You know what I hate about Goodreads?
It gives every single person on there the impression that their book reviews are naturally going to be masterpieces and everyone who reads them will find them witty and spectacular. Which is just not the case.
The review that brings on this latest bit of frustration is the review that is currently the first one on the page for "Noah and Mara's first meeting from Noah's perspective" (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer), in which the reviewer said something along the lines of "I thought it couldn't get any worse than the actual book, but no. The book is still worse, but Noah's still a dick."
First of all, why did you read this EXTRA SCENE if you hated the original book so much? Error: does not compute. People who hate Twilight don't read Midnight Sun unless they're looking for something to ruthlessly criticize, and for the people who do, my advice would be GET A LIFE. So here's a thought: when The Evolution of Mara Dyer comes out, save yourself the trouble of reading it and save us the trouble of encountering your ridiculous review, for it would no doubt only make us want to throw eggs at your car. It might be too logical for you, but I say give it a go. Read something else that week that you would actually enjoy!
Secondly, yes, you are right about Noah. But is his personality really a bad thing? At least he has one. And news flash: he doesn't act that way to everyone. Only the people who deserve it. In the extra scene, he was a jerk to that girl because he didn't want to use her (granted I was a little put off by his assumption that she would, er, do that without even knowing him, but maybe it was that type of club? We don't know). He's a jerk to bullies because they're bullies, and to shallow idiots because they're shallow idiots. I'm not saying he befriends every nice person he meets, either, but he doesn't go out of his way to prove to them what an "asscrown" (using Mara's word) he is. [P.S. In case you didn't notice, Mara points out that he is one. We know. You don't have to use it against him, because it's part of his intentional characterization. Ever think that maybe that's not all there is to him? The truth resists simplicity, anyone?]
Yeah, he's cocky and you want to punch him in the face sometimes. But so what? He's a good character. That's more than can be said about a lot of male love interests in other books. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Thank you, Noah Shaw, for being a real bad boy. I relish the fact that you are not a poetic and broody bag of sentimentality who is merely misunderstood by the adoring-yet-fearful masses. Thank you for also being a decent person, and for treating Mara right, even though you are about as warm and fuzzy as a porcupine. I want more of you in my YA books, Mr. Asscrown.
And thirdly, if you had really paid attention to the book at all, you'd realize that it is actually very complex and interesting. Mara has the power to kill people and she hates herself for it. She's an unreliable narrator, which is fascinating in and of itself. She is generally nice to people, and yet she can end their lives just by picturing their deaths in her head. Noah, on the other hand, is generally not nice to people, and he is the one whose ability could be used to save them. It's like your classic Good vs. Evil, except the lines are blurred and usually they're on the same side. I see your dystopias and vampires, and I raise you THIS BOOK THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND TO BITS.
I get that this might not be the book for some people. But why bother reading an extra just so you can attack it further? Why act like it's a universal truth that a jerky character is a bad character, and that a book with a jerky character is a bad book? Give me a break.
Personally I think The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is well-written, compelling and hilarious. The characters are smart, mostly realistic (but let's not forget it is FICTION and we should not expect all characters to behave as we would) and, uh, hilarious. Also the romance has plenty of chemistry and zero insta-love, which is pretty much all I ask for. Where is bad?
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