z_bookfluencer's reviews
897 reviews

"My favorite stories are the ones I can escape into. The ones where I can leave behind this bleak existence and be somebody else, even if just for a little while. Someone braver than me. Somebody with the power to change their circumstances." -Analeigh Sbrana, Lore of the Wilds [ pg. 76 ]

I really enjoyed my reading experience of Lore of the Wilds. It had very accessible world building, and it was easy to keep track of who was who for the characters. There were aspects of Lore's character that were very likable and admirable. Lore deals with anxiety and panic attacks, and I felt the author wrote these aspects of Lore's character thoughtfully. The settings were picturesque. The imagery of the characters were very clear. The magic system was one the softer side [ there is more to it, but I don't want to include it in a review so it stays spoiler free ]. The ending was open-ended, and I cannot wait for the next installment. Lore of the Wilds is now one of my favorite fae inspired romantasy novels. Overall, I felt Lore of the Wilds was very well written and an incredible debut. I could see myself rereading this novel. 

Content Guide: brief profanity, violence, scene of brief intoxication [ of alcohol ]

Deathless Divide had more action of the characters fighting the undead and some fantastical elements. This installment had some twists, revelations, character development, and character relationship development.

Deathless Divide is told in three parts: the Prologue, Part One: In the Garden of Good and Evil, Part Two: The Road to Perdition, and the dual perspectives of Jane and Katherine.

The chapters were labeled with numbers and phrases. Quotes, excerpts from articles and letters, and more were also included as chapter headings. 

My attention and interest waned during my read of the story. There were sections that I did enjoy my reading experience.

Content Guide: racism, gore, horror, violence, profanity 

"I find my lot in life has less to do with what I say than who I am" -Justina Ireland, Dread Nation

Dread Nation is a YA historical thriller, with shamblers [ undead/zombies ] and a young teen girl, Jane, tries to survive in an apocalyptic world where she is looked down upon due to the color of her skin. 

The main character refers to the destroying of shamblers as harvesting. 

Dread Nation is told in three parts: the Prologue, Part One: The Civilized East, Part Two: The Cruel West, and broken timeline, which consisted of the present and memories. There are politics and mysterious subplots.

The chapters were labeled with numbers and phrases. Letter excerpts from the main character and her mother are also included as chapter headings. 

I did have a more difficult time reading this story due to the intense and unrelenting racism. At the end of the story is an author's note about the historical events touched upon therein.

I'm satisfied with the time I afforded in reading the story and also I didn't quite enjoy my reading experience. 

Content Guide: racism, slavery, segregation, gore, horror, violence, scene of a man whipping a shirtless teen girl, scene of a parent drowning their child, profanity 

Believe Me takes place during and after the events of the epilogue of Imagine Me. This installment focuses on the wedding planning for Juliette and Warner and is told from Warner's perspective. Believe Me also gives insights as to how and what the characters are planning to do next to make their world a better place for themselves and others. Overall, I enjoyed my reading experience and felt this was a good conclusion to the Shatter Me Series. 

I think one of the most important things to remember before starting the Shatter Me Series is to understand that this series is a form of entertainment. It is meant to be consumed as entertainment and not meant to be completely dissected and have everything that is problematic pointed out. It is just meant to be enjoyed. 

Something else to be mindful of before you start the Shatter Me Series is that this series contains some mature content and content that could potentially be triggering. I would highly recommend checking out Storygraph for the content guide for each of the installments of the Shatter Me Series. 

In full disclosure, there were some aspects in the Shatter Me Series that were really intense and very difficult to get through. These aspects were very dark, repeatative, and unrelenting. 

The Shatter Me Series is a very hyped series. I understand why this series is hyped. I did not go into the series being hyped to read it. I was my normal excited of I was going to read a book and binge read a series. I just wanted to get down to it. 

My least favorite installment out of the series would be Defy Me. Defy me focuses on the very intense, dark, and graphic content. There's very little to no comedic relief or hopeful scenes. I feel this installment is still important to the Shatter Me Series because we receive an in-depth backstory, and we get answers to the past lives of the characters.

My favorite installment out of the series was Ignite Me. Ignite Me was such a strong, powerful, and moving installment. I feel it had the best character development out of all the installments of the series. 

I started reading the Shatter Me Series on February 15, 2024, and completed it on February 22, 2024. My read of Shatter Me, which started on February 15th, and which I finished in one setting, was actually my first re-read in over a year. I wanted to re-read Shatter Me because of my plan to binge the series. I wanted the beginning of the story fresh in my head. I actually retained Shatter Me quite well, and I feel it's very rememberable. The first time I read Shatter Me was in August of 2022.

One of the aspects within the series that held my attention quite well was that the characterization was completely unreliable. The characterization provided by the author the characterization provided by the characters themselves was just slippery and unpredictable. You did not know who these characters were gonna be in each installment of the series. That being said, towards the latter installments in the series, who the characters truly are finally cemented. You do come to know who these characters are on a very intimate level.

