Escape Me

Shatter Me: Series Two #3

by Tahereh Mafi

The scorching third volume in a new series set in the #1 global bestselling Shatter Me universe ten years after the fall of The Reestablishment.

James Anderson needs a new plan. He’s ready to make real moves to destroy the looming threats against their world, but no one is taking him seriously. James is tired of being underestimated by his own family. He wants five uninterrupted minutes alone with Rosabelle. He wants to kill Sebastian.

And he’s done waiting for permission.

Rosabelle Wolff needs to stick to the plan. Which means she needs to stay away from James and the dangerous feelings he brings out in her. When she’s near him she loses control, and she’ll need absolute control if she has any hope of convincing Sebastian—and through him, Klaus—that she’s still carrying out the original plan to destroy the rebel regime.

In the meantime, Warner needs to stay out of her business.

Aaron Warner Anderson is trying not to kill Rosabelle. They might be reluctant allies, but that doesn’t mean they get along. Every day is a new kind of hell for Warner. He’s worried about his wife; he’s worried about his world. He can’t decide what to do about James until he understands Rosabelle’s true motives—and when he’s finally delivered the answers he needs, the stakes prove astronomical. All roads lead to heartbreak and destruction, no matter what choice he makes.

Gut-wrenching discoveries, blistering romance, non-stop explosive action, and a world determined to control their thoughts and actions:

When the eyes of the world are upon you, who do you hope is watching?

Genres: Fantasy, Dystopia, Romantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fiction

413 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2026

About the author

Tahereh Mafi is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Shatter Me series. She was born in a small city somewhere in Connecticut and currently resides in Santa Monica, California with her husband, fellow author Ransom Riggs. She can usually be found over-caffeinated and stuck in a book. Shatter Me is her first series, with television rights optioned by ABC Signature Studios; Furthermore, her first middle grade novel, is on shelves now, and Whichwood, its darker companion, will be on shelves November 14, 2017.

Reviews

[levi (starboy) (s.ia)]

Fym escape me 💔

[Clace]

I love this cover so much!! It's lowk a bit different from the rest. Hopefully the book is as good because book 2 was 👎 👎

[Belle₊˚⊹♡ (for keeps ∞♡)]

🦋Pre-release:

YES MA’AM THIS SERIES IS NEVER GONNA ESCAPE ME✨🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍😻😻😻😻

[Grace Quan]

DADDY AARON WARNER I MANIFEST 🧎🏻‍♀️🔥

[areeba ★]

the cow is dry from how much it's been milked.

pushing twk5 to 2027 just to publish this bland oatmeal book with a vanilla shmuck story and the most boring characters known to mankind is a clear indicator that money and numbers are all that matter at this point.

why are we pushing the clearly superior story to 2027, when she just released the previous book of this series in april lmao. this is pmo so bad. i will escape the bounds of this series soon IA. my warnette and kenji is the only reason i'm still here.

[Saranya [uni- s.ia.]]

Someone check my pulse because Miss Mafi is doubling down!
I was literally in the middle of prepping to read Release Me when she dropped the news of this book's release, and that too on my Warner's birthday?! My 2026 bingo card just caught fire🔥

[ଘRory ( semi-hiatus)]

I've heard of the Gen Z reading crisis, but a book cover designers crisis? That's new. Like, why does every book in that series have the exact same cover with very minimalist changes 😬.

[angelinabvby ۶ৎ]

SLAP ME

[iris]

Mafi at this point I'm selling everything I own to buy all your books 😔

[sara]

pre read: I am going to be SEVENTEEN when this comes out 😭 i feel wayyy too old

edit: nope just did the maths and I’ll be 16 oops 🙊 my birthdays is in october so I have the late birthday 😭

the cover is so beautiful tahereh, my £17 is not going to waste

[Lydia Sartzetaki]

❤Pre-release:❤

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! It's here! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

----------------------------------

*Update! :* OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH! The GODNESS Tahereh Mafi released the first five chapters of the book! AAAAAAA! This series is never going to escape me! 😈 (30/07/2026 🖤💀😎)

*Update!:* OMG! We have the cover and it's so pretty! I mean... I didn't expect something less than perfection from this series' covers but OMG this is even better than my expectations!!! I AM SO EXITED! AAAAAAAAAAA! (02/07/2026 -Happy July! 🌻)

*OG!:* AAAAAAAAAAAAAA! YES. YES. YES. AFTER that cliffhanger in the previous book, I genuinely thought I would not survive the wait for Escape Me. I was emotionally unwell, spiritually unstable, and one minor inconvenience away from dramatic collapse. And now?? NOW?? It’s almost here! I can only assume a higher power looked down at my suffering and decided to intervene, because Escape Me is releasing on September 29, 2026. Tahereh Mafi… you heard my cries. Although, to be fair, I’m not sure if this is mercy or financial sabotage. Because let’s discuss the absolute CHAOS that is Fall 2026... Not only are we getting Escape Me, but also: A Court of Splintered Harmony, Threshing Day, Untitled, The Last King of Faerie, Burn of the Everflame, Dead Beat, The Knave and the Moon, Holy Monsters, The Wolf Queen, Stormside AND on top of that: A Conspiracy of Charming Monsters: Illustrated Tales from Elfhame and The ​Mirror of Infinite Endings. So basically… every publisher in existence got together and decided to empty my wallet personally. Also, something funny: some people keep calling these three series (Shatter Me, Once Upon a Broken Heart, and Elfhame) the “Big 3.” And honestly? I see the vision. But I have my own Big 3. The ones with permanent legendary status. The ones with stable value. The holy trinity of obsession. I will not elaborate. 🤭🤞🤪 Until then, I’ll be counting the days until Escape Me, replaying that cliffhanger in my head, and preparing emotionally for whatever pain Tahereh Mafi has planned next. (May 1, 2026)

