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A review by night0wl_23
Imagine Me by Tahereh Mafi
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
To start: I think having Kenji as a main character was amazing, 10/10, why didn’t this happen 5 books ago?
I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than the previous 5. Finally we’re getting some answers and world building, there is an actual plot outside of Juliette and Warner’s toxic romance, and because Juliette’s memories got wiped for 90% of the book she could actually be her own person outside of her relationships (even if that person was designed and manipulated by Anderson).
The whole thing with J finding Anderson attractive grossed me out, it didn’t contribute to the story at all. And it annoyed me that all Warner had to do to get her to remember him was hug and kiss her. She doesn’t remember anything, no names no faces, not even mentions of her past spark any recognition, but “the feeling of his body, perfectly against mine feels right, the warmth of his skin familiar” is what makes her remember? It’s just kinda mid, cheap, boring. Whatever.
Adding onto that, I get that she and Emmaline are like incredibly powerful and stuff, but simply being able to look at all the supreme commanders to kill them is a very cheap solution to a ‘battle’ that’s been hyped up for 5 books.
Another thing that bothered me about this book is Warner’s character. I used to like him, he used to be a morally grey character that did horrible things because he had to. But now? The second J was kidnapped he lost all his character development. Where did the boy who wanted to be better go?
He hates everyone, threatens to murder everyone all the time, and he’s just generally being an asshole to the people who want to help him. He and Kenji had finally started to become something resembling friends, just for it to be thrown out the window never to be seen again.
The epilogue is truly what brought this book from a 3 to a 2.5 star. After a series like this, I expect the epilogue to include at least some bits about the plans going forward, but no, this was just Warner being rude to service workers, insulting poor people (tf??), threatening to kill Kenji (J’s best friend!), and being incredibly controlling over what J should and shouldn’t do on her (their) wedding day. The man is a walking red flag, and I’m supposed to like him? Root for him and J? No thank you.
The plot point of Adam giving up his powers to the Reestablishment to protect James was glossed over so quickly. And in the epilogue he’s suddenly super happy about life? His character is changed yet again to fit the narrative.
The epilogue never even mentioned Nazeera and Kenji’s relationship, and I’m very disappointed. Nor did it mention how things are working out at the Sanctuary for Castle and his daughter Nouria. It never really mentioned anything about the actual aftermath and consequences of the fall of the Reestablishment for the world. Nothing about how the world is like now that Emmaline’s illusion is gone, no description of a hopeful ending or solution, because it was too busy repeating that Warner and J are getting married.
We just prevented the end of the fucking world, we just stopped the oppressive dictator military government, but the main characters getting married is obviously more important than anything else.
This series has a big problem of introducing too many characters and then never giving them a purpose. Yes, they’re the ‘friends’ of our main character Juliette (despite her never talking to them, ever) but outside of that they’re just names and vague personality traits used for mostly pointless dialogue and the occasional plot driving.
A massive ick I’ve had throughout reading this series is how Juliette never had any meaningful conversations or relationships with other women. The other women from Omega Point were all just quiet and in the shadows, and we never got to see her reconnect with Nazeera or the other supreme kids. It annoys me in a way I can’t really explain.
Overall, this book had more plot than the entire series combined, the lack of romance made it readable, but the ending was rushed and not really satisfying, lacking a lot of answers.
I didn’t like this series. This is not my cup of tea, and I’m so happy I’m done.
I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than the previous 5. Finally we’re getting some answers and world building, there is an actual plot outside of Juliette and Warner’s toxic romance, and because Juliette’s memories got wiped for 90% of the book she could actually be her own person outside of her relationships (even if that person was designed and manipulated by Anderson).
The whole thing with J finding Anderson attractive grossed me out, it didn’t contribute to the story at all. And it annoyed me that all Warner had to do to get her to remember him was hug and kiss her. She doesn’t remember anything, no names no faces, not even mentions of her past spark any recognition, but “the feeling of his body, perfectly against mine feels right, the warmth of his skin familiar” is what makes her remember? It’s just kinda mid, cheap, boring. Whatever.
Adding onto that, I get that she and Emmaline are like incredibly powerful and stuff, but simply being able to look at all the supreme commanders to kill them is a very cheap solution to a ‘battle’ that’s been hyped up for 5 books.
Another thing that bothered me about this book is Warner’s character. I used to like him, he used to be a morally grey character that did horrible things because he had to. But now? The second J was kidnapped he lost all his character development. Where did the boy who wanted to be better go?
He hates everyone, threatens to murder everyone all the time, and he’s just generally being an asshole to the people who want to help him. He and Kenji had finally started to become something resembling friends, just for it to be thrown out the window never to be seen again.
The epilogue is truly what brought this book from a 3 to a 2.5 star. After a series like this, I expect the epilogue to include at least some bits about the plans going forward, but no, this was just Warner being rude to service workers, insulting poor people (tf??), threatening to kill Kenji (J’s best friend!), and being incredibly controlling over what J should and shouldn’t do on her (their) wedding day. The man is a walking red flag, and I’m supposed to like him? Root for him and J? No thank you.
The plot point of Adam giving up his powers to the Reestablishment to protect James was glossed over so quickly. And in the epilogue he’s suddenly super happy about life? His character is changed yet again to fit the narrative.
The epilogue never even mentioned Nazeera and Kenji’s relationship, and I’m very disappointed. Nor did it mention how things are working out at the Sanctuary for Castle and his daughter Nouria. It never really mentioned anything about the actual aftermath and consequences of the fall of the Reestablishment for the world. Nothing about how the world is like now that Emmaline’s illusion is gone, no description of a hopeful ending or solution, because it was too busy repeating that Warner and J are getting married.
We just prevented the end of the fucking world, we just stopped the oppressive dictator military government, but the main characters getting married is obviously more important than anything else.
This series has a big problem of introducing too many characters and then never giving them a purpose. Yes, they’re the ‘friends’ of our main character Juliette (despite her never talking to them, ever) but outside of that they’re just names and vague personality traits used for mostly pointless dialogue and the occasional plot driving.
A massive ick I’ve had throughout reading this series is how Juliette never had any meaningful conversations or relationships with other women. The other women from Omega Point were all just quiet and in the shadows, and we never got to see her reconnect with Nazeera or the other supreme kids. It annoys me in a way I can’t really explain.
Overall, this book had more plot than the entire series combined, the lack of romance made it readable, but the ending was rushed and not really satisfying, lacking a lot of answers.
I didn’t like this series. This is not my cup of tea, and I’m so happy I’m done.