The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1)

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer has something just so off about it that it automatically draws readers inside. The story had some very artistically vague parts in it, adding to its element of the unknown, while other times the scenes are so detailed it seems almost real. As debut novels go, this one is truly a gem.

Mara is quite an interesting person. Her name alone is a bit of a representation of her character; I've read somewhere that Mara means bitter, and a Mara is (I think) a suupernatural creature who apparently sits on your chest and enter your dreams as you sleep. She's sensible, and very very smart, doing everything to stay out from Noah Shaw's spell. I love her character, but I seriously don't get how she could jump so quickly from the position of vice-president of Avoid Noah Shaw At All Costs Club (Jamie Roth's undeniable the president) to devout member of the Noah Shaw Fan Club. Still, seeing her confusion and pain for not knowing after she kills - accidentally - her Spanish teacher, the owner of Mabel, and the animals seems a lot more believable than her feeling sad, and then later consoling herself by believing Noah's words saying that it couldn't be helped.

And there's Noah. Hot, mysterious, unattainable, and way too interested in Mara. Sounds familiar? Yes, but I'm not complaining. I'd probably not go for that kind of guy in real life but fiction makes the rough edges very nicely concealed. I seriously don't think it would be possible, but he probably has the power of charming the pants off of the entire Dyer household with a few short sentences. Nevertheless, I have to hold against him his notorious womanizing ways. Puh-leez. I don't have anything for nor against feminists, but his history with Jamie's sister was a bit cruel. Scratch a bit. He gets some points back for 'saving' Mara and her sketchbook from a certain demented jealous girl. And for getting her brother. And for being a fantastic adviser to Mara. In some ways, Mara and Noah reminds me of Bianca and Wesley in The Duff by Kody Keplinger. Y'know, smart chick, kinda asshole-ish guy. End up together in some odd circumstance. Oh, and a quote. From a 'conversation' between Mara and Noah. Which wasn't really a conversation. But still.


“You smell good," he whispered into my neck. He was warm against me. Instinctively, I arched back into him and smiled.
"Really?"
"Mmm-hmm. Delicious. Like bacon.”

Of course, he didn't say that because it was a dream. But still. He had me at bacon.

One person I'd really love to hear more of is Jamie. He's probably among the greatest best-friend characters I've read, and I sincerely hope that he'd make another reappearance in one of the later Mara Dyer books.

Mara was given a terrible power, much like Juliette's power in Shatter Me, only much more potent and lethal; she does not need to touch anything to put her power in use, and no one is immune. In Mara's mind, the cause of death is explicitly described, giving it a certain oomph in the freakout-o-meter. That I like.

As the story progresses, Mara gets more and more immersed in whatever her power is; the story put perfect gaps on the powers source and, well, everything. With careful manipulation of words, Michelle Hodkin leaves readers at a devastatingly perilous cliffhanger, with fingers threatening to slip, as her audience fights to claw their way up from the abyss. Wow, that sounded . . . lyrical. But I have a bit more wisdom to enlighten you all with. Lesson of the day: read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. And its sequels. Seriously, it rocks so much I don't have words for it.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a book where you have to unravel all of the pieces to completely understand the plot. Mara Dyer is a very eccentric book. I truly enjoyed this book .

I think the plot is very well written and put together. I personally haven't read any YA books like this and to be able to is very refreshing. It is relevant to the whole paranormal thing but still unique by separating itself into a world where the main protagonist could possibly be psychotic. but its still very recognizable with the whole new girl at school, girl meets bad boy who couldn't possibly have a care in the world.

The parts that angered me was when the "bullies" of the school had framed Mara's only friend Jaime and he had gotten expelled. Mara Dyer is witty, cynical, humorous, and just so real. The way that the author had written a teenage girl in the 21st Century diagnosed with PTSD is very believable.

Noah Shaw and Mara Dyer are probably one of my favorite characters of all time. Noah Shaw is your typical narcissistic, sarcastic, manwhorish bad boy who gets whatever and whoever he wants because of his charming good looks, not to mention his parents are filthy rich and sponsor the school. When Mara and Noah first met I had to put the book down and just laugh. I like how straightforward Noah is.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was very entertaining and I definitely want to buy this book and the next two in the series. Michelle Hodkin did a very good job with this being her first book. I have already read the Evolution of Mara Dyer and it was by far my favorite from the series. I need to know what happens next. But unfortunately the third and final book comes out early 2014.

