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I have had this book for quite some time now but never got around to reading it. Reason? One – the pending review pile. Two – the hype over this book on blogosphere made me reluctant to actually pick it up thinking what if I do not like it as much / what if it turns out to be disappointing? Three – I thought that I have read enough dystopian novels to know what to expect. But then I shared my copy with my friend who hasn’t shut up about it ever since and really pushed me to read it and I am glad that I did.

Set in a dystopian society, where the world is slowly crawling towards non-existence, ‘Shatter Me’ paints a world where the ‘ReEstablishment’ is in control. They control everything – from food to the life of a person. Juliette is a seventeen year old girl who has been locked away from her family for 3 years and in solitary confinement for exactly 264 days. Her parents and those around her are scared of her and detest her because of her ‘killer touch’. No, I am not being sarcastic… Anybody Juliette touches or is touched by is tortured to death and there is nothing she can do. Its only when Adam Kent, the boy she has been secretly in love with since eighth grade re-enters her life that it is turned upside down. For the first time she has hope, a reason to smile, a reason to live and most importantly a reason to fight back the ‘ReEstablishment’ that wants her for their own cruel purposes.

Towards the beginning, Juliette’s striked out conversations in her diary and in her mind was really getting on my nerves. But it decreased as the story progressed and she became more stable. Solitary confinement can turn any sane person insane and Juliette is only a young girl. As she grew out of her confinement, she grew as a character. I loved her sense of loyalty and the fact that she was so kind even after the way society and her own parents had treated her. Adam Kent, I have to admit is an eye candy. But then there’s more to him too. Even he has an abusive past but that has never stopped him from being kind to people who deserved it. His sense of responsibility and his love for his brother is truly endearing. I think I like Castle already.

And Warner, he is a sadistic monster, yet there is something so sad about him. Irrespective of his reputation and actions in this novel, I just couldn’t bring myself to hate him. Somehow, he reminded me of a wounded puppy. Yikes, I didn’t just compare the villain to a puppy, did I? I do not know if anybody else has felt this way or not, or if the author intended the readers to feel this way or not, but I truly cannot bring myself to hate Warner completely.

This is an utterly delicious new world that I just can’t wait to explore more of.