Author: Tahereh Mafi
Release Date: October 2, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
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 rebellion in Sector 45. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to bring her back to him and eliminate those who helped her escape, Adam and Kenji, traitors to the Reestablishment. But when Warner's father arrives, the Supreme Commander, it's clear he has different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner won't allow.
Destroy Me is an intriguing insight into a character overwhelmed by power, by pressure, and by obsession. The reader is jerked away from Juliette and pushed straight into the complicated mind of Warner, pushed into attempting to understand his twisted and utterly selfish motives when it comes to a girl that can't touch anyone or they'll die. Or so she thought. Or so he thought.
This is the other side of his obsession, this is the side where we see the thought process behind his decisions and not just how Juliette sees him. Where Juliette sees a monster, the reader is presented with a human being with very real flaws and very important goals. It's not every day that, with only a few pages, an author can make a reader sympathize with the villain. And that's what this is, this is Warner at his most vulnerable, just as Juliette was in Shatter Me, and it's an odd pill to swallow. Villains are not meant to garner sympathy, and that's exactly what Tahereh Mafi does here with Warner.
The novella also shows Juliette through a different pair of eyes. Not her own which saw her as a monster, but through a pair that found her amazing and powerful, a pair that gazed at her with reverence and longing.
Unfortunately, this novella only serves to further whet the appetite of those waiting for Unravel Me. Fortunately, it adds another layer to the series as a whole, and I foolishly hope that there will be more.
(I purchased a copy of this e-book.)
I absolutely loved this book and you are right when you say that this book makes it even harder to wait for Unravel Me! :/
ReplyDeleteI was totally rooting for Adam but now after reading Destroy Me one can't help but sympathize with Warner.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts,Lindsay! :)
Nuzaifa @ Say It With Books
i have to say, this novella blew me off my feet. i liked SHATTER ME, but DESTROY ME took things to a whole new level. before SM came out, i remember some reviews saying they liked the story well enough, but they couldn't wait to see more of tahereh's writing as it developed. at the time, i thought it was an odd thing to say, but then i read DM.
ReplyDeleteyes. i get it. warner, who was despicable in SM is utterly understandable and flawed and deserving of happiness. i NEVER expected to feel that way about him. it takes a gifted author to change your readers' minds so completely.
also, the new cover designs? 1,000 million times more appealing that the original SM design.