Alright. I’m gonna start off by saying I got about 40% of the way through this book and really liked it. After that? Not so much. Honestly it was such a disappointment and felt like ALL of the writing progress that Tahereh Mafi had made with Restore Me and Defy Me went down the drain. This reminded me of the basic, one-dimensional writing of the first three books: Shatter Me, Unravel Me, and Ignite Me. To say I disliked it is an understatement. 

So, as far a plot goes, I can’t even tell you what happened in most of the book because it was that unmemorable. The only thing I can say is a slight spoiler but doesn’t reveal anything major: Juliette ends up with feelings for Anderson while she’s brainwashed. This adds NOTHING to the plot and felt soooo underdeveloped like she wanted them to have some sort of mutual bond at the end of the book (but it really wasn’t there). I hated every second of that part. 

The main problem that I had with the book was the ending was SO rushed. Just like with Ignite Me, there was hardly any satisfaction for all the waiting that you did while reading the rest of the novel. I felt frustrated and disappointed. 

The saving grace for this book was obviously Kenji and Warner. Without them, I don’t think I would’ve forgiven Tahereh Mafi. 

Overall, a depressing 2.5/5 stars for the novel that was supposed to bring an explosive end to the series. The characters were still great, but the plot lacked so much that I just couldn’t overlook it. 

Source: Personal Copy

(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible, which gives you two free audiobooks of your choice!)