Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: October 2nd, 2012

Source: Public library

 

Set after Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me and before Unravel Me, the spellbinding sequel, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

In Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she'll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of . . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner's father, the Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son's mistakes, it's clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Review: Tahereh Mafi, what have you done. I WAS TEAM ADAM UNTIL NOW. AHHHHH.

Sigh. Never in my life did I think I would like Warner but after reading Destroy Me, Mafi has me questioning A LOT of things. In this novella, Warner is still the manipulative, scheming antagonist that we meet in Shatter Me, but here the reader can glimpse a side of Warner that hints towards a more vulnerable, dare I say kinder, young man who is on the wrong path but is nowhere near as evil as his father. The obsession and yes, love, that Warner has for Juliette is more painfully obvious in Destroy Me, but what really shocked me was how I totally believed in it and how, for one crazy moment, I wanted him to be with Juliette. (Like Adam who?)

We also get a glimpse into Warner's life as the leader of his section, and how he has almost no ties with anyone--no friendships, no warmth, only instilled fear and hatred from those around him. Destroy Me focuses intently on how Warner tries to regain control once Juliette escapes and to even protect her from his own father. The atmosphere in Destroy Me is tense, something always on the verge of happening, and being in Warner's head reminded me a lot of Juliette, actually. I'm sure Juliette would hate to know this*, but she and Warner actually have a lot in common; but ohhhh, the possibilities between these two if anything should happen. Again, Adam who????

Final Verdict: I'm so confused. I was Team Adam for book 1 and I still am but...but...Warner. My loyalties have been tested because of this e-novella. I need to read Unravel Me PRONTO because omg. Er, anyway back to the e-novella. If you are a fan of the Shatter Me series, I would definitely recommend reading this before the second novel because it gives fans a glimpse into Warner's point of view and despite it being a short read, it packs quite the punch. If you hated Warner in book 1, you won't after reading Destroy Me and if you didn't....well, you'll find more reason to love him.  

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*Or maybe not? Haven't gotten to Unravel Me yet.