Book Review: Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi

Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi

Release Date: 14th February 2014

Publisher: Harper Collins
Format: eBook
Pages: 295
Rating: 5.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2014 SSC and 2014 EBC

Summary from Goodreads:

"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."

Review:
** Spoiler Alert: Read at your own risk**

Words cannot even begin to describe how I feel about this book. Whilst it may have had some issues, this was the most fitting end to a series that snuck up on me to become one of my fave series.

- Pros -

• Juliette, and her amazing character growth. In Shatter Me, we met the very fragile Juliette, a girl who was afraid of her own shadow. Shatter Me, told from Juliette's perspective, was filled with crossed out words that she was afraid to speak or even allow herself to think. In Ignite Me, Juliette is completely different. She is no longer that afraid girl; she is sure of herself, and her wants and desires. There are no more crossed out words - she is completely sure of her thoughts and actions. It's a real treat to watch a character grow so much.
• Warner. Never have I ever done such a 180 on my feelings for a character. Warner was depicted as this despicable, psychotic person when we first met him. But now, almost everything he did has a valid and (sometimes) honourable reasoning behind it. Possibly the biggest revelation (for me at least) was learning that Warner never intended to us Juliette as a weapon. He found her whilst trying to find help for his mother, who's own touch was killing her. Warner still admits that he's done some terrible things, but he doesn't want to be like that any more. Ignite Me shows us that he was a product of his upbringing and circumstance - he was living his life the only way he knew how. But now, with Juliette, he's reaching for something more. 
• Warner and Juliette together. I was so sure that Juliette would end up with Adam, not because I wanted her to, but because in most books with a love triangle, the chooser ends up with whoever they fell for first, or the good guy. Surprisingly, that didn't happen here. Juliette even realised that she probably wasn't really in love with Adam, which pleases me to no end because I always thought their relationship was only due to circumstance. Warner and Juliette fit so much better together, which becomes abundantly clear in Ignite Me. Where Adam wants the meek, fragile girl Juliette used to be, Warner wants the passionate, powerful girl that Juliette's become. They just work so well together, and I am so glad that they've ended up together. 
• Speaking of Juliette, I loved all that romance. We spent the majority of our time focusing on the relationship between Juliette and Warner; Her realisation that he's not the despicable person she believed, and her final acceptance of her feelings and there getting together. And boy, do they get together. It's great to read. 
• Kenji. The hilarious best friend. Any time I laughed out loud whilst reading this was because of him. He's the much needed comic relief.

- Cons -

• There's virtually no dystopia. I was expecting an ending with a full blown war, a fight to the death, with Juliette eventually claiming her rightful place. And we did get that, but it was so short. It started, and then it finished quickly after. It seemed a bit too easy for Juliette and her band of superheroes to seize control of Sector 45. And with this being the finale to a dystopian series, you'd think there'd be a bit less focus on the romance and a little more time dedicated to the war. 
• What the hell happened to Adam. Adam was Juliette's knight in shining armour in Shatter Me. Now he's become an entitled, self-absorbed, bitter person. When presented with the new and improved Juliette, he flips out because she's no longer the quiet, scared girl he preferrs. Instead of giving Juliette a chance to explain, he just gets angry with her. He's so bitter that he even made Juliette touch Kenji, knowing full well that her touch could kill him. Adam's another character who's done a 180, and I'd be surprised if anyone out there still likes him, or wants him with Juliette. 
• I think we needed an epilogue. We ended after the swift and easy takeover of Sector 45, with Juliette's aim to eventually take over the world (or at least America). I think an epilogue, just a little into the future, were they've taken some other Sector's and are building there army would have ended the story nicely. And, of course, knowing that the gang are still all together and that Juliette and Warner are doing well would have satisfied a lot of readers. 

So whilst I had major issues with the lack of dystopia, I just loved the romance so much that it didn't end up bothering me all that much. There was still enough tension to get me flipping furiously through those pages. And even though the ending was a bit short for my liking, it still had my heart racing. This series overall was a treat to read, and I really think everyone ought to give it a try.