Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer 
by Michelle Hodkin 
Published: September 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Available: Amazon

Synopsis:

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.

Review:

I was immediately drawn to this book by its cover. I think it's hauntingly beautiful, and I wasn't disappointed by the book. 

The book opens with Mara awaken to the news that 3 of her closest friends have died, and she is the only person who knows what really happened to them. the only problem is that she can't remember anything about it. This of course is the mystery the book revolves around.


There is of course the standard move to a new town, but Mara doesn't sink into a horrible depression, constantly moaning about the friends she lost. Yes, she thinks about them, and yes she starts seeing things, but it didn't feel depressing, more creepy and mysterious. She literally seems to be going crazy and is terrified by the fact.

Mara's love interest Noah is intriguing as well. He's got the bad boy reputation, and it's well deserved. Sure he's a pretty nice guy once Mara got to know him, but he admits that he isn't completely misjudged by the rest of the school. It gives him a more realistic feel to know that he is flawed. Other supporting characters like Daniel, her brother, and Jamie, her new friend, are also well developed. None felt like their relationship with Mara was forced. There was a reason to their interactions, and they naturally added to the story.


I was a bit disappointed that this is the first in a series. I would have much rather had Mara's story finish here. I'll read the next book, but I'm so tired of reading unnecessarily drawn out stories.