Ignite Me (A YA Book Review)
Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
Warner. <3 Now, that that’s out of the way. I really liked this book. It was good to finally have all the pieces of Warner put together so that both the reader and Juliette could see him for all that he is: human. As a teacher, I have seen how people become a product of their environment. It takes a strong person to be able to overcome that and both Juliette and Warner do an excellent job of that.
This book gave me less anxiety than Unravel Me, especially once Warner and Juliette started building the foundations of a relationship. Warner was kind, patient, and loving even when he wasn’t sure Juliette would love him back. His openness and honesty was admirable. He does not pretend to be a good person, but deep down he is. The best part is that neither Warner nor Juliette tried to change one another.
That said, I think readers, especially teen readers, need to take heed of people like Adam. Adam and Juliette did not have a healthy relationship and in Ignite Me I consider the things he said to Juliette unacceptable. Someone who either wants to save someone or acts like they need someone in order for them to function, is not in a healthy place to be in a relationship. I admired when Juliette finally stood up to him and told him he couldn’t talk to her like that. Because he can’t. Anyone who doesn’t want you to be your best self, is not someone you should be with. It’s a great lesson because as much as this book is a dystopian and about good vs evil, it’s a love story and about relationships both platonic, familial, and romantic. The ending was a bit more open-ended than I would have liked, but this book is easily 4.5/5 stars.