Friday, December 7, 2012

Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Evolution of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; October 23, 2012
Genre: Mystery, Romance, YA
Rating: 5/5 stars
"Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.  
She can’t. 
She used to think her problems were all in her head. 
They aren’t. 
She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets. 
She’s wrong. 
In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?"

Holy helllll, where do I start?
This book is fantastic. It’s insane. It’s captivating. It’s amazing. There are just no words. I just don’t even know.

This is the sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and it is ten times better. If you haven’t read the first one, go read it! It has supernatural elements, horror, and romance: everything packed into one book.

 After Mara Dyer admits to “seeing” Jude in the police station, her parents send her to Horizons, a group therapy program so she doesn’t have to be in a mental hospital. First off- don’t expect to know what is true and what is fake. The whole time you’re second-guessing yourself, wondering what is really happening, what Mara is making up. You're only getting the story from Mara's narrative so there are moments when its hard to believe her yourself. On the other hand, it's so infuriating to see how everyone treats her, how no one believes her, because you get to see Mara's side. The novel was infuriating itself; by three fourths of the novel I was just about ready to throw the book out the window and maybe go scream or cry in the corner. There are so many twists, so many WTF moments it’s insane. In Evolution, there are many questions answered but so many more raised. It delves deeper into Mara’s condition, and the author writes Mara in such a believable voice that I felt like I was inside the story, standing on the sidelines observing Mara’s insanity myself. There are creepy moments- lots of dolls, blood, and paranoia. There are romantic moments- Noah, anyone? And there are just flat out, this-author-is-a-genius moments.

In The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Noah was the typical cliché bad boy. You know, the ‘could get any girl he wanted, always wore messy clothes and yet he still looked unbelievable sexy, arrogant bad boy’. Although I have my fair share of fictional bad boy crushes, I’m glad Noah’s character changes a little in Evolution. He loves Mara. She might be insane, but he loves her.  Mara can explain everything to Noah and he doesn’t question it, which is very important because her family doesn’t believe her. Noah is really the only person who can help her through this, and you really get a raw picture of what he is going through during Mara’s transformation.  He has his moments – and I do love his cocky moments – but he is very sweet and caring in this book, although still secretive. You get a little glimpse into his mind but not much.

The ending? Cliffhanger. Big time. Blew my mind. But the last two sentences are absolutely perfection. I’m ready for the final installment of the series because Mara is going to be so badass in it. I just know it.

When it all comes down to it, The Evolution of Mara Dyer is a must read. It wraps you up in it’s net and won’t let you escape until you’re finished. It’s a tangled novel, filled with angst and circumstances a teenage girl should not have to face. Mara faces them anyway.

Get off your computer and go buy it.
Seriously… go. Now.

"There will come a moment when there's nothing you want more than us. Together. When you're free of every fear and there is nothing in our way." Noah's voice was sincere, his expression serious. I wanted to believe him. "And then I'll make you scream my name" I broke into a smile. "Maybe I'll make you scream mine."

Sorry, sorry, couldn't help myself ;)

introduction.

hi!

ever since i was little, reading has been my most enjoyed hobby. i decided to make a blog to post some of my book reviews and related things.

i'm just getting started so it will take a couple of days to get up and running. if you like what you see, make sure to check back.

:) brittany