[ash (the baddest ** aint in la-they're on gr)]

MAFI KEEPS FEEDING US AND GIRRLLLL I WANT THE WHOLE DINNER.

[nadine]

oh, mother is spoiling us

[— kαe 👼🏼 ꒷. ݁]

─ · 𖦹 pre-releαse ⚡️! . ݁˖
KENZEERA KENZEERA KENZEERA KENZEERA KENZEERA KENZEERA KENZEERA KENZEERA 🤞🏼🤞🏼

[⋆. 𐙚 ˚ Elin ( IM BACK!!)]

𖤐⭒๋࣭ ⭑𝘱𝘳𝘦-𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 #2
Can we plz stop for a moment to appreciate the cover. That thing is STUNNING. And i still can’t believe we will have this book in 3 months .😌 so excited.





✼༶｡.:✽・ﾟᴘʀᴇ-ʀᴇʟᴇᴀsᴇ
Uh... Hellooo?. ANOTHER RELEASE. oh we are so ready for this. But did she really had to push twk#5 to spring next year?? That is a crime against humanity.

[manas]

after that ending…pls stop edging me. kenji and nazeera better get a book!!!!!!

[Payal (uni- semi ia)]

omg, Tahereh announced the next book in the series on Warner's bday??? and it also has warner's pov which I honestly don't care about PLEASE BE GOOOOOOD🙏🙏but wdym TWK's finale got delayed to next spring?😭😭

[Amelia ⊹₊˚౨ৎ]

NOBODY TALK TO ME RN WTF WAS THATTTT😭😭🙏🏻 I ATE THIS BOOK UPPP I LITERALLY READ IT IN LIKE 6-7 HOURSSS (hehehehe)

➺𝒑𝒓𝒆-𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 ⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆
AHHHHHHHH OMG OMG OMG OMG I HAVE THE BOOK I CAN‘T BELIEVE ITTTT🤭🤭 OMGG I‘M SOOOO HAPPY RNN IT FEELS LIKE I‘VE BEEN WAITING FOREVERRRRY😭😭 I ALR KNOWWW THIS IS GONNA BE AMAZINGGGGG🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ SHOUTOUT TO MY GORGEOUS BESTIE BLUIIBERRII FOR ALWAYS LISTENING TO MY ESCAPE ME THEORIESSS💐🫂

[Rebecca]

haven't been the biggest fan of the new covers but this one looks stunning??? Bury your feelings!

I have read the 50 page sampler and I ask how I am supposed to wait until September uuugh

also I had better get some kenji / nazeera crumbs or I will cry

[trix]

*inhale*
AHHHHHHHH IT'S HERE THE NEXT ONE IS HERE MAFI I'M BEGGING YOU I'M ON MY VERY KNEES FOR YOU PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE MAKE THIS ONE AS GOOD AS THE REST I NEED JULIETTE'S AND AARON'S BABY GIRL ALIVE AND WELL I NEED JAMES AND ROSABELLE TO SAVE CLARA I NEED NAZEERA AND KENJI TO GET THEIR FUCKING SHIT TOGETHER AND I NEED THEM ALL TO BE ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR????

can't believe she pushed twk #5 to spring 2027 tho. i fear i can't go much longer without alizehcyrus and the magic of their world.

[Addie 💌]

Omg guys she’s spoiling us 😍❤️

[ingareads21]

I’m 19 when this comes out… and I was 14 when I started Shatter Me💔

I don’t even know if I can be excited for this book after nothing happened in book two

[fer bañuelos]

GRACIAS A DIOS solo tengo que esperar 4 meses para que salga este...

Chonguitos a que esté mejor que Release Me.

[aashvi (coming back)]

pre pre-read: got the signed edition of release me

i obv HAD to preorder the signed ver. of this too (holy overconsumption, this is an exception)

also not trying to brag, i'm so sorry if it came off as that, i'm jst really excited!!!

[Essie ౨ৎ]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH THE COVER IS SO GORG ( u cant see it here 😭)

[Hazel Kelly]

PLS LET AARON AND ELLA HAVE THEIR CHILD ALREADY 😭

[Razan ..]

