It all started with one book crawl where I found a box set of the first four Defy me books. I recognised them - I still don't know how but that's the reason I bought them. 5 days after starting the first book, I was walking into town to buy the fifth. And that is the story of how I am currently eagerly awaiting the sixth book... and distraught it won't be released for another year.
I have a weird relationship with this series. At the start, the writing style really annoyed me. There is a serious lack of commas and, as the series progressed, Mafi tried to be more experimental, especially with the space on the page and the pacing (it often follows Juliette's breathing - if she is counting down, numbers will intermittently interrupt the text). Some were effective, don't get me wrong - but trying to make every breathe and thought cleverly spaced on the page and frozen into separate moments can sometimes be distracting. On the other hand, I quite liked the whole crossing-out deal; I know many readers didn't like this but i thought it added something extra to Juliette's perspective. It allowed us to see what she stopped herself from saying or thinking. I think the story is becoming so compelling now I'm starting to be able to overlook the other informalities.
In terms of plot, I love a good dystopian. I always have. And this series seemed to take me back to the books I read as a young teenager. In Mafi's series, the government (or The Reestablishment, as they call themselves) have taken control of every continent, enforcing strict rules on food and living. From Juliette's perspective, we see orphaned children, starving families and destitute homes as the result of this power. The books touch on climate change, but it is implied the shortages of food and water are simply exaggerated by The Reestablishment.
For viewers who haven't read the series, read it. I'd like to know what you think - some love it and some hate it, mostly due to the writing style. The first book (Shatter Me) follows Juliette as she is released from her imprisonment. Cursed with the ability to kill people with simply her touch, Juliette has lacked human affection and touch her entire life. Now, she is asked to use the one thing she hates to torture people for the government.
The second book explores the rebel forces more, introducing new characters. Any reader will probably name Kenji as their favourite character and I am no different. AND WE FINALLY GET A KENJI POV IN THE FIFTH BOOK! It was a long time coming but it was great - his thoughts are just as funny as his speeches to Juliette in the other books. I think I loved every character except for Castle - I feel like his limitations as a leader are too prominent even from the start.
In terms of romance, I think her relationship with Adam is too sudden and obsessive for me. I don't think it was developed gradually enough that it seems almost too full on too quickly. I was fully supportive of the 'A Court of Thorns and Roses'- style twist in the Second and Third books (I'm trying to remain spoiler-free).
The third book was personally my favourite - I had no complaints! The pacing was better. I think with the other four, the latter half of the plot is always the better than the former. This may be because some of the plot is predictable or it may be that each book ends with such a cliff-hanger that the next book spends too long trying to re-set things up. For example, the changing opinions on some characters in Ignite me meant that a lot of the start was spent re-evaluating everything we knew about them; re-writing bad things they'd done so they surprisingly appeared to have loving intentions.
The one thing I am glad about is that the fifth book didn't end with such a heartbreaking cliff-hanger as the other instalments. I'd have hated to wait a year for the previous books - I'm deeply sorry for those that did. Now we just have to wait till March 2020 for the final book, but I'm not too desperate. The current ending is more bitter-sweet than shocking.
Now that it's over though, do you have any similar recommendations in the dystopian or fantasy genres? Let me know! I'll add it to my ever-growing tbr pile.
Happy reading! :)