The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

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

by Michelle Hodkin

A dark, supernatural romance, perfect for fans of Holly Black, Cassandra Clare and Stephenie Meyer.

Mara Dyer wakes from a coma in hospital with no memory of how she got there or of the bizarre accident that caused the deaths of her best friends and her boyfriend, yet left her mysteriously unharmed.

The doctors suggest that starting over in a new city, a new school, would be good for her and just to let the memories gradually come back on their own. But Mara's new start is anything but comforting. She sees the faces of her dead friends everywhere, and when she suddenly begins to see other people's deaths right before they happen, Mara wonders whether she's going crazy!

And if dealing with all this wasn't enough, Noah Shaw, the most beautiful boy she has ever seen can't seem to leave her alone . . . but as her life unravels around her, Mara can't help but wonder if Noah has another agenda altogether.

Praise for The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer:
'Haunting and dreamlike... the intrigue and romance will inescapably draw you in' - Cassandra Clare, bestselling author of The Mortal Instruments series.

'The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer strikes a rare balance of darkly funny, deliciously creepy and genuinely thoughtful. One minute I was laughing out loud, and the next, I was so scared I wanted to turn on all the lights and hide under the covers. Michelle Hodkin's talent and range are obvious, from her chilling descriptions to romantic scenes that almost crackled on the page. I've never read anything quite like it.' Veronica Roth, New York Times bestselling author of Divergent

Also by Michelle Hodkin:
The Evolution of Mara Dyer
The Retribution of Mara Dyer
The Becoming of Noah Shaw
The Reckoning of Noah Shaw

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on

4 of 5 stars

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3.5

Mara reminds me of Bella. There I said it, so shoot me. She spoke and moved like her. Maybe it was the narrator but yep, all I could see was Bella. She has a really tough time of it, and she is the perfect unreliable narrator. Even she doesn’t believe or trust herself. Mara is loyal, smart and surprisingly level headed. I found her to be incredibly brave, witty, desperate and friggin fascinating. Noah Shaw. What are you up too? Why the interest in the weird girl? Noah’s is a player, rich boy and at times feels entitled. He has a temper but he can be sweet, protective, and unsure. Noah has secrets and all the time he is wooing Mara I am wondering his end game but I liked him and oh crap did I just swoon? The Dyer family is present and involved which I appreciated and hallelujah professional help is involved. I adored Daniel her big brother, knight and protector. Joseph her younger brother made me laugh aloud. Jamie her first friend at school was an interesting character and helped add substance to what Mara stated as he provided information. Students at the school fell into cliches and added additional stress and drama to Mara’s fragile existence.

I am not sure if The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was more mystery, suspense thriller or romance with paranormal elements. The tale goes back and forth between the two having me on edge one moment and swooning the next. Whom could I trust? What the heck is happening? Is Mara crazy? Mara begins to regain memories of the night her friends die and slowly we begin to understand, or at least I thought did. Noah is a curiosity and I enjoyed getting to know him. Between moments of uncertainty and disbelief we have a somewhat normal romance, and while I enjoyed the romance it also made me crazy because hello, WTH is happening? Hodkin kept me on the edge the entire time. When I thought I had things figured out she managed to keep me second guessing. Her writing style is descriptive, and she gave me a panoramic view of events as they unfolded. I could smell the swamp, feel the dampness in the abandoned building, taste Mara’s fear and visualize the dirt floor of the shed. The tale unwinds unevenly, giving us moments of frenzy and then dragging in parts. One minute it is a thriller and the next it was like I walked into the middle of a contemporary romance. In retrospect, I think the romance kept us grounded, it was the constant in the storm. The tale ends with a cliffy. It threw me so hard I actually went back and listened to the last two chapters again fearing I missed something.

Christy Romano did a great job as the narrator. She gave Mara and Noah their own unique voice. The only time I heard her break from character was in Mara’s bedroom when Noah revealed his secret. Mara’s monotone narrative added to my sense of uncertainty.

Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 17 February, 2014: Finished reading
  • 17 February, 2014: Reviewed