1.5/5 ⭐️
I literally only read it for Warner and J!!
Tahereh, you just need to STOP writing this series 😭
James was acting like he was on his period the entire time. Bro is acting like he’s FOUR. I hate him so much 😭 And no one come here telling me, “It’s their series.” Yeah, and this series is fucking shit 💀 He has given me absolutely NOTHING to make me love him.
All that shouting and getting angry when I can’t even understand why he’s so obsessed with her?? His POVs were some of the stupidest things I’ve ever read.
He was literally shouting because they didn’t give her a bed while the whole fucking world was falling apart 😭 And when he went to buy her underwear, I was about to throw up. IT’S FUCKING UNDERWEAR. CALM DOWN. This entire book AND the previous one, they keep talking about that damn underwear 😭
And the way she’s trying to make Aaron seem like he needs them or something… UGH. It makes absolutely no sense. Rosa is NOTHING like him!!
And the way James kept telling her, in the creepiest way possible, that she’s his… I was like WTF 😭 It was so cringe.
WHERE IS THE YEARNING??? She said it was like Ignite Me. GIRL, NO. It’s not even close to that scene in Unravel Me. It felt so fucking C.AI 😭😭😭
Also, this book could’ve been like 20 chapters. I’m not even joking. This was worse than Release Me.
BUT I loved, loved, LOVED Warner’s chapters and his love for J 🥹🥹🥹 The way he kept thinking about her and wanting to go home to her??? 😭😭😭
HE’S READING ROMANCE NOVELS WITH J 😭😭😭
And their little Sugar!!! Omg, I can’t 😭 Aaron is the BEST daddy, and I’m so excited to see him with his little girl 🥹
But listen… his chapter was SO CUTE, especially chapter 34, but I still wanted more 😔
also why he wasn't with her when she was giving birth????? whyyyyyy
I know it's not his fault and he didn't receive any messages but bro it's your fault tahereh
we waited 3 books for nothing?
I am starting to hate you
I’m disappointed, Tahereh.
I genuinely wanted to give this 1⭐️, but trust me, I gave it 1.5 because of my babies 😭
James can go to hell.
And she kept saying we were going to see “a lot of Kenji and Naz” and then gave us basically NOTHING??? 😭
Thank you so much! Ewwwww 😭

[Courtney « semi-ia dealing with health nonsense »]

Wooooooow. 9 books in to Shatter Me, a beloved series of mine, 13 books in with Tahereh Mafi and I've DNFd @ 7%

This is truly atrocious on every level. I refuse to read a book that is somehow even worse than the last one. The final straw was the following excerpt of James' inner thoughts:

"No one will remember to feed and water Rosabelle, because Rosabelle never complains..."

I'm sorry, what???? Is the FMC, the love interest, a DOG? There's infantilizing your FMC and then there's whatever this is.

Honestly looking at the admiration and respect that Warner has for Juliette or Cyrus has for Alizeh I am just floored. What the fuck has happened to her writing? What can I even expect from the final book of This Woven Kingdom?

[bluiiberrii ★ matching with agnes]

⋆˚꩜｡ preread: OMG OMG OMG ITS TIIIIIIIIIIMEEEEEE IM SOOOO EXCITED THIS BETTER BE GOOD. tbhh i didnt enjoy release me as much as i wanted to, so this series better redeem itself, SHOUTOUT TO MY BESTIE AMELIA FOR ALL HER AWESOME THEORIES FOR THIS BANGING SERIES <3333 ★

[Victoria]

Guys, this was surreal. I read this in one sitting. Anyways, let me start by saying I’m so grateful I got to read this book already. My local bookstore had the special first edition in stock, so I RAN.

BUT MISS MAFI, YOU DID IT AGAIN!!! Wow, it felt so special to be back with these characters and this story. I don’t want to give too many spoilers since the book isn’t officially out yet, but it was amazing.

Miss Mafi heard us, y'all. We got to see more of Nazeerah and Kenji 👀 And the baby 👀 Aaron Warner (especially chapter 34, I started sobbing) AND OF COURSE ROSABELLE AND JAMES 😫😫 Oh my days, guys, Chapter 37… James. I didn’t know you had all that in you, respectfully. 🧎‍♀️That’s all I’m saying about that. BUT GUYS, THAT ENDING??

Okay, wait no but I also have to mention that seeing James finally stand his ground and demand to be taken seriously?? That was UNHINGED, JAW ON THE FLOOR. That boy literally caused chaos and accidentally played matchmaker in the middel of it all, LMAO. Warner was so funny too yall. Absolute cinematic perfection🙂‍↕️

I remember Miss Mafi saying this book would be a bit like ignite me. I’d say the story itself isn’t like ignite me, but its position in the series is. It felt like this one still had some of the ‘happy’ moments (even though A LOT went wrong, too). I think the next book is going to be like restore me 🫩. And I’m scared. Terrified, even. Like, buckle up for the ride, y'all. I am not ready! But then again, I kind of am. Miss Mafi, I know you’ve already got book 4 ready. Don’t be shy, send me the PDF 🙏

No but I cried and laughed and panicked and transcended and giggled and smiled.

CAN’T WAIT FOR YOU ALL TO READ IT!! Hopefully you all enjoy it as much as I did :))

I literally want to say so much more but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. So I am patiently waiting until I can update my review🙏 If I’m not too lazy and don’t forget 😍


(Wait, am I the first person to review this book?? Omd how cool is that. I’m thrilled 😛😛😛😛)