The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer Trilogy #3) - Michele Hodkin

Read: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) Review | The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) Review

Title: The Retribution of Mara Dyer
Series: Mara Dyer Trilogy #3
Author: Michele Hodkin
Publishing Date: November 4th, 2014
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Mara doesn't believe that Noah's dead. She would know if he was loss to her at right now it doesn't feel like it. So Mara is determined to find him Noah, as well as the answers to everything that has happened to her.

Mara's out to get what she wants, no matter the cost.

Review

The Retribution of Mara Dyer was my most anticipated release of 2014, and I was hugely disappointed when I didn't get to read it right on release. I finally got my hands on it, but I actually don't know if it really lived up to my expectations.

I think my main problem with the book was that it kept building but once it reached the finale, it ran out flat. I loved every moment before the resolution hit. The plot pulled me straight in, which is expected from Hodkin's writing. The creepiness level was hitting the roof in this one and a lot of it had to do with the gruesome and disturbing acts that added to the insanity that is this series. I loved that whilst I was reading, I was also squirming over how grotesque most of it was.

I also liked that Mara's character really gained strength and independence. She did lose herself but without that I felt like she would never have built up the character that she ended up being. The side story about her grandmother was both intriguing but also helpful to understanding Mara and her situation. Her grandmother was introduced in The Evolution of Mara Dyer through brief flashbacks, but her life unravels as Mara gains her memories. It tied together a lot of questions and revealed answers to them.

There isn't a lot of relationship building besides that of Mara and Jamie's. A lot of the plot was focused on the condition that Mara & co. carried, which was explained quite well but wasn't explored enough that it stuck with me. I really wanted to know a lot more about Claire and Jude and whilst Jude's motives were revealed his character carried no weight by the end of it. Instead a whole new bad guy suddenly appeared and Jude was reduced to a mere tool. Kind of deflating after building him up to be this villain they needed to defeat.

I don't love where Hodkin had this series end at though. I always thought it was a great psychological thriller and for the most of The Revolution of Mara Dyer that's what it is. However, she ends it on a note of romance, which I did like in the first two but it didn't overtake the overall theme. The ending was quite bland and a little cheesy for me. There was a lot that happened and in that time span I just couldn't pick up everything. It was definitely a whirlwind and I probably have to re-read it again to fully grasp it.

Still, it was enjoyable experience overall and I was hooked for most of it. I do think the series is worth the read and I know I will eventually go back and re-read it all again.