Review of "The Evolution of Mara Dyer" by Michelle Hodkin

The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2)

Michelle Hodkin

Publication Date: October 23, 2012

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

ARC 530pgs 

Summary:

     Things aren't looking good for Mara Dyer. After what many believe is a mental breakdown Mara is forced into an outpatient psychiatric program. While there she is forced to hid what she can do, not only from the other patients but also from the doctors that are treating her. To add to her problems someone from her past is out to get her which no one is willing to believe. No one except the seductively hot, Noah Shaw. Together they will try and figure out what is going on, and who is out to get them.  

Review:

     What can you expect from the second installment of the Mara Dyer trilogy? How about more drama, mystery and, definitely more romance. I have to say I still have no idea who the bad guy is or where Mara's power comes from and I have no clue how it's all going to end. Which of course is great! I don't like it when a book is too predicable and a reader is able to tell who the bad guy is and can see all the twists and turns a story takes pages before it happens. I love that this book is full of mystery and I'm reading in state of total anticipation wondering what's going to happen next.

     Mara definitely has to find her inner strength as her life becomes even more complicated than it was before. Most of the issues she is dealing with she has to deal with on her own since her family believes she is slightly unstable. But of course she has Noah by her side which is a huge plus. He's not only comforting and supportive he has the resources to help Mara. Then there's that cocky attitude and cute accent and what more could a girl ask for? I loved the interactions between Mara and Noah. They play well off each other and seem to have what the other needs. Honestly, some of my favorite parts of the book were when the two of them were having a conversation. I may have had a huge smile on my face at times.

     We definitely learn more background information of  the two main characters as well as a few other characters. I was glad to see a character from the first book return. He added some snark to Mara's life but was also a source of friendship for her. Some of the information that was revealed I found to be very surprising and it had me wondering how things were going to connect in the end. This is definitely a must read especially if you liked the first book. At times this book is sad but at the same time I believe that Mara shows that she can't be held down. She has chosen to fight. I can't wait to see how her story concludes in the last book in the this trilogy.

Cover:

     I like the cover but I wish that it was a little brighter so that we could see the characters a bit more. Though the murkiness does fit how dark Mara and Noah's lives seem to be. I also like that I can't tell if the couple's hands are drifting apart or coming together.

Swoon Thursday (50)

The ladies at YA Bound have created a hot and fun new meme called SWOON #YABound. If you want to join in here's what you need to do.

All you need to do is pick up the book you are currently reading or just finished reading. Find what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding and your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering. Then shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag  #YABound, post in the comments, or grab the awesome button from YA Bound (above) share it on your blog!

My Swoon is from The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) by Michelle Hodkin. I have been dying to read this book ever since I read the last line of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. I was definitely in need of a Noah fix. Luckily, I have been able to satisfy my Noah withdrawals. Without further babbling by me here is my Swoon:

"His hands were on my hips and his mouth was on my skin and he lifted me and I wrapped myself around him. I was backed against the door and the copper buttons on Noah's jeans pressed against me and the ache was delicious and not enough, not at all. His rough check electrified the curve between my neck and shoulder and I leaned back, completely senseless. His fingers pressed into my hips and he shifted me up and then his lips brushed against mine. Soft. Tentative. Waiting for me to kiss them." SWOON#YABound

Quote taken from ARC may appear different in finished copy.

And...I'm still Swooning over this scene!! What do you think? If you have a Swoon let me know, I loved being Swooned. 

Teaser Tuesday (30)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should be Reading. Anyone can join in. Here's what you need to do.

♥Grab your current read.

♥Open to a random page.

♥Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

♥Be careful not to include spoilers! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others.)

♥Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week my teaser comes from, The Evolution of Mara Dyer. Hope you enjoy!

"Daniel would never believe that the things that were happening to me, the things I could do, were real-aside from Noah, who would?-but it was important to make sure he thought I didn't believe they were real either. I had to make sure he didn't think I believed my own fiction, or I would set off his alarms."

Michelle Hodkin, The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) ARC, pg 140

Quote taken from ARC may appear different in finished copy.

That's my teaser this week. Let me know what you think. Feel free to leave a link for your teaser so I can check it out:)