Author: Michelle Hodkin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 528
Publication date: October 23rd 2012
My rating: 4/ 5 stars
Synopsis:
Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed.
There is.
She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.
She's wrong.
(taken from goodreads)
Review:
I was completely swept off my feet when I read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. As soon as I finished it, I went straight to my bookshelf, grabbed this book and plopped down on my bed.
I was a quite apprehensive at first because from my personal experience, second books in trilogies tend to be not as great as the first one. However, with this series this one was even better! I find it incredible how engaging this story is. Also, how easily you can fly through it. There are just so many things going on and so many questions running through your mind that you just cant put it down.
Just like the first book, The Evolution of Mara Dyer, brings you that eerie feel of not knowing anything for sure. One second you think you have it all figured out and before you know it... PLOT TWIST. There were so many twist and turns. Also, the suspense in this one was significantly greater than in the first installment. This series draws you in and gets you to become totally invested in it.. After all, Michelle Hodkin clearly has an undeniable talent for writing so I guess it's not that much of a surprise! Not only does her writing style stand out, but also her ability of creating such amazing and vivid characters. They are all so complex and unique. And I really like how much depth they have and how you can connect with them on some level. Mara is such an amazing lead female character. She is so strong willed and bad-ass. And Noah... omg NOAH. Noah Shaw is going to be the death of me. He is so swoon-worthy and just overall perfection. He shows such genuine care for Mara! *feels*
One of the things that really stands out to me is how fast paced and action packed this book (the whole series actually) was. Also, how the author isn't afraid to get gory. I found that it gave the story a lot more authenticity and character. Plus the supernatural elements in this story are on point.
The only thing that didnt really click with me were the "flash-backs". I don't think they were exactly that, but lets just go with the term for the sake of keeping this review non-spoiler. Anyway, I felt like those chapters were a bit unnecessary. I don't mean all of them because yes, they did add more backstory and contributed to the whole situation, but I just feel like they could have been reduced.
Overall, this series proves itself to be pretty astonishing so far and I would definitely recommend it to everyone. Just as long as you have all three books when you start reading it. Otherwise you will just torture yourself with waiting!
I read that in this series, it actually gets better after every installment, so I'm glad to know that the middle book didn't disappoint you at all! :) I also read that it gets really creepier in every book. Was that true? I can see you mentioned the gory stuff, and that's another plus, but a bit horror would be perfect for me to try this one out.
ReplyDeleteFaye at The Social Potato
I would say it's full blown creepy and mild horror. I really encourage you to try this series out, it's fantastic!
DeleteI read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and didn't love it too much, but I loved the creep factor of it, and it's awesome how you never really know what's going on for sure. I'm glad those factors were maintained in this book! Hooray for blood and gore! So glad you enjoyed this, and lovely review!
ReplyDeleteAimee @ Deadly Darlings
Thanks Aimee! Bummer that you didn't enjoy the first book too much. This one is quite better, though. So if you ever feel like it, go and pick this one up! I'm sure you'll enjoy it a whole lot more.
DeleteSo glad that you enjoyed it! Are you planning on reading the last one? I know some people don't want to just because some have said that it wasn't really good. I read the whole trilogy and was never disappointed with any of Michelle's books, I would say the third is a lot more informative but it's still entertaining though! Great review! <3
ReplyDeleteThanks! Well, I'm currently reading the last book and I have a little over a 100 pages left and I must say, even though it isn't my favorite book in the trilogy, it still isn't a disappointment. Like you said, its a bit more informative but awesome nonetheless. :)
DeleteThis is a really great series. I loved all of the books and I'm glad you liked this one. I'm sure you'll like the Retribution too! This series is so creepy and dark and twisted. I adore it! I would love to see it made into a movie sometime.
ReplyDeleteVicarious Caytastrophe
I'm really enjoying the Retribution so far. And now that you mention it, I think these books would make great movies! :)
DeleteThanks! Bummer that you didn't enjoy the first post too much. This one is quite better, though. So if you ever feel like it.
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