The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2)

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR

Release Date: October 23, 2012

Source: Borrowed from fellow blogger

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

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?

If you want someone to mess with your mind, then pick up the Mara Dyer books. That will lead to more mind messing than you could have ever possibly wished for. But that's not to say that Michelle Hodkin's The Evolution of Mara Dyer wasn't a fantastic read. Because despite the fact I never knew what was happening, I loved reading the book.

No one believes Mara when she says that Jude is still alive. Everyone just thinks she is crazy, and now even she is starting to think that she might be. But Noah still believes in her and that's all that Mara needs to know. Determined to prove that someone is after her, Mara pretends to be normal, accepting to do whatever her parents want her to do to get better. Though she may be imagining some things, there is definitely something going on and Mara is determined to prove she is not going crazy. But that might be easier to say than do.

Michelle Hodkin is a professional who it comes to messing with people's minds...or at least when it comes to messing with my mind. Because while reading The Evolution of Mara Dyer I never knew whether what I was seeing was real or not. But that's what makes this book so great. It makes you keep reading just to see if all those crazy theories you come up with are going to turn out to be true or not. But beyond the fact that you start thinking you're also going crazy while reading, this story also keeps you on the edge of your seat. There's never a moment where there isn't something happening, and usually whatever is happening is only thickening the mystery. And then I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, because really there's no way of knowing whether or not what we saw is actually what happened.

So Mara is the textbook definition of an unreliable narrator, and for that reason at times I feel like I'm going crazy right along side with her. And it can get kind of frustrating at times because for all I know Mara might just be in a padded room somewhere just imagining the whole thing (and if that actually happens I will be pissed). But besides the whole crazy part, Mara is a very interesting person. And I'm always impressed that despite everything that's going on, she always keeps going as best as she can. And Noah might have something to do with that. Because Noah, despite being his cocky self, is always ready to help Mara even if it's to his own detriment. And I love him for it. And other reasons and if you've read the book you'll know what I mean.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer was even better than the first book in this series. Michelle Hodkin has mastered the art of messing with minds. So these books should come with a warning: be careful because you might think you are going crazy while reading. But it's totally worth it.

Waiting on Wednesday (48)

For those of you who don't know, Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming book release they are particularly looking forward to reading.

THIS WEEK'S PICK:

THE EVOLUTION OF MARA DYER BY MICHELLE HODKIN

Two days after Mara walks into a police station in Miami at the close of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, she is committed for psychiatric treatment for what her parents believe is a mental breakdown. But what seems like a hallucination to everyone else is a chilling reality for Mara. SOmeone from her past has discovered her strange, disturbing secret and that someone wants her to pay. But she's about to discover that the price is more than she can bear.

Dark and thrilling, suspenseful and passionate, The Evolution of Mara Dyer will have readers breathlessly turning pages to find out what will become of Mara Dyer next.

I absolutely loved The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer when I read it last year and it more than left me wanting more. The book just ended I was left hanging and wondering what was going on. All that to say that I am beyond excited for the release of the sequel.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin will be published October 23, 2012 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. 

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1)

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR

Release Date: September 27, 2011

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

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.

If there is one book I couldn't escape hearing about, it was The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Everywhere I turned, I was hearing about how awesome it was or how excited someone was to read it. Let me just say it blew my mind, and even now, a couple of weeks after I've finished reading it, my mind is still reeling.

When she wakes up in a hospital bed, Mara Dyer has no memory of how she got there. When she it told she and three of her friends were caught in an old building when it collapsed, she has no memory of that either. To makes things easier on her, her family decides to move to Miami, but Mara still doesn't remember anything about the night of the accident. But as time goes by, she starts to remember more and more of what happened. At the same time, she meets Noah Shaw, the mysterious attractive boy at her new school. And though Mara doesn't understand why, he seems to be interested in her. But the more Mara is getting settled in Miami and enjoying her time with Noah, weird things start happening everywhere she goes. And that's only the beginning.

This book messed with my mind so much. Every time I thought I understood what was going on, something happened an I was confused all over again. Even now, I'm still not sure I've completely grasped everything that's going on. But in spite of all this, I absolutely loved reading this book. Michelle Hodkin is a fantastic new writer and she most definitely knows how to play with people's minds but to be honest, that's in large part why I kept reading. I just wanted to understand what was going on, and so I just kept turning page after page. And by the last page, I think I had it all figured out. But with the way the story went, I might also be completely off.

I don't really know what to make of Mara, mostly because I was never really able to figure her out. But that made her more mysterious and interesting and because of that I liked her. Though I wasn't able to figure her out, I was still able to understand some of what she was going through and a lot of it obviously couldn't have been that pleasant or easy. Noah Shaw on the other hand was absolutely amazing. I may have just found a new literary crush. I don't even really know how to describe him, except to say again that he was amazing. I loved the way he was with Mara and how he took care of her. And their relationship was great, and no only because for once it wasn't insta-love. But I don't want to give too much away.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was a phenomenal read and Michelle Hodkin is a fantastic writer. This is definitely a book that will mess with your head and leave you reeling. But all of that is totally worth it.