Shatter Me is a young adult dystopian thriller book series written by Tahereh Mafi first published in 2011. Since then six more novels and five more novellas came out. The series was enlisted on the New York bestselling list.
Tahereh Mafi is an American novelist. Aside from the Shatter Me series, she also published the Furthermore series duology in 2016, and This Woven Kingdom series in 2022. When asked how she started the series she said: “I was sitting at my desk, drinking a cup of tea, when this lonely, isolated girl walked into my head. So I opened up a new word document and started writing her down.”
Shatter Me series is about a seventeen-year-old girl named Juliette. She is not an ordinary teenage girl, one touch from her can kill. She is locked away in a cell because she can potentially be the ultimate weapon. Now, she has to fight to save herself and the ones she loves.
Shatter Me Book Series Reading Order (At A Glance)
Shatter Me book series is comprised of six novels and five accompanying novellas. This hexalogy ended in 2020 with the publication of the last novel, Imagine Me. After that in 2021, the last novella, Believe Me, came out thus concluding the series. Every novel is set from the perspective of Juliette and every novella is from a different person’s perspective and is set between the novels.
Novels:
- Shatter Me (2011)
- Unravel Me (2013)
- Ignite Me (2014)
- Restore Me (2018)
- Defy Me (2019)
- Imagine Me (2020)
Novellas:
- Destroy Me (2012)
- Fracture Me (2013)
- Shadow Me (2019)
- Reveal Me (2019)
- Believe Me (2021)
Film rights for Shatter Me were optioned by 20th Century Fox in 2011, even prior to the book’s release. We are going to fully explain every novel and novella separately, so keep reading.
Shatter Me Book Series Reading Order: Fully Explained
1. Shatter Me (2011)
Juliette has to make a choice she can be a weapon or a warrior. The last time Juliette touched somebody, The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why her touch is fatal. Meanwhile, the world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the planet, food is too hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and even the clouds are the wrong color.
2. Unravel Me (2013)
Juliette can kill someone with a single touch to kill, but Warner is special. His mysterious immunity to her power has left her shaken, wondering why her special defense mechanism failed against the person she most needs protection from. Juliette and Adam were able to escape and join up with a group of rebels, many of whom have special powers of their own. She will finally have a chance to actively fight against The Reestablishment and try to fix the broken world. And perhaps these new friends and allies can help her find out what lays behind Adam’s—and Warner’s—immunity to her killer skin.
3. Ignite Me (2014)
Now that Omega Point was destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t slow down her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. This time, she has to rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. Warner is the one person she never thought she could trust, the same person who saved her life. He promises to help her master her special powers and save their dying world, but that’s not the only thing he wants from her.
4. Restore Me (2018)
Juliette thought she had won. She successfully took over Sector 45, and she was named the new Supreme Commander, and now has Warner by her side. But she’s still the girl with the ability to kill with a single touch—and now she’s got the whole world in the palm of her hand. When tragedy hits, who will she become? Will she be able to control the power she wields and use it for good?
5. Defy Me (2019)
Does a broken heart make you vulnerable to the strengthening darkness within? Juliette’s short appointment as the Supreme Commander of North America has been a disaster. When the situation gets even worse, the only thing she wants is to turn to Warner for support and guidance. But he broke her heart when he revealed that he’s been keeping secrets from her, secrets that change everything. Now, Juliette is devastated, and the darkness within her threatens to consume her.
6. Imagine Me (2020)
How to know what is the truth and what is a lie? Ella now knows who Juliette is and what she was created for, and things have only become more complicated. As she struggles to understand the hunting past and looks to the uncertain future, the lines between right and wrong, between Ella and Juliette are becoming a blur. With old enemies looming, her destiny may not be in her own to control. The day of reckoning for the Reestablishment is coming closer, but she may not get a chance to choose what side she fights on.
Novellas:
1. Destroy Me (2012)
Destroy Me is between the first and the second novel, and it is told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45. Back at the base and recovering from his shoulder wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check. He is still obsessed with Juliette, 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 mistakes, it’s clear that he has very different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner will simply not allow.
2. Fracture Me (2013)
Fracture Me sets the stage for Ignite Me and it takes place during and soon after the final moments of Unravel Me. Fracture Me is told from Adam’s perspective. Adam’s focus couldn’t be further from the upcoming battle, he’s recovering from his breakup with Juliette. Plus, he is scared for his best friend’s life and concerned for his brother James’s safety. And just as Adam begins to wonder if this life is really for him, the alarms sound off- it’s time for war. On the battlefield, their chances are looking good, but taking down Warner, Adam’s newly discovered half-brother isn’t easy.
3. Shadow Me (2019)
Juliette is still recovering from Warner’s betrayal, and Kenji is trying to balance his friendship with her with his responsibilities as a leader of the resistance against the Reestablishment. Everything will get even more interesting when an unexpected person from Omega Point’s past surfaces. This novella is set from Kenji’s perspective, and it is a perfect bridge until Defy Me.
4. Reveal Me (2019)
This novella is also from the perspective of fan-favorite Kenji. This fourth novella brings readers back to the world of the Shatter Me series just before the final novel installment.
5. Believe Me (2021)
Life in the aftermath isn’t so easy, as Juliette and Warner, and their friends at the Sanctuary work with their very limited resources to stabilize the new world. Since Warner proposed to Juliette two weeks ago, he’s been very eager to marry her, the person he loves more than anything and has endured so much to be with. Finally, their future together is within grasp, but the world continues to try to pull them apart. Will they finally be able to be happily ever after?
Do You Need To Read The Shatter Me Series In Order
Yes, the Shatter Me book series should be read in order. Every book takes place right after the other, and every single one ends with a big cliffhanger. Reading the novellas is not necessary, but it makes the world of the series even bigger and more complex.
