Guest Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2)
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: October 23, 2012

Genre(s): Young Adult (Mystery/Supernatural)

Source: Own

Pages: 544

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indigo

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?

"Our guest reviewer here is my close friend Amani. She is a fantastic writer and she agreed to help me when I wasn't able to form the words to write a review for The Evolution of Mara Dyer. Let me just say that I agree 100% with everything in her review. We spent long skype-chats and twitter conversations fangirl-ing over Noah and dying because of the cliffhanger and just how amazing this book series is. I am hoping that you'll be seeing more of Amani's reviews because they are fantastic! I will leave the links to her Twitter and Goodreads." - Juhina

I thought The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer had a frustrating cliffhanger, until I read The Evolution of Mara Dyer and felt my heart breaking into a million little pieces. I was, and maybe still am, in denial about how The Evolution ended. It's all going to be okay, it has to be. And if it's all real, then I don't know what I'm going to do with my life.

The story starts off with Mara at the hospital, after freaking out about seeing Jude, her ex-boyfriend, who was supposed to be dead. She constantly blames herself for the death of her friends, even in this book. She blames herself for her father's shooting. But Noah's always there for her, saving the day with his hot accent and disheveled look: "this was the boy I loved. A little bit messy. A little bit ruined. A beautiful disaster. Just like me." Yes, that's the Noah Shaw we all love. Their relationship in this book is stronger than ever.

When Mara leaves the hospital, she's forced into attending the Horizons Outpatient Program, where she finds her old her Jewish, bisexual, black friend - Jamie. Jamie always manages to put a smile on my face. Noah spends most of his time at Mara's house and everyone loves him and you think it's all going to be okay. Until Jude starts haunting Mara again, and she finds herself in the messiest situation. Fortunately though, thanks to Noah's powers, he was able to see everything that happened between Mara and Jude. He was the only one who knew what really happened.
Everyone thinks she tried to kill herself, so she gets shipped off to the Horizons Residential Treatment Center. And then you think, okay maybe she'll manage to make everyone believe she's okay and she'll be with Noah again.

Wrong again.

Mara's roommate, Phoebe, is a psycho lunatic. She seriously creeped me out! She always made things harder for Mara. But you always think, it’s because she’s a psycho, there’s nothing more to it. But once again, Michelle Hodkin was able to fool you with her mind-blowing plots and unexpected turn of events. You’ll put this book down and wonder how you’re going to survive the next few months waiting for the third book.

I could spend forever swooning over the Mara-Noah scenes in this book. Like when Noah gave her his mother’s jewelry with a note that said “this belonged to my mother, but it was meant for you”.
Or when she finds his journal, where one of the entries say “sharing a bed with her is its own exquisite torture. I twine around her like a moss on a limb; our heartbeats synchronize and we become one twisted, codependent thing. She brings me to heel with one look and I hear an aching violin, a cello’s low swell. It hums beneath my skin; I want nothing more than to devour her, yet I do nothing but clench my jaw…”

How could you NOT fall in love with Noah?!

 

           Other books by Michelle Hodkin:

           The Unbecoming of Mara dyer (Mara Dyer, #1)