all like: Gimmi more!!! I also feel like this series has been going on for too long and that it probably would have been best to stop after book 3. Urgh! I hate myself for even thinking this, but it is the way it is and you all know you’ll always get unapologetic honesty from me. ;-)

So did I enjoy “Defy Me”? Yes and no! Yes, because as I already said I got a lot of my favourite characters and no, because the plot kind of lacked depth? I mean sure, there were quite a lot of revelations but when it comes to the pace it was really slow and there actually didn’t happen a lot. So whilst I enjoy character driven books I still would have liked for the plot to have a little bit more substance. Urgh, look at me trying to find the right words. *lol* Anyway, I still enjoyed it and even though I’m worried about the last book I’ll still read it, because I really hope that Mafi will be able to tie everything up with a nice bow. XD

This said, let’s talk about the characters! And believe me, there’s a lot to talk about! ;-P

The characters:

And here comes another warning: My characters section is full of spoilers and to read through it might kill some of your enjoyment when you actually read the book. This said: Pirates ye be warned! ;-P Proceed at your own risk!

Ella (aka Juliette):

”I had no idea how much we’d lost, no idea how much of him I’d longed for. I had no idea how desperately we’d been fighting. How many years we’d fought for moments – minutes – to be together.”

Now the Juliette – or Ella – in this book was exactly my kind of girl! After reading “Restore Me” I wasn’t happy with the direction in which her character developed, but I’ve to say that I really like that new Ella. XD Maybe it were all those memories that made her stronger or the fact that her biological parents are horrible. No matter what it was, it was really good to see her take control of her life again! That’s what I missed in the other book! Our strong and independent girl that makes decisions and acts on them, throwing all caution into the wind! *lol* Okay, she didn’t throw ALL caution into the wind but she certainly acted more like herself in this one. Then again I suppose to have your memories constantly erased and to be filled with new and torturous memories whenever you’re set back will take a toll on anyone. I mean WTF?! I hate her parents for what they did to her, Emmaline and Warner. And I’m really glad Ella ended Evie. Or did she? Maybe she can heal herself too?! I guess we’ll find out in the last book. For now all I say is: Welcome back, Ella! It’s a pleasure to see you again! ;-)

Warner:

”A profound, painful ache has rooted inside of me, carrying with it the weight of years. Being apart from Juliette –Ella – has always been hard, but now it seems unsurvivable.
I’m being slowly decimated by emotion.”

My sweet, sweet boy and awesomeness on two legs!!! Ahhh he already suffered so much and once again my heart broke for him! <3 I hate and despise his father so damn much! If he’d spent eternity in hell it still wouldn’t be enough! Still, can I say that I FREAKING LOVED Warner in here?!! I saw so many new sides of his character and I adore them all!!! XD I mean he’s still a tortured soul but behind that perfect and ruined facade of his, he’s actually a funny, strong and sassy boy! I mean Warner getting annoyed because his attempt to kill his father was thwarted was priceless!!! An insult to his skill set!? *LOL* Also: Four books in this series!!! FOUR FREAKING BOOKS and I can’t remember ever hearing Warner curse! Haha! And so typical for him he even bothers to explain it with his special brand of sophisticated dignity and poise! *LOL* So yes, my boy might be tortured and broken but he’s mending and I absolutely love the person he’s becoming. I really thought I couldn’t love him any more than I already do but as it seems Mafi is proving me wrong. <3 I loved the ending so much because Warner was so happy, which is the reason I’m so damn afraid of the next book. I’m sure it will all go to hell and I just can’t take it. >_< Let Warner be happy, please?!

”sh*t.”
“Did you just swear?” Nazeera says, stunned.
“I’m in an extraordinary amount of pain.”

“No one warned me about the nightmares, the panic attacks, or the dark destructive thoughts that would follow. No one explained to me how darkness works, how it feasts on itself or how it festers. I hardly recognize myself these days. Becoming an instrument of torture destroyed what was left of my mind.

Kenji:

”I turn, stare at the wall. I can’t be distracted by her anymore. She knows I’m into her – my infatuation is apparently obvious to everyone within a ten-mile radius, according to Castle – and she’s clearly been using my idiocy to her best advantage.
Smart. I respect the tactic.”

I know a lot of people think that Kenji turned into a completely different person because he’s become more serious and has a lot of depressing thoughts, but what those people don’t keep in mind is that this is only due to the fact that we never got his POV. We only saw Kenji from the outside and the way the characters around him perceive him. Yes, on the outside he’s all smiles and fun but on the inside he’s a very deep character and feels so many different emotions that it’s really painful to see them revealed. In short: He’s human! You can’t always be happy and the part he’s showing the people around him is not how he feels inside. I mean I’m pretty sure about 90% of my friends on here would say I’m a funny and cheerful person, but that doesn’t mean that I’m always like that. I do have my dark days too and it’s the same with Kenji. So yes, he’s different but only because we finally get to see his private feelings, thoughts and fears. ;-) I still love Kenji and I think I love him even more now because I can understand him better. XD

”But right now I’m out of gas. I’m out of James’s jokes. I’m fresh out of fake smiles. Right now I’m nothing but pain and exhaustion and raw emotion, and I don’t have the bandwidth for another serious conversation. I really don’t want to do this right now.”

Nazeera:

”None of us got to choose this life. None of us enjoyed being taught to torture before we could even drive. And it’s not insane to imagine that sometimes even horrible people are searching for a way out of their own darkness.”

Nazeera is still some sort of wildcard for me. Yes, we got a little bit more info about her motivations and affiliation but the overall picture of her character is still very blurry. I don’t know why she’s helping them and I want a better reason than the one we were given. Am I really supposed to believe that she only helps them because she sees the errors of the supreme commander’s ways? True, they did a lot of bad things, mostly to Emmaline, Ella and Warner, and okay, she apparently was Emmaline’s best friend, but there’s got to be more to her story! Something must have happened that caused her to join Castle’s camp and I really want to know what! I really hope there’ll be an answer in the last book!

Evie & Max:

”Perhaps it’s impossible for you to understand how I’m feeling right now. Perhaps you don’t care to know the depth of my disappointments. But you and Emmaline are my life’s work.”

I think Evie and Max should go and ... you know what I’m about to say, right?! *lol* But seriously, those two are such horrible human beings that I’m actually starting to doubt if they are even human. I mean WTF??!! How could they do that to their own daughters?! I hate them so much and I just want them to burn in hell! Poor Emmaline! The way she lives now... it’s no life at all. It’s torture and Evie and Max are to blame! I really hope Evie is truly dead now but after Anderson came back again I kind of doubt that we really saw the last of her. For Emmaline’s sake I hope that she is but I’m sure Mafi still has something in store for us. >_<

The relationships & ships:

I have to step away from her. “I don’t – “I look at her again. “Are you sure I don’t know you?”
And she smiles. Smiles at me and my heart shatters.
“Trust me,” she says. “I’d remember you.”

YESH!!! MY OTP IS BACK IN THE GAME!!!!! <333 GJAHAHHAHAHAHAH! I’m so happy they are together again and managed to talk it out! I mean they sort of didn’t have to talk it out all too much because Ella’s memories put everything into perspective but they still spoke about their breakup which is good! XD I loved the quote above because it connects us right with the first book and this was done really masterfully! ;-) If there is one thing I didn’t like about “Defy Me”, then it was the fact that it took them so damn long to get together again! I mean they basically only reunite at the end of the book and I really would have liked to have more quiet and tender Ella and Warner moments. There can never be enough happy moments for them. XD Also the plot existed only of them finding together and a few revelations which was kind of minimalistic, but then again I got the impression that this was what you’d call “a filler book” before the finale begins so I suppose now that all the chess figures are in place we’ll get quite the action in the last book. Or at least I hope we do. ;-P Anyway, I kinda dig the idea of them marrying even though I think they are too young. After everything they’ve been through it’s no surprise though. Mhmmm let’s see what Mafi will do with this plot device in “Imagine Me”. *lol*

”Her face is pressed against my neck. She’s clinging to me like she might never let go and it does something to me, something heady, to know that she could possibly want me – or need me – like this. It makes me want to protect her even if she doesn’t need protecting. It makes me want to carry her away. Lose track of time.”

