Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Dystopia
Publisher: Harper
Publication: October 2nd
Page Count: 103

The Synopsis:
Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.
In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .
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 a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.
Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

Least to say, I was peer pressured into reading this.  Geo from Auntie Spinelli Reads was very, very adamant that I read this as soon as I can because--WARNER!!!  And if you've not read her very fangirly review of Destroy Me, le click here.   Even before then, I had heard nothing other than Team Warner.  I was confused; how could I remotely fall for some twisted psychopath from Shatter Me?  How delusional everyone must be to like him!  Did these people read the book right?  I will admit that--while I did fall a little for Adam--I wasn't 100% convinced with him.  So, after winning an ebook of Destroy Me from Geo, I decided that I should read it and give Warner a chance.  I had nothing to lose. 

So . . . here goes . . .

And possibly--

 
Because WARNER!!

Destroy Me is not only a perfect example of how an author can manipulate the emotions of an audience, but also make us judge a character before we even get to meet or know them.  How in the world Mafi did this in one short novella, I have no idea.  I myself feel bad that I judged Warner before I got to see his side of the story.  He may not be a sweetheart or be sentimental, but his complexity was incredible.  So he wasn't 100% bad guy, but he also wasn't 100% good guy.  He was in the middle, but there's a reason behind his behavior and stone-cold facade.  But I don't want to say too much that I'd ruin it for other who've not read this novella yet.

The similarity between Warner and Juliette was uncanny.  I didn't realize the similarity until Warner actually brought it up in the novella.  But when I did realize it, I was blown away.  The little romantic in me was going crazy over this piece of information.  Also, Warner is MAD for Juliette!  He loves her.  He just has a different way of expressing his affections.  Mafi expertly wove their lives together and made for an interesting back story that would come into play in Unravel Me (which I am extremely excited for and impatient to read).  In Shatter Me, I thought that Warner's supposed affectionate feelings toward Juliette were just--I don't know--fake?  No, just  part of his obsession with her, I guess.  I didn't think that he actually love-loved her.  So, in all, it was great to get into Warner's mind.

And do any of you realize how talented Tahereh Mafi is?  I was in love with her writing in Shatter Me.  I found it to be a little much at times, but I was in heaven reading the writing.  I jumped into Destroy Me expecting there to be the same kind of writing, but boy, was I wrong!  Warner had such a unique and different voice from Juliette, and not only did it surprised me, but I was glad for it.  It wouldn't have made sense for Warner to have the same voice as Juliette, right?  I'm not saying that her writing wasn't as amazing in this novella--I just mean to say that the versatility of her writing is amazing and probably knows no bounds.

Destroy Me may just be a short novella, but it that doesn't mean to say that it was dull or pointless.  I felt as if it were a privilege to be inside Warner's mind.  It was such a private thing, Warner's mind, and it was fantastic.  I actually . . . felt for the bad guy.  I had feelings . . . for the villain.  Crazy, right?  I can't tell you if I'm exactly Team Warner yet; he still hasn't proven himself to me yet, but if you've read Shatter Me, I highly suggest you read this novella!

Four Splashes