This book is amazing. I love the plot twists, which are well thought out and explained.
The whole concept is brilliant.
One of my favourite books, and I bought this for my friends birthday and she loves it, and has even bought the next book.
Great read, keep up the good work Michelle.

I read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer online through Simon and Schuster's PulseIt program. And yes, IT WAS FREE. AND LEGAL.

Mara Dyer and her family move to Florida after an accident that kills her best friend and two others. Sure, there's nothing new there, but somehow, Hodkin made it work. Although Mara is broken on the inside, she still manages to have fun with her family sometimes.

I liked Mara, both as a character and a narrator, right up until the end. I didn't understand her motives about the thing involving Lassiter. (Yes, I'm sure I spelled that wrong.) Nightmares have been haunting her since that night when Rachel, Claire, and Jude died. She's been put on anti-psychotics. I understand that she's angry, but why does she not even consider the consequences of taking a man's life when it's made her feel so horrible all the other times?

Most of the time, Mara's emotions really got to me. She felt real, and even if she irritated me with her repetitiveness, I still felt for her.

Noah Shaw, on the other hand, never irritated me. Not once. He was awesome *-* He wasn't cheesy, but he wasn't an asshole, either. Most of the time.

I only have one question involving his personality: WHERE ARE ALL THE SWEET AND INNOCENT VIRGIN BOYS IN YA? Not every boy has to have had sex with the entire female population of the school. Really. Truth be told, I probably wouldn't have liked Noah as much if he was all sweet and innocent, but it's a valid question.

Another thing I really loved about this book was how when Mara thought she was crazy, I was asking that question right along with her. Were there paranormal events involved, or was Mara just hallucinating and dreaming?

My biggest issue with this book: The pacing was way too slow for me. While the pacing of Mara and Noah's relationship was fine, the pacing of the actual plot was a bit of a problem. Most of the book is just full of Mara's "hallucinations," and you don't get any real answers until the last 70 or so pages of the book. Even then, there are too many unanswered questions for me to be happy with. I know The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is only the first book, considering it says "End of volume one" on the last page, but I think a few more questions should have been answered, or the book almost has no point.

Overall: Although I think large parts could have been cut out and questions really should have been answered, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was an interesting novel full of real emotions and just a hint of paranormal. The characters were addicting, the writing style was perfect, and I can't wait for the next book. 4 stars.

ISBN: 9780857073631
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 452

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger. She wakes from a coma in hospital with no memory of how she got there or of the bizarre accident that caused the deaths of her best friends and her boyfriend, yet left her mysteriously unharmed. The doctors suggest that starting over in a new city, a new school, would be good for her and just to let the memories gradually come back on their own.

But Mara’s new start is anything but comforting. She sees the faces of her dead friends everywhere, and when she suddenly begins to see other people’s deaths right before they happen, Mara wonders whether she’s going crazy! And if dealing with all this wasn’t enough, Noah Shaw, the most beautiful boy she has ever seen can’t seem to leave her alone… but as her life unravels around her, Mara can’t help but wonder if Noah has another agenda altogether…

I really enjoyed reading The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer, it was a mixture of Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson, Entangled by Cat Clarke and the Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong! I enjoyed reading the flashbacks, I think they were well thought out, and written in, just in the right place! One of my favourite parts of The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer was learning more about the accident with Mara, as she herself discovered it.My favourite character was Mara, as despite being told to move on and gradually let the memories come back with time, Mara can’t. She feels guilty that she was the only one to survive so, regardless of the possible consequences, she tries to unearth her memories of that night. I like the cover of The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer, however for me it’s too abstract. I feel it could have fitted in with the actual story within more than it does.

When Mara Dyer wakes up in the hospital she has trouble remembering how she got there. Slowly details are filled in though. She was with her friends and boyfriend in an abandoned asylum when it collapsed. She's the only one who survived. Mara has a hard time dealing with this and is suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) so her family decide it's time for a fresh start and they move to Florida. Things in Florida are okay. Mara makes a friend, Jaime so school isn't so terrible...then there is that cute boy, Noah. English accent, disheveled clothes and tousled hair make him hard to resist. The only problem Mara has, are her hallucinations. She's trying to play it cool so her family doesn't have to worry, but Mara is having a hard time telling between what's real and what's not. When a few people start dropping dead, Mara knows that something has to be going on. She can't figure everything out on her own though.

