Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Released: 2012
Pages: 544
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 3/5



Goodreads Description:

Mara Dyer knows she isn't crazy. She knows that she can kill with her mind, and that Noah can heal with his. Mara also knows that somehow, Jude is not a hallucination. He is alive. Unfortunately, convincing her family and doctors that she's not unstable and doesn't need to be hospitalised isn't easy. The only person who actually believes her is Noah. But being with Noah is dangerous and Mara is in constant fear that she might hurt him. She needs to learn how to control her power, and fast! Together, Mara and Noah must try and figure out exactly how Jude survived when the asylum collapsed, and how he knows so much about her strange ability...before anyone else ends up dead!

Review:

I really enjoyed The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and had high expectations for the second book. Mara continues to be an unreliable narrator. Mara has to convince her parents that she’s not crazy. They have her on lockdown, and have threatened to institutionalize her. At the same time, Mara is trying to protect herself, and her family from Jude. He’s alive and well- she’s not sure how- but it’s clear that he can’t be trusted, and he enjoys tormenting her. She can’t protect her family when she’s locked up, and interrogated by psychologists. So, she must convince them that she can be trusted at home. 

Mara has to lie her way throughout the whole book because no one believes her. I  really wanted someone to believe her, someone besides Noah. Mostly her brother. Mara and Noah seem to be in a little bubble, and I wanted someone else to be brought into their struggles. Mara and Noah are so reliant on each other, that I became annoyed. Mara puts all her trust in him, and seems very weak. She has the ability to kill people with her mind, but puts all her trust in Noah. I wanted her to spend more time figuring out her abilities and becoming more independent. Honestly, I thought their romance was a bit cheesy. I wanted to like them as a couple but I couldn't completely enjoy them. 

It really annoyed me that her parents had so much trust in Noah. He was able to practically live at their house, and I thought this was strange. Her parents see her as vulnerable, weak and on the brink of sanity. Why would they allow her high school boyfriend so much freedom?

All in all, I enjoyed the sequel but it didn’t really satisfy me as a reader. I will probably read the third book, but my expectations have been lowered.