The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1)

Everything about this book is just jaw dropping-ly amazing.

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.

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.

I wasn't sure about this book for the longest time. I would always look at it but something would end up preventing me from buying it. I eventually gave in and I absolutely loved it. This is one of those novels that just got into my head and seriously messed with me. Even at the time of writing this review (2 days after I finished the book) I can't stop thinking about it. The twists were intense, the subject was dark at times and it was creepy.

I don't know about anything else but I love books where the main character can't remember what happens and they believe that they're crazy. There's just something about seeing things through their twisted perspective that just makes the story creepier than if it was being told through someone else.

I loved Mara. Slipping into her head during her descent into madness was absolutely thrilling. Just like Mara, I had trouble telling what was real or a delusion until she figured it out herself and that just made the story because I was constantly left wondering if an event really happened or not. Then thee is Noah Shaw. That boy is just completely swoon worthy. He seems like the typical arrogant bad boy but there is so much more to him. He's actually a pretty deep and caring character. I absolutely did not see the twist with him coming in the story either.

If you haven't read this book yet all I have to say is go get a copy. This is one book that even after you turned the last page it will keep you up at night wondering just what exactly is going on. I will be reading the next book in this series as soon as I have a chance and I am absolutely looking forward to it.

Holy. Wow. I want to know why someone didn’t force me to read this sooner, because I was most certainly, without question, missing out. This book has it all: mystery, romance, thrill (I’m not sure if that works, but I’m using it), just a dash of paranormal, and, of course, Noah Shaw.

First, I’m a sucker for mystery and psychological thrillers and The Unbecoming had plenty to offer me in those departments. Even though I thought I knew what was real most of the time, I was never completely sure. When dealing with psychological thrillers, one can often get confused and that’s definitely the case here, but I was never annoyed by my confusion. It totally worked for my enjoyment of the story.

If you’re a reader of this blog, you’ve probably noticed that I don’t really read a lot of paranormal. As I mentioned before, The Unbecoming has just a dash of paranormal and it’s totally perfect. So if you’re afraid of paranormal, you should definitely still give this one a chance.

I suppose you want to hear about Shaw now. Well, let’s just say he’s pretty freaking amazing. He’s sexy and, well, he has an accent. Who can resist a boy with an accent? He’s also just the slightest bit jerk-like, but it gets balanced out by his sweetness most of the time. If nothing else, you definitely want to read this for him.

Ever since The Unbecoming came out, I’ve been hearing about its WTF quality. I had no idea what people could possibly mean by that until I read it, and let me tell you, it’s most certainly a good thing.

Final Thoughts: This book seriously has it all. I was never bored and for the last 50-100 pages or so, I was basically glued to the pages. Oh, and the ending. Seriously, what the crap?!? When I reached the last page, I was actually talking to the book going “No. No way. It can’t be over. I can’t believe that just happened.” Basically, there’s no possible way to be eloquent about this book which should make you want to read it all the more.

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.

I really loved this book. It wasn't what i expected but i loved it anyways.

We get to know what is happening with Mara (the main character) and Noah and i was surprised to see that Noah also has secrets of his own.

I loved how Michele made this book unpredictable, i wasn't expecting what happened and i was really shocked at the end to see that Jude was still alive.

I loved how it ended-leaving me hanging and making me think about when the sequel is coming out and i just can't wait!

I hope it is as good as this.

SO GOOD! I love this book, and I hate that I have to wait so long for the next one! Noah and Mara are such interesting characters, and I really can't wait to get to know them a little better!

I am sooo glad that I signed up for the 2012 Debut Author Challenge. Why? Because 'The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer' is a 2012 debut (at least in the UK) and, while I may have read it sooner or later even if it wasn't a debut, the fact that it was just meant it was sooner. Sooner, rather than later, that I read this AMAZING book, which I completely LOVE!

Nightmares, memories and hallucinations merge unsettlingly with reality, creating a darkly tense, mysterious story. I actually found myself to be quite spooked at some points in the book, with characters involving themselves in Ouja boards and old abandoned lunatic asylums; I know, that makes it sound like a classic, clichè horror story but it's not!

I think the main feature of this story is all the mystery. Right at the very beginning, before the story even starts, we are told "My name is not Mara Dyer, but my lawyer told me I had to choose something." So from the very outset, we are already filled with questions, the biggest one being, 'Who is Mara Dyer???' This question is the foundation of the book, which builds up around it and, bit by bit, gives us fragments of insight into the protagonist's life in order for us to be able to start piecing together the answer. By the end of the book, we do have some answers, but the whole picture still eludes us, leaving us hanging and anticipating the sequel. And the end will leave you inwardly screaming for the next book.

I have already recommended, and passed on, The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer to one of my friends and I'm recommending it to all of you too!

As soon as I started it, I sat on my butt for almost four hours straight until the prospect of a blood clot rushing to my heart due to inactivity prompted me to get up. But I was obsessed! All I could think about was Mara's story! The characters are really strong in this book. There is some vulgar language, but really only enough to create a personality. It didn't feel overdone like some other books I've read...or tried to read. Mara is willful. Her emotional strength gets her through the story and although she starts out relying only on herself, Mara learns to ask for help when really needed.

Descriptions of Mara's "episodes" were done in very vivid detail. It was easy to connect to Mara's desperation even though I am not psychotic...or at least I don't think I am. But Mara's way of responding to outside stimuli was realistic. She pushed the thoughts away taking into account that she did have a problem that she needed to deal with. Nothing was overdone or understated. The balance between Mara's conflicting emotions and interactions with the other characters was wonderfully written.

Noah is also a very strong character. He is snark-y, slightly arrogant and distanced until later in the novel. He is very similar to Mara in ways of personality and it shows how they connect in that sense. But at the same time, Noah reveals insecurities that may be more emotionally traumatic than Mara's circumstances. This juxtaposition really shows Mara's ability to overcome, but is still down-to-earth.

The story has some surprising plot turns and I ended up figuring things out along with Mara. I am so amped to read the sequel. The cliff-hanger was devastating to me as a reader. I can't get enough of these characters, but especially the story. A must read.

*originally posted on my book review blog.