”Can we cry about it later? I’ll tell you everything.”
“Hell yeah we can cry about it later.” Kenji tugs gently on my hand to get us moving again. “I have so much sh*t to cry about, J. So much. We should make, like, a list.”

Aww their friendship is still everything! <333 I love how open and honest they are with each other. They don’t beat about the bush but address things directly and even though we didn’t get a lot of their friendship in this one it’s still amazing. I hope to see more of their interactions in the next instalment and I swear Kenji definitely needs Ella’s advice! *lol* How else is he supposed to handle Nazeera! That boy is totally out of his depth! Haha! Also Kenji admitting that Ella’s situation is breaking his heart. Ahhhh!! He cares about her so much that it hurts him to see her sad and in pain. That’s #friendshipgoals right there! <333

Kenji flips us both off.
Aaron laughs. And then, leaning in –
“You really think I look good in everything?”
“Shut up, asshole.”
Aaron laughs again.

I still kind of SHIP THEM?! *LOL* I just can’t help but be in awe of Kenji being able to actually make Warner laugh!!! And the fact that Kenji thinks he looks good in everything?! Just too damn precious!! Like it’s really obvious that Kenji sorta digs him. XD Apparently Warner likes him too! Since we all know that Ella & Warner are the endgame and our OTP I’ll just accept their bromance and settle for being happy with it though! ;-P

”Can’t look at you.”
She hesitates. “Why not?”
“Too pretty.”
She laughs, but angrily, like she might punch me in the face. “Kenji, I’m trying to be serious with you.”

I loved tired Kenji!! *lol* That boy can’t think clearly when he’s tired and the things he admitted and said to Nazeera!? Adorable, just freaking adorable! <3 I swear if she doesn’t give him a decent chance and toys with him I’ll personally scratch her eyes out! XD Kenji deserves a really nice girl that understands him and takes care of him. That appreciates him for who he is! So you better be that girl Nazeera! Also it was really nice to finally get a sexy scene with Kenji. I always knew that he can be sweet and sexy so I was glad we eventually got to experience that side of him. And yes, Nazeera and my boy DO have chemistry. I just hope she’ll show her true colours in the last book. =)

”He knew, when he made that deal, what he was asking me to do. I didn’t. I was sixteen, still young enough to believe in hope, and he took advantage of my naiveté. He knew what it would do to me. He knew it would break me. And it was all he’d ever wanted.
My soul.”

And I still DESPISE and HATE Anderson! Why isn’t that scumbag of a father dead already? Damn Evie and Max and all their stupid experiments. If they wouldn’t have helped him, Anderson would be where he belongs. Six feet under! And good riddance! Why can’t that man finally die?! My boy needs to be free of him in order to move on and as long as he is around that won’t happen. So can Mafi finally put an end to Anderson’s despicable reign? I think Warner suffered enough and I think he deserves a life, NO A WORLD, without his father in it. Can we get it real soon, please?!

Conclusion:

Just like after reading “Restore Me” I don’t know how to feel about this book. This time around my emotions at the end of “Defy Me” weren’t as intense as they were after reading its predecessor but I think that’s mostly due to the nature of the ending. And even though in here it all tied up nicely for a change I still have quite a lot of mixed feelings about it all. Plus, I can’t help but feel like this ending is just the calm before the storm. I know it! I know that all hell is going to break loose as soon as I open “Imagine Me” and I’m so scared of reading what will happen. >_< Let’s just hope this is going to be an ending I can live with. XD

OK OK OK. Son 4 estrellas de fangirl total, pero objetivamente, le hubiera puesto 3 estrellas.

¿Razones?

Este libro estuvo ALL OVER THE PLACE. O sea, siento que todo estaba revuelto. Teníamos capítulos del pasado y del presente, pero los del pasado no seguían una línea del tiempo lineal, y eso me tenía ultra confundida (casi) en todo momento.

Además siento que el libro no tuvo un clímax realmente (?). Sí tuvo escenas impactantes, pero en general nada muy significativo, o por lo menos no como en los demás libros. Todo el tiempo estuve esperando mi reencuentro y cuando sucedió, fue bastante... ¿regular? Jajaja, obvio estuvo bonito, pero le faltó intensidad y emoción. Además el final no me encantó como final (???), o sea, me gustó la escena (ESTUVO HERMOSA OK), pero como final no me convenció.

Y SIMPLEMENTE FUE UN LIBRO EXTRAÑO, les digo, all over the place, no sentí que fuera una novela completa, ¿tal vez porque estaba muy cortito? Sin duda creo que no fue tan bueno como los otros libros. ADEMÁS, ¿no sienten que Tahereh Mafi perdió su toque mágico al escribir? Siento que la trilogía principal estaba llena de las metáforas más hermosas y de escritura súper lírica y poética, y este libro se sintió bastante simple en cuanto a eso. QUE OJO, no me molestaría ese detalle de no ser porque lo que más me gustaba de la trilogía Shatter Me era cómo escribía Tahereh. EN FIN.

¿Lo que me gustó?

WARNETTE. JULIETTE Y WARNER HIJOS MÍOS. ¿O debo decir Ella y Aaron? Jajaja, les diré Juliette y Warner en la reseña.

En fin, les digo, si este libro tiene 4 estrellas es por mi lado fangirl, Juliette y Warner tienen mi corazón y los shippeo demasiado. Me encantan. Especialmente amo a Warner. Amo que, después de tantos años, siga estando en mi TOP de novios literarios (jajajajaja, ya sé, vieja ridícula yo, pERO LO AMO).

Y ya, les juro que estuve fangirleando como loca en todas las escenas de estos dos, entonces terminé muy feliz cuando acabé el libro. Y aunque la escena final no me gustó como final, como escena fue LO MÁS BONITO. CASI LLORO.

OMG otra cosa increíble fuero las conversaciones entre Kenji y Warner, JAJAJAJA, me morí de la risa todo el tiempo. ¡Que Tahereh los siga escribiendo juntos! YES PLEASE.

Also, el libro fue adictivo, llegó un punto en el que simplemente no podía parar de leer.

Y eso es todo por ahora :). VIVA WARNETTE. VIVA EL AMOR.

I don't think this one was the best in the series. It rather came across as messy and lacking substance. The author tried to do much with it but at the same time, nothing with it 😅

✅What I liked-

1. Kenji and Aaron pov- These two carried the book for me. Their pov brought life to the book and their banter was hilarious as always.

2. The plot twists and reveals- Some of the things I did not see coming at all. Like a certain character who was gone 👀 That reveal had me shook.

3. The romance- It was yet again Aaron contributing most to that angst and love. Occasionally it was good to see Juliette realise she loves Aaron too.

4. The ending- It was super sweet, I liked it.

❌What I didn't like-

1. The writing- It was dull and messy. The author had no direction and the plot development was weak. Didn't seem the odds were THAT high tbh.

2. The flashbacks- I simply hated it. Like I get they were included for sentimental value but it did nothing for me and I hated putting myself through that. It was torturous.

3. Juliette and her pov- Wasn't she supposed to get a hold of herself by the end of Restore Me? Just when I start to understand her, the author pushes her ten steps back. Idk what to think of this new Juliette, I don't know her at all. It's been 5 books and she is not improving.

Overall, unfortunately a tedious read. I believe the series should have ended after Ignite Me. There I said it 😭

Also, thanks to beautiful Keya for reading it with me 🥺 Had a great time with you ❤

"I will love you for the rest of my life. My heart is yours. Please don't ever give it back to me."

