The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1)
By: Michelle Hodkin
Nook Edition, 305 pages
Published: September 27, 2011
By: Simon & Schuster
Source: Purchased
Synopsis from Goodreads:
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:
What I loved most about this story was the author's ability to weave such a captivating, hang off the edge of your seat story. I could not put this book down, and read straight through the night. I liked trying to solve the mystery and predicting what might happen next. I couldn't figure out if Mara was hallucinating, having visions that predicted the future or what.
I found Mara to be a very relatable character. She was quiet, shy, kept to herself, and tried to stay away from drama. Unfortunately, she always ended up at the wrong place, at the wrong
time. She landed right smack dab in the middle of mysterious events, and even murder.
Noah was gorgeous, and the most popular guy at Mara's new school. He had a bad reputation for being a womanizer. However, I loved how Hodkin shows us not to prejudge a person. People will always talk, but it's important to get to know a person before you draw any conclusions about that person. Throughout the book, Noah is driven to get to know Mara and discover everything about her. Once Mara agrees to spend time with Noah, the relationship intensifies and Mara finds herself falling for Noah against her will. As their relationship develops, Noah stands up for Mara repeatedly when the mean girl in the
story, Anna, tries to embarrass, ridicule, and make Mara's life miserable. Noah is such a wonderful character, and I found myself getting excited every time he made an appearance in the story. The passion that Mara and Noah expressed for one another was intense and
romantic.
I recommend The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. It has all of the elements of a great story. There was great world building, complex characters, mystery, romance, and of course the desire to keep reading until the story was complete! I loved the huge surprise at the end, and never saw it coming. The cliffhanger at the end has me desperate to get my hands on the sequel, The Evolution of Mara Dyer!
Book Trailer of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer:
Purchase At: *Amazon *Barnes and Noble
Nook Edition, 358 Pages
Published: October 23, 2012
By: Simon & Schuster
Source: Purchased
Synopsis from Goodreads:
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:
The Evolution of Mara Dyer is a masterpiece, and Michelle Hodkin is a very talented and gifted composer. This sequel did not suffer in anyway from the dreaded sophomore syndrome that many amazing middle books in a series suffer from. If anything, The Evolution of Mara Dyer built upon an already stellar plot, extremely likable characters, and was laden with mystery and creepiness beyond the first book in the series. Yes, some of our questions get answered, but as the story continues more and more questions come up. Hodkin has creatively and intelligently crafted an intricate and complex puzzle for us to solve.
Mara and Noah's relationship becomes more intense, as she depends on Noah for her comfort and sanity. Noah, becomes dedicated and determined to keep Mara safe and sane. When all of Mara's family believes that she is mentally unraveling, Noah is the only one who
believes her. He not only becomes an unbelievably excellent boyfriend and best friend, he also becomes extremely close to and a part of Mara's
family. By the end of the book, the audience is left with a dramatic cliffhanger, and the unveiling of surprising information.
I happily recommend, The Evolution of Mara Dyer if you would like an amazing bookish escape! It is going to be pure bookish torture waiting to see how this trilogy ends, but oh so worth the wait!
I have heard that these books are very strange. I have been wanting to read them for a long time now :)
ReplyDeleteThey are really good, and both are creepy, especially The Evolution of Mara Dyer. What I loved about them were all the surprises and plot twists. These books were so unpredictable that I never got bored, and I loved how they had a little of everything. There was romance, suspense, paranormal elements, etc. You should try them out :)
ReplyDeleteGreat Review!! I love this series... more specifically I <3 Noah! (: After the first couple plot twist I stopped trying to predict what would happen - I just sat back & enjoyed the ride. I felt bad for Mara, I would hate to have No one believe me.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more of your reviews!
Thanks Elizabeth! Yeah, I fell in love with Noah too :) He was one of my favorite things about the story. I look forward to "talking books" with you.
ReplyDeleteI love a book where you can't predict the plot. Awesome review.
ReplyDeleteYou definitely made me want to read it.
I LOVED the Unbecoming, but haven't gotten around to buying the Evolution yet (I know, this is super embarrassing). I thought there was a bit too much romance in the first (but my tastes are pretty weird in that respect), but it was otherwise perfect. :)
ReplyDeleteKirsten you have to read The Evolution! It was so good, and I think it was even a little better than The Unbecoming :) Trust, you will LOVE this book!!!!
Delete