STACKING THE SHELVES (21)

Hi there! Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

List of Books: Unite Me by Tahereh Mafi
                       Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
                       Slow Burn by Julie Garwood
                       Foreplay by Sophie Jordan
                       Also Known As by Robin Benway

List of e-Books: As You Turn Away by Molli Moran

Not really sure which book I'm most excited about this week :).  I've already read two of the books in this batch--Foreplay which I LOVED and Unite Me which I bought b/c I needed to own Destroy Me in paperback.  Julie Garwood is one of my fave authors, and I'm so happy for Molli and the release of her book!!

How did you guys make out this week?  Hope you got some great books!

Ninja Girl

TUNE IN TUESDAY: FALLING

 

Hi all! Tune in Tuesday is a GReads meme currently being hosted over at Kate's Tales of Books and Bands.  I love Florence + The Machine!  Doesn't everybody lol?  But the reason I decided to feature this song is b/c it reminds me of Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (currently on page 100 and it's great so far!).

Also, here's a dance vid by one of my favorite choreographers, Kate Jablonski.  If you <3 contemporary on SYTYCD, prepare yourself.  Kate is phenomenal!!  Enjoy :-)

 

Have a great week everyone!

Ninja Girl

DESTROY ME by Tahereh Mafi

SHE WILL CHOOSE ME.

Gah.  I read and reviewed Shatter Me a while back (loved it btw).  And after reading this, I just have to say: Warner is one of the best, most complex baddies I've come across in some time.

Destroy Me--a novella completely from Warner's POV--was everything I'd hoped it would be--and more.  I knew the guy had issues.  I knew he had a horrible/tragic backstory.  But I also knew there was more to him then the tyrannical dictator-like presence we saw in Shatter Me.  Warner was simply too interesting.  The choices he made, the way he carried himself, the things he said to Juliette, I just knew there was more to him than that.

And Mafi apparently thought so, too J.

I love it when an author can deliver like this.  In Destroy Me, we get pure Warner, bared to the soul, his thoughts completely open--which he would absolutely hate b/c he's such a control freak.  Being inside his head was intriguing and scary, sad and exciting.

Mafi did a terrific job of highlighting the similarities between Juliette and Warner.  Warner's POV was the perfect device to do this.  I got that he thought he shared some connection to Juliette--that he and she were the same--in book 1.  But it's so clear here.  I felt his loneliness. Though they definitely handle it differently, it was very similar to Juliette's feelings.

I loved when Warner found Juliette's journal.  The sections where he reads the journal, and we see how affected he is, really show us his deepening obsession.  And again, there was that connection.  Even though Juliette is never present on the page, she definitely makes an appearance through the recording of her thoughts.  Having Warner read her journal/diary was so smart.  I couldn't get enough.

I sped through the pages.  At the end, I felt a deeper understanding of this character.  The son of an evil ruler, the boy who is still afraid of his abusive father, the man who will do anything to possess and protect the girl he loves.  The Bad Guy who, like all the best villains, has hidden depths.  This is why we love Warner as a character.

Will Warner's obsession lead him to do more horrible things?

Will he finally stand up to his father?

Will he win Juliette's heart?

Will he become the anti-hero and do something totally unexpected?

Let's face it.  Without him, Juliette's story wouldn't be nearly as unpredictable.  Unravel Me is sitting in my TBR right now, and I'm itching to get started.  Hopefully, there'll be plenty of Warner J.

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

TUNE IN TUESDAY

Hi all! Tune in Tuesday is a meme hosted over at GReads that showcases music.  This week it's the Book Edition, which means pairing great songs with great books.  I've been watching so much of The Voice lately (totally my guilty pleasure/obsessionJ) that I couldn't resist sharing some of my faves!

First off, Jamar Rogers's rendition of Seven Nation Army and Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me.  I just think this song and the way he performed it was so bad a**.  Could totally be either Juliette's or Warner's theme song.

Next, Lindsey Pavao singing Say Aah.   I've paired it with Ward's Dark Lover (the first book of BDB) b/c it's smooth yet gritty, more than a little in your face, and Pavao's voice gives it a dangerous quality.  And Ward's writing is always all of those things ;D

Then, of course, I have to include my favorite audition: Jesse Campbell singing A Song For You.  I had to pair a favorite with a favorite, so I went with Anna and the French Kiss.  The man is so darn likable! Doesn't hurt that he has a powerhouse voice and is so modest about it.  Just wow!!

And as an added bonus…Jamie Lono's version of Folsom Prison Blues.  No book, just Jamie.  I LOVE that guy!

Do any of you watch The Voice???  If not, look up; four great reasons why you might want to start*wink wink*

Have a great one,

Ninja Girl

SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi

MY TOUCH IS LETHAL.  MY TOUCH IS POWER.

At first, I thought it was the concept that would make Shatter Me great.  A girl who's been locked up for 264 days without any human contact?  An MC whose touch is a danger to all those around her?  It was golden.  But what made the book truly extraordinary for me were two things: 1) Juliette's lyrical voice and 2) an irresistible bad guy with evil and charisma dripping from his pores.

As a longtime X-Men fan, the premise (i.e. the power) sounded somewhat familiar to me.  It reminded so much of Rogue and all the troubles her power brought her that I just had to see what made Juliette tick.  Immediately, from the first page, I could tell this girl was different.  She saw the world differently, processed images and interactions differently, and I enjoyed reading her lyrical thoughts.  Even locked in a prison cell, Juliette's inner voice read like poetry.  Bleak yet beautiful, hopeful yet haunting, she had an outlook all her own.  Reading her thoughts was like being re-introduced to the world.  It was refreshing to find a new voice in YA, a girl I'd never met before but wanted to know better.  Juliette feared herself--her touch--yet even with all her self-loathing she was a survivor.  Just b/c she felt weak didn't mean she was weak.  When the chips were down, Juliette showed more defiance and fire than anyone gave her credit for (except Adam and possibly Warner).

Speaking of, that brings me to the other element that made this book beyond awesome.

One word: Warner.

He was handsome, arrogant, cruel, ruthless.  Fearless.  Warner, the nineteen-year-old leader of the Reestablishment, was made out to be more evil than the devil himself…but.  There was something about him.  Like the best bad guys, Warner had qualities you couldn't help but admire even as you loathed him.  His self-assurance was obviously attractive, but the thing I liked best was his obsession with power (and therefore Juliette).  He wanted her to see that she was strong, that she could do and have anything she wanted.  Even though his outlook was a bit Hitler-esque, I loved how he encouraged her.  Or course, he was just using her to be a weapon for the Reestablishment, but that's beside the point J  Paired next to Juliette who could see so much more when she looked at the world, Warner was narrow minded, focused, a little sad.  I wanted to know more about him, and I greatly appreciate Mafi for creating an evil yet intriguing baddie.

The end of the book went even more into X-Men territory, but I liked what made it different, namely Juliette and Warner.  The romance was wonderful and so was the action, but Juliette's unique take on everything going on around her, that's what made the read worth it for me.  I will definitely be getting the next book when it comes out!  Loved it :D :D

Happy reading everyone,

Ninja Girl