BRUTAL the only word that would describe this book perfectly. Because this book was horrible and it literally wrecked all my emotions, shattered my heart in pieces and broke everything inside me and then put it back together. As if it was never broken because of what Aaron, Julliete and Kenji and other characters went through in this book. But you know what!? I still loved it.

This book had so many plot twists after plot twists and I was just gasping and screaming all the time. Because WHAT THE f*ck!? Like let me breath before you strike me with another shocking truth about Julliete's past or who's back from death. Some chapters were really hard to read but Kenji and Nazeera's sweet and angry moments made it easy to read this book. This book was written from Kenji, Julliete and Aaron's pov and it added more to the plot perfectly. We got all the answers in this one about why, when, where and who started this all. And all I can say is that it wrecked me in the worst possible way and the reason it all started was as f*cked up as the people who started it.

And let me tell you this is the most DARK BOOK in this series and I'm saying this because the amount of torture Julliete went through was horrible and it literally made my stomach churn. The way Anderson and her own parents treated her or rather I'd say tortured her to death was gut-wrenching. And she was nothing to them just an experiment and they never ever treated her and Emmaline as human. My heart hurts for Emmaline and what they did to her mind and body 💔😭 I wish they found a way for her to live. She deserves that. The Reestablishment is full of horrible creatures and I hope they all burn in hell.

They did so many horrible things to Aaron and Julliete even removing their memories each and everytime but the fact that they would always found their way back to each other is enough to say that they are ✨️SOULMATES✨️ I mean they always fell in love with other no matter where they met and how they met. It was just one look in each other's eye and they felt that love in their bones and soul. Truly they are made for each other. And reading about their past had me bawling my eyes out. Like why would they do that to them. But seriously the way Aaron loves her is everything and he went through everything to get her back safe. Their love is all consuming like they crave for each other but so beautiful and this book solidified the fact that will always and ALWAYS find each other.

"You don't know that Aaron has been in love with Ella for the better part of his entire life. They've known each other since childhood...…..The reason he had to keep wiping their memories was because it didn't matter how many times he reset the story or remade the introductions - Aaron always fell in love with her. Every time."

"You know- I feel everything when you touch me, love. I can feel your excitement. Your nervousness. Your pleasure. And I love it," he says quietly.
"I love the way you respond to me. I love the way youwantme. I feel it when you lose yourself, the way you trust me when we're together. And I feel your love for me," he whispers. "I feel it in my bones,"

I liked Julliete's character development in this one more because now she knows the truth about her powers and her past and which made her more strong in many ways. She was such a badass in this book. She was still heart broken and fragile in this one but she did everything she could to escape from that hell and even murdering people. But seriously this girl needs a rest from all this and I can't even imagine what it does to her mind and body. I just want this to be over so that she and Aaron can have a happy life full of love and happiness.

"Aaron Warner Anderson is the only emotional through line in my life that ever made sense. He's the only constant. The only steady, reliable heartbeat I've ever had.
I had no idea how much we'd lost, no idea how much of him I'd longed for. I had no idea how desperately we'd been fighting. How many years we'd fought for moments - minutes - to be together.
It fills me with a painful kind of joy."

I love Aaron more in this book and after knowing everything about his past. This boy has been through hell and Anderson tortured him and made him do all the horrible things. I liked how he now stood up against his father and also tried to kill him which he couldn't do earlier. Anderson deserves to be killed by Warner and Warner only. The way Aaron looks at Julliete is everything😭💗 and she brings out all the best and the worst parts of him. I just want him to be happy and smiling and in love. Is that so much to ask!?

Kenji my best boy who deserves the whole world and every happiness. I loved that this book has his pov also which made is easy for me to know all that was happening between Nazeera and him. They are adorable together even if they fight or argue most of the time 🤭💗

"Will you at least look at me when I'm talking to you?"
"Can't."
"What?" She sounds startled. "What do you mean you can't?"
"Can't look at you."
She hesitates. "Why not?"
"Too pretty."

I love Aaron and Kenji's hate-love friendship so much. I know they both love to annoy each other and they would do anything for each other even if they seem like they might kill each other if left in each other's company for more than 5 minutes. But guess what they have become bffs but won't admit it 😆💗💗
Also KENJI LOVES TANGLED 😭💜 God, why this man is so perfect and the way he becomes "Tangled Protector" when Warner said it was just a cartoon was freaking adorable 😭💗✨️

"A cartoon?" he says, outraged. "Tangled is not a cartoon. Tangled is one of the greatest movies of all time. It's about fighting for freedom and true love."

The ending as usual was a cliffhanger but atleast Aaron and Julliete got back together and which was all I needed in the end after everything they went through. It was heartwarming the way they spend Aaron's birthday together and my boy finally got his first birthday cake with candles 😭💗💗 I'm so so so happy for him. I just hope for no more heartbreaks for them in the Book Six. I don't think I can handle that.

This series has become one of my all time favourites and all the characters have all of my heart 🫶
Definitely my second favourite book in this series after "Ignite Me" and I loved it sm even if it made me cried a lot. It was worth it in the end and I want everyone to gets their happy ending in the last book. Otherwise I'll bring chaos!

—Favourite Quotes—

➸ "Happiness does not happen. Happiness must be uncovered, separated from the skin of pain. It must be claimed. Kept close. Protected."

➸ "It's not insane to imagine that sometimes even horrible people are searching for a way out of their own darkness."

➸ "I realize then, in a moment that terrifies me, that I want this, forever. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want to build a future with her. I want to grow old with her.
I want to marry her."

➸ "We're going to find time for happiness. Because how can we stand against tyranny if we ourselves are filled with hate?"

➸ "It was obvious, every time he put them in the same room. They were like magnets."

➸ "There are no lines I won't cross. No illusions of mercy. I wanted to be better for her. For her happiness. For her future.
But if she's gone, what good is goodness?"

➸ "Beauty can be a terrifying weapon, if you know how to wield it."

➸ "I want to remember to celebrate more. I want to remember to experience more joy. I want to allow myself to be happy more frequently. This is, after all, what we're fighting for, isn't it?
A second chance at joy."

well, im starting to think that series has been two books too long...

yet again, heres another filler book. i would say only about 50 pages of this are actually vital to the plot progression and story. the other 300 feels like mafi writing fanfiction of her own books. she is really milking this story and dragging it out as long as she can, i guess.

the only reason i didnt hate this is because i still really enjoy the characters. i know im the only person on this planet who prefers adam over warner, so i wish this had more of him. but warner fans will be over the moon with this installment (which totally should have been a side novella, but hey, what do i know?).

↠ 3 stars

First of all, what was the point of this book?

Really though. What was the purpose? Did we really need a whole 352-page novel for what happened here? I don't think we did. The entire first 25% of the novel could have been removed and it would not have impacted the story in any way.

This is a series that should have remained a trilogy.

I have so many questions about the world building and about the characters and about the fact that all these things and people are coming completely out of left field and we're just supposed to nod along and accept all the nonsense that's going on.

Seriously, this book was filled with so many twists and revelations, and not in a good way. These twists were of the 'wtf is going on, wtf does this even mean' variety. Like they were added for shock value and not because the story needed it or because they made much sense.

It feels like Tahereh Mafi is just pulling stuff out of her a** at this point and trying to overload us with surprises and twists so we don't realize that this book didn't need to be written.

And this is coming from someone who absolutely loves Tahereh Mafi.

Still, I suppose I was entertained for a few hours of my life. The characters didn't all suck in this one. Well, Kenji, Juliette (now known as Ella, although she will forever be Juliette to me), and Warner didn't. Everyone else from the original trilogy was pretty irrelevant. Also, Nazeera ok, I guess?

