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!
View all my reviews

The Evolution of Mara Dyer SPOILER FREE Review

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Spoiler Free Review

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.

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!
View all my reviews

Spiderman Movie Review

Spider-Man: Homecoming Movie Review

4.45 out of 5 Stars

I remember going to see The Amazing Spider-Man starring Andrew Garfield in theaters, so I was really worried stepping into the movies to see this one. I had seen the trailers, and watched some interviews, and saw that it was getting good reviews online, but I was still on the cautious side, because I had really liked the other movies.

I really had nothing to worry about. This movie portrayed Spidey in a way that was younger and more geeky, which is different from the others, but I liked this aspect because it made it so much easier to suspend my disbelief about a 15 year-old super hero and it drove home the magnitude of what Peter Parker did, all because it seemed more realistic for someone of that age. It didn't take away from the hero complex of the character either. If anything, they emphasized it by putting the character of Spider-Man in juxtaposition with Tony Stark and having Peter really want to join the Avengers. It modeled a father and son dynamic which increased the motivation to do good in the city. 

What's taking away from this movie is that I feel like there are a few too many stereotypical tropes played out. Granted, these things are stereotypical for a reason, and Marvel does call itself out on it at one point via Tony Stark, but I thought it still was a bit too heavy handed. They had the moments, hero underappreciated by those he wants it from, hero has a moment where he messes up, hero has revelation about who he is, etc. etc. That's all fine and good, but the way they made it in this movie seemed too on the nose to me.


One of the scenes that I both applaud Marvel for, but also am mentally giving them the side eye for, is the scene with the elevator. Ummmmm.... I don't know about other viewers, but I watched that and all I could think of was Gwen Stacy dying at the bottom of an elevator shaft in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Oh my word, love the cameo, but dang it was kinda cruel. Also, I loved the branzino reference, also from the other Spider-Man movies.

Michael Keaton as the villain was fantastic. I loved his character, partly because he was a real person without some weird scientific mishap, and partly because Michael Keaton did a great job with it. It was so good because it gave the villain a genuine reason to be doing what he was doing. This is not to justify was he did, but the motivation was good, so in a way the villain is not completely damnable. Still is, and I'm glad that Peter got him in prison, but he isn't a complete sociopath either. I'm interested to see where his character goes though because if you stuck around for the after credits (like you should) there is that scene where he doesn't give up Peter's identity, but he still has this evil look in his eye, like, "I'll be the one getting revenge". Cue evil laughter... I wonder if they'll carry his character immediately into the next Spidey movie?

The fight scenes in this movie were really great. I loved seeing Spidey flip all over the place and learn how to fight against the new alien tech weapons. My favorite fight scene would have to be when he and the Vulture were both outside the jet and from the moment they engaged out there to the moment the fight ends on the beach, I just loved it. It wasn't too fast or too slow and while I think Peter would be more injured than how he is shown, the fight was really well balanced and a great end to that plot line.

Lastly, I loved Tony Stark in this movie. I already touched on the father-son dynamic he and Peter seem to have, but what I really loved about his role in this movie is that it was light and sarcastic again, like from the first Iron Man movie. He has that sarcasm in all of the movies, but some of the later ones it feels more forced; but in this movie, it was just natural and flowed so much easier, like how it does in Stark's first movie. My only question concerning his character is, how does he know Mae? He references her in the beginning and obviously he has to have known Peter from somewhere, but did they ever mention that, either in this movie or in Captain America: Civil War?

I feel like Andrew Garfield will forever be my Spider-Man (like how Whovians have their Doctors ***coughDavidTennantcough***), but Tom Holland definitely pulled off this role so spectacularly that I will definitely watch the rest of his movies and I am really looking forward to seeing him with the other Marvel heroes. He was nerdy, he was funny, he was younger, and he without a doubt made the role his own. I think that is the greatest success of the entire movie. Everyone in the cast did great, but really I think Tom had the greatest challenge with two major predecessors and consequentially had the greatest success by still managing to create a role for his own Spider-Man.


I hope you enjoy the movie as much as I did and thanks for reading!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Book Review

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

5 out of 5 Stars

Full Review

So before I begin this legitimate review, I have to show this review from baby me that didn't know how to separate feelings from writing reviews: "OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!! AHHH!!!!!!! If I was someone who cursed, I would be in soooo much trouble right now, this book is so incredible. MUST READ." I still don't entirely know how to separate those feelings, but I like to think that I'm better at it now. I also apparently didn't curse back then... hmmmmm.... anyway, here we go. >:)

Since first reading this book back in 2013, I have always been in love with this entire series and every book in it with no exceptions. I have to say though, that this is the first time I've reread the entire first book, and I HIGHLY recommend rereading this series, because this second time around was so much better than the first. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a beautifully creepy story that will wrap itself around your mind and take root there. There is simply no getting it off your mind, so if you get freaked out easily, be warned. But really, there are so many different well-constructed elements of this book that there is probably something for near every reader. The writing is magical, the plot is definitely intriguing, and the characters are perfectly flawed and real.

