This is a spoiler filled book review. Please be aware that if you keep reading there will be information that you may not want to know if you have not read the book. For a spoiler free review of Defy Me click here.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars
Quotes to Remember:
“It's not insane to imagine that sometimes even horrible people are searching for a way out of their own darkness.”
“Happiness does not happen. Happiness must be uncovered, separated from the skin of pain. It must be claimed. Kept close. Protected.”
“I feel it, I feel my thin morals dissolving. I feel my flimsy, moth-eaten skin of humanity begin to come apart, and with it, the veil keeping me from complete darkness. There are no lines I won't cross. No illusions of mercy."
“I can't remember a single time in my life when someone apologized to me for hurting my feelings. No one has ever cared about my feelings long enough to apologize for hurting them. In my experience, I'm usually the monster. I'm the one expected to make amends."
“Forgive me. I know it all seems stupid now, but I don't want to take anything for granted anymore. Forgive me for hurting you. Forgive me for not trusting you. I took my pain out on you and I'm so sorry. I was selfish, and I hurt you, and I'm so sorry."
*This is your final spoiler warning*
*Continue with Caution*
My Review:
So I didn't love this book. I didn't necessarily hate it either though. Everything just felt a little too easy. We start at the exact moment we left off in Restore Me which is the only thing that could have happened given the cliff hanger, and they are learning all this new information which is all old news to us at this point.
I did love love love having Kenji's point of view. He is a character that I have always and will always love. He brings humor and light into a story that can be pretty dark and gloomy. His new relationship with Nazeera now outranks Warner/Juliette in my top OTP list. They are just so cute and I am rooting for them so hard.
Speaking of OTPS, Warner and Juliette are just a little bit too drawn to each other. It is way to much. I don't like the idea that no matter where they are in life, what they have done, who they have been programed to be, they will always end up together. It made me just as frustrated as their parents. Like there was never any other option or way that things could have turned out differently for them. It was way too much. Their backstories coming in made me not even really care about them anymore because I have no doubt in my mind that they will end up together. Mafi has set it up so that there is literally no other way. The whole arc with Adam was literally pointless because there was no way she was ever going to leave Warner for him. It just simply wouldn't have happened.
Finally, the ending left a lot to be desired. It honestly felt like it should have been the last book in the series. There is, of course, a lot of room left for another book but I finished it and didn't care that I needed to wait for the next book. If I didn't know that there was going to be a sixth book I may have even thought that was the end. I mean I'm not asking for a gut wrenching cliff hanger, but something to make me care about the next book would be nice. It just ended way way way too happy. I was reading the end and waiting for the other shoe to drop. This is not a story that should have ended happy with a nice convenient birthday party. I'm not gonna lie I don't really care about the last book after reading that one. I know I will probably read it because I am super invested in the characters in this point but I am not really excited for it. Not like I was for this book.
It does still have a high rating though because while I didn't love parts of it I was invested and the story kept me interested. I just wasn't a huge fan.
Publisher's Description:
The gripping fifth installment in the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling Shatter Me series. Will Juliette’s broken heart make her vulnerable to the strengthening darkness within her?
Juliette’s short tenure as the supreme commander of North America has been an utter disaster. When the children of the other world leaders show up on her doorstep, she wants nothing more than to turn to Warner for support and guidance. But he shatters her heart when he reveals that he’s been keeping secrets about her family and her identity from her—secrets that change everything.
Juliette is devastated, and the darkness that’s always dwelled within her threatens to consume her. An explosive encounter with unexpected visitors might be enough to push her over the edge.
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