Juliette and Warner will forever be goals and I will forever ship them. I have no shame in admitting that their ship is the only thing motivating me to read book 6. That ship, and the fact that I want to see Kenji live happily ever after.

Overall, this book felt pretty irrelevant if I'm honest. Maybe I'm just hating at this point, but I've fallen out of love with this series. Unravel Me and Ignite Me will forever be on my list of favorite YA novels though. Maybe I'll just pretend that the series ended at book three, it's what I did with The Mortal Instruments series and it's worked out fine for me.

If you lovedRestore Me, you'll like this one too. If you didn't like Restore Me, or thought it was 'just ok' then maybe give this one a pass.

My final rating is 2.75/5 because despite being irrelevant and having a really weak plot, I was entertained. Also, I like Kenji. This book gets a star for him alone.

Also, are we all going to pretend that they didn't just slightly photoshop the cover of Restore Me and tried to fool us into thinking this one was new? The Restore Me and Defy Me covers are literally the same! At least the original trilogy had different colors!

TW: Parental abuse (both physical and emotional) and suicidal thoughts

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This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription

“It’s not insane to imagine that sometimes even horrible people are searching for a way out of their own darkness.”

🌟 Adele once said: “This is the end, hold your breath and count to ten”.
I think she was talking about Defy Me, I think this book brought the end of this series. I also had to count to ten so I don’t throw my iPad after finishing the book.
This is an angry review and your boy is about to serve some tea!

🌟 So, as you saw in my review of the last novel and novella in this series, I was not happy. I had low expectations (no more high hopes for this series). But Tahereh did it. She found a way to make it worse and for that I salute her! This reminds me of University where doctors used to tell us we don’t make anyone fail unless they absolutely want to.

🌟 So what went wrong?

I think not many things went right to start with. I thought the series may have used an extension but I am sure that it does not need it now. If you go to the first trilogy, you will find that it has many 1 star reviews and it was controversial. Tahereh used a poetic prose then that readers either loved or hate. There was so much love for Warner and Kenji was growing a fan base.
Tahereh wanted this series to succeed so she went with what people want, more Kenji, more Warner, More Juliette (will always be Juliette) and less Adam (I hate this!!).
I think this may have pleased some readers but I think Tahereh’s true success was when she was herself, when she kept using her style despite all the criticism!!!

🌟 The writing is actually so average now. I can’t distinguish that it was written by the same old Tahereh as I was able to. This is not totally bad and it may give new readers a chance to read the series.

🌟 But what I hated most was the plot, it is like everything we know is a lie, everything is cancelled (More cancelled than James Charles is!!). I think this is a major pet peeve for me now. When authors suddenly are like, you know the character that we spent 3 books trying to kill? He’s actually alive because that was a Doppelganger and I forgot to tell you that. (This is not the case here, don’t worry it is not a spoiler).

🌟 These changes are not exclusive to the story-line, the characters changed too. Juliette is back to book 1 or 2 level of development. Kenji my babe, is now cringy. Warner the dark brooding hero is now soft and fluffy??!
Who are you people?!!!

🌟 Summary: So I think I can go on and on about this series, but you get the point. I think Tahereh ruined this series for part of us while trying to please the other part. I think that this series now is beyond saving!
Will I continue the series ever again? I seriously don’t know, if this was the first book then it will be a definite No from me but since this is book 5, I may read this just out of curiosity.

*******************************************
Actual Rating: 1.5 stars

I am so salty and angry! Tahereh just single handedly destroyed this series for me. I have some alternative titles for this book:

* Disappoint me
* Frustrate me
* Ruin me
* Fail me
* Milk me (Actually not, this sounds very bad!!)

This trilogy was created to show us the future of the characters after the initial trilogy. Defy Me accomplishes this while simultaneous revealing the vast history behind this world that we didn’t know existed. A past that even the characters did not know of up until the events of this book
When this past slowly unfurls its wings we also come to realise that Juliette and Warner’s past is a lot more tragic than that of Romeo and Juliet.

We see the world through Kenji, Warner, and Juliette’s perspectives. Kenji’s perspective is more coherent as he is in control of his faculties whereas Warner and Juliette are being tortured. Their chapters include narrations of the dreams they have while being either asleep, knocked unconscious, or drugged. Yeah, it gets pretty painful to read.

This book is definitely more emotionally painful to read that I thought it would, and I was prepared for quite a lot of pain. The bigger plan of the Supreme Commanders comes into view and seems to be a lot more than our characters can handle. Restore Me was already very intense and this book carries on with that level of intensity while, possibly, adding on to it.

I’m relieved that this book ended on a rather happy note, compared to the last one, it’s not a cliffhanger but we know that so many more events have to take place. The last book was full of conflict between some of our favorite characters and this book involves resolving some of those conflicts.

The surprises that come along with this books are mind blowing. Some of the things that were revealed in this book were truly intriguing and, in a few ways, terrifying in the potential they hold.

I read this book a lot faster than I thought I would. It is a surprisingly fast read, everything happens very fast. On the same note it could be argued that not a lot happened, but there is so much emotion revolving around their past that the book feels very emotionally weighty while reading it.

Not much can be said about this book without spoiling it. The characters each have only one goal in this book and while trying to accomplish that goal many new factors are revealed that set up the plot for the next book, hinting at what might come.

I loved this book, just like the last one, and I can’t wait for the next one.

defy me and ignite me supremacy

⁀➷ Reread #1: (Feb 2024)

･:*:･ﾟ4/5 ★

I had such an amazing time rereading this one!! 🥹🥹 i honestly did not remember much from when i first read it, but revisiting it has really made me realize that this is one of the best books in the series. I love it sm 😩😩💘💘

Honestly, most of the books in this series don't have a lot of plot and while i'm still happy to be here for the vibes, stuff does actually need to happen at some point. this book has one of the best plots of the series imo- there is sm happening from the first page and it is so intense & action-packed. Even tho i already knew everything that happened, i genuinely couldn't put this down and i flew through it 🤭🤭 Plus there are some CRAZY reveals in the latter half of this series and i have no idea how tahereh mafi came up with all of this 😳

It does have a great plot, but there is also some GREAT romance in here!! 🫶🫶 Not so much in the first half of the book, but some of the romance scenes at the end?! OWN MY WHOLE HEART 😫😫🦋🦋 Aaron and juliette are my everything and their love is just so beautiful and such a soulmates kind of love ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹The full scope of their relationship is revealed throughout this book and UGHH I LOVE THEMM 🥺🥺🥺 Plus the final scene?! it will live rent free in my brain forever, i was genuinely crying tears of joy rereading it 🤧🤧💗💗

Overall, love this book sm 🥹🥹💘💘 Definitely one of my favs of the series!! ✨️ If you can't tell by now, shatter me and aaronjuliette own my heart, body and soul and if you haven't read this series yet, this is your sign to do so immediately ‼️

《 2024 Challenge: Book 25 of 115 》

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My shatter me era is back 🤭🤭 super excited to reread this one 🎀

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⁀➷ Original review: (Feb 2023)

I really enjoyed this!! 🤩🤩 So much heartbreak 💔💔 but the ending was so sweet!! I love them sm 😭😭❤❤

ㅤㅤ “It's not insane to imagine that sometimes even horrible people are searching for a way out of their own darkness.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ━ 3.8 - 3.9 ☆ ━
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ⊱ ──── might contain spoilers ────⊰

ㅤㅤThis. at least for me, was definitely the best book in this series so far. And I will proceed to mention that it doesn't get a higher rating only because Goodreads refuses to add a half star rating and because I still do not consider this to be a 4-star rating book; despite the book itself being highly entertaining, i did have entire passages that i was skimming through because I was getting slightly bored (especially towards the ending of the book). Therefore, I still had to somehow make a clear difference between a 4-star book and a '"slightly 4-star" one. 😭

ㅤㅤ'Defy me' which is the 5th instalment in the ’Shatter Me’ series, was definitely by far the most exciting book in this series up to this point, offering fantastic unforeseen events and revelations, continuously keeping you on edge, and, at times, forcing you to take a pause and attempt to reassess things since there was so much ACTUAL new material to digest.

