Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer #2) by Michelle Hodkin

Book Title: The Evolution of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Published Date: October 23rd, 2012

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers

Genre: YA Mystery

Series: Book Two in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer trilogy

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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?

Disclaimer: Library book.

Review:

Holy crap, what an opening for this book. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what was going on at the end of the last book, but this one opened with a bang. We learned some things about Mara's grandmother that we weren't expecting and that Mara, herself never knew about.

We also delve into the differences between Mara's family and Noah's dysfunctional family. Noah's father is cold and distant and his stepmother tries to be there for him, but it doesn't really work out like that. Noah is very loyal to his sister, Katie, she's the only one to not let him down. He's clearly envious of the fact that Mara's family loves her and supports her throughout this messed up time in her life.

Mara starts to have issues with sleepwalking, all the way to the point where she doesn't remember throwing things away. She'll wake up the next morning and have no memory of the things she did the night before.

The concept of genetic memory is broached which I loved hearing about. I found that idea to be so fascinating. I loved that Noah brought it up. It was supposed to be a connection between Mara and her grandmother, and given how it unfolded, I liked it a lot.

Noah pushes her to put down her defenses and actually wanting him first, instead of having him always being the aggressor. She struggles with the fear that she'll hurt him, but he wants her to trust him, he wants her to fight against her fear. He is in love with her and she is in love with him. There is a lot of fear and distrust between them, but not in the way most people would think.

"This was the boy I loved. A little bit messy. A little bit ruined. A beautiful disaster. Just like me."

Near the end, we start to get some of our questions answered. Questions about Jude, Stella, Jamie and Phoebe, among others. The ending was absolutely bat-crap crazy. Even crazier than the first book. I loooooved this book, it was an improvement over the first book, although I was crazy about the first book too, but this book was a crazy-awesome roller coaster ride. 5 stars to this book. ALL THE STARS!!