So while I was not like OH MY GOD THIS BOOK! I do see what people reacted that way. This was a pretty awesome start to a trilogy. Mara is a very fascinating narrator, since her brain isn't completely 100%. She has hallucinations and delusions and it makes it interesting trying to figure out what is really going on.

I wish there was more Jaime in this book. I think it just adds in Mara's dysfunctionality though that she doesn't have a good solid friend. Jaime seemed interesting though and I really wish him and Mara hung out more.

Then there is Noah. He is a dream. I sort of picture him as Nicholas Hoult, especially as Tony in Skins. The cocky air to him as well as being English and cute. Regardless though, he was a very interesting character and he counteracted Mara perfectly.

I am deadly excited to see what happens next with Mara. This story is very ensnaring and the whole concept is just...wow. The only flaw in this novel are more of a preference flaw; the whole girl in new town dates mysterious and attractive boy who only wants her like he's never wanted anyone before. Some people find this unrealistic, I find it perfect for a novel. That's how love in a novel should often be. It's a much nicer reality than the truth. ;)

Michelle Hodkin's writing is amazing. She creates sentences that lure you in and chapters that keep you turning pages. You think you can put the book down, only to realize that you have to read one more chapter to be satisfied.

If you haven't read this novel yet, it's probably time you do. I really enjoyed it and will be biting my nails until all the secrets have been uncovered.

First Line:
"The ornate script on the board twisted in the candlelight, making the letters and numbers dance in my head."

Favorite Lines:
"'I mean asscrown. The crown on the top of the asshat that covers the asshole of assclown. The very zenith in the hierarchy of asses,' I said, as though reading from a dictionary of modern profanity."

"Lightning flashed in distant purple clouds that spread over the sky like a dark quilt."

"'Because I am European, therefore more cultured than you,'..."

Holy smokes!!

There are literally no words for my reaction to how this book ended this book was … it messed up with my head!

I was all like “whatttt is going on here?” , "Did this just happennn?” , “ Am I seeing this? Am I going crazy along with Mara?”

Alrighty here is the break down. It starts super eerie. Mara is with her friends Racheal (her bff) and Claire (Racheal’s friend not really hers) are celebrating Racheal’s birthday. Racheal wants to play the Ouija board and so they do.
They decide to ask, “How am I going to die?”

I’ll leave at that. Later on in the book, Mara ends up in an accident and has no recollection what’s so ever of the incident.

She convinces her family to move away from the painful memories. She has no idea what is going on with her. She’s so confused and it doesn’t help that she’s been diagnosed with PTSD. She’s enrolled into a private school and meets Noah Shaw (... dayuuumm...)
I honestly didn’t know what was unfolding here! I was lost along with Mara! I was getting paranoid! I think I may have started to see things! I need to get my hands on book two !!

I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this, as the synopsis really doesn't give you much detail. I am thrilled to report that I was very pleasantly surprised. Mara wakes in the hospital with no memory of the accident that killed her friends and left her mostly untouched. In the hopes of putting the accident behind her (and not having to be committed to a psychiatric institution, her mother's suggestion), Mara asks her family to move to a new state. The past still haunts her however, and she experiences hallucinations (Claire replacing her reflection in the mirror; Jude standing just a few feet away outside her school) that lead her to believe she's going slightly crazy. She meets Noah, an infuriatingly charming and arrogant boy at her new school, who has quite the reputation of "using girls like condoms" - trashing them once he's used them once. A romance ensues, and we learn Noah is hiding secrets of his own.

I won't go in to too much more detail, plot-wise, as I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read this yet. I will say that there is a touch of the paranormal, which combined with Mara's hallucinations, leaves your hair prickling and standing on end. There were so many scenes where I found myself looking around, expecting to see someone standing over my shoulder, or staring at me from a distance; this book thoroughly creeped me out in some parts. It was awesome.