ㅤㅤAnyway, without wasting more time on this very long introduction, let me just point out the things I want to comment about for this book.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ -ˋˏ ༻ world-building, writing and action ༺ ˎˊ-

ㅤㅤI was literally so happy to see elements of world-building. It took this series 5 books to finally paint a somewhat clear image of the dystopian world the action takes place in, but it finally did it. I was delighted to see the ideas of thisworld's history, how things came to be the way they are now, and how this entire organisation was founded. I'm still a little puzzled about certain things, but it's nothing significant, and they may be perplexing due to my own weary thinking, so I won't remark on it.

ㅤㅤI do think that starting with 'Restore me' the writing has just gotten slightly better each time. I do feel like the 4-year break between the first and second part of this series was definitely beneficial. I do not, however, have to say a lot about the writing, but I would just like to know what is with everyone suddenly

ㅤㅤNot many things to say in terms of action either, but, honestly, I couldn't be bothered by the lack of major events, mostly since this book was obviously intended to complete the overall image of the plot and offer all of the missing puzzle pieces. I was really relieved that this book was more focused on imparting facts, because I could finally comprehend everything about this post-apocalyptic, terrible world.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ -ˋˏ ༻ characters ༺ ˎˊ-

ㅤㅤ I honestly don't know what to say about the characters anymore, because we've definitely reached a stage when we can't see any changes or anything significant happening to them.

ㅤㅤ✴ ㅤI am still not a fan of the story between

ㅤㅤ✴ ㅤI was totallyhere for Warner's frequent complaints regarding hygiene and how the lack of it was driving him mad. He was just SO REALfor this. I'm a neat freak myself, so I felt everything he was talking about.

ㅤㅤ♥ I still absolutely adore the friendship and the bromance between Warner and Kenji and I honestly enjoyed their banters and their interactions way more than Juliette's and Warner. I am sorry, but these two are just so delicious together and I would read an entire book of only their strange, wholesome friendship. 😭😭

ㅤㅤ✴ ㅤNothing much to say about the rest of the characters once again. The Supreme Commanders surely have a special place reserved for them in Hell because not even Satan would risk putting these together with other people. However, they were really interesting characters, I will give them that.

ㅤㅤ✴ ㅤI wished we could have gotten a bit more of Emmaline honestly, but I am sure there will be more things to come about her in the rest of the books.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ -ˋˏ ༻ ending and conclusions ༺ ˎˊ-

ㅤㅤWhile the previous book brought a completely anarchic and chaotic ending, 'Defy me' just ended things on such a wholesome and sweet note. I was literally feeling emotional for Warner in that moment and I was really glad to see this scene here. Since I first discovered about what Anderson was doing to him every year on his birthday, I had hoped for a scene like this, thus I was both thrilled and pleased bythe ending.

ㅤㅤI am now looking forward to what the last book in this series will bring and how it will resolve all of the issues and conflicts it has generated, and I sincerely hope it does not fall flat. Because, as far as I'm concerned, this serieshas a major issue with resolving conflicts in such an uninspiring manner that it completely loses its impact. Anyway, getting closer and closer to concluding this series. 🙌🏻

ㅤㅤ────────── 　༻✧༺　──────────

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ.˚౿ Pre-reading ࿐ ࿔*:･

ㅤㅤI am almost entirely sure this is not going to get any better, but here I am -still hoping and wishing for the best.
ㅤㅤAlso, does anyone else feel like this series is just...too long? 😭

◇Spoiler Free Section!!◇

4 🌟’s

“I will love you for the rest of my life. My heart is yours. Please don’t ever give it back to me.”

◇My Thoughts◇

This one was definitely a better one than the last one. All the reunions were so cute. 😍 I loved all the humor in this sm. Kenji and Warner need a book RN!!! But the beginning was so wild. I was like wdym they knew each other. Like this is some crazy mess right here. And the fact they said they fell in love MULTIPLE TIMES um..this sounds like some Shakespeare stuff. That broke my heart bc none of them deserved that all to be ripped from each other so many times. The history in this series is so messy. Also the need to bring back people is absolutely unacceptable (as if there aren't enough people in this series already) I barely remember who is in the 1st book let alone book 5. 🙉 What was the main thing though that made me struggle was all the things that Juliette’s mom did to her. It was so sick and twisted. I’m ngl I cried through those scenes bc it was too much. On the bright side, like I said before the reunions were the best. And it was a good setup to help fix the problems between Warner and J. I’m really happy that this was a good one bc it helped mend my heart.

◇Main Characters◇

•J💞: Atp I don’t know what to say. She is strong, beautiful, kickass, smart and sm more. Everything she has gone through in this series is so sad. And I want to hug her every time. 🫂 There’s no way I would be okay after all that. Even after everything she always was looking out for everyone else. The way she cares for everyone is just so sweet. And her and Warner are just perfect for each other. I never ever want them to be separate from each other. I still love her and Kenji’s friendship too. They are like the ultimate besties!! 🥰

•Warner 😘: He is still such a cuddly teddy bear. 🧸 See this why we shouldn’t be bringing in new or old people who died already. But when he reunited with J it was too cute and when he said he wanted to be with her forever I cried such happy tears. 🥲🥲🥲 They are endgame fr! I don’t know how I’m going to be able to read the last book in the series.

•Kenji 😋: Y’all I love Warner and he is cute. BUT….I think I’m reconsidering moving Kenji to my book husbands list bc he is so fine and absolutely hilarious. His relationship with literally everyone is so sweet and he is always so caring and fun. So, as of rn I’m gonna have to say Kenji and Warner are neck and neck. And I also want there to be book on just Kenji and Warner (if there isn’t already one) bc those two are just perfect. It’s not like they are just gonna fight and insult each other or anything. 🤭

•Nazeera 💜: I love love love her sm. She is a goddess. Whenever she talks I’m just so intrigued and her “friendship” with Kenji has me kicking my feet and giggling. 🤗 They are perfect for eachother like they should be together already. I’m gonna need more of her in the next one.

◇Side Characters◇

They were all so boring. Still don’t know why I saw Adam’s name in this book. I think they just made some typos again. 🙄 Everyone else doesn’t really contribute well to this story anymore either.

◇Best Couple Moments◇
-Their REUNION!
-Her apologizing to him and him realizing how lucky he is to be with her
-Anytime they are together
-J spoiling Warner’s bday surprise

◇Favorite Quotes◇

•“Love, there’s nothing to forgive.” (Warner)

•“I’ve had men fall to their knees before me, begging me to spare their lives–but I can’t remember a single time in my life when someone apologized to me for hurting them.” (Warner)

•“I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” (Warner)

•“I have friends nowhere.” (Warner)
“Zero people skills.” (Kenji)
(hahaha only Kenji would be worrying about etiquette while they’re under attack)

•“I will love you for the rest of my life. My heart is yours. Please don’t ever give it back to me.” (Warner) 😭🤧

•“Bro, you really need to, like, eat a pizza or something. You have too many abs.” (Kenji to Warner)
(dude..what?! 😂)

•“This is, after all, what we’re fighting for, isn’t it? A second chance at joy.” (J) 💖💖💖

◇Favorite Scenes◇

•Kenji walking in on J and Warner

”I love you, Ella. I love you more th–” (Warner)
“Wow. You two seriously couldn’t wait until we got back to base, huh? You couldn’t spare my eyes?” (Kenji)
(he says this like HE didn't just go decide to walk on them)

•J talking about how Kenji complimented Warner

“He said you looked good in everything and that you were good at everything.”
(aww I can already see the friendship blossoming now ❤)

•Warner teasing Kenji for the way he eats

“You eat like a caveman.”
(well…its off to a great start)

•Kenji and J's reunion

“So that's how you got here? Nazeera.” (J)
“Wow, right off the bat you give me no credit, huh? C’mon, J, you know I love a good rescue mission. I know some things. I can figure things out, too.” (Kenji)

”Can we cry about it later? I’ll tell you everything.” (J)
“Hell yeah we can cry about it later. I have so much sh*t to cry about, J. So much. We should make, like, a list.” (Kenji)
(these two really are bff goals)
(So relatable 🤭)

◇Hopes for Believe Me◇
-More Warner and J scenes
-More Nazeera scenes
-More Nazeera and Kenji scenes
-Kenji humor
-Kenji and Warner Humor
-JUST KENJI!!! 😍

◇Last Thoughts◇

I’m so scared to read the next one which I believe is the last one. I don’t want it to have a bad ending. Everything is going so good rn and I’m afraid to read the next one bc I don’t want to hear anything terrible happen. So, I’m gonna put off finishing this until later in the year. Bc I don’t feel like crying my eyes out again after the last book. However I definitely can’t wait to find out what happens next.

