Title: The Evolution of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Publish date: October 23rd 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Source: Mini-ARC tour via Linda
Buy it from: Amazon
Goodreads summary:
Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.
She can’t.
She used to think her problems were all in her head.
They aren’t.
She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.
She’s wrong.
In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?
Review:
There are many things I felt after reading Michelle Hodkin’s The Evolution of Mara Dyer.
Chief among them for me? A little discomfort at how attractive I found Noah Shaw. I, like many of you, I’m sure, frequently find myself swooning over fictional teenage boys, but… hot damn. Noah Shaw is sexier than a teenager has any right to be.
But, obviously, Noah is not the main character of this novel. No, that is the incredibly complicated Mara Dyer.
I just love Mara’s internal dialogue. It is so snarky and real. It’s part of what I loved about the first novel (I will never forget the term “asscrown”). Her narration feels true to her age and situations.
Mara’s still something of an unreliable narrator and I think I’ve expressed my joy for such a device on multiple occasions. She develops additional problems from those she had in Unbecoming.
Hodkin has stripped almost every person Mara could trust away from her and in such a unique way. They don’t die, or betray her. Mara can’t rely on THEM simply because they love her too much. Her family is so, so wonderful and that’s another thing I loved about The Evolution of Mara Dyer.
And this sequel is everything a sequel should be. It continues the larger story arc began in Unbecoming, and answers some of the questions we had from that book. But it also raises new questions and is self-contained.
Finally, may I just say: I think that authors delight in leaving their readers with cliffhangers. I truly do.
To sum up: Unreliable narrator and Noah Shaw.
…Yes, please.
