Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) by Michelle Hodkin
Page count: 544 pages (hardcover edition)
Goodreads rating: 4.51
Published on: October 23rd, 2012
Buy it via: Amazon|B&N|Book Dep
Rating: 5/5 Crystal Balls
Summary: 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?

Michelle Hodkin proves once again she’s the master of blending achingly beautiful romance with horror. Despite the book’s length, the pages melt away, and they will beg you to keep reading them, until you devour the story in its entirety. Everything I loved about the first novel is amplified in The Evolution of Mara Dyer. The romance is more intense, the creepiness is up tenfold. From mental hospitals, to dolls, to dead crows, to messages written in blood, The Evolution of Mara Dyer provides readers with a rich, eerie atmosphere worthy of a classic horror film. It’s not about gore and violence, but about building tension, mystery, and terror, and let me tell you, Hodkin’s does this effortlessly.

One of the reasons I love this series as much as I do is that it is so complex, and there is such elegance to Hodkin’s storytelling. Ultimately, this is a journey about a girl, who is determined to find out who she is, and will stop at nothing to figure it out, even when everything in her life is crumbling around her, and almost everybody think she has gone insane, and lost her grip on reality. This is about a girl who loves a boy, and the boy loves her back so truly, he would never give up her, and she would never give up on him, as they try to figure out who they are. There is an incredible amount of depth, and hope to be found in this tale.

In The Evolution of Mara Dyer, we do get some more insight as to who Mara and Noah are, yet we’re left with more questions than ever, and a hell of a cliffhanger. This might be frustrating to some, but I feel, that it couldn't have ended any differently. Hodkin’s talent is evident, and I believe this series has been masterfully executed from the start and I feel like Hodkin’s has revealed just enough to pull readers in. I think of this series like a puzzle slowly and carefully being put together, gingerly, and with precision, and I personally am waiting with baited breath to see how everything connects in the final book.

All in all, Hodkin’s knows how to deliver a perfectly-paced novel that will equally send chills down your spine and take your breath away with its passionate moments.