Watch Me Shatter Me: The New Republic, Book 1

Dystopian fiction isn’t usually my genre, so despite hearing so much about “Watch Me”, I wasn’t particularly eager to pick it up. Well, I’m glad I changed my mind because I absolutely loved it! What fascinated me most was Rosabelle. She’s a trained assassin, but what makes her compelling isn’t her ability to kill. It’s the humanity behind her actions. She lives in a society where survival comes at a terrible price, and where obedience isn’t really a choice when the alternative means suffering for herself and the people she loves. I particularly appreciated the moral questions her situation raises. How much responsibility can we place on someone whose freedom has been taken away? How much choice does a person really have when even food, medicine and survival depend on following orders? I also enjoyed the dystopian setting, it turned out to be much more intriguing than I expected. One thing worth mentioning is that I haven’t read the original “Shatter Me” series. I initially thought “Watch Me” was completely independent, and although I could follow the main story without difficulty, certain references and characters occasionally left me feeling that I was missing some background information. Thankfully, this never significantly affected my enjoyment. The story kept me engaged, the characters intrigued me, and by the time I reached the end, I was already desperate for the next instalment. My only regret? Starting yet another unfinished series when I could have begun with the completed “Shatter Me” books instead! A surprisingly addictive dystopian romance with a morally complex heroine, fantastic romantic tension and a story that left me wanting so much more.

Ich war wirklich erfreut als eine Spinoff-Reihe im Shatter Me Universum angekündigt wurde, da ich ein großer Fan der Reihe bin. Ich war aber auch besorgt, dass sie den „originalen“ nicht gerecht wird - doch ich muss sagen, Tahereh Mafi hat nicht enttäuscht. Die Geschichte ist so gut gelungen, die Hauptcharaktere sind unglaublich sympathisch, und das Konzept der Reihe ist nicht überzogen wie bei so vielen Büchern, sondern einfach noch weiter ausgeschöpft! auf jeden Fall 5⭐️

Die Story ist sofort packend und spannend, es ist schön die altbekannten Charaktere wieder zu sehen und dabei die Chemie zu verfolgen, die sich zwischen neuen Charakteren entwickelt. Ich bin sehr gespannt wie es weitergeht. Ein Muss für alle Fans.

James is just the perfect mix of Aaron and Kenji. It was so wholesome reading all the characters interacting and it gave me such nostalgia seeing the iconic trio together again. Rosabelle Wolff reminds me so much of Aaron it’s crazy. It was all in all such a quick read I finished it in one day and I’m a slow reader. The ending was also really sudden and…kind of a shock.

Not gonna lie, this spring has been filled with such great book releases, and this one stands out as one of my absolute favorites of the year. Tahereh Mafi has done it again aaand I'm not quite sure what she put into this masterpiece, but I desperately crave MORE. Words can't describe how much I missed all the characters and how urgently a continuation of this fantastic series was needed. God, this book had me wheezing!