Author: Michelle Hodkin
Published: October 23, 2012
544 pages
4 Gold Stars
(summary 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?
There is something about Mara Dyer that just makes you want more. Maybe it's the fact that we don't know her real name or why she can do what she does. Maybe it's her fascination with the lovely Noah Shaw, or maybe it's because were not sure if she's actually crazy or not. Having an unreliable narrator always makes for an interesting story and with the sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, we certainly get more interesting.
After seeing her dead ex-boyfriend, Jude, in the police station, Mara finds herself in an institution due to an outburst she had. She barely remembers (as this seems to happen to her every day) and she is convinced that he is alive and decides she needs to prove it to everyone else. Things get worse when dead animals start showing up on her doorstep and things are moved in her room. She knows Jude is out there and he's watching her. She knows he wants to get revenge for his sister and he thinks that Mara has the answers to his questions. Add that to flashbacks, sleepwalking, and spending days in the asylum, and Mara's life just keeps getting more complicated.
What gripped me with the first novel still rings true throughout this sequel. Noah is still a beautiful jack ass that we still seem to fall head over heels for, and Mara is still experiencing things she has no control over. Throwing us right back in to where we left off. Mara spends most of the novel surrounded by crazy people and you can see how it affects her. When she finally gets to spend time at home and sneaking visits to Noah, she still doesn't feel safe. The only problem I found was that this book felt really long and it could have been cut down. There was a lot of scare tactics that could have been slimmed down and we still would have gotten the point. And a lot of the institute scenes felt boring and drawn out. Noah actually kind of pissed me off in this book. I know he's supposed to be a pretentious bastard, but his jokes just seemed mean and not at all funny. Hodkin kept describing him as lovely and beautiful, so I guess it's a good thing he's hot or else I don't know what Mara would see him in. But there is something about him that makes me want to love him to ruins, so I guess I'll have to give Mara the benefit of the doubt.
With twists and turns around every corner and enough suspense to keep you reading, this book will give you some more insight into Mara's character and a bit of a back story about her abilities. There are still many unanswered questions and many new ones to be asked. I'm sure The Retribution of Mara Dyer, the final book in the series, will be thrilling and amazing and I can't wait to find out how it all plays out.
“If I were to live a thousand years, I would belong to you for all of them. If we were to live a thousand lives, I would want to make you mine in each one.”
“We are far too screwed up for a goddamned love triangle.”
“You’re stronger than you believe. Don’t let your fear own you. Own yourself.”
