Synopsis from the Author
I have a curse
I have a gift
I am a monster
I'm more than human
My touch is lethal
My touch is power
I am their weapon
I will fight back
Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.
The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war—and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.
Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.
Things I Loved & Things I Struggled With
From the writing style, you'll get that feeling that Juliette has mentally suffered from the months she's been locked up in the asylum. The author was so good at conveying Juliette’s emotion through text. You get to know when she's shocked, distress, and wanting to avoid the people around her. I guess you'll get a feel of how she is closed off and not wanting to open up to others from being isolated for so long.
What you'll find?
Writing Style: The writing style is unique and distinctive, marked by striking metaphors and a poetic quality. Some readers may find it either captivating or too flowery, depending on personal taste.
World-building: The dystopian world is intriguing, with a government in control and a society facing challenges. The author provides enough detail to create a vivid setting without overwhelming the reader.
Cliffhanger: The book ends with a cliffhanger.
I've notice multiple times that she enjoys his touch more than him specifically. She's mentioned it more times than actually try to mention what she loves about him.
Overall, the story was okay. However, I didn't really get the feel of how their world was diystopian enough. It is not described as how a dystopian world should be. There are passages that would say "they'll burn books" or restating "the Reestablishment," but that was just it. It was just a sudden "their world was this happy place, the became totalitarian." I kept asking myself "how" and "why?" Why did it come to be like that? What was the turning point? It was more of a "gaining trust," "getting to know the characters" and "more romance" than for it to be a dystopia. I hope I would understand more about their world and how the characters would be in the next books.
For me this was just an introduction (maybe) to the books to come, which is too long of an "introduction."
I would say to definitely read this before the next books of the series just to understand who the characters are. And I would recommend it to those who are planning to read the entire series. I guess you'll just have to continue reading the next books to actually know more about the story for you to like it.