The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I must start off by saying that this review will sound like complete random ramblings, it scrambled my brain a bit. This book left me like… “Ugh!” And “huh?” And “Wait but no.” And “ummm.” And “okay, whatever.” And “She is her own grandma?” And “NOAH! BBY!”

In the first book Mara is foggy on all that happened in her accident and is plagued by nightmares, blackouts and an undead stalker. But after finding out what really happened the night the asylum collapsed and that she caused it she now knows that she can do things that most others can’t. But she isn't alone, her super-hot British boyfriend has an ability of his own. The killer and the healer. Cute right?

The hallucinations Mara had been having, of supposedly dead ex-boyfriend Jude, weren’t entirely made up by her mind, no one believes her when she says what she sees and her confessions land her in a messed up mental rehab place where she is followed by the mayhem. The creepiness of book one easily flows to book two as the totally undead ex-boyfriend keeps up the horrific shenanigans and towards the end it all goes from supernatural//paranormal to The Maze Runner’s WICKED//sci-fi. Like…I don’t even know.

All THAT being blabbed I did like and enjoy the book, the flashbacks to the grandmother annoyed me a bit. No one loves a crap ton of flashbacks. After reading a book like this and not having the next one it’s like….umm? Okay, what now? Lol!

Recommended age:

15+

On to the ratings!

Stars..

0 = None 10 = Tons

THE FEELS:

I do feel for Mara, she is highly misunderstood and feels alone, which I think most teens can relate to. I found myself frustrated with her peers, mother and even her brother as they just don’t get it and seem to not care or even consider that Mara may be telling the truth. Also Noah and Daniel are presh <3

4.5/10

Violence:

There are some scenes where Jude causes mental and physical abuse to more than just Mara. Mara is kidnapped and forced to slit her wrists with a box cutter, another girl is found dead in her bed. Noah and Jude fight, Jude harms another girl at the rehab center.

7/10

Sexual content:

More very steamy scenes happen between Mara and Noah. Kissing and cuddling mainly.

7/10

Crude language:

There were profanities used throughout the book including “hell” “shit” the f-word and two religious profanities.

8/10

Other elements/comments:

Like the first book this one deals a lot with mental illness, although Mara isn't exactly “Crazy” she is on loads of drugs and is surrounded by mentally taxing people and occurrences. Also there are a lot of liars.

Overall:

Overall it was a good read. I am interested in knowing what happens in book 3. But I'm still kinda annoyed by the sci-fi turn at the end.

7.5/10

Xoxo

- Sarah

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is about a girl who wakes up in a hospital with no recollection of how she got there. She is told that she is the sole survivor of a fatal accident involving three of her best friends. Shortly after the accident happened Mara’s family decides to move from Rhode Island to Florida to help Mara deal with what she went through and for a fresh start. But it doesn’t help her much, if at all.

Mara still doesn’t remember that night with her friends but keeps having haunting nightmares and starts seeing things that are simply impossible. The only thing that can ease Mara’s mind is the mysterious, British bad-boy, Noah Shaw, who goes to her new ritzy private school. He’s a jerk, he’s a punk and a total HUNK! Noah is the school playboy but Mara starts to see that there might be more to him than she and the rest of the school realizes…

With all that she has been through and the strange things that keep happening to her mind, Mara fears that she will go insane…can she keep it together? READ AND FIND OUT Y’ALL!

This book, and series, has become pretty popular lately. I have mostly only heard good things about it and for me, it lived up to the hype. I have been in a reading and writing slump lately but breezed through this book with ease! NOAH SHAW = NEW BOOK BOYFRIEND. Who doesn’t love a British boy?

Recommended age:

14+

On to the ratings!

Stars..

0 = None 10 = Tons

THE FEELS:

The only real feels I had were related to Mara and her relationship with Noah. Steamy, steamy.

3/10

Violence:

There are a few graphically described deaths, and a couple of fights.

5/10

Sexual content:

Like I said in the FEELS section…STEAMY, STEAMY! Although no one really has sex this book still held its own in the romance department. There are a few kisses, and one character forces Mara to kiss him.

5/10

Crude language:

There were several profanities used such as, “ass” “hell” “piss” the worst being the f-bomb, with various suffixes. No religious profanities. …I've seen worse.

6/10

Other elements/comments:

This book deals a lot with mental illness. Mara struggles to decipher reality from hallucinations and dreams. Keep in mind that this is just a book and if you are seeing dead people it is not normal or either you work in a morgue! <3

But in all seriousness, if you or someone you know is dealing with mental illness or a traumatic experience and are having a hard time coping, please talk to someone or see a doctor. <3

Overall:

I really enjoyed this book and already have book 2 The Evolution of Mara Dyer locked and loaded! If you like anything Paranormal or Supernatural then you'll probably really like this book! The only thing that could have made it a 10 would have been is Noah had awesome black angel wings. lololol

9.5/10

Recommended for lovers of: Pretty Little Liars, Twilight, The Darkest Minds.

Xoxo

- Sarah