Once Upon a Chapter

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
#1 in the Mara Dyer Series
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Genre: Young Adult – Paranormal/Suspense-Thriller
Format: Hardcover
Source: Personal Collection
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Synopsis: Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can 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 mysteriously unharmed. There is. She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love. She’s wrong. – via GoodReads

What I Loved: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is one of those books you need a day with nothing planned to read. It will suck you in and refuse to let you go until the very last word. I think what I loved the most was that I was never 100% sure what was going on. It kept me guessing and I really enjoyed that. I don’t want to go in to too much detail because I would hate to give anything away. I did enjoy the relationship between Mara and Noah. Noah balances Mara in a way that makes them absolutely perfect for each other.

What I Could Have Lived Without: Hmmmmm…..This is a fine line and I want to make sure that I express myself correctly. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer deals with post traumatic stress disorder. I do have a close family member who struggles with this. *BIG SPOILER**********************************************************************YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only problem that I really had was that I was never sure if Mara had PTSD and this supernatural power, if the supernatural power caused the PTSD or if they are two 100% different events happening to Mara at the same time. *If you’ve read the book and have an opinion on this, email me at stephanie (at) onceuponachapter (dot) com and tell me what you think! Please don’t leave any spoilers in the comments. 🙂 **********END SPOILER************

Recommended For: Readers who enjoy the type of roller coaster rides where you’re in the dark for 90% of the time and then the ending is revealed in a bright glorious sunshiny day.

Avoid If: Complex plot lines and a sense of never being sure annoy you as a reader.

Other Reviews:
Amanda @ On a Book Bender
Ashley of the Bookish Brunette @ Pages of Forbidden Love
Candace @ Candace’s Book Blog

Stephanie @ Once Upon a Chapter

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6 responses to “The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin”

  1. Amanda Avatar
    Amanda

    Huh. I never really thought about the question you posed in the spoiler section. (heh, like how I avoided that?)

    Glad you enjoyed this one, despite a few issues.

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    1. OUAC_Stephanie Avatar
      OUAC_Stephanie

      Nice sidestep! I like it. 😉 It wasn't even really a big issue, I just thought I was missing some big picture and it niggled in the back of my mind the whole time. Ya know?

      Like

      Reply
  2. Jenny Avatar
    Jenny

    I really enjoyed this one too Stephanie! Like you, I enjoyed the fact that I was never really sure what was happening and if Mara was actually seeing/experiencing the things she was or if it was all in her head. The question you posed was an interesting one, and I'm hoping we'll get a few more answers in the next book:) This book is so hard to discuss without giving anything away!

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    Reply
    1. OUAC_Stephanie Avatar
      OUAC_Stephanie

      I'm very excited for the next book! Answers are going to have to be a must. I like not knowing everything all the time but it can't continue on through many books.

      It IS SO hard to talk about without spoilers. I really don't feel like I gave this review the best that I could because I hate ruining books for people. Ah well, I'll feel better knowing I didn't give anything away than giving a full review with spoilers.

      Like

      Reply
  3. Alexa Avatar
    Alexa

    I LOVED this book! This is why I made Bookish Brunette read it for our swap feature.
    There was so much hype around this book that I was scared to read it, plus dark books were not my thing. I'm so glad that I listened to everyone on this book and read it because it was my favorite book in 2011!

    I agree with Amanda that I never really thought about the PTSD thing, I guess when you know someone who has it, it changes your view point.

    Glad you enjoyed this one though! Thanks for the great review

    Like

    Reply
    1. OUAC_Stephanie Avatar
      OUAC_Stephanie

      I'm with you Alexa. I was afraid to read it because I was worried I wouldn't like it and then be banned from book blogging. No pressure right?

      The thing was is that it didn't really bother me, just that I was confused. I kept thinking there was something I was missing. It was frustrating but in a good way. I'm hoping the second book is just as good as this one was.

      Like

      Reply

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