What makes this all the more interesting, is that it is told in first person point of view from an unreliable narrator (Mara). There are some pretty strange happenings in this book, but the catch is that the reader can never really know what is real or not because while there are paranormal aspects in the book, Mara also has PTSD which makes her question everything. This is part of the reason why I would recommend reading it at least twice, because this second time through it read as all the more ingenious after knowing what happens in books 2 and 3, while also just being thoroughly enjoyable on its own again.  

SPOILERS BELOW
 
Here comes the big review. Please note, that while I have read the other books in this series at this point in writing, I will not take their events and details into consideration when reviewing this book. There will be absolutely no spoilers for the other two books and this review will be solely on the first book alone.
 
PLOT:
Looking back on it, there was not too much of an actual plot in this book. There is one, but it builds on the peripheral of the book's focus, which is developing the characters and mostly just trying to figure out if Mara is completely insane or if there's more to the story. This first book is almost all character development, but there are also some miniature plots that get explored, like how Mara's friendship with Jamie grows and develops, traveling to the weird priest with the chicken blood, and then of course the murder case and finding out Jude is alive. I think I would say that those two are the main ones, because there is groundwork for them throughout the majority of the book and they both have grand resolutions (in a literary sense) at the end of the story. Overall, I think the plot of this book really only serves as a setup so that the reader is prepared for whatever lies ahead.
 
CHARACTERS:
 
Mara- Oh, Mara. I think that reading this book from Mara's point of view makes it the most unreliably narrated story that I have ever read. This does make the book all the more interesting though because then the reader's mind is always trying to figure out what is really happening too and is looking for clues in the words and always is wanting to turn the page to see what happens and if it is real or a figment of one of Mara's hallucinations. As a character, I really love how Mara is in no way "perfect". She is not a straight A student, she doesn't have extracurricular activities, and she talks about homework and tests. It all just made this book so much more realistic, because a lot of the time in YA books, the reader doesn't really get to see that mundane stuff. But here, it is front and center and I think that it is done brilliantly.

Noah- I don't even know where to begin with Noah Shaw. He is a bit arrogant, a bit sassy, and a bit entitled, but he is also entirely genuine in himself and cares astronomically about so many things. He is slightly stereotypical as the YA love interest, but he wears it so well that I don't think anyone can really count it as a fault for him. There are just so many parts of his personality and character that break my heart, like how he got angry on behalf of Mabel when Mara first found her, and then he proceeded to spend the night in the vet's office to make sure Mabel recovered. Credit also has to be given to him for sticking by Mara's side even though she is very dark and twisty. Even despite her telling him that she wants to see the criminal killed after they have the revelation about what they can do, he still believes that she is good and won't do it. Jury's still out in my opinion as to whether or not she did cause the killer's death.
 
Jamie- I love this kid. He also has his own issues, but I think for the most part it is commendable how good of a friend he is to Mara and everything that he does for her, even though they've only known each other for a few months. He does disappear from the book randomly. That is I think one of the few faults of this book. I don't know why exactly he had to leave the book like he did, but it seemed very abrupt. It did however solidify my hatred for the Evil Twins (Anna and Adrien).
 
Jude- This little bleeeeeeeeep. Feel free to fill that bleep in with any curse word of your choosing. I hate this character. Not in a way that I think that character was poorly written, but in a way that I hate the personality of this character and who they are. It is so awful, that I don't even want to dwell on it, and I don't think I need to either. I will add though that on top of everything else that he did, I hate Jude even more because at the end of the book with the reveal that he is still alive, there is also the revelation that he has been stalking and messing with Mara.
 
The Dyer Family- I really enjoyed how there was a family portrayal in this book. There's the mom, the dad, and the two brothers. There is literally a WHOLE family in this book, and they each get a fairly decent chunk of page time too. It really was done so well, that when Joseph was taken, the reader can't help but feel anxious along with Mara in more of a sense than just, "Oh, this is her little brother." No, it is in the sense of, "What! This adorable child that watches the news and is networking has been taken?!!?" The family dynamic and development in this book I think really adds to this story and makes it seem so much more rounded than if it didn't.
 
WRITING:
The biggest thing I can say about the writing, is that Mara is the most unreliable narrator ever. And I am very aware that I have pointed this out already. But looking at the actual writing, it is executed in such a good way where the reader cannot pick up on what is real or not based on the phrasing that Hodkin uses. It all flows together seamlessly, so no one, reader or Mara, can have a leg up as to if what is happening is real. Stepping away from this creepy factor, I also think that there are some really great funny lines in this book. The sass is original and well matched by the characters and put perfectly in their contexts.

