“‘The girl with the power to kill with a single touch now has the world in the palm of her hand…’ It’s been sixteen days since Juliette Ferrars killed the supreme commander of North America and took over as ruler of The Reestablishment. Sixteen days since she assassinated Warner’s father. She thought she’d won. She took over Sector 45 and now has Warner by her side. When tragedy strikes, Juliette must confront the darkness that consumes her world – and those she loves. Can she control the power she wields, or will it control her?”
What is the book about?
Everything appears to be perfect now – Anderson is dead, Juliette is now the supreme commander of North America and it seems like destroying The Reestablishment is finally going to be possible. But nothing is as easy as it seems. Now, Juliette is in charge of a whole continent and it takes a lot more work than she had initially had in mind. She has only been in charge for sixteen days and is already consumed by anxieties on whether she made the right choice and if she is really the right person for the job. And, as if those work struggles weren’t enough, now the other supreme commanders are sending their own kids to do their dirty work for them and Juliette must entertain the children of the most ruthless, psychotic leaders the world has ever seen. And that’s not all – everyone seems to be lying to Juliette and she doesn’t know who to trust, she is safe from no one. When the truth finally comes out, Juliette must find way to cope with the new trauma and darkness in her life. On top of all of that, Juliette thought she had full control over her powers, but it looks like she has less limits than she thought and she must now learn to once again control her abilities…before they take control of her.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
Excitement, anticipation, desperation, concern, these were all the feelings I went through when I picked up Restore Me. I was so glad to see that the author didn’t decide to end the series on Ignite Me, as she had initially planned, because I was so desperate to find out what was going to happen next. It had been such a surprise to see Ignite Me end exactly where things normally start to get interesting and the book tends to begin, so I wasn’t too surprised to discover that Tahereh Mafi had written many more Shatter Me series books. When I finally got my hands on Restore Me and read the blurb, I was bursting with anxieties over what the great tragedy would be and I was so desperate to start reading. As soon as I opened the book, I was immediately thrusted back into Juliette’s world and it was like there had never been a break between the books. I was so happy to see that I hadn’t missed much and I felt at home. Restore Me started and I instantly feel in love, already devouring the book. I think that this is the book that I read the fastest and found that it was absolutely incredible from the very first page.
Who was your favourite character and why?
This didn’t take me very long to decide because my favourite character hasn't really changed, although there were a couple other characters that really stood out to me too. My favourite character is, once again, Kenji for many reasons, but mainly because he was the only character who didn't let his emotions get the better of him. He had traumatising past and it tore me apart to learn about what he went through at such a young age. But, what really set me off was the fact that he went so much and yet he chooses not to talk about it with absolutely anyone and he chooses not to let those emotions show because he doesn't want to burden anyone with them and he doesn't want them to affect his life. Everyone else has had an interesting and challenging past as well, but they all act very differently and they let those experiences dictate how they act in their day-to-day lives. In contrast, Kenji was determined to live a life free of drama and this really stood out to me because it showed me that, if he is able to get past his own traumatic experiences for the good of the world, then everyone else in the world should be able to set aside their personal problems and deal with the bigger issues. I know that a lot of other characters managed to deal with their problems properly (and maybe even better than Kenji), and I know that it exactly the healthiest thing in the world to hid behind a mask of comedy and not speak about your problems, but I am a sucker for emotional wrecks that hide behind their humour, so I love Kenji more than anyone else and I am blinded by all his (non-existent) imperfections.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
Choosing my favourite part of the book was really difficult because I loved the whole of Restore Me. However, when I put my mind to it, there was one part that did stand out to me. This was the part where Juliette's personality shifted completely. I had been surprised at her change from the isolated, timid little girl in Unravel Me to the more confident young woman we saw in Ignite Me and at the beginning of Restore Me, however what we saw later on in Restore Me was a ginormous transformation into the supreme commander she was born to be. I can't say too much about what happened because I don't want to ruin the story for anyone; however I do want to say that this part showed me that no matter what happened to Juliette she was always going to fight back and bounce back stronger than ever before. It was like every time the world threw a challenge at her, it forced her to become a new person and to retaliate in ways that seemed unimaginable in the beginning. If I was to go back to the beginning of Shatter Me, I would not be able to recognise the girl sat in the corner counting every little crack in the room because she was too traumatised to live in her own mind. Restore Me was an incredible book and I can't wait to see what Juliette does next.