Whoa!!! What. A. Ride. I was so nervous for this installment because come on, how often is the second book in a trilogy EVER very good (except for Froi of the Exiles) but this book didn't disappoint (the way Catching Fire did for me). I have some issues with Juliette being wishy-washy (and she was NOT wishy-washy in Shatter Me) & not voicing her thoughts enough, but she came through in the end. Her pain & worry are so visceral though. she really really struggles with herself throughout this book. I also wish Adam had been more thoroughly fleshed out - although maybe there was a reason for that? (future Adam POV novella?) He needs his own novella because I feel like there's a lot more to him than we see or hear. I'd like to know what emotions are powering all his pained, tortured expressions. Warner was... wow. Thats all i'm going to say. While there wasn't much revealed about Adam in this book - the exact opposite can be said for Warner. She shows you ALL of his sides & leaves you wanting even more (he holds So. Many. Secrets!) There are some passages towards the end of the book that are giant chunks of *HIGHLIGHT* in my kindle :::fans self:::
Tahereh's writing style is uniquely twisty and descriptive and slightly manic and it's especially loaded with vivid analogies as Juliette's inner-monologue rolls out. Normally this style annoys me - especially in an action-packed, racing-towards-the-end-and-all-the-answers dystopian story. But for some reason Mafi's style works here - particularly for Juliette. I found myself stopping to really savor her passages instead of racing on to see what was going to happen. I just really love her words.
Overall it was a very satisfying ride - some slight pacing problems towards the beginning/middle, but a lot of twists, some big reveals, and one helluva cliffhanger. Cannot wait for the next one & in the meantime, I'm hoping like heck for an Adam POV.
