The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (The Mara Dyer Trilogy) Paperback – October 23, 2012

[Originally posted at [...]]Yeah, this is my second time reading The Unbecoming, and it is my second review for it. I don't think I did it any justice in my first review, and I just love it so much, I had to fix that. (Plus Michelle Hodkin is having a contest for an ARC of The Evolution of Mara Dyer, and I didn't remember exact details from The Unbecoming) Anyways, I love this book and wanted to talk about it some more.So, Mara's friends are dead, she ends up in the hospital with no idea how she got there, she is diagnosed with PTSD, the Dyer family moves to Florida. There Mara and her brothers start school at Croyden, a fancy private school. At Croyden, Mara meets Noah, the sexiest man on the face of the planet, who just might understand what's happening to her, if she can let him in (he has kind of a bad reputation). The majority of the story is filled with scary, confusing plot turns, and some amazing romance, and then a lot of death. It has this sad, dark feel to it the whole time, and it makes everything really interesting. I loved it. Oh, and then there's this heart-wrenching cliffhanger that hooks you into needing to read the next book. I think I nearly cried both times I read this book.I freaking love Mara Dyer. She's snarky and funny, but she can also be sweet and loving, especially when it comes to her family. And then she and Noah made the book with their amazingly funny banter all the time. She will do whatever she has to do to get things done, but she needs to be rescued sometimes, and she allows that. She's terrified that she's actually crazy, and she will do anything to protect those she cares about from herself. I loved that the book was written in her voice, because it completely made the book a thousand times more interesting. And then there was Noah Shaw. I love Noah. He really is the most amazing YA hero I've read about in a long time (seriously, I think he might be above Jace in my book). He's gorgeous and tortured and funny and sweet and I just love him! He even has a British accent (I read all of his lines in an accent the second time around and fell in love with him even more). He wears skinny ties and listens to Death Cab for Cutie (both of which I love). He is protective of Mara, and really isn't afraid to fight for her (and the guy can fight). I just... I adore him. Lots. I loved the minor characters, too. Especially Mara's brothers, Daniel and Joseph. They were cute and protective of Mara, and Daniel was just like the amazing big brother poster child. She had an amazing family.Don't even get me started on how gorgeous that cover is. I even love the font. I love Mara's dress and the underwater-ness and I love how dark it is. It suits the book so perfectly, I just love it. It's what made me pick it up a couple months ago when I first read it.I can't resist adding a couple quotes from the book here:"You're distracting," I said truthfully."I won't be. I promise," Noah said. "I'll get some crayons and draw quietly. Alone. In a corner."Finally Daniel spoke. "Wow, Mara. You look like... you look like..." His face scrunched as he searched for words.[...] "Like a model," Mom said brightly."Uh, I was going to say a lady of ill repute." I shot Daniel a look of pure poison. "But, sure.""My God, you're like the plague.""A masterfully crafted, powerfully understated, and epic parable of timeless moral resonance? Why, thank you. That's one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me," he said."The disease, Noah, not the book.""I'm ignoring that qualification.""I find it hilarious that whenever I light up, Americans look at me like I'm going to urinate on their children..."My mouth fell open. "Did I just see you litter?""I'm driving a hybrid. It cancels out."I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're evil."In response, Noah smiled, and raised his finger to gently tap the tip of my nose."And you're mine," he said, then walked away."Grounded likely means no phone or computer," Jamie said. "But if I encounter an owl, I'll try to smuggle a message to the outside, okay?"I should probably stop there, but I'm guessing you are starting to see the genius that is The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Obviously, seeing as this is one of my favorite books ever, I give it five stars. It's brilliant and funny and scary and amazing and I highly suggest reading it.

