Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can. 

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed. 

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. 

She's wrong.


A full week  has past after reading this book and I'm still trying to gather my thoughts in order to write a proper review so if this seems a bit over the place.... Bear with me people.

I loved this book to bits. It was dark, suspenseful and pretty creepy at times. Seriously. I stole my fair share of glances behind me to ensure no creepy dead person was standing there watching me. The writing was really easy to get into and the pacing was amazing. And don't get me start on the romance! 

Oh, Noah... *sigh*  

I don't think I can properly describe to you how hard I was fangirling at the scenes between Noah and Mara! Those two had an unbelievable chemistry that I just couldn't get enough of!

So let's move on to the Characters.

We begin with Mara, a16-year-old girl, who's been in an accident that she has no recollection of and wakes up to find her best friend, boyfriend and his sister dead. After that, she begins having hallucinations of them and imagining people's deaths few minutes before they happen. Naturally, she begins to think she's crazy. But what if she isn't?

I really enjoyed Mara's character. She was flawed, damaged and overall lost. Do you even wonder why I liked her? *enter sarcasm* But, jocking aside, I think that's what made her 'real'.  She is dignosed with PTSD, is really confused and for the most part of the book she tried to cast aside what she was seeing as hallucinations or simple coincidents which was something that anybody else in her place would have done. She was, for the most part, a credible character and that's something I really liked about her.

Then we have Noah. The mysterious beautiful boy who takes an interest on Mara. I loved him! What more is there to say? He was complex and always ready with a witty response. Smart and determinded, he was a really swoon-worthy male character! He was also there for Mara when she need him and a nice destraction for her from all the weird stuff happening. Definitely high up on my book-boyfriend list!

I also can't go on without talking about one of my favorite characters, Jamie. Although he didn't stay long in the book Jamie was the comic relief to this book for me. He was so sassy and also a very good friend, one that stands up to people when they've wronged someone. He was just awesome!

On another note, that cliffhanger! It had me gaping at the book and then, of course, throwing it on my bed and jumping onto the next one. I am not kidding. I started The Evolution of Mara Dyer in the span of 3 minutes after finishing The Unbecoming. And so far? It's so good!

Five out of five stars, this is a book I really recommend reading! It's something differenet and exciting! And if you are in the mood for something creepy and mysterious? Even better!

Book info:

• Paperback, 466 pages
• Published, September 27th 2011
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Genre: Mystery, Paranormal.
• Rating: 5/5

Mystery= The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Waiting on Wednesday #3

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases we are eager to get out hands on!

The Darkest Part of The Forest by Holly Black

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

Publishing Company: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy/Paranormal, Romance

Release Date: January 13th 2015

So excited for this one! What are you guys waiting on this week? 

Waiting on Wednesday #2

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases we are eager to get out hands on!

Compulsion by Martina Boone

Three plantations. Two wishes. One ancient curse.

All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lives with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt’s South Carolina plantation instead--a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn’t what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.

• Publishing Company: Simon Pulse
• Publication Date : October 28th
• Source: Goodreads

Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

    The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organisation of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them....

The Mortal Instruments being one of my favorite series,  I had The infernal Devices high on my to-be-read list  for a-longer-than-I’d-like-to-admit time and when I finally got to read it earlier this month it really blew me away!

As a story it was well-written, engaging, full of twists keeping me at the edge of my seat at all times and action packed. It started a bit slow for my liking but I think that contributed to the world building which left me completely enchanted. I was fascinated by  Cassandra Clare’s view on the Victorian London and the fact that she tried to stay true to the rules and morals of that time such as the way she showed us through Tessa and Jessamine how women thought back then and what was their ‘duty’ according to society- we see an example of that by Tessa’s reaction on seeing Sophie dressed in gear. 

Another thing that intrigued me was how different Shadowhunter women where from everyday girls. For example, the girls who were Shadowhunters  were first fighters and then ladies whereas the ‘mundane’ girls had their mind set on finding a man and settle down and dress elegantly.  I found it really interesting observing the differences between them.

I loved the complexity of each of the characters and the way they intrigued you from their very first appearance.  By the end of the book I felt connected with them and invested in them and their storylines.

Magnus’ appearance was also an amazing addition to the book!  (Was I the only one who when I saw Camille and Magnus together I shouted: “Nooo! Malec forever!”….. Hahahaha! You should have seen the look my brother was giving me!)

Characters

Tessa, without a doubt, belongs in the small list of female main characters that I love.

She was strong willed, brave, had a functioning brain which she actually used and above all, she was a fan of literature. I loved the fact that she was willing to do anything possible to save her brother and that even though she was undeniably attracted to Will she wasn’t one of those female characters who swoons over the guy all the time and takes  whatever insult he sends their way.

Now, Will….. Oh Will…

William Herondale is one of the most complex and secretive main characters I’ve ever read about. Between his mood swings, his ability to quote famous novels and his occasional swoon worthy scenes….  I was torn between wanting to slap him and kiss him (you know, providing that, in an alternate universe, he was real *sigh*). Still, as a character he was very interesting and I’m really excited to learn more about his past in Clockwork Prince.

I really liked Jem. He was very kind-hearted and compassionate compared to Will and his story completely broke my heart but I still do like Will a little bit more…. ( Sorry Jem fans!)

Lastly, I can’t end this review without talking about my favorite character….. Henry Branwell! I adored Henry from the moment he entered the dining room with his arm on fire and without even realizing it! He is such a funny, good-natured character!

I have a feeling he’ll do great things in the next installments of the series!

Overall, this book was a solid 4.5/5 for me and not because I thought it was lacking something but because from what I’ve heard and saw this series will get even better in the next books!If you haven’t read Clockwork Angel I recommend you pick it up immediately, especially if you are a TMI fan!

Book info:

• Paperback, 479 pages
• Published, August 31st 2010
• Publisher: Walker Books
• Genre: YA / Paranormal / Historical fiction
• Rating: 4.5/5

HAVE YOU READ CLOCKWORK ANGEL BY CASSANDRA CLARE? WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT?