A comprehensive guide to the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi
- abbybathurst
- Apr 12
- 4 min read
Here is a comprehensive guide to the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi, just in time for the release of Watch Me, book one in the spin-off series.
Tahereh Mafi is probably most famous for her young adult dystopian series, Shatter Me. Since the rise of BookTok, the series has grown in popularity, and now, a spin-off series is in the works with book one of Shatter Me: The New Republic being released on April 15th.
I, myself, am a huge fan of the Shatter Me series and have just reread all 11 books in preparation for Watch Me's release. However, I know that for readers who haven't read Tahereh Mafi's books before, it can be a bit daunting and confusing to start.
Below is a comprehensive guide to the Shatter Me series and its universe for those who love the series but are also new to the series.
What is the Shatter Me series?
The Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi is a YA dystopian series. Many think it is of the romance genre, and whilst there are romantic subplots, it is very much dystopian.
It follows the life of Juliette Ferrars, a teenage girl, who has been locked away for 264 days. She has a lethal touch. Whilst Juliette has been locked away, the Reestablishment has continued ruling over the world, erasing individuality and forcing everyone to live in sectors.
Each continent is ruled by a Supreme Commander and split into sectors, each with a leader. For example, North America is split into 555 sectors, and Aaron Warner is the commander of Sector 45.
The books follow Juliette's fight against the authoritarian Reestablishment and her discovery of the truth.
The Reading Order
In the Shatter Me series, there are 11 books in total: six full-length novels and five novellas. When you buy the physical copies of the novellas, however, they are combined into three books.
The first three full-length novels were originally a trilogy (Shatter Me, Unravel Me, and Ignite Me), but Mafi went on to expand the series into what it is today.
The reading order for all the books is as follows:
Shatter Me
Destroy Me
Unravel Me
Fracture Me
Ignite Me
Restore Me
Shadow Me
Defy Me
Reveal Me
Imagine Me
Believe Me
Shatter Me, Unravel Me and Ignite Me are all from Juliette's perspective. Restore Me is from Juliette's, Warner's and Kenji's; Defy Me is from Juliette's and Warner's POVs, and Imagine Me is from Juliette's and Kenji's perspectives.
Destroy Me takes place in Aaron Warner's perspective, following the events of Shatter Me. Fracture Me is from Adam Kent's perspective and carries on from Unravel Me. These two stories can be found combined in the Unite Me novella.
Shadow Me takes place after Restore Me, and Reveal Me takes place after Defy Me. Both Shadow Me and Reveal Me are from Kenji Kishimoto's point of view and collectively make up the novella, Find Me.
Believe Me is from Aaron Warner's point of view, and it is more of an extended epilogue, rounding up the characters and storylines from the series.
Whilst there are nine books, you don't have to read the three novellas. When I first read this series, I didn't read them, and still found it enjoyable and loved it.
However, this time around, I have read all nine books and found it to be a much better reading experience. Seeing Aaron's, Adam's and Kenji's perspective of events gives you a wider view of the whole story, which only adds to the enjoyment.
Characters
I don't like books with loads of characters because it can be difficult to keep up with who is who and what their story is. However, the Shatter Me series is an exception.
There are quite a few characters in this series, which is expected given the length of it. But, I haven't found it confusing keeping track of them because they're all distinct and Tahereh Mafi has written the books with three main points of view, which makes it easier to read as you don't hop from one character's head to another's to another's.
The main character of the series is 17-year-old girl Juliette Ferrars. The first three books are solely in her POV, giving her version of events. Within these first three books, you meet other key characters, including but not limited to:
Aaron Warner, Adam Kent, Kenji Kishimoto, James Kent, Castle, Winston, Brendan, Lily, Alia and Ian.
As the series develops and we are introduced to more of the dystopian world, we meet other significant characters, such as Nazeera, Hider, Paris Anderson, Evie and Max, Emmeline, Stephen, Nouria and Sam.
Like I said, that's a lot of names to remember. But the progression of the series is well-paced and explained that you remember who is who and what they do.
The Spin-Off Series
Once you've read the Shatter Me series, you may be thinking that's it. However, there is more to come from Tahereh Mafi and the dystopian world she created.
Watch Me, book one in the Shatter Me: A New Republic series, comes out on April 15th, 2025.
It is set 10 years after the events of Imagine Me, and the protagonist is James, Adam's little brother. Watch Me is an enemies-to-lovers YA dystopian novel and I, for one, am so so excited to read it and delve back into the world of some of my favourite characters.
You can order Watch Me, and also the Shatter Me series, from Amazon, Waterstones, The Works or other retailers.
If you haven't read the Shatter Me series before, I hope this guide has convinced you to give it a try and has prepared you for what it entails. Feel free to let me know what your thoughts are on the series.
Until next time...