The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Review and T-Shirt Giveaway

27 Sep, 2011 by in michelle hodkin, simon schuster, tshirt giveaway, who is mara dyer 19 comments

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
by Michelle Hodkin

Hardcover, 464 pages
Published:
September 27th 2011
by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
ISBN 1442421762

book source: BEA
3 stars

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.

Hmmmm. This is one of those really hard reviews to write because there is so much you can’t say! Plus the plot of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is shrouded in mystery and suspense and I want to keep it that way. So here’s what I will say…

What I liked: The cover is a five. Wow. Beautiful. I could frame it! The author is awesome. I met her at BEA and she responds well to her fans.

This book sucked me in because I love psychological thrillers. Mara is dealing with some heavy duty issues such as PTSD and hallucinations which I really like to see addressed so openly in YA literature. I have a love-hate relationship with both the main characters. Mara has quite the trashy mouth which for me is hard to read. I like that she tells it like she sees it, just maybe not so colorfully. Main bad boy Noah was the love ’em leave ’em type before Mara came along. Even though I seriously wonder why both of them acted the way they did at times I was still rooting for them. By far the best character of the book was Mara’s brother Daniel. It is so refreshing to see a good strong sibling relationship!

What didn’t I like? There were some holes in plot and at times I was scratching my head wondering what in the world was going on. Santaria? The missing shop and priest?
Where did Mara’s best friend Jaime go- I mean I know he was grounded…but? Didn’t enjoy the paranormal elements. Also a little too much foreshadowing for my taste.

I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone. So…I predict this book will be huge. While it was captivating, I still personally have very mixed feelings about it. In short, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is steeping in eery atmospheric undertones. It’s definitely one you’ll read all in one sitting.

Content- heavy swearing and violence, sexual tension and violence, petting, underage smoking. Not recommended for younger teens.

Find author Michelle Hodkin on her website here. Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster for the advanced reading copy!

Fire and Ice is giving away one “Who is Mara Dyer” black t-shirt courtesy of author Michelle Hodkin to our readers. To enter to win fill out this form. Giveaway is open internationally and ends October 11, 2011.

19 Responses to “The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Review and T-Shirt Giveaway”

  1. Anonymous

    I am so excited for the book also. I have been following it since I heard it was first coming out. I think what attrached me was the cover. The cover is great. Have to say top 10 favorite of the year. I am a huge cover lover and usually if I like the book, I will buy. Thanks for the giveaway and the chance to win. I have been following the blog hop for this also. Already follow this blog and goodreads pages. Also shared this on facebook.
    GFC & blog follower:Chris Bails
    christinebails@yahoo.com

    Reply
  2. Anonymous

    Usually I shun promotional t-shirts, but this one is simple and mysterious enough in design that I would wear it. -Justine

    Reply
  3. Zoe.B.

    Oh golly, I have been waiting for to read this book for ages! How awesome is the cover?
    Grateful for the opportunity!
    -z

    Reply
  4. Belgie

    his book constantly keeps you guessing but you will be addicted to Mara and her life. I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone wanting to read the book but this is a great storyline. It is filled with mystery and a little bit of romance. You would not be disappointed with this book, but be warned, you’d be DYING to read the next book the moment you read the last line.

    Reply

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