Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer

Title: The Evolution of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Date Released: October 23rd, 2012
Pages: 544
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Description:
Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.

She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.

They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.

She’s wrong.

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

Review:
Between that period of finishing The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and waiting for the release of The Evolution of Mara Dyer, I forgot how intriguing and captivating the whole story was, and put off reading The Evolution of Mara Dyer until now, even though I've had it for several months.  Pretty much, I loved this book.  I loved everything from the mystery of what was going on with Mara to the amazingness of Noah (because you know, he's British), and just the overall intrigue that Michelle Hodkin managed to keep going throughout the whole novel.

Essentially, The Evolution of Mara Dyer picks up pretty close to where The Unbecoming left off, with Mara in the hospital.  From there, her doctor decides that it might be better for her to attend an outpatient program after her evaluation at the hospital.  Then things started picking up.  Mara finds herself seemingly going crazy as things such as her grandma's creepy old doll is constantly finding it's way back to Mara, and she starts sleepwalking and waking up to Noah being just as confused as to why she was sleepwalking.

Basically, the whole story kept me on my toes.  I mean like, strange things kept happening to Mara, and they were pretty creepy.  They get you thinking thoughts like "What the heck is going on?" and "How could that have possibly happened?"  I even had a slight suspicion that Noah was up to it at one point.  And then, Hodkin adds in some other pretty weird characters, like Phoebe, the very creepy patient at the Horizons Outpatient Program who quickly becomes Mara's "enemy".

The ending was what pretty much made the story.  It definitely took me by surprise, but one could say that it was a bit random and I could see where they're coming from.  However, it was the ending that definitely clicks everything together from both this book and the first book and still had a cliff hanger where it could continue onto the next book.

One thing that had me confused the most though was the relationship between Mara and Noah.  Because it had been a while since I had read The Unbecoming, I couldn't remember if there was something weird between Mara and Noah that prevented them from having like a solid romantic relationship.  Throughout the book, they seemed like girlfriend and boyfriend, but then there were certain events where their relationship just got very strange and awkward. But, I still love both Mara and Noah as individuals. I'm just not so sure about their relationship at this point.

Overall, I was super glad I picked up The Evolution of Mara Dyer because I forgot how much I liked The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and after reading this, now I remember :)  It's just the mystery that really kept me captivated and intrigued to find out what exactly was going on in the world of Mara.  Hodkin preserves that suspenseful atmosphere throughout the book.  If you're looking for a light and fluffy book, this series won't meet that expectation - even Mara herself isn't all that bubbly.  I definitely cannot wait for The Retribution of Mara Dyer! Especially after that killer ending. Go try The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer now if you haven't!

Cover Review:
I LOVE the covers for this series!  Especially the one for this one!  It's a combination of the font, the dark background, and how the people in the cover are so close to reaching each other.  It pretty much sets the tone of the book.

Cleo :)

*Description and cover from goodreads.com
**Review copy won in a giveaway.