Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me byTahereh Mafi 

Food to eat while reading: Caramel Crack

Caramel Crack for Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.


The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.


The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.


Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.


In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

From the beginning I found myself dying to know why Juliette is so broken and what will happen to her.  The premise of a girl whom know one can touch works out perfectly for a forbidden romance.  The fact that Adam is the only person who can touch Juliette is a mystery that propels a reader throughout the book.

I felt Juliette's emotional pain and when Adam came on the scene I was routing for the inevitability of them falling in love. Adam would do anything for Juliette and as the story unfolds I see more of his character.  The more I see the more I like Adam.

The world they live in feels a bit uncreative to me--a world where birds can't fly because of pollution and vegetation is weakened.  It's not a huge deal, because the premise was original enough to carry the entire book.

Warner is a chilling villain--relatable and yet evil.  I love villains that are humanized and make me wonder if I would be the same way in an extreme situation. Warner is a mirror of Juliette and what she could be if she gives into selfishness and revenge. Warner's vulnerabilities are exactly what draw him to Juliette and I am hoping that she will be his undoing.

At first I enjoyed the romance scenes because of her need for human touch.  I have to admit that after awhile I got sick of hearing how effected Juliette was by Adam's touch. The romance didn't go to far for my tastes, but the fact that the characters obviously wanted things to go to far and were always interrupted are grounds for me to recommend this only to older teens.

The last few chapters were disappointing for me. I don't like spoilers so I'll let you decide. But it felt too much like other stories I've seen or read and I was hoping for so much more. You bet I'll be reading the sequel (slated for print in 2012) though. There are a few inexplicable things that Juliette can do that make me excited to find out why she can.

Shatter Me is a tale of fragmented emotions and hope--that the world can always become a better place.

Hardcover, 338 pages
Published November 15th 2011 by Harper/HarperCollins

Tasty Tuesday-Caramel Crack

Caramel Crack for Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Caramel Crack 

Juliette is emotionally broken and knows that because of her lethal touch she can never live like those around her. She can't see that the future holds sweetness for her, just like this toffe and chocolate candy.  Caramel Crack is brittle like Juliette's life but so sweet and addicting. The crunchy texture and the broken way the treat is served complements the many references in Shatter Me to breaking and shattering.

1 1/2 sleeves salty soda crackers (like Saltines)
1 1/4 cups butter
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
pinch kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 400'. Line a jelly roll size pan with parchment paper (foil will do in a pinch but it will stick). Layer the crackers on the bottom of the pan.
In a saucepan over medium heat(no hotter!) bring the butter and sugar to a rolling boil. Let boil for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and vanilla.

Drizzle the sugar mixture over the crackers (no need to spread it out). Cook in the oven for 5 minutes.  Cool the candy for a few minutes and then sprinkle the chocolate chips over top.  Wait until the chocolate melts and then spread it over the caramel with a spatula. Refrigerate the candy for a few hours. Crack into pieces. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.