Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First Review (2013): AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's it. That's all I wrote. I can honestly say I'm slightly embarrassed by that review because it really isn't any review at all and this book deserves all the accolades I can verbally express.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer may be the most beautifully crafted horrific tale of suspense I have ever read. Not to mention, this book has some great quotes and one-liners that serve to either accentuate certain elements of creepiness or depth, or to add humor to the mix in the middle of all of this darkness. I love this second book even more than the first one. In this book, the story morphs from that of a character central story into one that, before you realize it, has really amazing intricate details of paranormal, sci-fy, and classic tension. This is a book where you keep reading it for one thing but then before you know it you cannot put it down for an entirely different reason. And even as the story gets darker and creepier, you will not be able to stop reading it.

SPOILERS BELOW

PLOT:
This book absolutely has more of a plot structure than the first book, which is part of the reason why I like this one more. The plot of this story is so captivating because whether or not you realize it, you will become completely wrapped up around this story that just gets more and more intense and dark. There is no escape from this book. With every turn of the page, another element and layer is added, and like a train that is beginning to derail, you have the sense of what catastrophe is about to happen but you simply cannot look away. As the pieces start to fall together, there are moments when SO many things make sense, and words cannot describe the feeling of these revelations nor the horror and tension/suspense that they add. Spot on plot building.


CHARACTERS:
Mara: This poor girl. Really, this is the second time I have read this book and what she goes through is still so mind boggling and confusing that I can't help but feel terrible for her. (And I am perfectly aware that this is a fictional character we're talking about.) In this book we do get more clarity of what is going on though and we also get to see more backstory about her grandmother and the bigger picture. It still is very complicated and can be hard to follow, so I highly recommend reading it at least twice.


Noah: I freaking love this guy. In the first book, he had this great heart throbbing moment, and he has another one in this book when he shows up at Lakeview just so that he can be there for Mara. His devotion to Mara is greatly admirable and it makes the story so much better because the two of them balance each other out beautifully. In this respect, I really love how the two of them are foils for each other in every aspect possible. And in a totally fangirl perspective, Noah Shaw just becomes more fantastic in this book.

Jamie: I freaking love this kid. As you can tell, I think very highly of the two guys closest to Mara who are not related to her. But again, just like how I mentioned in my review for the first book, Jamie is one of the best friends I think Mara could ever and will ever have. He gets so many friend points and sarcastic points and I love his lines and actions.

Jude: I am generally not a fan of even the "I wish this character would die" thing. But I guess my equivalent would be I wish Jude would be stranded on an isolated island in the middle of the ocean so that he can never harm another living soul again. Maybe he'll be able to sort himself out too while he's there. But seriously, I would banish him from the rest of human civilization.


Kells: I correct my statement about Jude's island. This b***h can join him there. I actually hate her more than I hate Jude. Jude is Voldemort, but Kells is Umbridge. It is actually infuriating who she is and what her role is in the book. But it does add another wrench into the story of the book. She is this authoritative figure that is so corrupted that it turns this dire situation into an impossible one. Literary speaking, her character is brilliant. Humanly speaking, she is the definition of vile.

WRITING:
I've already touched on this point in the plot, but Michelle Hodkin did a great job with the writing of this book, because if it had been anything less than stellar than the slow revelation and entrapping of the plot would not have been possible. That, and the careful manipulation of the characters and their developments simply make this book fly above the typical novel. Between those two things and the detail that goes into the descriptions of the events and sensations of our lovely unreliable narrator, this book is unlike any other.

Like I said in my review for the first book, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, I really love the narration of this book. It is incredibly witty, and it is a phenomenal use of an unreliable narrator. If I had to pull up an example of an unreliable narrator, it would be Mara Dyer. This series is the best use of one that I have ever read, and it makes it all so much more interesting and creepy and keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat-y.


If you've read the first book, keep going. If you have not read these books yet, go start with The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and then come back and read the full review.

Thanks for reading!
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