Book Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
by Michelle Hodkin
452 Pages
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 27th, 2011
Source: Library

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.

Mara Dyer was probably the most hyped book of Spring/Summer 2011 so when I finally got my hands on a copy I was a little scared and hesitant to read it. After all the hype monster does have a tendency of making a book seem far greater than it could ever really be. But with The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer I shouldn't have been worried. This book is fan-freaking-tastic!!!!!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is completely unique. I've never read anything quite like it before. Its a wonderful blend of creepy paranormal, eerie psychological mystery, and of course a bit of romance. Michelle Hodkin is able to weave each of these elements together seamlessly and I absolutely loved it!

Mara Dyer was a such a great protagonist. Even though she had been through a ton of crazy shiz (a building falling on top of you? Yeah that doesn't happen everyday!) she still managed to be down to earth and relatable. What I really loved about her was that she wasn't willing to let her circumstances define her. While Mara Dyer was amazing there was another character who I liked even more and that was Noah Shaw. Ohhh Noah Shaw. If only there could be an equally amazing bedheaded and blue eyed British boy in my life. Noah Shaw is the epitome of fictional hotness. I wasn't totally sold on him in the beginning (after all I'm normally not into guys with a "bad boy" image) but as the story progressed I couldn't help but love him. I mean what's not to love about a cute (and totally sweet) British guy?


Other than the romance of Mara Dyer (which is admittedly pretty great) the mystery is definitely what kept me hooked. Michelle Hodkin did an absolutely genius job of creating a narrative that was both trusthworthy and untrustworthy which made the story intriguing like no other. What was real? What was an illusion? This is the kind of the book that could drive a reader crazy but in the best sort of way! There are all sorts of insane twists and turns and plot aspects that were completely surprising. And the ending, OH MY GOSH THE ENDING!!!! I literally gasped in shock at the ending. I don't think I've ever been so shocked at an ending to a book since reading Catching Fire. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer definitely wins best WTF ending of the year!

Finally I just have to say that I am IN LOVE with Michelle Hodkin's writing style. I don't know how she did it but she was able to create prose that was both creepy, yet not creepy, rational and yet irrational, smooth and flowing and yet at the same time disjointed. It fit the story of Mara Dyer perfectly.

If you haven't yet read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!?! Read it NOW! You won't be disappointed!


I give The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer 5 out of 5 ice cream cones.

I can hardly wait for Mara Dyer's sequel!!! Can it be Fall 2012 already?

Julia :)