sexta-feira, 25 de novembro de 2011

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Michelle Hodkin

I'm submitting this book to the 2011 Debut Author Challenge, hosted by The Story Siren.


Review: I did not see this one coming. This book has a rather unique plot, making you second-guessing what you've just read and complicating further Mara's story. It's rare to read a mystery/thriller in the YA genre, but I enjoyed every bit of it.

Mara Dyer is starting school anew. She has moved due a personal tragedy - her best friend, her boyfriend and his sister died, leaving her with no memory of what happened, except for these hallucinations, these visions that haunt her. She doesn't know how to get back to normal.

It was refreshing to read Mara's story. She's an unreliable narrator (one not very common in YA), due to her hallucinations, and she had me second-guessing everything she said that she saw and did, and even when I found out what was really going on with her, I was very skeptical at that particular revelation. The plot kept me suspicious until the very end, and I was a bit uneasy about how the thing with Mara turned out.

Noah, the male MC, starts out as the typical player, the hot and British guy - he's the kind of character that would annoy me for being such a cliché, but he and Mara had some chemistry and I was chuckling at every remark that they both threw at each other, usually sarcastic or with some sort of innuendo.

They come off a bit too intense, though. I wasn't sure if it was Mara's "craziness" or just teenage behaviour, but still, their relationship was a bit odd. And unique, as well - I was curious at how they were connected and what that means for them, as it could go either very right or very wrong.

I adored Mara's family, they were so supportive of her, especially her brothers, Daniel and Joseph. Jamie, the guy she befriends, was interesing and funny, although a bit cliché. I just lacked any strong female characters besides Mara. Her dead friends don't count, and the she-slut that tried to screw with Mara doesn't either.

As for the final chapters and the ending, I was shocked. At how Mara behaved, at what she was willing to do and at what she may have (or may have not) done. And also at what she was going to do before the big cliffhanger. Seriously, what is going on with these books? Cliffhangers are so exciting but also make me pine so much for the next book. I tell you, it is not a pretty sight to behold, leaving me hanging like that. September 2012 is so far away...

Pages: 464

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

8 comentários:

  1. I've been reading a lot of different opinions about this book so I'm kind of weary... still, I'm glad you liked it. ^_^

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  2. Wow, bateu-te forte este :D

    É muito chato quando acabam assim os livros...não tem graça nenhuma O_O

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  3. (estás a ler o The Viscount Who Loved Me!!! :D)

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  4. @ slayra, it does have the potencial to divide readers between liking or disliking it... even I was uneasy at a couple of things, but overall I enjoyed it - it's not often one sees this kind of story in YA and I liked that it kept me guessing. :)

    @ jen7waters, foi bem giro por ser diferente. Como disse à slayra, toda a coisa por trás de tentar perceber se a Mara estava a alucinar interessou-me bastante, fez-me pensar no filme Cisne Negro. ;)

    Lol, estou a ganhar uma irritação com cliffhangers - é que uma boa parte dos livros que tenho lido ultimamente acabam assim, e eu começo a ficar stressada de ter de esperar um ano pela continuação. :P

    (Já li, na verdade. :D Ando um bocado atrasada com as opiniões. Mas adorei! O Anthony e a Kate são tão divertidos. xD)

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  5. O Cisne Negro, a sério? Ui tenho de o recomendar a uma pessoa então, alguém que ADOROU o filme.

    (Já está lido?! Só vi hoje ali na barra lateral xD Ai nem me digas nada, eles são demais. O Anthony é o meu Bridgerton favorito, e a Kate é de gritos.)

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  6. Atenção, o Cisne Negro versão YA, portanto não dá para evitar adolescentes com hormonas aos saltos. Se essa pessoa não suportar este tipo de coisa é melhor não fazeres a recomendação. :P

    (Lol foi tão giro ver o Anthony a debater-se com o mesmo tipo de drama que a irmã... foi obrigado a casar por uma cena bem mais comprometedora do que a Daphne! xD E a Kate é uma rapariga a valer, se consegue ganhar num jogo do famoso Pall Mall logo à primeira. :D)

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  7. Tal como a slayra, tenho lido algumas opiniões contraditórias quanto a este livro.

    Quanto a cliffhangers ... não gosto nada de ter de esperara não sei quantos meses (ou mesmo um ano) pelo próximo. É tão frustrante!

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  8. (mas ela jogou com a Mallet of Death! já tinha meio caminho andado xD ehehe)

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