Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Thrilling, violent dystopian romance spinoff series starter.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In WATCH ME: THE NEW REPUBLIC, BOOK 1, Rosabelle and her chronically ill sister, Clara, are alone and starving on Ark Island, the new home of the ousted Reestablishment. When she's given a job to assassinate a prisoner in exchange for food and firewood, she accepts. When the job ends in a bloodbath and her prisoner, a man with healing powers from the mainland, escapes, she's offered a chance to redeem herself and save her sister. She must follow the escaped prisoner, James, back to the mainland, befriend him, and await a series of instructions. Leaving the island with James is easy, but befriending him is much harder. It's not just that no one trusts her and that she keeps killing those on impulse who threaten her, it's that she doesn't trust her own strong feelings for him.
Is It Any Good?
Traumatized characters navigate an intense Orwellian "Big Brother is watching" world in this exciting and intense series spinoff. Rosabelle will remind Shatter Me series fans of Juliette. She's a killer for hire who has closed off her emotions in order to survive. James is the love interest who really sees her, wants to help her, despite all the killing. Nothing much happens in the romantic realm beyond longing and lots of reminders of how unbelievably attractive they find each other, even when dripping in blood. Author Mafi's books are usually shorter and less-than-complete stories that seem specifically designed to draw out the intense romantic drama (and publish more books).
Quite a bit happens on the sci-fi side of the story, however. There's some fascinating and truly frightening tech that sees all and knows all and plugs right into every thought and impulse of the Ark Islanders. It's thrilling when Rosabelle escapes the island, but she doesn't really. She's on a mysterious mission. The best parts of the story are the surprise reminders of how close and threatening and in control this supposedly ousted regime really is. Watch Me is a worthy and unnerving setup for a spinoff series that is sure to keep many minds plugged in and reading.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Ark Island's surveillance in Watch Me. What is the Nexus? And who or what is Klaus? How else does the island monitor its residents? How is the Reestablishment different from the New Republic?
In Chapter 8, Rosabelle supposes that "The ultimate goal of synthetic intelligence, then, is the obliteration of organic intelligence. The eradication of resistance." How much "synthetic intelligence" exists in our own lives? What good does it offer? What are the potential negatives?
For readers of the Shatter Me series, how is Rosabelle similar to Juliette? They are both physically powerful, but what else? James actually compares Rosabelle to Warner—why? And how does this help him find empathy for a trained killer?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Robots , STEM
- Character Strengths : Courage , Empathy , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Storytide
- Publication date : April 15, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 368
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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