◇Spoilers Section!!◇

There are some parts in the book that I wanted to mention but not in the first part bc Ik some people haven’t gotten this far or haven't read the series yet so I want them to be able to enjoy it too. But here are my thoughts on certain parts.

◇Scenes◇

•Nazeera rescuing Kenji: I have said it once and I’ll say it again this girl is such an angel and when she pretended to work against the bad guys so she could rescue everyone was such a power move. Badass Queen FR!!! 💞

•Warner killing his dad: Why do people feel the need to bring back the MOST ANNOYING characters?! And what’s this I’m hearing now? He has SUPERPOWERS. As if we didn’t like him enough already. It was kinda giving desperate right here and I don’t think this should have been added at all. 🤨

•J killing her mom: Not much to say except that she deserved it…after everything she did to Juliette and her sister.

•J seeing her sister: Her poor poor sister. 😭 It’s really sad about what happened to her. I am so glad she was at least able to get a reunion with her even if it was on terrible terms. Hopefully they’ll be able to figure out how to fix her.

•J saying YES to marrying Warner: 🥳🥳🥳 I NEED to see a WEDDING asap! Kenji telling Warner not to propose while they were on the plan was so funny but Warner did listen and was able to find such a sweet romantic time to propose. They are the cutest! 🥰

4.5 STARS! this book defied the ‘senselessness trope’ of all the series!

Today is not forever. Happiness does not happen . Happiness must be uncovered, separated from the skin of pain. It must be claimed. Kept close.
Protected.

No, it's not; there was even a prophecy for it, written by none other than the all-knowing George R.R. Martin himself.

As it goes, one deep dark night, as the mist swallowed the silhouettes beneath the trees, as the owls hooted and the ghosts haunted the forest of the Readers, he whispered with his voice made of the cold cold wind, the famous words into my ear:

When thesun rises in the west and sets in the east, when the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves, when your to-read shelf is empty and you have reviewed all the books you have read ... then will you give a Shatter Me book five stars and not before.

As you see, the sun and sea are fine thank you very much, so the prophecy has not yet been fulfilled—4.5 is not 5! But still, a miracle nevertheless...

Look, I have always loved the characters and relationships, and devoured the books of the series—but the plot has always had this too convenient feel to it, and the world was just senseless. To the point where even Oxford Dictionary agreed! I'm not kidding, here's proof of what it showed when you searched ‘senseless’:

There you go; now you believe me. Of course, don't go searching it now as it's been removed after the greatness that was Defy Me.
As I predicted in my review of cover, it had that sharp and heartbreaking brutality I'd been hoping for—the cover gave out all the right vibes!

Full review to come! I'll be listing the contradictory plotlines and loose ends of the original three books and telling you why Defy Me was the saviour of the series :)

• • • • • • •

[6 April 2019]

*door bell rings: ding*
IT'S HERE!

I'm TERRIFIED, PETRIFIED, HORRIFIED, and STUPIFIED—A bunch of people are saying goodbye to the series, another bunch are saying this is better than Restore Me—and I'm dying. Drowning!

Fingers crossed it's better than Restore Me (3.75 ★’s) and equal to my highest rated Shatter Me book, Unravel Me (4.25 ★’s).
I mean, the recently released novella Shadow Me (4.25 ★’s) was very promising and literally one of the best of the whole series!

Whatever, I'm hopeful and scared to be hopeful 😭

• • • • • • •

[14 Mar 2019]

I didn't actually want to review the cover but I've seen many people saying it's exactly like Restore Me—and it's really not.

While I honestly adore Tahereh Mafi's other books/series, I'm really not the biggest fan of the Shatter Me books—don't get me wrong, I do enjoy reading the series.

However, I can't deny that some of the negative vibe around the cover is a little out of place. I love how Restore Me and Defy Me look together, it's all aesthetics :)

They're similar enough to belong together, but still quite different. Even though it might not be obvious if seen separately on screen.

Here are the two:

OK, that's honestly different. You're, of course, welcome to dislike it—that's your opinion. But don't say it's like they copied and pasted it. Srsly.

Also Tahereh said that the paperback cover is a lot more silver than it looks on the screen. And silver and purple together have always been my weakness :)))

Here's a picture Tahereh Mafi shared of the two together, as the screen does mess it up a lot:

I specially love the eyelashes and how the whole design with its details promises a lot more sharp and heartbreaking brutality—which I hope it delivers!

BRUTAL 😭 5/5⭐
0/5🔥

"I will love you for the rest of my life. My heart is yours. Please don't ever give it back to me."

THIS QUOTE ALONE IS ENOUGH✋.

WHY- why did I had to read this book!!! It was so brutal for Miss Mafi to make me go though all.... that. When I tell you I cried so many times reading this. Chapter after chapter I cried, so many twists, so many bad decisions(from parents) 😭💔

And you know what made me cry the most? That they were soulmates...ik it's not enough but...reading this book, I don't think I'll ever find this this of love.

"Aaron always fell in love with her. Every time."--😭😭😭

Where do I even start, this book WAS SO MUCH better than the last book. The plot the twist that kept on coming, literally my jaw was dropping in like every other chapter. What their parents did to their childrens, how they still managed to love- to find each other after going through all that.💔😪

The things Aaron and Ella went through and still they were able to find each other, and still falling for each other every time, just by looking at each other's eyes- it was enough for me to SOB and NEED their love story in my life😔💔

I loved Aaron's and Juliette's POV's it just made everything so much perfect. Like we got both of their perspectives everything we needed to know.

I loved loved loved Juliette's charcater development in this, it WAS SPECTACULAR. Omg when she killed her mother I was screaming.. She was so broken so fragile in this. How she managed to still get up and escape..after all that her parents did, is unbelievable.😳. That all escaping scene ufff it was so good!!!!

Emmeline 💔, my poor baby I felt for her, the fact that she never got to escape all that is alone brutal.💔

What this book made me....was fell more deeper in love with Aaron.

Kenji was also holding this books on his back👏. Nazeera😭 ugh kenji desevers her THEY BOTH DESERVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH.

His and Aaron's FRIENDSHIP is to die for. How they hate each other and still are there for each other- to save each other's asses😆😆❤

Yeah I loved this book probably my second fav in this series. That ending was HEART-MELTING 😭❤. I loved every single moment of this book.

I will love you for the rest of my life. My heart is yours. Please don't ever give it back to me".

Ay, no saben cuánto amo los libros de Tahereh Mafi, su estilo, su manera de relatar el romance, sus personajes, todo. Incluso cuando, de una manera extraña, siento que la trama se ha debilitado con respecto a la primera trilogía, sigo amándolos. No me juzguen.

