Reviews | The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

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As you’ve noticed, the Refracted Light Girls have been a bit preoccupied with Mara Dyer as of late.  Why is that you may ask?  Or perhaps you know because you’ve read the novel.  The fact is that sometimes a book comes along and it gives you exactly what you were looking for in a novel and more.  Sometimes a book comes along and it leaves you going, “Wait, what just happened?  Do it again!  Do it again!!”  The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer delivers on so many levels, but the overwhelming sense of “wow” I felt upon reading the last page was enough to place it on my favorites shelf forever.  I had never read a book that took me down a road where I didn’t really have any idea what to expect, where I couldn’t at least guess what was going on.  And I was ok with that.

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Why is that?  Well, I’ll tell you. 

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First of all, plot.  Michelle Hodkin weaves an incredibly intriguing and a bit creeptastic tale of murder and mystery.  As she unravels it for the reader, the creepy factor escalates until you are dying to know what’s going on but at the same time not sure if you want to know.  And the truth is, at the end of the book, you don’t know what’s going on.  Not really.  Don’t get me wrong, a lot is revealed and you are left with a satisfying ending to the first book in a trilogy, but you are left without so many of the answers you were looking for leaving so much to happen in the second and third books.  It’s a delicate balance that creates such beautiful tension in this incredible book and leaves you wanting more and more.

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Then there are the characters.  Michelle has created these lovable and hateable characters that make you just want dive more fully into their world.  Mara’s family is completely awesome.   I love her mom and dad and both of her brothers, especially Daniel.  They are real people in the story and not just place holders for necessary drama.  They actual add to the story.  One of the things I loved most was Michelle’s integration of Noah and Daniel’s friendship.  I really enjoyed that Daniel cares so much for Mara and wants to look out for her like a big brother should.  It made my heart happy.  =)

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Mara.  I loved Mara and her snarky witticisms.  She took me a while to get used to because she curses like a sailor but also uses SAT words like ennui or gregarious.  It eventually made me love her but at first I was a little taken aback by it.  She’s quirky and I liked that.  She’s struggling with the events that happened early in the book which make her, and the reader, wonder if she’s going a bit crazy.

 

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Noah…sigh Noah.  Noah Shaw made this book for me more than any other character.  I loved the mystery surrounding him and the way he is confident and sexy without being obnoxious.  He’s the perfect blend of bad boy and boy next door.  I also love the way he handles Mara’s crazy without treating her like she’s fragile or damaged.  He lets her be Mara, even when he doesn’t understand or fully agree with her.  

 

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The romance was awesome.  I loved the slow build and the way that Michelle described their love story.   There’s a great balance of knee melting cuteness and “holy heavens is this going to stay YA?”  It’s absolutely perfect.  It was also hilarious.  There were plenty of moments I actually laughed out loud which helped to balance out the creepiness.

 

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Overall, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was a thrilling, creepy, and well-paced mystery.  Well-crafted and captivating, I absolutely could not put it down and enjoyed every second.  In fact, I am dedicating all of Tuesday, the release date, to reading The Evolution of Mara Dyer because I just can’t wait to find out what happens next!

 

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“Mom Moment” disclaimer:  I would not recommend this book for young teens as there is quite a bit of foul language and maturish content.

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