The romance was refreshing for a YA novel, as it developed throughout the entire book. There was no love-at-first sight (Mara actually calls Noah an asshole after their first encounter), and we are actually allowed to experience their initial attraction blossom into something deeper as we seem them face different situations together. Some of the more steamy moments left me breathless, and I admit that I really enjoyed Hodkin's writing during those parts; she gives just enough to leave you wanting more, while allowing the sexual tension to build up between Mara and Noah so that you can see the electricity that must pass between them when they do touch. The moments where Noah tells Mara that he was made for her, and that he's happy as long as he can that say she belongs to him, were a little uncomfortable for me as I don't like that possessiveness quality, but those moments weren't overwhelmingly present, so I was able to (mostly) ignore them.

The only real issue I have with the book is the ending. The surprise revelation at the end was a welcome one, but Mara's uncharacteristic shift in attitude was not. Throughout the entire book Mara was able to recognize that her hallucinations were a result of her PTSD and she fought to control her mind, so they couldn't overwhelm her; she was strong. Towards the ending, as Mara starts to piece together what actually happened to her friends, she starts to unravel, and the strength she showed early on starts to waver, and then disappear. During the last couple chapters, I really didn't like Mara, her selfishness, or her complete lack of faith in Noah, but most importantly, in herself. I didn't feel like she gave trying to find a solution (or purpose for her...power? for lack of better word) an honest chance, and instead took the easy way out - running away. I'm also not a fan of books that purposely set themselves up for sequels, but I will be reading the next one in this series that Hodkin releases.

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger. She wakes from a coma in hospital with no memory of how she got there or of the bizarre accident that caused the deaths of her best friends and her boyfriend, yet left her mysteriously unharmed. The doctors suggest that starting over in a new city, a new school, would be good for her and just to let the memories gradually come back on their own. But Mara's new start is anything but comforting. She sees the faces of her dead friends everywhere, and when she suddenly begins to see other people's deaths right before they happen, Mara wonders whether she's going crazy! And if dealing with all this wasn't enough, Noah Shaw, the most beautiful boy she has ever seen can't seem to leave her alone… but as her life unravels around her, Mara can't help but wonder if Noah has another agenda altogether…

What I expected: A very haunting book with lots of accidental deaths, and purposeful death as well. A book that related to the title, as Mara becomes a different person via Noah.

What I got: A book with characters that are kinda soft, and the plot not entirely chilling. The hallucinating with Mara was very well done, but was really obvious what was happening. The beginning was really great, but she didn't really lose much memories, not as much as I would of like, it would of made the mystery deeper. The ending kinda dropped off, making the book lose its great plot. There were some confusing parts, like drinking the blood, and waking up afterwards.

I thought that it was great to have Mara hallucinating. It brings a whole new level onto her character, as well as the plot. I thought that it was great to have a damaged character playing the lead, as it lets the character and the reader fight through. Even though Mara is damaged, she still comes out with great lines, especially that one about the hierarchy of asses.

I didn't really like Noah. It's not just because of his reputation, but that does play a part, but it's mainly because I see nothing that really deserves Mara's love. He just sees she's different than everyone else, then wham, he's stalking her, and she's just falls in love. He also doesn't seem that nice of a person, as he acts like an 'asscrown'.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer has a great start, middle, but a not so great ending, as the plot slowly drops off. There are some great lines, and great scenes, some creepy, some funny, some adventurous. This book is not my type, but if you look at the other reviews, you can see it might appeal to you.

I thought this book was very different than any other book out there. It really kept you guessing until the very end and even the last page was shocking. It was very creepy and a fresh take on the girl losing her memory story.
I found the characters to be ok, I didn't love any of them but they were all very interesting to read about. I surprisingly grew less and less fond of Noah as the book progressed. He just seemed to get very controlling. I liked Mara, she had a lot of struggles and did a lot of bad things but you could tell that she never meant for anything bad to happen. At times though it kind of felt like she depended on Noah for everything, which I didn't like.
The whole idea of the story was clever and well written. Although at times there were long stretches were not a lot happened, I was still very into the book and the style of writing. It did have some creepy parts but the book itself was not totally scary.
It was really interesting seeing how Mara deals with her struggles and for a lot of the book she thinks that she is crazy. There were parts that I started to believe she was crazy. You really don't know her whole story until the end of the book and even then you're still left with questions.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants a chilling but fun read. Good book when you want a refreshing new story.