Book Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Series: Mara Dyer, Book #2
Release Date: October 23rd, 2012
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 544 Pages
Genre: Paranormal YA
Source: Bought
Format: Hardcover

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?

"Didn't think Michelle could top Unbecoming? You couldn't be more wrong! Full of non-stop thrill, heart-breaking revelations, and the signature mind-twists, The Evolution of Mara Dyer not only meets Unbecoming, but raises the stakes!"

 It's been one of the longest, if not THE longest, wait I've ever experienced before. It's been painful, having the ending of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer sitting in my brain for over a year. That ending left me a total mess, full of so many questions. If you haven't seen my review of Michelle's debut, be sure to check that out HERE. If you followed me on Twitter back in September of 2011, all you saw was my all caps tweets about how amazing the Unbecoming was! The next few months, all that I talked about to people was Mara Dyer - and her big mystery.

 So on October 23rd, bright and early, I forced my dad to drive me down to the bookstore and I picked up my copy of The Evolution of Mara Dyer. Finally, the wait was over.

 Was I the only one that was a tad worried there was no way Evolution could be anything close to the mind-blowing awesomeness of The Unbecoming? Well, I dove in with this thought lingering in the back of my mind. But within 50 pages, which I read within ten minutes, I knew that this thought was nowhere near true! Not only does this one start off with tons of action, jaw-dropping revelations, and that signature romance is alive and better than ever!

 There was one thing about this second installment that was the one and only improvement upon the Unbecoming, because you can't really improve upon a masterpiece such as that debut! If there was one thing I had to complain about, it would have been that Mara's fixation with Noah became a bit extreme and seemed to almost make all other events take the backseat for a good portion of the book. With The Evolution of Mara Dyer, Michelle balances the sizzling romance and the jaw-dropping action perfectly! I was racing through each page because there seemed to be something happening all the time!

 I have to say, my favorite thing about this installment was the characters! There is no doubt that Hodkin is the master of creating deep, emotional, sometimes psychotic characters that you can't help but be interested in and invested in. The new characters of Mara's mental facility are creepy and they kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time! There are some insane ones this time around, I couldn't even wrap my head around the actions of this cast.

 Think Michelle couldn't top her debut? I'm happy to say you couldn't be more wrong! Full of twists and turns you will literally never see coming, sizzling romance that is put on the line, and a cast of characters that make Mara Dyer who she truly is, The Evolution of Mara Dyer no doubt tops The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. 

 But really, don't get me started on the ending.