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle HodkinBook One of the Mara Dyer seriesPublisher: Simon & Schuster Children's PublishingPublication Date: September 27, 2011Rating: 4 starsSource: Purchased copySummary (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.What I Liked:I decided to reread this book this year, and finish the rest of the trilogy, so I can comfortably read The Becoming of Noah Shaw and The Reckoning of Noah Shaw. The two series are companion series (ish), but I never finished this original series and I always wanted to do so. I adored The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, even after all these years.This is the story of Mara Dyer, whose name isn't actually Mara Dyer, but that's the name she is legally allowed to share. Her friends were in a horrible accident, and Mara has been suffering PTSD as a result. She and her family move so that Mara can have a fresh start. Mara has no idea how she survived the accident that killed her friends; she also has no idea how to explain the strange things that she has been seeing - and experiencing. Is it the PTSD? Or is it something more? And why does it seem like the boy with the panty-dropping smile has something to do with everything? This psychological thriller is twisted and intriguing, and will keep you guessing until the last page and anxious for the next installment.The first time I read this book was in 2011 or 2012, not long after the book published. Honestly? I didn't really understand the story, and I wasn't sure if I even liked the book. I was so confused about so many things, and I wasn't sure what to think of some of the characters. Still, I blown away by the concept and the execution, and the originality. I'd never read anything like this.I liked Mara from the start, which surprised me because usually I feel disdain towards unreliable narrators. I liked Mara's spunk and honesty - she has a spitfire type of sarcasm that I really liked. Maybe I just like sarcastic heroines. Mara puts on a strong front but she is vulnerable too, and she doesn't like others seeing that vulnerability.Enter Noah Shaw, the bad boy of the high school, the guy who seemingly sleeps with everyone, the cultured British boy with an accent and smoking hot good looks and an arrogance to match. This type of hero is sometimes hard to like, but I actually liked Noah. Even after having only read one book (of the three), I was confident that Noah was fairly misunderstood and maybe not as bad as everyone thinks. Still, he comes across as a f***boy. You love 'em, you hate 'em.There was an interesting set of secondary characters, most of which I felt ehh about but could still appreciate their presence. Daniel, Mara's older brother, seemed way too perfect but was incredibly supportive of Mara, especially with her struggle with PTSD, and her budding trust of Noah. Jamie, Mara's new best friend, is a gay black guy with a lot going on, past and present. He's cool but maybe a little one-dimensional. Joseph, Mara's younger brother, is a sweetheart. He is much younger and he has an innocence to him that I really liked.The story is bizarre! Is Mara suffering from extreme PTSD? Is there something sinister going on? Something else? Is this a paranormal psychological thriller? There were a lot of unanswered questions by the end of the book. This could be a complaint, but I think this actually sets up the series well, and leads perfectly into book two. I'm not overly annoyed about being left with so many unanswered questions because I have a feeling the author will reveal more information as the story goes on.But there is some strange things going on, including murder... or was it coincidence? You'll have to find out! Or I will, as I continue to read the series.There is of course a romance, between Noah and Mara. It is a seriously fiery romance even though there is literally one (technically two?) kisses in the book. Noah and Mara have amazing chemistry from the start - lots of sparks and a ton of witty banter. I liked the dialogue between the two, and I loved how they set each other off.This book is extremely well-written, debut or not. Michelle Hodkin clearly knows how to build a story, and write it. I am sure her writing will get even better as she writes more books. I'm excited for more, from this series and new stories too.Overall, I liked this book, especially after reading it several times. Initially I wasn't totally sold, but the more times I read the book, the more I understood and the better it got. I am looking forward to reading the second book!What I Did Not Like:I mentioned that I had a lot of unanswered questions and confusion after reading the book, even several times. While I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, it's something that will definitely frustrate readers. But hang in there for the next books (I'm assuming)!Would I Recommend It:If psychological thrillers are your thing, then I highly recommend this debut novel. It is strange and almost sinister at times, and worth the hype. I'm sure opinions are varied in the extremes, but I found this story to be extremely intriguing, even when I didn't quite fully understand it (I still don't, to be honest). It's a debut novel worth trying, at least!Rating:4 stars. I read this book about six years ago and it stunned me then - it still stuns me now. I really liked this book and I am kicking myself for not continuing the series. I think I was waiting for the series to be complete, since I knew book three would take more time to publish (and it really did). But I'm sure the wait was worth it, and I'm finally ready to continue.