reveriesociety_
Written on Apr 8, 2018
It had to end sometime, but Mara had no idea it would end like this. Experience the mind-blowing conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Mara Dyer trilogy.
Mara Dyer wants to believe there's more to the lies she's been told.
There is.
She doesn't stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
She should.
She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.
She will now.
Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer's story.
Retribution has arrived.
- ISBN10 144248425X
- ISBN13 9781442484252
- Publish Date 4 November 2014
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
- Format eBook
- Language English
Reviews
ellieroth
Written on Apr 3, 2018
layawaydragon
Written on Feb 26, 2016
The Unbecoming brought mystery, intrigue, and what felt like something different. The Evolution was a drag where characters ignored the obvious and the story became tortuously formulaic. The Retribution had some great elements again from the beginning and ended in a standard foreseeable clean way. It had the best and the worst elements from the first two installments, which landed it right in the middle: 3 stars. Enjoyable to a point, but I was relieved it was over.
Content Warning: Attempted Rape/Murder, Gruesome Horror Violence
The Good
The horror and suspense came back in the beginning
Enjoyed Mara, Jamie, and Sophie's road trip adventure
Finally the story went somewhere, we got answers and resolutions.
Ending: Quick & Clean. Perhaps too much so but I'm glad it's over TBH
Liked seeing Noah's perspective
The Bad & The Other
I don't feel right cheering on such a destructive couple. We've got plenty of those around cough Are they going to stay together? That's clear but it's not heartwarming or sweet
The Puppeteer Reveal: Obvious and Not Shocking
Obvious and clunky character swap
Mr. Mystery Magic Black Man's (description only used to point out the trope and keep from spoiling his name) explanation on why he freaked out over Mara in the first book isn't enough for me, it doesn't work.
The Retribution does bring back the psychological thriller aspects and gruesome horror. And I fucking loved it. I was hooked again from the beginning and it kept getting better. For awhile.
I enjoyed Mara, Jamie, and Sophie's traveling adventures. They were focused on figuring out the mystery and have a good dynamic going on. It was interesting and they were finally (and literally) going somewhere with the story.
However, as soon as they reach their destination, Sophie is no longer useful, and she's tossed aside. I'm sorry, she leaves over moral outrage that makes sense but isn't likable. Given how everything else is drawn out, it's quick and felt more like character swapping. Someone else did just join the crew right before hand…I understand why she didn't fit in the story anymore, but it made me sad and it wasn't gracefully written. It was obvious and forced.
The final plot twist I was coming from a mile away. It could only be xe, there wasn't any other option or possibility. I was surprised however that revenge wasn't brought up as a possible motive of theirs, not even a passing remark. Not that I think that was main reasoning or anything. However, it was my first thought and felt like the characters were missing something again by not bringing it up.
The ending is solid and nicely wrapped up. Perhaps a bit too nicely since they don't face consequences. There has to be something more coming at them, or at least Mara. But honestly, it's not like I really want it to be dragged out again so it's a wash.
I'm glad it's over and it wasn't bad in the end but it's hard to say I'm satisfied. I had such high hopes after The Unbecoming so anything less stings of disappointment. The Retribution takes away the pain, but doesn't stop the jab.
Angie
Written on Nov 21, 2015
I was completely hooked by The Retribution of Mara Dyer. Mara seems to have no problem with that she’s becoming which is frightening those around her. But if she wasn’t willing to do what she does, they’d likely all end up dead. We also learn a lot more about her grandmother and where these odd abilities came from. And as we learn more, both from Mara’s dreams and the medical files from the island, the story takes this more paranormal medical mystery vibe. That is a super weird combination but I liked it.
I can’t really say a lot about The Retribution of Mara Dyer without giving anything way. It’s just super weird and I was never sure where anything was leading to. People who seem like bad guys might be good guys. The good guys do bad stuff. Dead people aren’t dead. Nonbelievers start to believe. It’s just all over the place! But not in a chaotic way. It’s a really quick and easy read, and I couldn’t put it down!
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
melanchalina
Written on Aug 15, 2015
readingwithwrin
Written on Apr 20, 2015
2.5
While I didn't hate this book as much as the others. I still had a lot of problems with it. But first lets go with what I liked.
I liked that we learned so much about how a lot of it happened somewhat and that they weren't the first people to have it.
I liked Stella and Mara's "friendship" and how Stella wouldn't always go with whatever she said.
Now what I didn't like was that almost everyone just went with whatever Mara said even though she was always the most clueless. All she ever cared about was Noah. She didn't care about trying to figure out what type of damage her ability could do, or what everyone else could do. She didn't even care about the experiments done one other people that Kell's did. All she ever cared or wanted was Noah and while some people might think that was super romantic I found it to be rather pointless in this situation.
Also if Noah's dad didn't want them to ever be together then why did he make certain things happen that would bring them together. Why did he leave Noah there alone with Mara, if he really didn't want them together shouldn't he have forced Noah to leave with him.
What was Lukumi problem throughout the whole thing and why didn't he talk to them all in person and try to explain better why he did certain things. I got that he had tried to change certain things through his letter he wrote to Mara but still he should have known better then to make certain other things happen or try to control them.
Where the last 20 pages even really needed? I didn't care about that, we knew what choice they would make because they had made it before and will continue to make it until they do eventually die.
