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A review by cosmicjess
Imagine Me by Tahereh Mafi
5.0
*4.5 stars
????? i LOVED this?????? how did that happen?? now get ready for some gushing
shatter me has been a favourite series of mine since i was a pre-teen. i read it plenty of times in my middle school and early high school years and it brought me a different kind of joy. one that was easy to get lost in, through a world that terrified yet intrigued me all the same. there are characters in this series that will forever stay some of my favourites of all times (i'm looking at you, kenji kishimoto and aaron warner).
i will wholeheartedly admit, as a shatter me stan since forever, that the second trilogy was never going to be up to par with the first, and i went into [b:Restore Me|34992929|Restore Me (Shatter Me, #4)|Tahereh Mafi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507232049l/34992929._SY75_.jpg|56266771] with that mindset. that nothing would be the excitement i felt when i bought [b:Ignite Me|13188676|Ignite Me (Shatter Me, #3)|Tahereh Mafi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375972497l/13188676._SY75_.jpg|40181098], and read it for the first time the same day it came out, and when i got to gush about it with my friends in grade 10. i reread that book so much, multiple times a year when i was in high school.
i'm not ashamed at the fact that i love these books, and my enjoyment of the second trilogy was probably influenced by the fact that i'm super nostalgic for this series.
[b:Imagine Me|44054122|Imagine Me (Shatter Me, #6)|Tahereh Mafi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563815428l/44054122._SY75_.jpg|56266825] gave me first trilogy vibes. it gave me the fear and excitement and awe i felt in the first trilogy, and i think that's why it has to be a new favourite book in the whole series. the scenes with kenji and warner, two characters who i felt were complete opposites and i'm a huge sucker for opposite friends, and juliette's time in the reestablishment.
there were issues with this book: the way characters who were posed as important that were killed off off-screen or with little climax to them (ibrahim), uncertainty around anderson in juliette's pov but the second kenji and warner are reintroduced to juliette in kenji's pov, we're back to how it was before. the entirely weird relationship with anderson and juliette, i couldn't get around to understanding like?? because he reminded her of warner and her brain subconsciously thought he was /attractive/?? i gagged plenty o'times reading it. kenji and nazeera's underdeveloped relationship, where i see the want to gibe kenji, a new main and pov-carrying character a love interest, but not at all going through the work it takes to develop a relationship (and why, oh why, was he not confirmed bi this has been an ongoing conversation since forever, missed opportunity!).
besides all of that, i thoroughly enjoyed myself and the way this story ended, with a warner pov to round out the series, shatter me remains a fave series of mine.
????? i LOVED this?????? how did that happen?? now get ready for some gushing
shatter me has been a favourite series of mine since i was a pre-teen. i read it plenty of times in my middle school and early high school years and it brought me a different kind of joy. one that was easy to get lost in, through a world that terrified yet intrigued me all the same. there are characters in this series that will forever stay some of my favourites of all times (i'm looking at you, kenji kishimoto and aaron warner).
i will wholeheartedly admit, as a shatter me stan since forever, that the second trilogy was never going to be up to par with the first, and i went into [b:Restore Me|34992929|Restore Me (Shatter Me, #4)|Tahereh Mafi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507232049l/34992929._SY75_.jpg|56266771] with that mindset. that nothing would be the excitement i felt when i bought [b:Ignite Me|13188676|Ignite Me (Shatter Me, #3)|Tahereh Mafi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375972497l/13188676._SY75_.jpg|40181098], and read it for the first time the same day it came out, and when i got to gush about it with my friends in grade 10. i reread that book so much, multiple times a year when i was in high school.
i'm not ashamed at the fact that i love these books, and my enjoyment of the second trilogy was probably influenced by the fact that i'm super nostalgic for this series.
[b:Imagine Me|44054122|Imagine Me (Shatter Me, #6)|Tahereh Mafi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563815428l/44054122._SY75_.jpg|56266825] gave me first trilogy vibes. it gave me the fear and excitement and awe i felt in the first trilogy, and i think that's why it has to be a new favourite book in the whole series. the scenes with kenji and warner, two characters who i felt were complete opposites and i'm a huge sucker for opposite friends, and juliette's time in the reestablishment.
there were issues with this book: the way characters who were posed as important that were killed off off-screen or with little climax to them (ibrahim), uncertainty around anderson in juliette's pov but the second kenji and warner are reintroduced to juliette in kenji's pov, we're back to how it was before. the entirely weird relationship with anderson and juliette, i couldn't get around to understanding like?? because he reminded her of warner and her brain subconsciously thought he was /attractive/?? i gagged plenty o'times reading it. kenji and nazeera's underdeveloped relationship, where i see the want to gibe kenji, a new main and pov-carrying character a love interest, but not at all going through the work it takes to develop a relationship (and why, oh why, was he not confirmed bi this has been an ongoing conversation since forever, missed opportunity!).
besides all of that, i thoroughly enjoyed myself and the way this story ended, with a warner pov to round out the series, shatter me remains a fave series of mine.