Reviews

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

wellreadandcaffinated's review against another edition

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4.0

check out my review on abookishlifeforme.blogspot.com

http://abookishlifeforme.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-unbecoming-of-mara-dyer.html

anngelize's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5
Reading The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is like being crazy. By that I mean, it's like seeing into Mara's mind. See, like Mara, I didn't know if what she was seeing were real or if she's hallucinating. It is like shifting from real to a dream/hallucination so often that I can't tell the difference from the two. Sometimes I feel the series of events are so disjointed that I believe that Mara Dyer is really crazy. And she seriously have anger management issues. Also, I was left with a lot of questions like where did Mara and Noah got their abilities? Are there others like them? Or did Joseph remember anything that happened to him? Or what about that Mr. Lukumi? What did he know? Why did he disappear? And, of course, Jude.

All in all the story has this dark, creepy vibe to it. I like reading it when all the lights are out for maximum effect. Plus, all the questions made me want to read the next book immediately!

edieray's review against another edition

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4.0

this book is the longest craziest rollercoaster. literally you think you have it all figured out and then bam plot twist and then you are forced to rethink EVERYTHING

lottie1803's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

curlyfries27's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

brandidean's review against another edition

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3.0

Heh. Feeling a little juvenile admitting it, but I actually really liked this. It was a book club pick, and I'd never heard of it before, so I went in with no idea what it was about. Since things really change in the last few chapters and it morphs into a different type of book altogether, wondering if I'll like the next one, but am def going to try it.
(Though I will say she does that thing you see a lot in these sorts of books where the characters make really ridiculously bad choices that you're supposed to see as noble or something, but actually just end up having to hand wave.)

emgg's review against another edition

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1.0

*warning: one slightly graphic sentence and a few swear words.*

I didn't stick around to know how Mara Dyer's magic works, because god this book was so boring. I finished [b:Hush, Hush|6339664|Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1)|Becca Fitzpatrick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1358261334s/6339664.jpg|6525609], and I didn't finish this. Yuup. Speaks volumes, doesn't it? Because in Hush, Hush, at least I made sense of what was going on at that precise moment and The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was really just a clusterfuck that was just as confused with itself as I was with it.

One minute, it's brain matter splattered on the floor; the next, Mara is pretending not to hate Noah Shaw *wink wink nudge nudge*. Y'know, just pick one and stick with it. Really.

As for the romance, er, if Jace Herondale/Will Herondale (they're the same bloke, right? 3: ) is your sort of hot dude, then I'd say yes, go for it. I can't differentiate between Will Herondale and Noah Shaw. Needless to say, I dislike both.

Shaw is the most stereotypical of bad boys, you know, looks like Adonis, mannerless, sleeps around, has an English accent (since I can't hear it, I cannot, I'm sorry to say, fall under its charm), is disgustingly rich, has A DARK PAST -- stop, people, just spare the dark pasts! I get it, sob stories beguile readers to sympathize with the characters but it annoys the shit out of me!

Mara Dyer so didn't fall for that - Oh wait she did. This joke is getting as old as the cliches here.

As for Mara Dyer I don't even know how to describe her because she was so flat and uninteresting. Just your typical hormonal high schooler I guess.

Don't get me talking about Anna. I hate, absolutely hate how girls like Anna are slut-shamed when really all they are doing is trying to score the hottest boy in the school as their boyfriend. Maybe they flirt too much with the hot dude. But lookie here now, the hot dude sleeps around! Isn't that much sluttier than those "bitchy girls"? That's one thing I can never get used to. So much slut-shaming for girls, almost none going on for boys.

Jamie. Nuh-uh. Funny black bisexual. Excuuuse me but please could you be more subtle with the "I'm pro-diversity! WOOT" message here? Because it's hitting me in the face and not cheering me up at all. I don't mind not having any lgbt characters around, but what I mind is stuffing one there and putting zero effort into establishing their personality.

I'm done writing this review. I don't want to relive the whole painful experience again. Nawp.


(I really, really love the font on the cover though. That cover. If there weren't that spooky faceless awkward vaguely disturbing underwater hugging thing going on I might actually shelf this as amazing-covers.
Now [b:The Becoming of Noah Shaw|25548744|The Becoming of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions, #1)|Michelle Hodkin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494267312s/25548744.jpg|45342171] has a super gorgeous cover!)

vanybunny's review against another edition

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4.0

Mara Dyer ist, zusammen mit drei ihrer Freunde, in einen Unfall verwickelt gewesen. Sie hat als einzige überlebt und versucht sich zusammen zu reimen, was da damals geschehen ist, da sie sich an nichts erinnert. Nur eines weiß sie, etwas stimmt nicht mit ihr.

Auf der neuen Schule begegnet sie Noah, der als Mädchenschwarm der Schule und Playboy bekannt ist. Deshalb will sie sich von ihm fernhalten und sich nicht einlullen lassen, zu blöd, dass Noah jedoch ihre Nähe sucht. Sie muss feststellen, dass Noah seinem schlechten Ruf nicht gerecht wird und lässt seine Nähe zu. Doch wie lange wird er bei ihr bleiben, wenn er erfährt, dass ihr Kopf nicht ganz richtig ist? Dass sie kaputt ist? Hinzu kommt, dass Dinge geschehen, die nicht passieren dürften, die Mara nicht kontrollieren kann. Sie hat das Gefühl, alles um sie herum bricht zusammen und sie ist mittendrin, gefangen in ihrer Vergangenheit.

Ich bin tatsächlich mal so ganz ohne Erwartungen an das Buch rangegangen und denke, das war auch ganz gut so. Denn egal womit ich gerechnet hätte, das wäre nicht eingetroffen.

Es ist teilweise sehr verwirrend und man weiß nicht mehr wo vorne und hinten ist, was real ist und was nicht.

Aber die Beziehung zwischen ihr und Noah gefällt mir sehr gut. Noah ist für sie da und bleibt an ihrer Seite, komme was wolle. Wie sich die Ereignisse wie Puzzleteile nach und nach zusammenfügen, hält die Spannung der Story aufrecht und bringt einem dazu, am Ball zu bleiben.

alexia136's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

nishiotwo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I reread this because I remember loving it when I was younger. Definitely felt like a YA book, so it was hard for me to stick with it. I know it’s a trilogy, but I felt it went really slow regarding her powers. Left with a good end so I might read the second one.