REVIEW: IGNITE ME BY TAHEREH MAFI.

Title: Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Edition: Paperback
Published: February 4, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 416
Source: Bought from National Book Store
Category: Romance, Dystopia
Trailer: Here.

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Synopsis:

The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, called "a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love"

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end.

If I wasn't too sleepy from being awake the entire night from work, I would have finished reading Ignite Me in one sitting. With an easy to go through prose and STUNNINGLY INTRIGUING conclusion, no one should be able to stop reading it. I barely ate, I didn't take a shower (seriously), I shut off everything around me because THIS IS IGNITE ME. THIS IS THE ONE I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. I shouldn't have slept, damn it.

When Tahereh Mafi went here for a book signing last year, we were able to tell her how much we loved her and and books. How strongly we feel for Kenji and Warner. How we were all lost in the beauty of her writing. Waiting a year for Ignite Me is a total pain in the butt but right now, right now that I have finished reading it, the pain of longing for your favorite characters for a year is ALL WORTH IT. I would have never appreciated her writing style more or how Mafi expresses her emotions this strong if it wasn't for that pain. I would do it all over again. All over again. Because through pain, you get to see beauty in different spectrum and get to value it more than you thought you could.

The premise focused more on Juliette's growth as a character. From being the stupid weakling crybaby in Shatter Me to a full grown kickass leading lady in Ignite Me, Mafi did heck of an awesome job in letting Juliette take small steps to grasp herself. Juliette still showed vulnerability but eventually reclaimed her purpose and executed it BRUCE LEE STYLE. She harnessed her powers and used her anger to control it and be the best she can be for the people who matter most to her. She is a brand new Juliette in Ignite Me. A Juliette who is not afraid to speak her mind, to do whatever she think is right and to make choices. She no longer depends on others to make herself feel better. She has taken control of her life and hell, did she fight for it. The Juliette Mafi presented in Ignite Me is a heroine every reader will adore.

Juliette's friendship with Kenji showed deeper meaning as well. Kenji's character brought so much laugh to my lips and so much humor to the story. Ignite Me is tagged under Dystopian genre, but sure enough, Kenji lightened up the world. Without his rationality, straight forwardness and FANTASTIC SENSE OF HUMOR, this story would have failed. Kenji is the amalgamation of Mafi's brother but I can't help but see pieces of Mafi's personality as well. I ADORED CHAPTER 25 AND EVERYTHING ABOUT KENJI. He made me laugh my ass off especially in the middle of awkward situations. Who wouldn't want to have a best friend with a loyal, handsome, kindhearted, funny man like him??

I agree on how Kenji saw Juliette's relationship with Adam as "default". Since Adam is the first person who have shown kindness to her, its as if "by default" she felt like they were compatible. I totally LOVED how Mafi transformed this part of the story. I know Adam would have given so so much more to Juliette but for some reason, I never really had this connection with him. His character is noble and handsome and loving but the chemistry isn't really there. Mafi didn't only expand Adam's emotional distress, but she made sure that it wouldn't be a flaw. Adam's character complimented Juliette in so many ways and he's one reason who pushed her out of her comfort zone. His pride shooked him to the core and I've been waiting for him to fight back for so long. Ignite Me surprised me a lot when it comes to Adam. It wasn't something I have anticipated and because of that, Ignite Me completely made me so happy I might die.

Last thing that truly made me DIE for Ignite Me but not the least of course is WARNER. AARON FUCKING WARNER. Who would have thought he would be *insert spoilers here*?? Oh God. I thought Juliette was just leading me on that there will be some stupid realizations ahead but damn, I didn't expect it would be like this. ALL THE FEELS THIS BOOK DID TO ME. Warner completely made me certifiably insane. He's sexier than ever. Oh so sexy! *read Chapters 55 and 58!! HE EVEN WORE A TOWEL. JUST A FUCKING TOWEL, PEOPLE!! Aside from that, he made me crazy by being the character I never would have anticipated he will become. His passion for Juliette grew deeper and his true intentions blew my mind to bits!! Mafi surely melted my bones that I am a crawling jelly! THIS. THIS BOOK IS A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION. If your chests are not strong enough for full blast FEELS, don't read this. Then die of regret you didn't.

I am sad. Sad that the series is now over. That I won't be seeing MORE of my Shatter Me crew. But I am happy. Happy that an extraordinary story ended in an ultramagnetic sonic way. Ignite Me exceeded my sky rocketing expectations that I think, I will never be this satisfied with any other series conclusion ever. Mafi made my standards so high I cannot almost see it. Ignite Me is a book and a story that will leave you asking, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HEART.

"But there is something about the darkness, the stillness of this hour, I think, that creates a language of its own. There's a strange kind of freedom in the dark; a terrifying vulnerability we allow ourselves at exactly the wrong moment, tricked by the darkness into thinking it will keep our secrets. We forget that the blackness is not a blanket; we forget that the sun will soon rise. But in the moment, at least, we feel brave enough to say things we'd never say in the light."

"Words, I think, are such unpredictable creatures.

No gun, no sword, no army or king will ever be more powerful than a sentence. Swords may cut and kill, but words will stab and stay, burying themselves in our bones to become corpses we carry into the future, all the time digging and failing to rip their skeletons from our flesh."

"Words are like seeds, I think, planted into our hearts at a tender age.

They take root in us as we grow, settling deep into our souls. The good words plant well. They flourish and find homes in our hearts. They build trunks around our spines, steadying us when we're feeling most unsure. But the bad words grow poorly. Our trunks infest and spoil until we are hollow and housing the interests of others and not our own. We are forced to eat the fruits those words have borne, held hostage by the branches growing arms around our necks, suffocating us to death, one word at a time."