See more reviews like this on my blog
boghunden
Written on Feb 1, 2015
And Daniel makes the best side character ever! 3
Kelly
Written on Jan 21, 2015
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2015/01/the-retribution-of-mara-dyer-by.html
The Retribution of Mara Dyer was an action packed finale that verges on brilliance. The storyline begins with Mara having been committed, her family convinced she's both a danger to herself and others. But she isn't being treated, she's being abused. Noah is presumed dead, which further fuels her rampage. Where the previous two book in the series were still engaging, Retribution is darker, far more sinister and Mara is on the verge of snapping and wiping out everyone around her when she does. Dishing out her own brand of vigilante justice, even friends Jamie and Stella are scared what she's capable of.
There's a bomb ticking inside of her, waiting to go off. With one thought, one wrong thought, she could end millions of lives.
I loved it. It was dark, delicious and this side of gruesome. Mara is losing her humanity and often strays between the scared grieving teen and cold slayer. Along for the ride are best friend Jamie and Stella, both in control of their abilities and also seeking answers to who they are. Along Mara's journey to ultimately find Noah, the flashbacks of her grandmother become increasingly vivid and begins entwining with Mara's own storyline. I loved seeing all the seemingly loose ends all clicking into place. As with the previous two books it's wonderfully written, but feels much more mature in content, rather than just another teen paranormal.
I've loved this series and sad to have to say goodbye. Even though the ending wraps up nicely, I don't think it's entirely impossible to hope for perhaps a fourth book or even a novella. Fingers crossed.
cornerfolds
Written on Nov 25, 2014
Please excuse my severely lacking tact, but HOLY CRAP.
Okay. Deep breath. Let me attempt to do this book justice.
I wasn't planning on reading The Retribution of Mara Dyer right away. In fact, I wasn't planning on "reading" it at all. I listened to The Unbecoming and The Evolution of Mara Dyer on audiobook, and that was my intention here as well. However, I ended up finding an amazing, signed copy at Barnes and Noble and couldn't pass it up. So here we are a few days later and I feel like I just got off one hell of a roller coaster.
I'm going to be honest here for a minute. I usually read for an hour or two before bed, but not during the day. I am much more likely to be binging a show on Netflix, but I couldn't do it with this book (and my husband is happy to have had the TV all to himself for a couple days). It grabbed me from page one and I had a really hard time putting it down to attend to life's obligations.
This book begins with Mara waking up back in Horizons (sort-of) and not remembering a heck of a lot. What she does remember is that Noah is dead. At least, that's what she's been told, but she can't bring herself to believe it. From there, The Retribution takes off and it's one big whirlwind. The most unlikely person helps her to escape - along with Jamie and Stella - and they proceed to wreak havoc from Florida to New York in search of answers. And Noah.
Throughout the book, Mara struggles to deal with and accept her abilities. As the story progresses, she comes to embrace it more and more, accepting it as necessary to get what she wants and to help her friends.
Unfortunately, while helpful at times, her "gift" terrifies Jamie and Stella (understandably) and threatens to push them away completely. Both of these characters are more fully explored in light of the new information they come across. Stella's full story is explained and I enjoyed learning more about her, though I did not particularly care for her character, especially following her actions later in the book. Jamie continued to be one of my favorite characters, but I found his actions at the end a little reprehensible. Maybe it's just me.
The lack of Noah's presence in the first half of the book, while completely necessary, saddened me. I really kept turning pages because I was dying to see what would happen when he showed finally up. Because, let's be honest, no one thought he was actually dead.
Again, I didn't care for the flashbacks. I understand why they were included and did like how they tied into the present day, but I didn't feel invested in the story of Mara's grandmother. I almost wanted to skip these chapters (but I didn't). This is really the only negative thing I can say about this book.
The big reveal of the big bad at the end completely blew me away!
There was no way I could have seen it coming. At all. And if you did, I applaud you. Michelle Hodkin is the queen of twists, in my opinion. I was actually a little dizzy by by the end. Mara handled the reveal much better than I would have, but she also seems to have an emotional on/off switch that I'm lacking. I'd like to know where I can get one of those.
And then there's our power couple. I've noticed that some people thought the decisions of Noah and Mara were selfish and hated them for it, but it was exactly the ending I was hoping for.
I was truly scared to turn the page because I was worried the author would change it right at the very last minute (à la Allegiant).
There's not much negative that can be said about this book. I could keep going on and on about the things I loved, but I won't because I think you get the idea. Like the first two in the series, The Retribution of Mara Dyer is amazing in every way. This series has officially earned a spot on the top of my list of favorites. Go read it. Now.
This review was also published at Cornerfolds.com
Stephanie
Written on Nov 21, 2014
Consider this review and the comments as potential spoilers!
The first word I wrote after finishing The Retribution of Mara Dyer: UGH!!! Often times my feelings towards a book I didn't love will soften with time. With this one I just go angrier and angrier. A bit of it had to do with the fact that I was left with more questions than answers. With a series like Mara Dyer you go into the concluding book pumped up and with a lot of questions. The questions are what's kept you invested. Finally it's time for some pay off.
Before I really dig into my issues there were some things that I enjoyed. It wasn't all bad. The pacing was fast and I wasn't able to put the book down for too long. I loved the amount of page time Jamie got! Jaime never fails to make me laugh, even in the most inappropriate times. Hodkin did answer some of my questions and for that I am grateful.
Now for the things I didn't like (DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU WANT TO AVOID SPOILERS!!)
While we got our happily ever after, there was no personal sacrifice. The people who sacrificed were Noah's mother and the rest of the population. That's what it cost for Noah and Mara to be happy. Then there were all these questions: Did they join forces? How many like them are there? What other kind of "skills" are there? What actually happens with Noah and Mara?
What it boils down to for me is that I'm glad it's over but I'm not walking away all lovey dovey from this one.