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
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was quite strange. I don't even really know how to fit it into my genre categories. I guess it's a blend of Paranormal Romance and Mystery and Suspense. Basically, Mara wakes up from a three day coma and doesn't know what happened previously. According to reports, Mara, her two friends, and boyfriend were in an abandoned asylum when it collapsed. Mara was the only survivor, so her family moves away to help her cope. But then Mara starts seeing weird things, including her dead friends.
I really liked The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. In the beginning it's just Mara dealing with her PTSD. She's hallucinating her dead friend and boyfriend, as well as some other events. Thankfully, her parents do get her help. There is semi-involved parenting here! And best of all, Mara doesn't pretend like there's nothing wrong when she meets with her therapist. She wants to get better! She wants to remember what happened! But then some of Mara's hallucinations come true, and that is certainly not something therapy and medication can fix.
I don't want to give anything away, because The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer does have some weird twists in there. There's also this mystery plot, because Mara's father is the defense attorney in a murder case, but I can't say why that's important to the overall story. It is all revealed in time! Of course, there's also a romance at the center. It's pretty typical: weird new girl snags the super hot popular guy who isn't at all like his reputation suggests. I'm not too excited about the romance, but I didn't dislike it either. Who I really wanted more of was Mara's only friend, Jamie. He described himself as her "token black Jewish bi friend." He is amazing. Also, that ending? I was in desperate need of the next book.
