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Imagine Me by Tahereh Mafi (Review #239)

 WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THIS FAR IN THE SHATTER ME SERIES, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ. THIS IS BOOK 6. FOR THE REVIEW ON BOOK 1, CHECK OUT SHATTER ME. FOR BOOK 2, CHECK OUT UNRAVEL ME. FOR BOOK 3, CHECK OUT IGNITE ME. FOR BOOK 4, CHECK OUT RESTORE ME. AND FOR BOOK 5, CHECK OUT DEFY ME!

"Juliette Ferrars.

Ella Sommers.

Which is the truth and which is the lie?

Now that Ella knows who Juliette is and what she was created for, things have only become more complicated. As she struggles to understand the past that haunts her and looks to a future more uncertain than ever, the lines between right and wrong—between Ella and Juliette—blur. And with old enemies looming, her destiny may not be her own to control.

The day of reckoning for the Reestablishment is coming. But she may not get to choose what side she fights on."

Review:

This has been such a long time coming! If I'm being completely honest, I needed to be done with this series. I have been reading it since 2014... almost an entire decade. And if were being really real, it should've ended three books ago. I've read so many reviews, heard so many people speak (on YouTube and on Booktok) about how Ignite Me is the best book, and now having read all of them, I can agree. Now, that's not saying much in my opinion, I still think book 3 had its problems.

When beginning this final installment, I found myself frustrated a number of times. Again, it felt like we were moving at this excruciating pace, and not a lot was accomplished. Juliette seems to fall into damsel in distress pretty quickly, Warner can't seem to emote like a normal human being for even a second, and Kenji was just along for the ride. Like, he’s the narrator for more than half the book. Can we address how, yes, a stereotypical gay guy best friend is a common trope in YA, but making Juliette best guy friend a STRAIGHT is somehow worse. AND THEN WERE STUCK LISTENING TO HIM FOR MOST OF THE TIME????

Also, how OLD are these guys??? Aren't they teenagers??? Why are they ENGAGED to be MARRIED???? It's giving child bride and I'm not with it. 

I will say, I don't really recommend consuming this via audiobook. I alternated between a physical copy, and the audiobook for commutes to work and I gotta say the style with which this series is written has a certain artistic/poetic form to it that audiobooks cannot capture. I think that has always been a major strength for this series, the artistic nature we are able to see Juliette/Ella's thoughts (and Emmaline's too for that matter) makes the plot a bit more compelling. 

And like other installments, we keep being told what happens versus experiencing it ourselves. It was so fricking annoying. And if Juliette screams one more time, IM gonna scream. 

Overall, I'm honestly just so glad it's over. This has been such a rollercoaster and I think in ten years or so, I'll look back on this series as a reflection of the time it was conceived in and leave it at that. Someone commented that this series gave her the same feelings as The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller and I can't deny my own similar takeaway. 

As always, let me know your own thoughts and feels down below in the comments, and I can't wait to start a new series!



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