The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

       First post of the new year! I know I'm late and I wasn't able to make a post like I did last year, but Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everybody!

Author: Michelle Hodkin
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 528
Author website
Author Twitter
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 23 2013

Introduction

        Mara wakes up in a psychiatric ward sure that Jude is still alive despite the people that are insisting that seeing Jude was just a hallucination. Of course Mara's family wants to help her get better so they put her in an program to see if she would be best suited for in-patient care or out-patient care. Horizons is filled with people with all different kinds of issues, some more severe than others. Mara knows that she doesn't belong there. She has to get out, she has to find out what is happening with Jude and she has to sort out all of the other weird occurrences in her life and figure out if Jude is behind them, and if he is, why is he doing them. Mara knows she isn't crazy, but it'll take a lot to convince all of the people around her.

Jamie
       Jamie makes a comeback! After being expelled from Croyden, his parents placed him at Horizons. He's taller and without dreadlocks, but I'm ecstatic that Jamie is back, (Even if he is dreadlockless) him being my favourite character in the first book.

Stella
       Stella is another person at Horizons, she can almost pass for stable. I wish that a little bit more attention would have been payed to her considering that she is quite important.

Phoebe
       Phoebe is pretty much the complete opposite of Stella. Meaning, that she is entirely unstable. She is absolutely aggravating, Which, is probably what the author meant to do. So props to Hodkin.

Noah and Mara
       Noah and Mara are indeed still dating, but they are always very cautious with what they do physically, considering the Mara-maybe-almost-killing-Noah-while-they-were-making-out-although-it-might-have-just-been-a-hallucination-thing. I respect the fact that are constantly acknowledging what happened because even though Noah refuses to admit it, Mara is dangerous, being with each other is dangerous. However it makes me happy that they know that something could happen and don't throw themselves at each other because Omigodwe'resoinloveandIcouldn'thelpit.

Mara
       Mara didn't have any hallucinations in this book, which was fine. I think it was a good decision to stop the consistent hallucinations although I am aware that hallucinations are a very serious thing for people that suffer from PTSD. Now Mara sleepwalks, which is an interesting change.

"Before"
       Some chapters are labeled "Before" and are set in India. I believe they are dreams of some sort, and it is not Mara living them, I think it's Mara watching to see what unfolds. Usually I am not a fan of things that cut into the story, but the way that these "before" chapters are written is interesting and didn't bore me at all.

Ending
        The ending was not something that I expected. Like, at all. It was done well though. A lot of times twist endings like this one upset me because so much changes to quickly and then I have so many questions, but I liked thin ending, although it isn't something that I expected.

Conclusion
       I think I like the Unbecoming of Mara Dyer better than this one, but that is not to say that The Evolution of Mara Dyer is not great as well. It progressed nicely, and I am very excited, (and a little sad) to read the final book.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Author: Michelle Hodkin
Author Website
Author Twitter
Publication Date: September 27 2011
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers


Introduction
       Mara Dyer wakes up in the hospital with no memory of the last few days. She is informed that her friends died when a building collapsed. She was with them, but she somehow managed to escape the same fate. She shouldn't be alive, she should be dead, along with everybody else. She isn't dead, but she isn't what she used to be. Mara starts hallucinating. beginning to doubt whats real, Mara downplays everything that is going on so that her family doesn't worry, but most importantly, doesn't have her committed. Mara's whole family moves to Florida in hopes to have a new beginning, but the hallucinations still follow her. She doesn't know how long she can hold herself together, but she also knows that she can't fall apart.

Cover
       I really like the cover of this book. I mean, really like it. I don't really know why, but it probably has something to do with the fact that I have never seen one much like it

Noah
     I liked Noah. His easy banter with Mara was hilarious. Even though he has a lot of money, I never really thought he was spoiled or bratty, like many authors make higher-class people out to be.

Jamie
       Jamie was probably my favorite character. Because he is one of Mara's only friends, he is in a lot of the book. You are probably not going to believe me, but even before it was mentioned in the book, he reminded me of Yoda.