One of the things that I love about this series is that it is framed by this cryptic opening letter that sets up not just this book, but the whole series, as a sort of confession. This letter, when I first read it, made everything all the more creepy. And then I found the backstory to the book, which made it all the more creepier, but also all the more amazing. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is one of my absolute favorite books that I have ever read and I cannot express fully the enjoyment that can be gotten from reading this book and this series. If you still have reservations about reading this book, I'll just finish with two words: Noah. Shaw.

Thanks for reading!

Spoiler Free Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by: Michelle Hodkin

5 out of 5 Stars

Spoiler Free

So before I begin this legitimate review, I have to show this review from baby me that didn't know how to separate feelings from writing reviews:
 "OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!! AHHH!!!!!!! If I was someone who cursed, I would be in soooo much trouble right now, this book is so incredible. MUST READ."
 I still don't entirely know how to separate those feelings, but I like to think that I'm better at it now. I also apparently didn't curse back then... hmmmmm.... anyway, here we go. >:)

Since first reading this book back in 2013, I have always been in love with this entire series and every book in it with no exceptions. I have to say though, that this is the first time I've reread the entire first book, and I HIGHLY recommend rereading this series, because this second time around was so much better than the first. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a beautifully creepy story that will wrap itself around your mind and take root there. There is simply no getting it off your mind, so if you get freaked out easily, be warned. But really, there are so many different well-constructed elements of this book that there is probably something for near every reader. The writing is magical, the plot is definitely intriguing, and the characters are perfectly flawed and real.

What makes this all the more interesting, is that it is told in first person point of view from an unreliable narrator (Mara). There are some pretty strange happenings in this book, but the catch is that the reader can never really know what is real or not because while there are paranormal aspects in the book, Mara also has PTSD which makes her question everything. This is part of the reason why I would recommend reading it at least twice, because this second time through it read as all the more ingenious after knowing what happens in books 2 and 3, while also just being thoroughly enjoyable on its own again.

One of the things that I love about this series is that it is framed by this cryptic opening letter that sets up not just this book, but the whole series, as a sort of confession. This letter, when I first read it, made everything all the more creepy. And then I found the backstory to the book, which made it all the more creepier, but also all the more amazing. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is one of my absolute favorite books that I have ever read and I cannot express fully the enjoyment that can be gotten from reading this book and this series. If you still have reservations about reading this book, I'll just finish with two words: Noah. Shaw.

Thanks for reading!

I Need Recommendations!!!!!

PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO READ

The list below this post that you can also find here is a compilation of the books that I own and I have not yet read. It is gigantic, which is slightly embarrassing. But I am also in a spot where I cannot afford to buy any more books at the moment, so I figure this is a good time to read some of the books from this gigantic list. However, I completely forget what some of these books are about or if they are good or not, so I would really appreciate any feedback on any of these books: whether you hated them, loved them, though they were funny or sad, anything really.

If you would like to contribute and help, please comment on either this post or the one with the list and I will gladly read it!!

Thanks for reading!!!

