I can’t remember when I saw the announcement for Watch Me by Tahereh Mafi, but I do remember that my first reaction was something like ‘Another book in the “Shatter Me” universe? This is definitely feeling like this world is being milked out.’ When I saw that this story takes place ten years after the events of the original series, second trilogy included, I got more curious. I love the original trilogy but was very confused and disappointed by the second trilogy. I therefore wasn’t expecting too much from this new book in this new series in the same world. I saw the ebook with a lovely discount and my curiosity got the better of me (and admittedly I needed a fast read to bump my monthly stats for April a bit LOL), so I read this pretty soon after publication. Is this a nice addition to the world of “Shatter Me” or is it indeed milked out?

About the book

Watch Me by Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me: The New Republic #1
on April 15, 2025
Pages: 353
ISBN: 9780063425187
Genres: Dystopian, Young adult
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

James Anderson had a plan. Or half of one. All that matters is that he managed to do what his older brother, the famous Aaron Warner Anderson, never did: infiltrate Ark Island, the last refuge of The Reestablishment. In the past decade no outsider has breached the stronghold of the authoritarian regime, but James is in. In a prison cell, sure, but as far as James is concerned, a win is a win. 

It’s been ten years since the fall of The Reestablishment. Ten years since the notorious duo—Juliette Ferrars and Aaron Warner Anderson—led a worldwide rebellion and established the New Republic of the West. But after a decade of unsettling quiet, The Reestablishment is ready to make a devastating move, and they have the perfect person for the job. 

Rosabelle Wolff had a plan. She always has a plan. On Ark Island, where constant surveillance is packaged as security, even emotions must be experienced with caution. A trained assassin, her every movement is monitored by synthetic intelligence—and when she’s given an order to kill, she never hesitates. 

Brimming with pulse-pounding action and torturous romance, Watch Me is an explosive journey through a dystopian landscape where enemies-to-lovers has never felt more impossible. Step into a beloved and breathtaking world that demands an answer to a desperate question— 

My review

The main characters of this story are Rosabelle and James. We already met James as a kid in the original series, now he’s an adolescent and has his own story to tell. Rosabelle is a new character who we haven’t met before. She lives on Ark Island, the only place where the re-establishment is still in charge. And they’re stronger and more dangerous than ever. James tries to infiltrate on the island to complete a mission, but he never expected to meet Rosabelle. Rosabelle however has a mission of her own and James plays a huge part in it. Is she able to complete this mission successfully and finally provide better food and care for herself and her family? And is James able to return home?

Mafi tells this story alternately from James’ and Rosabelle’s POV. This provides a deeper insight of the situation both characters are in and the circumstances they are facing. However, we don’t get to know them in depth, which is unexpected for a dual POV narration. This probably is part of the story and definitely has to do with the plenty of character driven books I read lately, but I found them a bit underwhelming. Rosabelle has something mysterious, and it’s because of everything she endured that she keeps her guard up. She’s used to the fact that there are eyes and ears everywhere, watching her every move. She therefore is afraid to show herself, afraid to get hurt once more. She’s a real fighter, we learn once the story progresses. The author reveals information about her character slowly and there’s definitely more to find out about her.

James on the other hand was a little too annoying. He is in his 20s now but acts like he still is a kid most of the time. His inner monologue and interactions come off as juvenile. Thankfully we get to see his more serious side later on, but I expected him to be acting more adult like. The same goes for some of our familiar faces, I forgot how unserious some of them are. The banter between the familiar characters is still a bit teasing, especially when they are amongst one another. Despite everything, this is still nice to see.

As this book is the first instalment of a new series, there’s a lot of build up. The world Mafi creates is terrifying, I don’t want to live there actually. Many current topics are addressed, with the main focus on AI and how dependent we are on technology. Also, the ethical question of technology being used to manage people 24/7 is elaborated in depth and is pretty scary to me. This is intriguing to see, especially the differences between Rosabelle’s and James’ world and how they deal with such topics and questions. The book isn’t too long, but the story is pretty fast paced. This is very visible towards the end. Despite all these interesting and terrifying themes, I was not fully intrigued. I think I had to get used to reading a plot driven book again. Mafi’s writing style is whimsical like in the original series. Despite me not being fully intrigued, the ending leaves me curious for what’s to come.

Before reading, I was quite sceptical about Watch Me by Tahereh Mafi. After reading, I have to admit that I’m not fully convinced, but that this is a nice addition to the “Shatter Me” universe. It’s showing another part of this world and addresses a lot of present-day issues. Rosabelle is an interesting character, but James has some more growing up to do. It was lovely to be reunited with our familiar faces though and the build up for the rest of this series has been done well. The world is terrifying, but it was easy for me to picture it whilst reading. Despite this book not being flawless at all, I am still curious for what’s to come next.