The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer Trilogy #2) - Michele Hodkin

Read: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer Trilogy #1) Review

Plot:


Mara's learnt that she might not actually be insane. Except now everyone around her thinks she actually is. The only person who believes her is Noah, and while he promises to help and protect her, she can't seem to escape the frightening scenes that unfold before her.

Trying to juggle being normal amongst her family isn't easy when constant visions and creepy coincidences threaten to endanger Mara's life.

Review:

If you guys have read my review for the first book or watched any of my videos, you would know that I loved The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. It was my favourite read last year, a solid 5/5. I can now report that The Evolution of Mara Dyer is a massive hit as well. I'm going to try and keep this as spoiler free as I can, just in case you guys haven't read the first book but want to know if the series is worth reading.

What I loved in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer transferred right into this sequel. Michele Hodkin used her writing to create a tense and creepy atmosphere, that did not let off until the very end. It's hard not to be emotionally attached to this book because of how much time and thought I invest while reading. I feel like I'm an actual character in the book that Mara is trying to mess with, because of how uncertain situations are. I learn to trust her before that trust cracks because something happens that make me think she actually is insane. I love that I can connect on such an intimate level with the plot - there seriously is no way of reading this book in a detached manner. You become so involved in deducing the mystery and what is going on with Mara.

Hodkin makes reading so much easier as well. The pacing is fast but not rushed. It's set at a perfect pace to keep readers on edge. The intensity builds slowly at first but changes momentum at the right moments, and all I can do is mentally scream "WHAT". I'm being serious about that. I literally flew right through the book and my heart was pounding so hard by the end because of how intense the entire final scene was. Her visual descriptions are yet again gory, but it enhances the creepiness of the story.

The plot was as solid as it could be. I wasn't confused with what was happening, and it wasn't predictable either. Hodkin does well in that she develops layers and layers of depth that adds to the mystery, but can somehow unpick it without losing the complete structure.Mara and Noah's relationship continues to develop although this time it's a lot more realistic. They work to understand each other both their characters begin to show more depth. I enjoyed the romance (and Noah) a lot because it didn't overshadow the main point of the story. A lot more characters are introduced this time, but they actually serve some type of purpose, however small or large. I found though, that I didn't like or care for majority of them.

The ending definitely made the book. The mystery began to unravel and I got some but not all the answers. The intensity mounts in these final scenes and I finished it before even realising I had reached the end. I am definitely, absolutely and positively will be reading the third and final book because of the insane cliff hanger. I didn't even think it could be possible to torture me like this, but she has and it's killing me. I feel like maybe I should've read this closer to The Retribution of Mara Dyer's release date because the anticipation is not okay. This is what this series will do to you. Mara is struggling to understand how her brain is functioning, and I'm going insane because of the wait.

If I had to recommend any series at all, this would be the one. I love how it messes with my brain and keeps me on edge, because in the end it is all worth it.

Rating: 5/5

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May Wrap Up

I tried to take advantage of the two readathons that took place this month, but I guess I didn't do as well as I wanted. Aside from the usual #AYearAThon readathon, I also participated in the Bout of Books 10.0. Wraps up to them down below:

#AYearAThon Wrap Up -

Bout of Books Wrap Up

Also, I finally managed to film a review for The Fault In Our Stars movie, starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. I was lucky enough to be able to watch the film a month in advanced, so see how I faired in trying to coherently talk about it. It was a tearjerker!

Oh look, another book haul. This time it's more the books I accumulated from April to May so there are a few. Seriously that thumbnail for my video does not accurately represent how many books I got.

Overall, I had an average reading month. A total of 8 books, all of which I rated 4/5 for. Wrap up down below along with any reviews that I've done.

Reviews:

Mash Up: The Summer I Turned Pretty, Throne of Glass and Boundless

REV Girl - Leigh Hutton

Revived - Cat Patrick

Let me know how many books you read this month, and which you enjoyed the most!

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[Review] The Summer I Turned Pretty, Throne of Glass & Boundless

If you guys didn't know, other than reviews on this blog I also do mash up reviews occasionally on my channel. This time around I wanted to talk about the books that I read for the #AYearAThon and Bout of Books 10.0 Readathon.

Books Mentioned:

The Summer I Turned Pretty - Jenny Han (0:36)

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) - Sarah J. Maas (4:42)

Boundless (Unearthly #3) - Cynthia Hand (9:31)

If you've read any of them tell me what you thought of it below!