Después de las revelaciones de identidades cambiadas, lavados de cerebro, peleas de pareja, crisis nerviosas y el explosivo final que tuvo Restore Me, estaba muy ansiosa por leer Defy Me y comprender todo lo que había detrás de los planes del Restablecimiento con los hijos de los Supremos Comandantes y, sobre todo, con Ella/Juliette y su hermana Emmaline. ¡Y quería también que Warner y Juliette volvieran a estar juntos porque mi corazón no puede manejar lo contrario!

Defy Me, en general, me gustó bastante. Siento que con todo lo que los personajes estaban viviendo, Tahereh volvió a su estilo del primer libro: recuerdos, frases obsesivas, pensamientos fijos que te ayudan a concentrarte y a no desfallecer ante la tortura y el estar encerrado sin saber qué está pasando con el mundo exterior. Y esa, chicos, es mi Tahereh Mafi favorita. Sin contar, por supuesto, las escenas de romance que me quitan la respiración.

Pero poco más puedo decirles sin entrar en spoilers, así que abriré una pequeña sección en la que voy a comentar mis momentos favoritos.

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SPOILERS!!!

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1. Anderson está vivo y reclamó el Sector 45 y todo el continente para sí mismo, WTF?!

2. Amo maaaaaal a Kenji y a Nazeera. Y adoré ver cuando Kenji quiere irse a su cuarto, pero Nazeera quiere hablar y terminan dentro con él diciéndole que no puede verla a los ojos porque es demasiado para él. Y luego ella le responde que tiene una linda cara. Y LUEGO TERMINAN BESÁNDOSE EN LA CAMA Y TOCÁNDOSE Y MUERO DE FANGIRLEO... pero luego todo se daña porque Kenji sabe que ella no va a querer ser su novia y ella lo confirma y luego todo se va al carajo, yay...

3. ¿Podemos hablar de ese momento en el que revelan que Warner y Juliette/Ella se conocen desde pequeños y siempre se han enamorado el uno del otro? Awwww. Pero, claro, como Anderson y todo el Restablecimiento están dementes, les borraron la memoria y los recuerdos una y otra vez porque venían el que se enamoraran como una debilidad. ¡PERO AHORA TODOS LOS RECUERDOS ESTÁN VOLVIENDO! Akjdsfsdsfn

4. ¿Y qué me dicen de los papás psicópatas que tienen Juliette/Ella? Jo-der. Es que de verdad me daban mucho asco. MUCHÍSIMOS. Malditos abusivos. ¿Intentar reprogramarla de nuevo borrándole todos sus recuerdos por billonésima vez solo para convertir A SU PROPIA HIJA en un arma? JODIDOS PSICÓPATAS. Menos mal Juliette/Ella resiste y finge que está funcionando, pero lo que realmente está haciendo es recordando todo lo que han borrado de ella en el pasado.

5. Y mientras tienen a Juliette/Ella en esas torturas, a Warner lo tienen confinado Y LO ENVENENAN CON LA COMIDA. Y mi pobrecillo no sabe nada, aunque su entrenamiento militar lo ayuda a reconocer todo el entorno e ir desarrollando un plan. So proud. Y OMG AL MOMENTO EN EL QUE ANDERSON LO VISITA Y WARNER LE TIRA UN ABRECARTAS AL CUELLO Y PIENSA QUE LO HA MATADO Y HUYE.

6. Pero luego descubrimos que el cabrón de Anderson con la ayuda de la psicópata mamá de Juliette/Ella ha logrado robarse algunos poderes de las gemelas y se puede, más o menos, curar solo. Ugh.

7. Y HOLY MOTHER OF GODS al momento en el que Juliette/Ella escapa de su celda con ayuda de la voz de su hermana... y luego la encuentra en un tanque de agua mega deteriorada. Y la ayuda a quitarse las esposas especiales que neutralizaban su poder y lo primero que hace Juliette/Ella es MATAR A LA PSICÓPATA DE SU MAMÁ. SO MUCH YASSSSS!!!

8. ¿Y podemos comentar el reencuentro de Juliette/Ella con Warner? MI CORAZÓN NUNCA HABÍA SIDO TAN FELIZ EN MI VIDA. Los amo como no se pueden imaginar. Y los dos juntos son una fuerza del universo que nunca debe ser separada. Y cuando Warner le dice "love" o "sweetheart" yo me derrito y no puedo con mi vida.

9. ¿Y ESE MOMENTO EN EL QUE WARNER ESTÁ A PUNTO DE PEDIRLE MATRIMONIO A JULIETTE/ELLA Y KENJI CASI LO MATA? Y no lo deja hablar y se lo lleva a la cabina y le dice que es idiota, que tiene que preparar la ocasión, comprar un anillo, hacer algo especial. Y Warner, muy tierno él, dice que solamente quería hacerlo en el momento porque lo sentía bien. Pero Kenji le dice que tiene que ser como en las películas... Y WARNER DICE QUE NUNCA HA VISTO UNA PELÍCULA EN SU VIDA Y YO LLORO DE AMOR Y TERNURA Y DE TODO.

9.5 WARNER Y KENJI HABLANDO SOBRE ENREDADOS. MORÍ.

10. Y luego llegan a la base secreta de la resistencia operada por la hija de Castle. Y allí Juliette/Ella y Warner por fin tienen tiempo a solas en su camping Y SE ACUESTAN Y LOS AMO Y TODO ES HERMOSO Y TAHEREH MAFI, ¿POR QUÉ CREAS A UN PERSONAJE TAN PERFECTO QUE NO EXISTE EN EL MUNDO REAL? Y después de todo eso, Warner manda al carajo lo que le dijo Kenji Y LE PIDE A JULIETTE/ELLA QUE SE CASE CON ÉL. Y ELLA DICE QUE SÍ, LOS AMO.

11. Y lo último que diré es que casi lloro cuando vi que la sorpresa final del libro es que todos le prepararon una fiesta de cumpleaños a Warner. QUE NUNCA HABÍA CELEBRADO UN CUMPLEAÑOS EN SU VIDA. BYE, THIS IS TOO MUCH.

Quick Stats:
Overall: 3.5/5 Stars
Characters: 4.5/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Plot and Themes: 3/5
Awesomeness Factor: 3/5
Review in a Nutshell: Defy Me is a fascinating new installment in the Shatter Me universe that has me so excited for the next book!

“Happiness does not happen. Happiness must be uncovered, separated from the skin of pain. It must be claimed. Kept close. Protected.”

// Content Warning: Violence, Death, Assault, Gun Violence, Torture, Mature Content, Panic Attacks, Anxiety, Depression, Suicide Mention, Self Harm Mention, Child Abuse, Murder, Illness, Mental Illness, Islamophobia (Mention), Racism (Mention), Police Brutality (Mention), Kidnapping/Abduction //

- Premise -

Defy Me is told in three points of view, following Warner, Juliette, and Kenji (YES FINALLY HE GETS THE SPOTLIGHT HE DESERVES) after the chaotic ending of Restore Me.

- Writing & Setting-

I’m really loving where Tahereh Mafi is going with this world. This book has a lot of revelations (if you thought Restore Me was shocking, just you wait), and each one makes me want to go back and reread the first three books now that I have this information. Just when you think you finally understand what this world is like, and what’s going on, another twist is thrown at you. Mafi’s writing style is equally amazing. She’s definitely toned down the metaphors from the first three books, and seems to have found a balance between description and action.

- Plot -

This book is way more character driven than the others. Seriously. Don’t go into it expecting epic battles and fight scenes all the time, because not much happens. The fight in this book is definitely a more internal one, with a lot of the book comprising of flashbacks and secrets being revealed. That said, I love when a character’s development takes center stage, so I didn’t mind too much. I also mentioned before the twists and reveals. Like I said, I really liked them, but they did tend to feel a little info-dumpy at times and would occasionally fall into the range of too much exposition.

