Mara Dyer Week Post # 3 - The Evolution of Mara Dyer review

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Release Date – October 23, 2012
Publisher Website –  Simon and Schuster
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages - 544 pages
My Rating- All the stars
**obtained from publisher for an honest review**

**SPOILERS FOR THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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?

Dark. Seductive. Twisted. Intense. These words accurately sum up the sequel to my favourite read of last year. Everything is heightened in this follow up. It’s more sexy, more creepy, more twisted. I loved every delicious second spent lost in it’s pages.

After that insane cliffhanger I was desperate for answers.  Michelle manages to weave some of those answers in amongst the chills, and suspense. Her answers create more questions in Mara’s story.  The basis of Mara’s powers, and Jude’s possible sudden appearance are just the beginning. Are we experiencing a dazzling descent into madness or is something else going on? Michelle balances that tightrope masterfully keeping the reader in a state of hazy anticipation. She avoids every single “second book syndrome” you can think of. She manges to keep the story moving forward without dragging anything on too long. Her pacing will have you flying through the pages with each plot twist and reveal.

The relationship between Noah and Mara deepens and gets steamier. The lengths this boy will go through for Mara is utterly romantic. Their decadently scorching chemistry results in sparks that could start forest fires. My favourite part of their relationship though, is what Noah does for Mara. He provides an anchor when she is at the edge and believes her when nobody else will.

Michelle Hodkin’s humour is pitch perfect. It’s one of my favourite things from the first novel. Filled with pop culture references that she makes her own and with an ease that shows her talent for timing. There are some amazing zingers that will become hugely quotable lines. My personal favourite? Get a meadow.

Mara’s family, so wonderfully present in the first novel, does not change much in this one. Your heart will ache for Mara’s mother especially. A woman watching her daughter spiral and wanting nothing more than to do what’s best for her child. The love between each of the family members is palpable and each family member is tested by Mara’s current situation.

As things begin to unravel so will your sanity. I was left an incoherent mess after this book. The creepiness from the first book is surpassed in this one. Michelle creates an atmospheric, tension filled setting that results in a much scarier novel than the first. A creepy doll, mental hospitals, and a scene set in a marina that sent chills down my spine. It will leave you wanting to sleep with the lights on…and double checking that all of the doors are locked.

I was left gasping for breath and with a book hangover.  I had an immediate need to read this again as soon as I had turned the last page. If you thought The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was amazing, the Evolution will literally leave you breathless, and begging for more. The wait for retribution is going to be a long one, and yet it’s such an exquisite torture