Review: Shadow Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shadow Me (Shatter Me #4.5)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Dystopian 
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: March 5th 2019
eBook, 69 pages

Summary: 

Fan favorite character Kenji Kishimoto narrates this gripping companion novella to Tahereh Mafi’s New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, set during the explosive events in Restore Me! Juliette is still reeling 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. Things get even more interesting when an unexpected person from Omega Point’s past surfaces. The ending of Restore Me left readers gasping, and this novella full of Kenji’s signature sass and big heart is the perfect story to tide fans over until Defy Me, the shocking fifth book in the Shatter Me series, hits shelves in April 2019.

***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF RESTORE ME. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ RESTORE ME AND DO NOT WANT IT TO BE SPOILED FOR YOU, PLEASE DO NOT READ ON!*** 

Excuse my while I shriek until I can read Defy Me. If you are new to The Book Bratz you should know that all three of us are HUGE Shatter Me fans and are totally obsessed with Warner. After Restore Me's explosive ending (ha, see what I did there?) we were left scrambling to gather ourselves and pretend that we were okay. Then, we learned that our favorite side character was getting his own novella and for a little while that patched the hole Mafi had left in our hearts. 

I'm lonely but I’m not alone. My body works, my brain works, I’m alive. It’s a good life. I have to make a conscious effort to remember that. To choose to be happy every day. If I didn’t, I think my own pain would’ve killed me a long time ago.

I really loved being in Kenji's head and seeing his POV on a lot of the things that are going down. Kenji puts on such a happy-go-lucky face and seems all independent and Mafi just made me want to cry for him. I JUST WANT KENJI TO FIND HAPPINESS, OKAY!? We see how Kenji longs for a relationship or someone to connect with on a deeper level. We also get to see a little bit into Kenji and Castle's past, though brief it gives me hope that it will be talked about more in the next two books. 

I’m so happy for my friends. I love them, even when they piss me off. I care about them. I want their joy. But it still hurts a little when it feels like, everywhere I look, everyone seems to have someone. Everyone but me.

Let's get down to why I been screaming and texting Emily and Jessica in all capital letters since I read Shadow Me. At the end of Restore Me, Juliette is captured and shipped off to another country. But before that, she accidentally slaughters a room of 600 people. WTF. This is why we have been screaming over a year, because everyone is going to be out for Juliette now and poor Warner. Have I mentioned that we LOVE Warner? In Shadow Me we see this exact scene from a new perspective. This scene isn't as black and white as Mafi made it seem. In my opinion, this scene from Kenji's POV is brilliant.  

Maybe it sounds weird to say, but I know I could love the shit out of someone. I feel it, in my heart. This capacity to love. To be romantic and passionate. Like it’s a superpower I have. A gift, even.

Why am I shrieking at how this novella ended? Because. Shadow Me is is essential to read if you plan to continue on in the Shatter Me series. It holds some secrets and ties some loose ends up that we saw in Restore Me. There is also something *SUPER* important that happens that is going to play a huge role in Defy Me. 

Well friends, thanks for reading me rant/vent/review/sob session for another Tahereh Mafi book. Once again, she managed to put me in my feels. I can't wait for Defy Me!