Following the release of the final book in the dystopian series, Shatter Me back in 2021, readers have been anticipating a spin-off series that follows the lives of the characters they have grown to love over the last decade. Watch Me by Tahereh Mafi, released on April 15, 2025, marks the beginning of this new series: Shatter Me: The New Republic. This series now focuses on the life of James Anderson, the half-brother of the infamous Aaron Warner Anderson. It gives readers a change from the complex and intense perspective of Aaron to a perspective set in self-discovery and humor, with James.
The Reestablishment, a totalitarian government that controlled the world and suppressed people who had powers, was taken down ten years ago by Aaron Warner Anderson and his wife Juliette Ferrars. The story follows James Anderson, who is officially grown up and is trying to prove himself to his older brothers. He does so by infiltrating Ark Island, the last remaining version of the Reestablishment, where he discovers how much their technology has evolved and the way they can manipulate and control the people on the island through the network, Nexus. The one person who isn’t connected to this is Rosabelle Wolff, who was trained to be an assassin for the Reestablishment.
Told through the perspectives of both Rosabelle and James, the story offers a deeper look into their shifting loyalties and hidden motives. What begins as a mission for Rosabelle to eliminate James takes an unexpected turn when his ability to heal himself changes everything. As they flee Ark Island together, Rosabelle finds herself torn between duty and something far more complicated. Now, with a mission to infiltrate the New Republic, she walks a fine line between deception and truth.
Although many aspects of the book are similar to the original series—especially the writing style—the author introduces a unique difference. In the first series, the main character, Juliette Ferrars, expressed her thoughts through journal entries scattered throughout the story, offering insight into her actions and experiences. In this series, it’s Rosabelle’s inner thoughts, emotions, and memories that surface at different moments, revealing what shaped her into an assassin and what she endured growing up. This allows readers to connect with her, even when she is perceived as “dead” to the outside world.
The novel had many humorous aspects that kept the readers engaged and anticipating what would happen next. But, even though it was an enjoyable read, there were many parts of it that didn’t give it the same energy that the previous series had. One part is the love story between James and Rosabelle, in which from the beginning it’s evident that they like each other. But throughout the book, nothing was done about it, they would only mention how they would feel warm when they would see the other person. It feels like the plot kept trying to show that they liked each other but nothing was being done to truly demonstrate it.
Tahereh Mafi paves the way for what is to come in the future of the series with the cliffhanger left at the end, leaving readers to wonder what the future of the New Republic will hold.
