Review Detail

Thank you S&S for providing me with a finished copy in exchange for a honest review!


Unlike most of my friends, I felt rather tepid toward The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer. Was it entertaining? Yes it was, but it wasn't as amazing as most of my friends had suggested. I was a bit skeptical about reading The Evolution Of Mara Dyer because I had such mixed feelings regarding the 1st book. Despite my skepticism, I really enjoyed The Evolution Of Mara Dyer and I definitely believe that this is a sequel that surpasses it's predecessor.

One of my major complaints with The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer was how scantily Hodkin spread the paranormal and horror aspects in her book. Immediately from the first few pages, Hodkin made good on her promise to deliver a compelling, paranormal novel. I can honestly say that I was utterly creeped out several times while reading this novel. All of the tense, ominous horror was absolutely perfect in this novel and was essential in keeping me turning the pages.

When I read The Unbecoming, I was so focused on Noah's snarky attitude and behaviour. Strangely this time around, I wasn't as amused by Noah's antics and I didn't find his demeanor to be humorous. Noah comes from an extremely affluent, wealthy family and so Noah has more money than he could ever spend. Throughout the novel, Noah spends money like there's no tomorrow trying to solve Mara's dilemmas. Whenever Noah and Mara got into a bind, it seemed as if all Noah had to was spread some cash around and everything was alright. This just isn't realistic; money can't buy everything! Sure, money can be used to purchase so many necessities, but it isn't the solution to every single problem that comes your way in life. I felt the fact that Noah and Mara were so reliant on money to solve their problems acted as a bad message to readers. I know Noah's wealth is part of who he is, but I wish Hodkin had toned down Noah's use of $ to solve problems. There were several instances where the plot could have been benefited by further conflicts, but instead Hodkin took the easy way out by having Noah bribing someone.

Mara has become such an interesting character to read about and she has truly evolved since book 1. I loved how Hodkin created such a conflicted, unreliable narrator that is shrouded in mystery. I really wanted to see what laid behind the peculiar aura that surrounded Mara. Reading about Mara's inner fight with reality and her perception of it was a strange, but extremely rewarding experience. Hodkin hit the nail on the head with writing an unreliable narrator and I went through periods of time, trying to decide whether Mara wasn't distorting the story. Even though I wasn't 100% on Mara's reliability, I empathized with her easily and almost immediately. This was such a change for me because I wasn't a huge fan of Mara in book #1.

I quickly read The Evolution Of Mara Dyer, even though it spans over 500 pages. I was compelled to read further in the novel due to an unbearable urge to find out what happened next. I loved the balance of horror, paranormal, and romance elements in this book; I think Hodkin used a terrific formula when crafting this novel. I couldn't bear to stop reading this book and I had to read this book sneakily while I was at work because I was so addicted. I am so impressed with The Evolution Of Mara Dyer and how quickly my opinion of this series has changed because of this engrossing installment. I am definitely one of the many people who are eagerly awaiting The Retribution Of Mara Dyer. I am extremely glad that I decided to pick up The Evolution Of Mara Dyer and I would even highly recommend it to people who were indifferent to The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer.