Ignite Me {A Review}

Title: Ignite Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me #3
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: February 2014
Source: Bought
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 4.5 stars

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.

Yeah, I'm going four and a half stars here. I absolutely love this series, though. And I'm super sad it's over. For real.

Let's start off with something Mafi knows how to do: chemistry. If you've read any part of this series, you have to give that to her. My goodness. We'll start with a quick recap of the first two... so if you don't want that, skip two paragraphs. :)

Okay. So quick recap of Shatter Me: Juliette has been imprisoned in an asylum for nearly a year when she is joined by Adam. Who, we later find out, is working with the Reestablishment/Warner. Warner leads Juliette to believe he wants to use her as a weapon of torture. After a bunch of stuff happens, she and Adam escape the headquarters of Sector 45. It ends with Juliette and Adam (who apparently has been working against the Reestablishment and can touch Juliette, which is the first human contact she's ever had, given how she seems to kill/maim anyone she does touch) escaping with Kenji, nearly getting caught/killed, and Juliette shooting Warner with his own gun. Kenji takes them to Omega Point, headquarters for a resistance movement.

Quick recap of Unravel Me: Juliette discovers she's not alone in having supernatural powers and begins training on how to control them. Turns out Adam has a power as well. He can disable the power of others; that's why he can touch Juliette. But if he lets his guard down, he will be hurt... *dun-dun-dun* Some of Omega Point's men are taken captive and Juliette meets with Anderson, the Supreme Commander, to get them back. She shoots him, and they take Warner hostage. Juliette is supposed to interrogate him, but he has her journal from the time she was imprisoned, and they just end up talking about their feelings. Turns out, he has the power to borrow other's energy without getting hurt; so... he can touch Juliette, too! There's a bunch of kissing and whatnot to follow. And then, Warner escapes and the Resistance makes its move. Juliette is taken hostage, Anderson plans to kill her. He brings Warner in to watch (because he (Anderson) is a sick bastard), and then shoots Juliette in the chest. She is on the verge of death when Warner makes Sonja and Sarah (the healing twins) help him to save her. She wakes up in Warner's arms, ready to fight.

Whew. A lot more happened, obviously, but that's the gist of it. Overall I love love love love this series. I love characters, the chemistry. There were even quite a few times I was neither "team Warner" nor "team Adam." I was all "TEAM KENJI"! Seriously. That boy is pretty flippin' awesome. Smart-ass, funny, bad-ass, sensitive, great friend... I just assume he's good lookin' to boot. ;)  If you'd read my Shatter Me review, you'd know I despised Warner. Like, seriously hated the dude. I couldn't get past his seeming inhumanity, his cruelty. But then... then came Destroy Me. And my, oh my. And then Unravel Me. And I was leaning totally toward Warner. This broken, loving man... sheesh. I hated Mafi for making me love him. I wanted to continue hating him. I really really did. And then I read Fracture Me, and I wanted to kill Adam. On the one hand, his brother's safety is extremely important. I mean, James is only ten. But still. He just seemed so put-off by the idea of getting Juliette back.

All that being said, I did really like the way Mafi played out the relationships, and I'm completely on board with how they all came together in the end. I love these characters and her writing so so much. The reason, however, that I knocked the stars down a teeny bit, is that the ending fell a smidgen for me. It seemed a little lackluster for me... after all this buildup... it was a little anti-climactic. Like, oh... ok. That happened. All in all, though, a satisfying read.

I feel like I talked "around" the entire book. I can't say a lot without spoiling things. I want to talk about ALL the THINGS... and I CAN'T! At least, not openly here, due to spoilers and all. ;)

Have you read it? Did you feel strongly one way or the other about the ending?

Smiles,
B