November 22, 2014: 'The Evolution of Mara Dyer'

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Date: November 22, 2014

Spoilers Ahead

Headline

The Evolution of Mara Dyer

Michelle Hodkins

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?

City Calendar:

This is what happened during the week.

Mara is in the psych ward. She goes out. She sees Noah who calms her down. She sees a mutilated cat and a message written in blood on her mirror. Mara goes to the inpatient program at Horizons. She sees Jamie. She almost gets hit by a car on her way home. Noah comes and stays at her house. Mara goes to Noah's house with her mom to burn a doll that seems to appear everywhere. She burns the doll. She finds a pendant similar to Noah's inside the doll. Noah finds a picture of Mara's grandmother and his mother together. They both go to a carnival. Mara gets her fortune told. She is told to leave Noah. Mara reads Noah's journal. She goes on a boat and meets Noah. She admits to reading his journal, and he gets a bit angry. They kiss. Mara goes back to Horizons and finds out that Anna is dead. She finds her own journal and sees 'help me' written all over one page. She goes out to dinner and comes back to find a DVD that shows the night Claire and Rachel die. She passes out and is kidnapped by Jude. Jude makes Mara slit her wrists. Mara ends up in the hospital. She goes to a RTS. She sees Noah got himself admitted. She goes to find her  file and sees what is written about her. She finds her roommate Phoebe dead. She tries to escape once she finishes reading the file. She finds Jude and the other people at the facility. Noah and Jude fight. Mara tells Noah to leave with her friends. Jude and Mara fight. Mara makes the building collapse. Mara is told that she is a test subject by Dr. Kells. She is told that Noah is dead and is determined to find him.

And that's what happened this week.

Personal Ads:

Mara Dyer.

PTSD. Can cause death. Girlfriend to Noah. Shy. Can be funny. Loves her family and Noah. Traumatized by deaths of her best friends. Part Indian. Has similar symptoms as her grandmother. Curious about her powers and herself. Doesn't have many friends. Looking for the truth. 

Noah Shaw.

Boyfriend to Mara. Can heal himself. Cocky. Rude. Rich boy. Hates his father. British. Used to be a playboy. Looking to protect Mara and discover why they have powers. 

Opinions:

This book is an emotional roller coaster. I can't truly say one thing or the other. 

I like that Mara has real life problems. PTSD. More psychological issues. I didn't expect it. It was interesting to have this new take on these types of issues. You get to see it from another view.

I also like the supernatural elements. They're different and interesting. I can't say what the supernatural force is. It's not possession. It is something else. Something I've never read before. It's fresh. Different. It's creepy, but it's interesting.

The way Mara is changing is new. I expected her to be dull the entire series. But she's changing. She's turning into a new person. She isn't a whiny, wimpy person anymore. I think that she is still needy and scared. But I can understand why. Her fear was in and out of the entire book. I could even feel it. I like that she's growing into a new person. 

The bad thing is the romance. It's...heated. Sexual in the ways I don't like. The romance between Noah and Mara  is charged. I can see chemistry. But their actions and fights just aggravate me. I don't think that either of them is really perfect. Noah tries to act it. But it doesn't seem to work. The romance seems too awkward in places. And it's a rough shift from supernatural dolls and powers to kissing on beds. 

The creepy scenes made me shiver. I read them at night, it's true, but they still were freaky. A 'moving doll'. Dead animals. Bloody messages. I was paranoid the rest of the night. I am officially scared of mirrors. What will I find? I hate being freaked out. I truly do. 

I can say that I'm expecting more for the next book. This wasn't a truly bad book, but it did have its down points. I think that this series might get better. No. I can feel it. I hope it doesn't let me down.

Weather:

Sunny with 50% chance of rain

3/5