The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
| The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin | |
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| Category: Teens | |
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Reviewer: Loralei Haylock
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| Summary: A blend of horror, romance and an unreliable narrator that keeps the pace racing along. This is the sort of book you accidentally read in one sitting. Book three can't come quickly enough. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 544 | Date: February 2013 |
| Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-0857073655 | |
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Mara knows that the things that have been haunting her for the past year are not necessarily all in her head. The problem is persuading everyone else of that. When Mara's parents don't believe that she saw Jude - Jude who died in the building collapse that started all of Mara's problems - alive and well, Mara realises that anything she says is just going to convince them she's more crazy. She tries to pretend that she knows she has problems and she's trying to get better, but that's made difficult when Jude keeps trying to scare her - leaving dead cats in the garden, messages written in blood.
The more on edge Mara gets, the closer she gets to losing it completely, and being shipped off to a residential care facility, rather than just the day program she's on at the moment. But at least she has Noah - beautiful, brooding Noah who knows Mara isn't crazy. Because whatever is happening to her, it's happening to him too.
This is one of those books you accidentally read in one sitting. And it's not small. Much like the first book, the blend of horror, romance and the issue of Mara as an unreliable narrator keeps the pace racing along.
There's a definite step up from the last book, though - no 'second book syndrome' here. Mara now knows that she's not completely crazy, which doesn't detract from the knife sharp tension - it makes it worse. We know that at any moment Jude could do something terrible. And no one else believes it.
Mara's predicament with her parents is painful to read. You can't help imagining what you would do in that situation. She's surrounded by family, but at the same time totally isolated. Her growing fear and frustration is palpable.
Hodkin also throws in a few new developments - including a potential source of Mara's strange abilities. These revelations are drip fed through the book at a perfectly tantalising pace, building up to a finale which you feel you really ought to have seen coming, but didn't.
And the ending... well, October, and the release of book three, can't come quickly enough!
For fans of Hodkin's creepy style, Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake is another paranormal romance book that dips into the horror genre, and comes highly recommended by Bookbag.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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