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, Restore Me was an amazing read and I devoured it quicker than any of the other books. One thing that I absolutely loved about the book was the fact that it was written from two perspectives. All the other books so far (except for the novellas) have been written from only Juliette's point of view and, although I have no criticism on a single perspective, I do love being able to see the story through more than one person’s point of view. To me it was an absolute privilege to be able to see the world through the eyes of, not just Juliette, but also of Warner. I caught a glimpse of his thoughts in the novella Destroy Me, but I was honoured to have the chance to have a whole book written partly in his perspective. It took the book to a whole new level and I absolutely loved being able to see him falling in love Juliette first-hand. The moments when they were together were so lovely and romantic and I absolutely loved every time I got to hear from Warner. Another thing that I really enjoyed about the book was the fact that I got so much new information and, although these were delivered to Juliette as lies and secrets finally coming to light, I did love being able to get so much on the inner workings of her past life. I always love getting my questions answered and this book was just filled with information that helped me solve so many mysteries (though the book was also the creator of the questions I had). It was one plot twist followed by another and I was always on the edge of my seat just waiting for the next burst to come. I have missed the murder mysteries that I would read when I was younger and this was so delightful and so familiar because it was like I was uncovering the mystery again. This allows me to move on nicely to my third point on Restore Me: the absolutely amazing cliff-hanger ending. It has been a while since I've read one of these and I know that I always used to complain about how I was left sitting on the edge of my seat, not knowing what was going to happen next, but I have come to appreciate the feeling of pure shock and of being left not knowing if there is going to be another book that's going to follow up and explain what happened. It is the best feeling to know that now you have a reason to pick up another book and you can just burst right in and keep reading. The ending was absolutely incredible and, although it left me so many more questions, it also gave me so much motivation and so many answers. Restore Me was an absolutely incredible book that left me screaming at the end, wanting more but not wanting to let the book go. The only thing that would make this better is if I actually had someone who had read the book to talk to with because right now I feel like I'm just about to burst and have no one to discuss the book with. I just can't wait to read the fifth book in the series.
Which book did you like better: 1, 2, 3 or 4?
Coming to this question there was no doubt in my mind that my answer was going to be Restore Me. I know that the book was not free of imperfections, but there is nothing that truly overshadowed all of the amazing things that just made it at least 5 times better than all of the other books. The first thing that made me love it more than Shatter Me, Unravel Me and Ignite Me is the fact that I had the incredible opportunity of having Restore Me narrated by not just Juliette, but also by Warner. I absolutely adored the fact that I was able to see the inner workings of Warner’s mind and witness first-hand how much he really loved Juliette. There was never a doubt in my mind that he loved her, but it was much appreciated to be able to see that it wasn’t an obsession and was true love. Another thing that made this book stand out to me from a mile away was the incredible plot twists that just kept on coming. This book was filled with secrets and lies and I loved getting so much information all at once – it was overwhelming and exhilarating and I loved it! One last thing that I would like to point out is the absolutely incredible ending that left me sitting in my seat staring into space for about 10 minutes before I finally realised that I had lessons to go to and homework to do, and (more importantly) a fifth book to read. Tahereh Mafi hadn’t really given us a good cliff-hanger ending for a while and this was all that and so much more. It was the most shocking ending in the world and I have never been so pleased that I always buy the whole series together in my life. Restore Me (and all the books in the Shatter Me series) was an amazing read and I can’t wait to continue my adventure with Defy Me.
Would you recommend this book?
I would 1000000000000000000% recommend this book and I am so confident that anyone who picks up the book, even if they normally don’t enjoy books will absolutely love it. It is the perfect read for anyone who loves some romance, dystopian fiction, action and is ready for an absolute rollercoaster of lies and mysteries. (It is for over 15s though!)
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
A rollercoaster read of endless twists and turns that will keep you tense and terrified for the next big drop into uncertainty.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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