I personally would highly recommend reading the short stories and the novellas with the full-length novel of this series. I feel the short stories and novellas provided in-depth insights into the minds of the characters. One of the short stories does still have unreliable characterization. As for the other short stories and novellas, I do feel these stories are a true reflection as to who the characters are. I also feel the short stories and novellas provided a deeper understanding of the overall story arc of the Shatter Me Series. I really enjoyed the short stories and novellas. 

The Shatter Me Series is incredibly easy to read and get through despite the very dark themes. The Shatter Me Series has very soft world building and similar plot points in each of the installments. The Shatter Me Series is a YA dystopian romance with mature content. This series is a vibe. It runs off feels, and it is very character-driven. The focus of The Shatter Me series the characters overcoming trauma and mental anguish caused by the world that they live in while also trying to better the circumstances of how they themselves and other people live. It is also about the characters trying to find their voice, their selves, and hope. 

I highly enjoyed my reading experience of The Shatter Me Series. I feel they are quite bingeable, and I understand the hype. I'm not saying that there isn't anything problematic within this series because there are some issues. I'm not looking to dissect this series, I just wanted to enjoy my reading experience and the story itself. 

I am satisfied with the time that I afforded in reading the Shatter Me Series. I felt the author did an incredible job writing through the motions of these characters battling mental health issues. I felt this was done in a very beautiful manner.

Now, there are some things I would like to note that I personally didn't like for this series. There was a lot of angst, and there was a lot of crying. The latter is addressed and a crucial part of Juliette's character arc. Quite of the characters are unforgivable cruel and relish in the pain they cause other characters.

I will always have a soft spot for this series. I simply enjoyed the Shatter Me Series. 

The synopsis of Imagine Me explains what this installment is about quite well. Imagine Me is told through multiple perspectives and with flashbacks of memories. There were some twists and reveals. I feel like the characters were put through trials quite similar to the ones they went through in the previous installments, just with different parameters. Overall, I felt this was a great conclusion to the series [ that being said I know there's a short story called Believe Me, which I'm reading next, which holds the final-final- conclusion of the Shatter Me Series ]. Overall, I'm satisfied with the time I afforded in reading Imagine Me.

Shadow Me and Reveal Me are told from Kenji's perspective. Shadow Me is from the latter events of Restore Me. This short story provides a more in-depth look into Kenji's characters and how he feels about his friends, family, and himself. This short story also touches upon Kenji's loneliness. Reveal takes place after the events of Defy Me. In this short story, Kenji struggles mentally and physically. There are reveals in this short story pertaining to the events of Restore Me and also I'm sure, leading up to the events of Imagine Me. I'm still unsure about Nazeer's characters and which side she is truly on. Reveal Me ends on a cliffhanger. 

Defy Me was quite intense. There's not really a lot of comedic relief or hopeful scenes to combat how dark this installment is. There's a lot of torture and the villainous characters playing their mind games in an attempt to subdue and use the characters to what the villainous characters want. 

The opening scene of Defy Me is the same scene from Kenji's perspective as it was in the short story Shadow Me. This scene is the same scene from the latter events of Restore Me, which was from Juliette's perspective.

Defy Me is told through multiple perspectives [ Kenji, Warner, and Juliette/Ella ] and broken timeline. When the story is being told from a memory, the font is italicized. Like Restore Me, Defy Me didn't have chapter numbers. Instead, it had the name of the characters, when it was their perspective, as chapter headings.

We get more answers about the past of the characters and how the characters connect from their pasts and their present. 

The tone of Defy Me does lighten up, though only towards the very ending. The conclusion of Defy Me is light and hopeful, and left open for the next installment. 

Overall. I'm still not sure how I felt about Defy Me. I will be continuing the series with the short story Reveal Me, which is from Find Me.

Restore Me is told from the dual perspective of Juliette and Warner and with excerpts from Juliette's journal from her time in the asylum. Restore Me read quickly. This installment didn't have chapter numbers. Instead, it had the name of Juliette or Warner as chapter headings. I didn't like the opening scene in this installment, and truthfully, I strongly disliked it. Restore Me explores the aftermath and consequences of Juliette and her friends taking over Sector 45 from The Reeastablishment. We learn more about the past lives of Juliette, Warner, and Kenji. There were twists and reveals. The ending scenes were shocking, intense, and unexpected. Restore Me was left very open for the next installment in this series. There was some more mature content. Overall, I enjoyed my reading experience, and I will be continuing the series. 

"And if you insist on continuing to make assumptions about my character, I'll advise you only this: assume you will always be wrong." -Taherah, Mafi, Ignite Me

I really enjoyed Ignite Me, which was originally the conclusion to this series. I felt there was great character development, which was put in place from the previous novels, and came together quite well in Ignite Me. There was still a lot of repeatative angst. Juliette does choose who she wants to be with in this installment. I really enjoyed seeing Juliette come into her own person. I enjoyed the continued comedic relief from Kenji. There was some graphic content pertaining to war/war crimes similar to the events in Unravel Me and the short story Fracture Me [ in Unite Me ]. Overall, I enjoyed my reading experience, and I will be continuing the series.