Restore Me

Restore Me (2018) is the fourth novel in Iranian American author Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series. The series is divided into two trilogies, with five novellas inserted between full-length installments; Restore Me is the first novel in the second trilogy. This story expands upon the universe established in the original trilogy by following Juliette’s story after she becomes a supreme commander of North America, as she has just won the battle against the American branch of The Reestablishment and slain Paris Anderson. Assuming power creates a multitude of issues, though, particularly when the children of the other supreme commanders come to visit. Her tumultuous experiences introduce themes such as Complex Grief About Abusive Parents, The Varying Challenges of War and Peace, and Difficulty Distinguishing Allies From Enemies.

This guide references the 2018 e-book edition from HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of bullying, racism, religious discrimination, transgender discrimination, mental illness, physical and emotional child abuse, suicidal ideation and self-harm, substance use, sexual content, cursing, violence, and death.

Plot Summary

Seventeen-year-old Juliette Ferrars reflects on her new leadership of Sector 45. This follows her overthrow of the totalitarian regime The Reestablishment at the end of Ignite Me, the previous book in the series. She is hopeful for their future but concerned about her capability as a leader. Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Aaron Warner, struggles with complex feelings about the death of his abusive father, Paris Anderson, whom Juliette killed at the end of Ignite Me. He hides these feelings, believing them to be a sign of weakness, even after his half-brother, Adam Kent, confesses having the same complicated emotions.

Juliette feels overwhelmed by the constant barrage of tasks required of a new supreme commander, something she only confesses to her best friend, Kenji Kishimoto. Kenji cautions Juliette against acting rashly, encouraging her to “stay cool.” While Juliette dreams of reinstating pre-Reestablishment ways of life, Kenji cautions her that the past was not as ideal as she might imagine it.

Haider and Nazeera Ibrahim, the children of the supreme commander of Asia, arrive to speak to Juliette. Aaron, referred to in the text as Warner, worries that his past with the other children of the global supreme commanders will affect his relationship with Juliette; he decides not to reveal anything about this history until forced, despite urging from ally Castle to tell Juliette the truth. Haider does not hide that he finds Juliette unimpressive, though how he feels about The Reestablishment overall is unclear. Nazeera is more transparent about her dislike for the regime, which she displays by wearing a Muslim head scarf, even though religious symbols are illegal under The Reestablishment. Kenji is attracted to Nazeera and flirts with her despite her apparent disinterest. Juliette frets that she is uneducated compared to the multilingual, multi-talented children of the other supreme commanders.

As Juliette walks around the base, someone shoots her with a bullet laced with poison. Nazeera rescues her and takes her to the infirmary, where she warns a hallucinating Juliette that her allies are keeping secrets from her. Warner feels responsible for not better preparing Juliette for politically motivated violence. Castle tells Warner that Juliette has a sister, Emmaline; Warner was once assigned to supervise Emmaline’s torture, which he did without question to prove his loyalty. This was his father’s test in exchange for letting Warner stay near his ailing mother, who died in Ignite Me. Castle explains that Emmaline has been subject to The Reestablishment’s cruel experiments to weaponize people with superpowers. Castle urges Warner to tell Juliette the truth.

Before speaking to Juliette, Warner looks for confirmation of Castle’s claims in Anderson’s papers. He finds records that prove Anderson knew about Juliette long before Warner did, though Anderson hid this from his son. The reports confirm that Emmaline is still being tortured. Warner starts to tell a recovered Juliette the truth, but she embraces him. They have sex. He tells her the truth afterward, which horrifies Juliette. She breaks up with Warner, angry he kept secrets for so long. Warner has a panic attack, which Kenji helps him manage.

Juliette runs through abandoned Sector 45 territory and uses her powers to tear apart a bus. Nazeera surprises her and shares that she has superpowers that let her fly and turn invisible. She advises Juliette to focus on the political machinations ahead of her, though she warns Juliette that Warner’s ex-girlfriend, Lena Mishkin, will soon be arriving. She explains, however, that The Reestablishment intends to destroy Sector 45 and all the people who live there. She urges Juliette to prepare to evacuate the people she leads. Lena, when she arrives, pleads with Warner to resume their romantic relationship, but Warner rejects her.

Overwhelmed, Juliette drinks until intoxicated. She shaves off all her hair and propositions Warner when he comes to offer her help. Despite wanting to be close to her, he refuses her advances due to her drunkenness. She wakes up the next morning hungover but pleased with the effect of her impromptu haircut. She greets three other children of supreme commanders. Lena makes anti-trans comments about one of the South American arrivals, Valentina, who is a trans woman. Warner tries to explain that his past with Lena was not emotionally intimate, but Juliette is not reassured.

The group attends a symposium in which Juliette addresses all the leaders of the other 554 sector representatives for North America, along with their guests. She begins denouncing The Reestablishment, which causes unrest among the group. Someone begins shooting, and the scene devolves into chaos. Juliette screams, enacting her powers and killing all the symposium attendees. She collapses, horrified at what she has done. Representatives from The Reestablishment swoop in, attacking Juliette’s allies. Several of her friends are killed; Castle, Kenji, and Warner are injured. A woman introduces herself as Oceania’s supreme commander and implies that she is Juliette’s mother. Juliette’s powers are extinguished by an outside force, and she falls unconscious.

Juliette waits in a child’s bedroom, which she realizes is in New Zealand. She finds photos of a child named Ella, Emmaline, and Nazeera as a child. One features Ella with Warner. The Oceania commander enters, calling her “Ella.” Juliette faints.