Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Evolution of Mara Dyer
Mara Dyer #2

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Publication Date: October 23, 2012

Publisher: Simon & Shuster Books for Young Readers

Genre: Paranormal

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Synopsis:

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?

My Thoughts: Okay, so my fellow blogger and friend, Jenn, has been trying to get me to read this series for what seems like forever.  For whatever reason, I kept putting it off.  I even bought the first book while it was on sale a while back but it has been sitting on my bookshelf ever since, just collecting dust.  Then, my daughter ran off with my e-reader and I turned to my bookshelf and there it sat.  So, I picked up the first book and I am glad I did.  I was so impressed with the first that I continued on to this novel right after and now I am waiting in stunned anticipation for the third, set to be released in October 2013 last I checked.

This book series is definitely different.  The main character, Mara Dyer, is pretty much certifiable - even when you are in her head since it is first person. She is going through a lot of paranormal stuff, that is true, but she is also pretty insane if you ask me.  There are moments of clarity and I think, "Wow, maybe Mara isn't as crazy as I thought she was after all."  Then she sees or does something else to make me question her sanity all over again.  I know some people may argue this fact (since, really, there is a lot of weird things going on around her as well as this), but sometimes you have to face the facts.  Mara Dyer is, in fact, at least a little nutty.  Despite this (and her hallucinations that are sometimes real, sometimes not) Mara had grown on me.

Noah Shaw is delectable and a trooper, I have to say.  He sticks with Mara through it all.  He believes in her even when she starts to doubt herself.  The fact that he has a supernatural ability like hers (-ish) certainly doesn't hurt him believing in her either.  He is willing to do so much for her it is just incredible.  He is so good and sweet to her and sometimes I think (she does as well) he is the only thing keeping her from going off of the deep end.

This series was strange, but good strange.  Following a first-person narrative when the narrator doesn't always know what is real and what is not and is constantly seeing things to make you question it is something that I am not entirely used to.  Of course, Mara is a little more sane than what I seem to be portraying in this review (although, not much more).

I am really looking forward to the third book in this series (The Retribution of Mara Dyer, due out in October 2013) and I am glad I finally picked it up.  I enjoyed The Evolution of Mara Dyer a little more than The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer so I can only imagine what number three has in store for me.  Loved this book and love this series!

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
(Mara Dyer #1)

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Publication Date: September 27th, 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Genre: Paranormal

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Synopsis:

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can 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 mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.

My Thoughts: Alright, can somebody tell me why I didn't read this one sooner? Seriously, I'd like to know what I was thinking putting this one off. It was freaking AMAZING! I read this with Book Twirps for their October Read A Long, let me tell you, we always left off at the worst places each week. I would sit there and read the entire week's reading in about an hour, then I'd sit there anticipating the next week so I could read some more. I was very glad when we finally got to the last week because it meant no more waiting! I know, I could have just read ahead, but that's not how read a longs work!! So why did I love this one? It was super creepy! I'm still confused about some things and how they happen after finishing, I think I'm going to need to pick up the next book sooner rather than later. Another reason I like it? Hot British bad boy. Yup! I liked Noah pretty much right away, I always like the bad boy. I'm not really sure why, but come on, he was British!! The accents!

So Mara Dyer moves to Florida after her best friend and two other "friends" die from an old asylum caving in on them. Mara is the only one to live and she can't remember what happened. What she does know though, is that she's seeing her dead boyfriend, who was with them, and it's freaking her out! It she going insane? Most likely. She might end up in her own asylum if she's not careful. After everything, she starts a new school and meets Noah. The boy who is the school player, the one she can't stop thinking about no matter how badly she wants to, the one she can't stay away from. Then strange things start happening to her. She is imagining things that are actually coming true, horrible things.

Poor, poor Mara. She is having a really hard time, she has almost no friends in her new school, her best friend died, people are dying around her in horrible ways, oh yeah, and she's having hallucinations. Just showing her how crazy she is. She's afraid to tell anyone anything because there is always the chance it hasn't really happened and she'll be sent to a padded white room. All she wants is to be normal, but I can tell you, considering everything that happens to her, she seems to be doing pretty well. There is a minimum of breakdowns from her. She doesn't trust herself though, since so many weird things are happening, but aren't really happening. If you know what I mean. She definitely a different type of protagonist. You get to watch while her mind falls apart and it's somewhat creepy.


So should you read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer? Yes, yes you should. Especially if you are a fan of creepy stories. This one has plenty of creepiness. It's also written in a way that you'll have a hard time putting it down. I know I did (even though I forced myself to for the read a long!). There were so many times that I found myself thinking about what I had read so far. Easily one of my favourite reads this year! Michelle Hodkin is amazing!!