The Evolution of Mara Dyer

Mara Dyer knows she isn't crazy. She knows that she can kill with her mind, and that Noah can heal with his. Mara also knows that somehow, Jude is not a hallucination. He is alive. Unfortunately, convincing her family and doctors that she's not unstable and doesn't need to be hospitalised isn't easy. The only person who actually believes her is Noah. But being with Noah is dangerous and Mara is in constant fear that she might hurt him. She needs to learn how to control her power, and fast! Together, Mara and Noah must try and figure out exactly how Jude survived when the asylum collapsed, and how he knows so much about her strange ability...before anyone else ends up dead!

I read the previous book, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, last month, and liked aspects of the book enough to give this sequel a shot.

Everything I liked about the first book was back in this book: mystery, creepy atmosphere, snarky humour, Jamie! And while some questions were answered, way more were raised, and now I can’t wait to read the final book in the trilogy, The Redemption of Mara Dyer.

I loved where the plot went with regard to  its examination of Mara’s abilities and the possible sources of them, POSSIBLE SPOILERe.g. Mara’s research into genetics and some sort of connection with her grandmother.  And can I just say, those flashback chapters were intriguing!END OF SPOILER

I also found this book creepier than the first, and as I love creepy, spooky books, that was right up my alley! Freaky dolls, nightmares, messages written in blood…I loved that this book gave me the chills!

I had no idea what was going on or what would happen next when reading this. The last part of the book went in a direction that I certainly didn’t see coming, and I love when that happens. Predictability in a book can be entertaining in a way, and doesn’t always take away from my enjoyment of the story, but I absolutely love when I am surprised by a book, and that definitely happened here.

Part of what I didn’t like about The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was about Noah and Mara’s relationship, and how she was so obsessed with him. It seemed all so sudden, sort of insta-lovey to me, and I found myself rolling my eyes so much, especially when reminded that he was basically perfect. However – I moved past that here, and came to appreciate Noah being there for Mara. I was able to see him as a more rounded character on his own, not just a love interest for the main character. Props to Michelle Hodkin for changing my mind about Noah Shaw!

I wish I could say more, but I want to stay as spoiler-free as I can, so I won’t gush over everything I liked about this book, but trust me, it’s awesome.

This was a rare time that I enjoyed a book’s sequel much more than I enjoyed its predecessor, and now I’m going to be climbing the walls until the next book comes out in October! This series is definitely a recommended read!