Pick a Book for Me to Read

1984	George Orwell
90 Minutes in Heaven	Don Piper
A Game of Thrones	George R.R. Martin
A Gentleman in Moscow	Amor Towles
A Madness So Discreet	Mindy McGinnis
A Million Worlds with You	Claudia Gray
A Study in Charlotte	Brittany Cavallaro
A Thousand Splendid Suns	Khaled Hosseini
A Whole New World	Liz Braswell
A Widow for One Year	John Irving
Afterworlds	Scott Westerfield
Alive	Scott Sigler
All the Bright Places	Jennifer Niven
All the Missing Girls	Megan Miranda
Always and Forever, Laura Jean	Jenny Han
An Abundance of Katherines	John Green
And I Darken	Kiersten White
Anna and the French Kiss	Stephanie Perkins
Anna Karenina	Leo Tolstoy
Ardently	M.C. Frank
Beloved	Toni Morrison
Bleed Like Me	Christa Desir
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire	Rosamund Hodge
Caraval	Stephanie Garber
Carry on	Rainbow Rowell
Carve the Mark	Veronica Roth
Challenger Deep	Neil Shusterman
Crime and Punishment	Fyodor Dostoevsky
Dangerous Lies	Becca Fitzpatrick
Dark Matter	Blake Crouch
Dark Triumph	Robin LeFevers
Dracula	Bram Stoker
Dream a Little Dream	Kerstin Gier
Drums of Autumn	Diana Gabaldon
Eat Pray Love	Elizabeth Gilbert
Edinburgh	Alexander Chee
Eleanor and Park	Rainbow Rowell
Falling Kingdoms	Meghan Rhodes
Feathers	Rose Mannering
Firstlife	Gena Showalter
Five Fortunes	Beth Gutcheon
Frost like Night	Sara Raasch
Frostblood	Elly Blake
Furhtermore	Tahereh Mafi
Galway Bay	Mary Pat Kelly
Girl in Pieces	Kathleen Glasgow
Girl in the Blue Coat	Monica Hesse
Girl on the Train	Paula Hawkins
Girl with a Pearl Earring	Tracy Chevalier
Glass	Ellen Hopkins
Gone Girl	Gillian Flynn
Great Expectations	Charles Dickens
Half Bad	Sally Green
Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbon	Ann Rinaldi
Heartless	Marrisa Meyer
Hidden Figures	Margot Lee Shetterly
Hotel Sarajevo	Jack Kersch
I'll Give You the Sun	Jany Nelson
Illionarium	Heather Dixon
Jackaby	William Ritter
Jamaica Inn	Daphne du Maurier
Jane Steele	Lyndsay Faye
Julia Vanishes	Catherine Egan
Killer Instinct	S.E. Green
Last Bus to Wisdom	Ivan Doig
Lolita	Vladimir Nabokov
Lost Rights	David Howard
Love Letters to the Dead	Ava Dellaria
Mansfield Park	Jane Austen
Mary Coin	Marisa Silver
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children	Ransom Riggs
Modern Faerie Tale Series	Holly Black
Moriarty	Anthony Horowitz
Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore	Robin Sloan
Mukiwa	Peter Godwin
My Sister's Keeper	Jodi Picoult
Night	Elie Wiesel
Northanger Abbey	Jane Austen
Of Beast and Beauty	Stacy Jay
On Writing	Stephen King
Once Again	Liz Braswell
Outrun the Moon	Stacy Lee
Panic	Lauren Oliver
Perfect Ruin	Lauren DeStefano
Rebecca	Daphne du Maurier
Red Rising	Pierce Brown
Replica	Lauren Oliver
Ricochet River	Robin Cody
Rules of Civility	Amor Towles
Sabriel	Garth Nix
Sarah's Key	Tatiana de Rosnay
Scrappy Little Nobody	Anna Kendrick
Sense and Sensibility	Jane Austen
Sevants of the Storm	Delilah S. Dawson
Shadow Study	Maria V. Snyder
Snow Falling on Cedars	David Guterson
Songs of Innocence and of Experience	William Blake
Stealing Snow	Daniel Paige
Sweet	Emmy Laybourne
Talking as Fast as I Can	Lauren Graham
Tess of the d'Urbervilles	Thomas Hardy
The 19th Wife	David Ebershoff
The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen	Katherine Howe
The Billionaire's Vinegar	Benjamin Wallace
The Bluest Eye	Toni Morrison
The Bronze Horseman	Paulina Simons
The Casual Vacancy	J.K. Rowling
The Catcher in the Rye	J.D. Salinger
The Cellar	Natasha Preston
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time	Mark Haddon
The Dark Days Club	Alison Goodman
The Diabolic	S.J. Kincaid
The Dress Lodger	Sheri Holman
The Fall	Bethany Griffin
The Girl You Left Behind	Jojo Moyes
The Hunchback of Notre Dame	Victor Hugo
The Jewel	Amy Ewing
The Kite Runner	Khaled Hosseini
The Last Forever	Deb Caletti
The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection	Alexander McCall Smith
The Little Paris Bookshop	Nina George
The Lord of the Rings Series	J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lost Wife	Alyson Richman
The Memory Keeper's Daughter	Kim Edwards
The Mortifications	Derek Palacio
The Mrs. Dalloway Reader	Virgina Woolfe
The Painted Word	Tom Wolfe
The Piano Tuner	Daniel Mason
The Problem with Forever	Jennifer L Armentrout
The Program	Suzanne Young
The Pursuit of Happiness	Jan Lewis
The Queen of the Night	Alexander Chee
The Rug Merchant	Meg Mullins
The Shack	William Paul Young
The Sun is Also a Star	NicolaYoon
Thick as Thieves	Megan Whalen Turner
To Kill a Mockingbird	Harper Lee
Toward a Secret Sky	Heather Maclean
Traveling with Pomegranates	Sue Monk Kidd
Truest	Jackie Lea Sommers
Turnabout	Margret Peterson Haddix
Unforgiven	Lauren Kate
Unrivaled	Alyson Noel
Vanishing Girls	Lauren Oliver
Vassa in the Night	Sarah Porter
Vendetta	Charlotte Doyle
Walk Two Moons	Sharon Creech
Wayfarer	Alexandra Bracken
We Know It Was You	Maggie Thrash
What Light	Jay Asher
What Was Mine	Helen Klein Ross
Where the Red Fern Grows	Wilson Rawls
White Space	Ilsa J Bick
Winter Falls	Nicole Maggi
Wish Me Good Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye	Marcus Gabriel
Year of Yes	Shonda Rhimes