REVIEW: The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #3) by Michelle Hodkin

Title/Series: The Retribution of Mara Dyer | Mara Dyer #3
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: November 6th 2014
Format: Hardcover | Pages: 470
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Source: Amazon
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Michelle Hodkin | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Mara Dyer wants to believe there's more to the lies she’s been told.

There is.

She doesn't stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.

She should.

She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.

She will now.

Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.

Retribution has arrived.

It dawned on me when I had about 100 pages left in this book that it is going to be extremely hard, practically impossible even, to write a review for this book. At least one that's spoiler free. But I'm going to give it everything I have and see what happens. If you're reading this I manged to come up with something. Yay me!

I've had weird dreams. I've had weird hallucinations. But weird didn't even begin to touch this, whatever this was.

I never expected to get as attached to this series as I have. But from the moment I picked up The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, through every word and every sentence and every paragraph I fell deeper and deeper into this twisted, dark, hauntingly beautiful story. The intensity, the darkness, the complete mind fuckery has been steadily building since the very first book. It rarely lets up and I often found myself wondering if I myself was going to come out of this series sane. Truly I've had some very strange dreams.

I should have been more frightened than I was. I should have been terrified. But I just felt like I was watching all of this happen to someone else.

At the start of each sequel I would think there's no way I could handle things getting any worse than they did previously. Yet there was no way in hell I could even think about putting them down. The more twisted it got the faster I would push myself to get to the next page. To say Retribution was the most shocking would be an understatement. The depths of darkness that this book went to had me absolutely hopeless throughout most of it. Doubting an ending could be possible that I would find satisfying.

Jamie held a slice in each hand and was looking back and forth between them. "I want to double-fist the shit out of this pizza."

Even when things look bleak Michelle Hodkin manages to sneak in moments that had me laughing out loud. I am in love with her writing style  You name an emotion and she has more than likely managed to pull that out of me within this series. I will read anything this woman writes. No, truly. If she published a book of nothing but old grocery lists I would be rushing to buy it. I have fangirled and shouted about how much I've loved this book or that book in the past, but this series was so different for me. It's that one. The one. The one that has me sitting here wondering how am I ever going to pick up another book and feel that same enjoyment and level of emotions. Yeah, it seems I'm slightly obsessed. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go wallow in this book hangover. They should make a patch for that, one that pumps you full of endorphins to help get you over the hump.

REVIEW: The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) by Michelle Hodkin

Title/Series: The Evolution of Mara Dyer | Mara Dyer #2
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: October 29th 2013
Format: Paperback | Pages: 527
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Source: Amazon
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Michelle Hodkin | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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?

This review will probably be on the shorter side because it's going to be hard to put my thoughts into words without spoiling anything. Plus I'm not even really sure what it is I even am feeling at the moment. All I do know for sure is Michelle Hodkin...is freaking brilliant!

Time was supposed to heal all wounds, but how could it when Jude kept picking the scab?

First of all I finished The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer feeling like there wasn't any way to top it. I was pulled in immediately and my emotions were pulled up to the highest of highs and brought down so low I wasn't sure I'd be able to claw my way back to the top. But that was just the first book in this series and now after reading this one? That was all a simple child's bedtime story in comparison. I'm stunned. I'm shocked. I feel emotionally drained. And it's taking every last shred of willpower I have to be sitting here typing this and allowing myself to clear my thoughts, instead of picking up the last book and starting it immediately. Couldn't be topped? Pfft! I'd laugh at myself if I wasn't so drained.

My father might be right. If I lost Noah, I might just lose my mind.

My affection for these characters has only deepened. Especially with both Noah and Mara's brother Daniel. Daniel's unwavering support and faith in his sister at one point even brought me to tears. And Noah? I can't even describe it! No matter what Mara wants to try in order to figure out what's happening to her he's there solidly supporting her. If she said she wanted to...I don't know, travel deep into a jungle and visit some shaman or witch doctor or something that most of us would just look at the person and laugh and think you can't be serious? Noah would charter a jet and fly her there then hold her hand as he hacked his way with a machete through the jungle to find whoever she was looking for. He's the guy who will move heaven and earth for her, never once doubting what she said to be anything but reality. And I'll admit there have been plenty of moments through this series so far that I often doubted her myself and had to wonder if things were actually happening or not.

But no one could protect me from myself.

I still have no idea what's going on! If one question gets answered, it brings with it a whole fresh set of new ones to have me totally baffled. There was even a darker edge to this one. I was even more so on the edge of my seat as the story twisted and turned and really messed with my head and even had me a little bit freaked out. I'm so not joking! Especially when I was reading it late at night. I was so very much pulled in and emotionally invested in the story that it had me on edge. I'm both excited and really worried to pick up the last book. Part of me just doesn't want it to end period because I'm so hooked. Another part of me is just praying that it ends well since my recent track record with series enders is...not so good. *Deep breath* I'm going in... 

Huh...look at that. This review is longer than I thought it'd be!

Swoon Thursday #37

Swoon Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by YABound!

Here's what you do:

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.

This week's pick is from:

The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2)

by Michelle Hodkin

"Fuck," he murmured against my lips. The feel, the word, sent a hot little shock through my spine. It skittered through my veins, danced through every nerve.

And then I brushed his lips with mine.

I knew Noah worshiped Charlie Parker and that his toothbrush was green. That he wouldn't bother to button his shirts correctly but always made his bed. That when he slept he curled into himself and that his eyes were the color of the clouds before it rained, and I knew he had no problem eating meat but would subtly leave the room if animals started to kill one another on the Discovery Channel. I knew one hundred little things about Noah Shaw but when he kissed me I couldn't remember my own name.

