Release Date - November 7, 2017
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 384 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**
In the first book of the Shaw Confessions, the companion series to the New York Times bestselling Mara Dyer novels, old skeletons are laid bare and new promises prove deadly. This is what happens after happily ever after.
Everyone thinks seventeen-year-old Noah Shaw has the world on a string.
They’re wrong.
Mara Dyer is the only one he trusts with his secrets and his future.
He shouldn’t.
And both are scared that uncovering the truth about themselves will force them apart.
They’re right.
As a huge fan of the Mara Dyer trilogy I was thrilled to find out that Michelle Hodkin was writing a trilogy from Noah's point of view. Noah was going to get this own story, and that excited me. The first chapter of Noah's story not only met the very high expectations I had, but surpassed them. It's a dark, mind twist of a read that continues to build on the plot laid out in the Mara Dyer trilogy.
Noah's story begins with a warning to the reader. A very Noah like warning. A warning that should be heeded. Being inside Noah Shaw's head is exactly what you would expect it would be like. His voice is snarky, but there is pain found in equal measure within him. This is a story, and point of view, that is hard to read at times, but one that is important. If Mara is a bad girl (like the dedication says), Noah is a lost boy and that comes with a lot of baggage and darkness. This novel deals with suicide, murder, paranoia, and trust. It unravels Noah's psyche and shows you just what kind of boy could love a girl like Mara.
The writing is beautiful and poetic. There are so many passages that I immediately wanted to underline and quote people. There is a clear difference between the style and voice in this novel, and those found in the Mara Dyer trilogy. These differences bring the two characters vividly to life, and speak to the talent Michelle Hodkin possess. Her characters are always the strongest part of her novels, and that makes you care just a little bit more.
Getting to see Mara from Noah's point of view is fascinating. As is seeing Noah from his own. It offers a different perspective on these characters that is refreshing and adds something to the larger story being told. This chapter needs to be told through Noah's point of view for reasons that quickly become evident. It just also has the bonus of allowing the characters to grow through perspective.
The world continues to widen as this story progresses and answers become more clear. We meet quite a few new characters and they are intriguing. I left the Mara Dyer trilogy wanting to know more about the experiments, and path that Mara and Noah were deemed fated to walk down. This novel begins to explore these questions, and adds a few more wild cards to the mix that have already drastically changed things.
There are plenty of sexy, and swoon worthy moments within these pages. It wouldn't be a Michelle Hodkin novel without them. There is something electric in the way that Michelle writes these scenes that ensures they leave a lasting impressing. The descriptions of not just these scenes, but everything, are so vivid and descriptive. Those who loved Mara and Noah's relationship will continue shipping them, even as the relationship continues into rougher waters, which is no surprise based on where the first trilogy leaves all the characters. This next chapter is necessary, and that is evident based on the progression of the Mara/Noah relationship.
The ending packs multiple punches and sets up the remainder of the series. If you read Mara's story, you will see the events in this novel coming. It won't make anything easier, because it is still brutal, but the hints are there. Michelle, in her own way, warned us before we even picked up the book, and warns us again before we start for good measure. It leaves me both exhilarated and terrified to continue this journey. It also leaves me with a million more questions than when I started.
There is an ache and a guttural reaction that is at the heart of this book. It's one that causes you to want to dissect and talk about it long after you've finished reading. It's a story that is a must read for fans of the original Mara Dyer trilogy as it continues the story we've fallen in love with in a very beautiful, twisted way.
Noah's story begins with a warning to the reader. A very Noah like warning. A warning that should be heeded. Being inside Noah Shaw's head is exactly what you would expect it would be like. His voice is snarky, but there is pain found in equal measure within him. This is a story, and point of view, that is hard to read at times, but one that is important. If Mara is a bad girl (like the dedication says), Noah is a lost boy and that comes with a lot of baggage and darkness. This novel deals with suicide, murder, paranoia, and trust. It unravels Noah's psyche and shows you just what kind of boy could love a girl like Mara.
The writing is beautiful and poetic. There are so many passages that I immediately wanted to underline and quote people. There is a clear difference between the style and voice in this novel, and those found in the Mara Dyer trilogy. These differences bring the two characters vividly to life, and speak to the talent Michelle Hodkin possess. Her characters are always the strongest part of her novels, and that makes you care just a little bit more.
Getting to see Mara from Noah's point of view is fascinating. As is seeing Noah from his own. It offers a different perspective on these characters that is refreshing and adds something to the larger story being told. This chapter needs to be told through Noah's point of view for reasons that quickly become evident. It just also has the bonus of allowing the characters to grow through perspective.
The world continues to widen as this story progresses and answers become more clear. We meet quite a few new characters and they are intriguing. I left the Mara Dyer trilogy wanting to know more about the experiments, and path that Mara and Noah were deemed fated to walk down. This novel begins to explore these questions, and adds a few more wild cards to the mix that have already drastically changed things.
There are plenty of sexy, and swoon worthy moments within these pages. It wouldn't be a Michelle Hodkin novel without them. There is something electric in the way that Michelle writes these scenes that ensures they leave a lasting impressing. The descriptions of not just these scenes, but everything, are so vivid and descriptive. Those who loved Mara and Noah's relationship will continue shipping them, even as the relationship continues into rougher waters, which is no surprise based on where the first trilogy leaves all the characters. This next chapter is necessary, and that is evident based on the progression of the Mara/Noah relationship.
The ending packs multiple punches and sets up the remainder of the series. If you read Mara's story, you will see the events in this novel coming. It won't make anything easier, because it is still brutal, but the hints are there. Michelle, in her own way, warned us before we even picked up the book, and warns us again before we start for good measure. It leaves me both exhilarated and terrified to continue this journey. It also leaves me with a million more questions than when I started.
There is an ache and a guttural reaction that is at the heart of this book. It's one that causes you to want to dissect and talk about it long after you've finished reading. It's a story that is a must read for fans of the original Mara Dyer trilogy as it continues the story we've fallen in love with in a very beautiful, twisted way.
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