Fracture Me (Shatter Me/The Juliette Chronicles #2.5)

Finished on 31st May, 2015

Author: Tahareh Mafi

3.75 Stars

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Discover the fate of the Omega Point rebels as they go up against The Reestablishment. Set during and soon after the final moments of Unravel Me, Fracture Me is told from Adam’s perspective.

As Omega Point prepares to launch an all-out assault on The Reestablishment soldiers stationed in Sector 45, Adam’s focus couldn’t be further from the upcoming battle. He’s reeling from his breakup with Juliette, scared for his best friend’s life, and as concerned as ever for his brother James’s safety. And just as Adam begins to wonder if this life is really for him, the alarms sound. It’s time for war.

On the battlefield, it seems like the odds are in their favor—but taking down Warner, Adam’s newly discovered half brother, won’t be that easy. The Reestablishment can’t tolerate a rebellion, and they’ll do anything to crush the resistance . . . including killing everyone Adam has ever cared about.

Fracture Me sets the stage for Ignite Me, the explosive finale in Tahereh Mafi’s epic dystopian series. It’s a novella not to be missed by fans who crave action-packed stories with tantalizing romance like Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Legend by Marie Lu.

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I honestly have no idea how to rate this book. As usual, Tahareh’s writing is amazing, but on the other hand we have Adam – which is where the dilemma hits.

Fracture Me cemented my hate for Adam and my love for Kenji and James. I applaud Tahereh for creating a character that we fall in love with in Shatter Me, but becomes absolutely horrible and just a real jerk.

I despise Adam with a passion. Why, you ask? Well, not only is he revealed to be incredibly stupid and impulsive, but he is horrible to the people he loves. In the beginning, we see that although he loves James, Adam is a complete jerk to James. I mean, he isn’t entirely horrible, but he does and says some questionable things. Most of all, Adam’s perception of Juliette is cringe-worthy and I feel like tearing him to pieces. Adam sees Juliette – the girl he claims to have loved for over a decade – as weak, pathetic and incapable of doing anything. To him, she is fragile and to be protected. And when she goes out of that convenient little box that he’s put her in and starts acting like a bad-ass? It scares him. It scares him. I just – I can’t.

If I could punch any fictional character in the face – with a brick – I would choose Adam over Umbridge. Umbridge, people! Surely that should give you some perspective. Adam is a coward and does not deserve Juliette in the least – if they get together in Ignite Me, then I will be seriously vexed.

In spite of all this, I do believe that Fracture Me is a good addition to the trilogy. Aside from solidifying how much of a jerk Adam is, from chapter seven onwards we see what happens to the other characters during the final section of Unravel Me, which I believe is not included in the original trilogy.

I recommend Fracture Me to fans of the series that still like Adam – for they will see how much of a moron he truly is. (I’m so cruel, I know.) But in all seriousness, I would recommend reading this novella if you’re curious as to what happened to the other characters after the battle at the end of Unravel Me.