”This is, after all, what we're fighting for, isn't it?
A second chance at joy.”

- Characters -

So it’s no surprise that I adore all of these characters. I just love seeing how much they’ve grown! I feel like a proud parent. Kenji is and always will be my absolute favorite. I really loved reading from his POV, and it’s such a great addition to this book. This is definitely one of the few situations where you can clearly see why it was needed. The insight into his thoughts added depth to his character I didn’t even know I needed. Juliette and Warner both had great character arcs and development in this book, and they’re just as adorable as always. I honestly just love everything about all of these characters and I don’t know what else to say.

- Conclusion -

Pros- My brain is still reeling from some of the new things I learned, KENJI’S POV IS EVERYTHING I COULD HAVE EVER WANTED
Cons- Not much going on, too much exposition at times
Overall- 3.5/5 stars.
Defy Me is really about the characters, uncovering their past and coming to terms with who they are. While it may not be the thrilling, action-packed book I expected, I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

“It's not insane to imagine that sometimes even horrible people are searching for a way out of their own darkness.”

Follow Me Here: Blog ||Tumblr || Bookstagram || Twitter|| Reviews

Tahereh darling, you should have stopped at Ignite me.

:') 💔

*takes deep breath* ... AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

——

I GOT WHAT I WANTED BITCH. THIS TITLE IS SO POWERFUL. DEFY ME. MISS JULIETTE FERRARS IS GONNA SNAP IN THIS BOOK AND I'M SO READY. LET'S GO LESBIANS!

May 7th 2018
I NEED A RELEASE DATE AND TITLE STAT

“Aaron always fell in love with her. Every time.”

*sigh* gotta love that quote despite how I feel towards this book.

I've said it once and I'll say it again:

This should've just been a trilogy.

The first three books were really good, and I LOVED Ignite Me. But then when I got to Restore Me, it destroyed literally everything. I grew to dislike Warner and Juliette, I don't even remember ANYTHING that happened in it except the ending. WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE A TOTAL LIE. But we'll get to that later.

This book was slightly better than Restore Me, so that's good. But only by a little bit. There were some interesting story lines, but it was kind of boring at some points to the point where I almost wanted to dnf it.

Of course, I didn't dnf it because I was able to push through in the end, but still. Anyways, let's get into the book.

*insert ominous music here*

THE PLOT

So, this book was kinda all over the place. It was like it's an entirely different trilogy. Restore Me ended with people dying, but in this book LITERALLY NO ONE IS DEAD. The ending of Restore Me is what saved that book for me, but then I find out it's all fake?

There were some good twists in this. When Delalieu died and we found out Anderson was alive, I was so confused, thinking that I had mistaken Anderson's death for something else, but nope, it turned out he isn't actually dead. Just like literally everyone else.

This book was just like a lot of backstory. It was giving us information about Juliette and Warner's pasts- the first multiple chapters for those two were just flashbacks, and I was VERY grateful they didn't go through the whole book. I honestly don't know why I thought their chapters were going to be flashbacks through the whole book.

Also, where did Adam and James go? They were only in this in the beginning, just like in Restore Me. They weren't mentioned at all, and I may have missed when they explained where they were going like usual. They probably got kidnapped like the rest of the crew, but it literally doesn't add them in AT ALL.

I did enjoy the Emmaline plot line. It was actually really freaky when Juliette was describing what she looked like, and it was awful. I feel bad for her.

Also, Juliette's plot line was kinda confusing. I mean, I kind of get it but I don't. Her mother (hate her) wanted her to be as good as Emmaline was, and she did multiple experiments on her (those scenes were BRUTAL) but why was Juliette's brain not wiped? I'm sure it was explained, but honestly, I don't care enough to go back.

I loved how Kenji was getting lots of attention in the beginning, BUT THEN WE LITERALLY LOSE LIKE ALL HIS POVS in the middle and end. KENJI WAS THE ONLY THING KEEPING ME GOING AND THEN YOU JUST DELETE HIS CHAPTERS?

Anyways, while I did enjoy some parts of the plot, it wasn't the best. Nothing will match up to Ignite Me. Which should've been the last book in the series.

NEXT UP ON THE LIST:

THE CHARACTERS

So....my love for the characters hasn't returned. Except for Kenji. Kenji is the best. But we'll get to him.

Juliette is fine. She can be brave and stuff at times, but she is nowhere near my favorite in this series. Not even close. Kenji is on a pedestal high up in the sky, never to be overtaken. Oh jeez, I just realized that the only reason I don't like her is because of the romance with Warner. Oh no.

“Happiness does not happen. Happiness must be uncovered, separated from the skin of pain. It must be claimed. Kept close. Protected.”

So. I guess that dives us into Warner. Nothing's wrong with him. He's got some good quotes and lines, some parts made me melt. But he's not the same Warner I fell in love with in the beginning of the series. He's head over heels in love with Juliette, and while there's nothing wrong with that, I just think that he needs to get like...a hobby or something. Oh that sounded so mean. I just don't want Juliette to become his whole personality. I SWEAR, IF THAT HAPPENS IN IMAGINE ME, I'M THROWING MY BOOK AT THE WALL.

“I love you, Ella. I will love you for the rest of my life. My heart is yours. Please don't ever give it back to me.”

Kenji is the greatest of all time. He has surpassed everyone as my favorite character in this book. Maybe in my name I should replace Warner with Kishimoto. He's just such a genuinely good and funny person, and his banter with everyone IS LITERAL GOLD. And he said Tangled was the greatest movie of all time. AND THAT IS MY FAVORITE DISNEY MOVIE. What more could you really want?

MORE OF HIS POVS IS WHAT I WANT.

“I'm not trying to get you to sleep with me. I just literally had to lie down. Thank you for appreciating my face. I've always thought I had an underappreciated face.”

THIS SCENE

Nazeera is a queen. AND HER CHEMISTRY WITH KENJI? AMAZING. When I thought she'd betrayed everyone I was literally heartbroken, for both her AND Kenji, especially with the scene that had occurred LITERALLY right before it. But some of the things she said after she and Kenji kissed? They made me cringe so bad. BUT WHEN SHE CALLED ADAM OUT- it was amazing, I was grinning from ear to ear reading it.

“It's not insane to imagine that sometimes even horrible people are searching for a way out of their own darkness.”

And that brings us to:

THE ROMANCE

Ok, so...remember how I used to gush about Warnette's romance and all that? Well I must say now:

NAZEERA AND KENJI ARE BETTER

And I'm not sorry. Warnette's personality is kinda like they are OBSESSED with each other. As I've said, there's nothing wrong with that, but think about other things for once. But I must say, that proposal scene was cute, even if I already knew it was coming. And what was with that shower kiss? It was kinda weird but I suppose we can push past that.

But Nazeera and Kenji...just nothing's better than these two. Their first kiss was perfection, and I don't even care that they haven't known each other for that long. Their chemistry is immaculate. I WANT MORE. I NEED MORE.

“I don't think you should treat me like this, like I'm some idiot nothing, just because I don't know how to be a douchebag.”

Yes Kenji.

I'm looking forward to Warner and Kenji's bromance, it's already blooming and I love it.

“You eat like a caveman.”
“No, I don't,” he says angrily. And then, a moment later: “Do I?”

So overall, this was better than Restore Me. It wasn't the best, but it was tolerable. I think I would've been shocked on some points if I hadn't gotten spoiled for everything. Like literally all of Juliette's backstory I already knew, because I'd known she and Warner had met before, and that just stripped away some enjoyment I had over the craziness that was all of these revelations.

3.8 stars (yes, very specific because I couldn't decide)

“I know I'm petty and I don't care.”

Gotta end this on a Kenji quote.

<><><><><><><><>
Nazeera and Kenji carried this book

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4.25 ☆’s

idk what the frickity frack is going on but i’m ready for more 😎

happy tears are streaming down my face rn