Hallucinations
       Mara's hallucinations are consistent throughout the book. I enjoyed how while Mara was having a hallucination, there was no giveaway that she was having one. It wasn't written differently, it didn't go into another chapter. It was all written the same way. I liked that, because this way, it's a little bit of a guessing game at some points, just like it would be for Mara.

Plot Twist
       I have to say, I did not see this plot twist coming, and that actually makes me really happy. A lot of times, I predict the plot twists, and it kind of takes away most of what you should be feeling at the plot twist point. This book did manage to put a nice plot twist. It's not a earth shattering twist, but I liked it, nonetheless.

Conclusion
       I am extremely happy with The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. It has pretty much a little bit of everything. it had some paranormal aspects, it had Mara just trying to live a normal life, the romance between Mara and Noah was great. It was in most of the book, but it wasn't overwhelming. I will defiantly be recommending this to my friends. I believe that both genders would enjoy this book, and I can't wait to read the second installment in the trilogy.

Sever by Lauren DeStafano

Author: Lauren DeStafano
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 371
Published: February 20 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

       Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I reviewed the whole trilogy (Review of Wither here, review of Sever here, and obviously, this is my review of Sever)

       (I've decided to use the synopsis of this book for the introduction. I just can't write one of my own without spoiling it too much. This is probably going to be the only review that I will use the whole synopsis :D)


Introduction
       After enduring Vaughn's worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, and eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuge in his dilapidated house, though the people she left refuse to stay in the past. While Gabriel haunts Rhine's memories Cecily is determined to stay at Rhine's side, even if Linden's feelings are still caught between them.

       Meanwhile Rowan's growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that can not be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future--and about the past that her parents never had the chance to explain.

Cover
       I really like the cover for this book. It's weird though, on this cover, Rhine's hair is brushed. Not that I'm complaining, but on the covers of Wither, and Sever, she had ratsnest hair. What's going on with her hair being brushed. I thought we had a thing going here--No? Okay...

Cecily
       I liked Cecily much better in this book than I did in the others. She has matured, which was to be expected. She is getting older, and she has a kid. Although her personality did noticeably change, she isn't a completely different person. Which is really realistic, because nobody can wake up one day and have a completely different personality


Linden       Linden. My. God. Are you trying to get me to bang my head against a wall? I hated how Linden kept on going back and forth between kind of believing Rhine, and then denying everything that she says.
       On a brighter note, Linden showed a lot of character development in this book. You know, when he isn't being a complete idiot.

Death
       Yes, people die in this book. One HUGE person dies in this book. The way this person dies doesn't make sense to me. I've re-read and re-read the scene where the person dies and I don't understand it. I think the author was going for a dramatic death for the character, but the way it happened wasn't clear.

I Just Have One Question...*SPOILER*
       So...everybody knows what Rowen is doing, and when he is going to do it right? HOW COME NOBODY IS TRYING TO STOP HIM????? You have to have some form of police, or at the very least, protesters? Don't even try to tell me that everybody agrees with what he is doing. It's just not possible.

Conclusion
       I loved this book. I was never bored with it at all. The characters and the plot was absolutely stunning. The Chemical Garden Trilogy got better and better with each book, and I loved every minute of every book.


One Last Thing.
       I was talking about the Chemical Garden Trilogy with somebody I know, and we discoverd how hard it is to say 'Rhine' without it sounding like the name 'Ryan.' I'm serious. Try it, I dare you.

Fever by Lauren DeStafeno

Author: Lauren DeStafanoFormat: Hardcover
Pages 371
Date Published: March 22, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

*I tried as hard as I could to keep spoilers out, but it was difficult!