I was starved for him, for this. I was a creature of need--soaked in feeling and breathless. There was a pull, furious and fierce, and part of me was frightened by it but another part, low and deep and dark, breathed yes.

Noah whispered my name like a prayer, and I was free.

I'm pretty obsessed with Noah Shaw at the moment. But can you blame me? So what book are you swooning over this week? :)

REVIEW: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin

Title/Series: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer | Mara Dyer #1
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: September 27th 2011
Format: Paperback | Pages: 452
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Source: Amazon
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Michelle Hodkin | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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.

Even though I had a small but manageable pile of review books that needed to be read, that wasn't how I wanted to start off my 2015 reading wise. I really wanted to start the new year off with a bang. Something to leave me thinking "wow, am I glad I picked this up instead!" I picked up my Kindle but nothing inspired me to drop everything and read. I kept looking toward the piles of recent purchases sitting on my desk just waiting for me to quit procrastinating and find homes for them on my bookshelves. On top of one of those piles was The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Everything about it just kept calling out to me, the gorgeous cover, the intriguing title and most especially that blurb that piqued my curiosity in unbelievable ways. So I knew this had to be the one. And now that I've finished it? Oh. My. Gosh. Am I freaking glad that I picked this up instead! I have the worst book hangover in the world and I have since ordered the other two books.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

I highly enjoyed the whole mysterious side to this book. Sitting here trying to guess as to what is going on as I read. Normally my brain will come up with quite a few different theories, all of which are generally wrong, but with this book I've been completely baffled. I'm still not even sure what's happened fully or what will happen next. I feel like this was a major contributing factor to how much I loved this book. I mean if I can't even come up with a guess, even a wrong one, then I am impressed!

"You don't know me. You only know what Daniel told you, and I don't let him see. There's something wrong with me."

The characters in this book are so complex and different. I never felt like they were the same type of character I've read time and time again. Mara was just brilliant. I wondered from one page to the next if there was something truly wrong with her or not. She's funny and sarcastic, brave in so many ways and yet in other ways just a frightened teenage girl. I am so excited for the other two books to come in the mail so that I can see what comes of her character from this point. This one ended with her in a very what in the hell kind of moment so I'm just dying over here!

My mouth fell open. "Did I just see you litter?" 

"I'm driving a hybrid. It cancels out."

For a brief, delusional, moment I didn't think I was going to like Noah at the beginning. A reputation was implied before we really get to know him. One of him being sort of a love-em-for-one-night-and-leave-em type of guy. It didn't take long, though, for me to fall hopelessly for him. He's so freaking funny and sweet and chivalrous and just an all out good person. Plus he's got that whole British accent thing going on and I am a complete sucker for that fact right there alone. I loved how protective he became of Mara and how easily he fit into her life and melded with her family. He's quite the charmer.

Jamie batted his eyelashes. I kind of loved him.

This book is just filled with unique and interesting characters. Mara's two brothers were both favorites and I loved the dynamic between the siblings. Daniel who's a year older than Mara is very protective and watches out for her not just in public type situations but at home with their parents as well. Loved him. But besides her family there's the first person she meets at her new school, Jamie, who is...well I don't know how to even describe him. He's just my favorite. Truly some really great character creation. If I didn't love them I hated them with a fiery passion and hoped for very bad things to happen to them!

"I had grand plans for today. Hookers and blow aren't cheap, but I suppose animal sacrifice will have to do. Happy birthday."

What I love most about this book is it leaves you feeling so many things throughout. It's not just a dark, anxiety filled edge of your seat mystery. There's this sweet and yet passionate romance. There is so much humor that I was not expecting at all. There's also stuff to get you riled up and ticked off. You, or at lest I did, really experience the whole spectrum in the feels department. I am absolutely hooked and in love with this series so far. This first book was just a beautiful and brilliant series starter that pulled me in immediately. It kept me on the edge of my seat and the only break I took from start to finish was when my eyes were so heavy it was impossible to keep them open. Now if you'll excuse me while I go sit staring out the window like a dog waiting for his owner, I have a mailman to stalk because I'm dying to know what happens next!

Swoon Thursday #36

Swoon Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by YABound!

Here's what you do:

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.

This week's pick is from:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1)

by Michelle Hodkin

"I'm not your type," I managed to say.

Noah then took a step toward me, and a deviant smile teased the corner of his mouth. Damn. "I don't have a type."

"That's even worse," I said, and I swear I tried to sound mean when I said it. "You're as indiscriminate as they say."

But I wanted him closer.

"I've been slandered." His voice was barely above a whisper. He took another step, so close that I felt the warm aura of his chest. He looked down at me, all sincere and open and with that chaos hair in his eyes and I wanted and didn't want and I had to say something.

"I doubt it" was the best I could do. His face was inches from mine. I was going to kiss him, and I was going to regret it.

But at that moment, I couldn't bring myself to care.

So I haven't done one of these in what feels like forever, truly. But I am very head over heels for this book at the moment and, of course, Noah Shaw! I had to have a couple of my girls help me decide between this sort of sexy swoon and one that was more funny than it was full on swoon. In the end this is what I'm going with. Now to go quickly read a review book so I can get to the other two books in this series. I'm dying here! Mooooreee Noah!

What are you swooning over this week?

That's What HE Said Thursday #20

Every Thursday, the girls over at Chapter Break are hosting a fun new meme! To learn more about "That's What HE Said Thursday" click here.

My Quote:

Noah Shaw to Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin

I am so all about this book right now and I love Noah to pieces. I contemplated putting up one of his many funny lines but I ended up with this because I loved this moment between them. :)