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REV Girl - Leigh Hutton

Plot: 

Clover Kassidy has been moved from a comfortable life to a new, hostile place. She is constantly picked on at school and seems to fail to live up to her parents expectations. Her dream of becoming a professional dirt bike racer goes full steam ahead until her social life surprisingly picks up. Clover finds herself a new best friend and even boyfriend, but the pressure to balance the two becomes too much.

Clover must stand up against those who doubt her and determine which path she really wants to travel on.

(Read here for more of a synopsis)

Review:

When I first heard about the plot of REV Girl, I was very intrigued as to how Hutton would play out the story. By having a female character competing in a predominately male sport, already Hutton has set her novel apart from others. After finishing it, I realised I had never read anything like it before.

The one thing I loved the most from the book was the meaning behind the story. REV Girl was very much a coming of age story, conveying the pressures of being a teenager. Yet, it also covered the issues of being a girl and, more so, being comfortable with who you are and what you do. I immediately liked that Clover was highly involved in dirt bike racing and she continued to do so despite what people said. It didn't matter that she was a female or that she wasn't the best at it, what mattered was the effort she put into it. Even when she had to make a choice between her aspiring career and the seemingly most important parts of her social life, she knew what she wanted more. A strong emphasis to this is right at the end and what Clover delivers spoke volumes. You don't have to bend to other people's will, especially if the reason is because "but you're a girl".

I'm not sure I connected that well with the actual characters or story line though. Hutton writes well, especially considering this is her debut novel. There weren't any awkward phrases or incorrect grammar. In fact I flew right through the novel and finished it in a day. I was caught up with the pace of the story - Clover's decisions and how far she would go. Yet, at the end I still had a number of questions and concerns that were not addressed. REV Girl is the first in a series (The Go Girls Chronicles) though, so I could hope to see some of it being resolved in the next addition.

The relationship developments were positive with some, and a little confusing with others. I loved that Clover bonded with her father, Ernie, the most just because it does reflect the relationship between my dad and I. Other than that, nothing really stuck out.

I would probably say only Clover shone as a character. She definitely grew up and learnt to deal with most of her demons, which made me glad I rode that journey with her. I liked some of the supporting characters, especially the other riders she meets in her races. Yet, not many of them were present for the entire novel - some even disappeared, although in Hutton's defence they weren't really necessary for plot development.

REV Girl is a short read and with such a fast pace, it does feel a little rushed and abrupt sometimes. Except in the end, it doesn't draw away from the lasting impression. I enjoyed the read, especially with the character being such a strong willed and passionate female. I actually have major respects for Hutton for producing such an unconventional character despite the target audience being Young Adults. She may have concerns about dirt bike racing, which readers might not relate to, but Clover is still a teenager and growing up is such a big thing in life that I could definitely see parts of myself in her.

Check out Leigh's website (here), where you'll be able to purchase copies of REV Girl as well.

Rating: 4/5

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[Book Launch] REV Girl - Leigh Hutton

A couple of weeks back I was contacted by the lovely Leigh Hutton asking if I wanted to be part of her Blog Tour for her debut novel REV Girl.

After reading the synopsis and finding out that she is Australian, I said yes! It's baffling how I'm
such a small time blogger yet, I was even considered to do this. Still, I'm excited that I've been given this opportunity.

I can now announce that copies of Rev Girl are now available to purchase. The story follows a female protagonist, Clover, who has moved to a different place but is struggling to fit in. She's trying to balance her new life with her dream of becoming a professional dirt bike racer. Yep, that's right - this girl is actually awesome. What I take is that this is a coming of age novel, where Clover is trying to live up to expectations whilst struggling to be who she is. I'm very intrigued to get started because I've never read a story from a female who's so involved in a predominately male sport/occupation. It's really empowering. Rev Girl is also being pitched as inspired by a true story. For a more thorough synopsis visit Leigh's site --> here

This is the first in a series called The Go Girls Chronicles, where each female protagonist is
involved in an adventurous activity.

If you guys are interested in purchasing Rev Girl it is available in e-book (here) and physical form (here). A portion of the purchase is donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation as well!

Keep an eye out for my review, which should be up on the 29th of May. In the meantime check out the other blogs in the Blog Tour (dates in side picture)!

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