Introduction
       Rhine and Gabriel have escaped from the mansion and have hit shore. Rhine remembers something that she seems to have forgotten while being confined at the mansion: This world is cruel, and it is not going to change. All Rhine knows, is that she needs to find her brother Rowan. She needs to know that he is safe. When they reach Manhattan, everything is going as well as it could be, and then out of nowhere, Rhine gets sick with a high fever, that shows no sign of breaking. Medication isn't helping. Sleep isn't doing anything for her pain. No body has any answers. The one word on everybody's mind is: Why?

Characters
       Other than Rhine, Gabriel, and Maddie (A little girl that they unintentionally brought with them, on the way to Manhattan.) the characters roles in the book are short and fleeting, because the Rhine and Gabriel don't stay anywhere long. I liked most of them, but they are all more or less the same. I missed the different personalities that are in Wither (Review of Wither here)
       I liked how Jenna, Rhine's dead sister wife, still plays a part in this story, you learn a lot about the secrets that died with her, and that was really cool.

Scarlet District
       The Scarlet District is the first place they end up stopping on the way to Manhattan. It is an old circus, now inhabited by young girls who have become prostitutes. The leader of this is known as Madame. A first generation covered in jewels and perfume. All the girls that are being sold are worn and tattered. So of course Madame jumps at the chance to have a new girl, that is fresh and beautiful. I was confused as to why Rhine was so surprised when Madame told her that she would have to "perform." I mean, did Rhine truly think that she was going to be allowed to stay if she didn't do anything?

Ending
        This ending was great. It will leave you wanting so much more! I am so excited to read Sever. The final installment!!!

Conclusion
       I really liked this book. I was never really bored while reading it, and the ending tied it all together. In fact, in a lot of ways, I enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed the first installment.

Wither by Lauren Destefano

Author: Lauren DeStefano
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 358
Date Published: March 22 2013
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Introduction
       In this broken world, everybody knows exactly when they will die. Long ago, a generation of people were born. They were perfect. No life threatening conditions ever infected their bodies, and most settled comfortably  into old age. When this generation had children however, something went wrong. This newer generation is a ticking time bomb. Females will die at age twenty, and males will die at age twenty five. sixteen year old Rhine only has four more years left to live. One night, she is taken from Manhattan and chosen along with two other girls to become a wife of a wealthy man named Linden. Linden lives in a mansion where you could lose yourself in illusions, But Rhine knows the only reason she Jenna, and Cecily are in the mansion is so they can bear children. While Linden is really nice to all the wives, All that is on Rhine's mind is escaping. She needs to get back to her twin brother Rowen, and she needs to spend her few remaining years where she grew up. With the help of a servant named Gabriel, and her sister wives, she just might be able to make it back before it's to late.

Characters/Relationships
       I like Rhine and Jenna, but Cecily can be a bit of a brat sometimes. I mean, I know that she doesn't fully understand what's going on, but she's never nice to the people that bring her the food, and she is barley ever nice to Jenna and Rhine.
       Rhine starts of hating Linden, later in the book she realizes it isn't his fault that she's stuck in the mansion.  He's as much of a prisoner as she is.
        The girls are at the mansion so that they can have children, they do mention sex, but nothing really happens.
      Aside from Jenna, most of the characters have really cool names. Rhine is the name of a river. Which is pretty cool. I've never heard the name Cecily before, but I quite like it. The only problem I have is that the two names, Rowen, Rhine's brother, and Bowen, a baby, sound too close to each other in my opinion. All you have to do is change ONE letter.
      I saw Rhine and Gabriel's relationship come from a mile away. I don't know if it was like that for anybody else who read the book, but to me it was obvious.
       On Goodreads, a lot of people have been having discussions on whether they liked Gabriel, or Linden better. I don't really like either of them. Gabriel doesn't have much of a personality, and Linden is completely clueless about the fact that neither Jenna nor Rhine actually want to be at the mansion. Which I guess isn't really his fault because that is probably what his creepy father wants him to believe, but still.

Conclusion
       I liked this book. It's nice change from what I usually read. This is the first book in The Chemical Garden Trilogy. I will pick up the second book entitled Fever if I get the chance.