Book Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer

It's possible that I'm not ready to write this review yet. But I'm going to do it anyway because what is the point of getting an ARC if you don't review the book?

So I'm not one of those people who usually start a review by saying how I came to own the book. What  made me decide to buy it? Did I order it online? Did I go to a bookstore and hear it call out my name? No. Nobody cares. But for this one, I feel like I have to tell you the story. Because I was not expecting it. I had resigned myself to waiting another 15 days before I could get my hands on this book, and while I was anxious, I was fine with that. I mean, Michelle Hodkin is following me on Tumblr, so I already felt kind of awesome and important, you know? So why not just wait like everybody else?

And then on Monday I got home and there were three packages on the table. One, I was expecting. The other two were mysterious. They were both from Simon & Schuester, so I did the math in my head. Simon & Schuester... publishing... hey, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is from Simon & Schuester... oh hey, what if this is The Evolution of Mara Dyer?! No, it can't be. It must be something else. So I opened the first package, and there, in my hands, was this glorious unexpected book that I've been looking forward to for eight months now. I jumped around and yelled "WHAT!" at least 8 times. And then I opened the other package, having no clue what to expect because why in the world would they send me two?! Well, I don't know, but they sent me two. More jumping and yelling.

I was so excited I completely forgot about my dentist appointment (the hygienist called me 3 minutes after I was supposed to be there and asked if I was on my way). I flew out the door, went to the dentist, came back, and read.

250 pages.

Suffice it to say I was hooked. Well, we saw that coming, right? Considering my review of the first book?

The next day I woke up and read. Then I went to school. Then I came home and read until I finished it. And then I was sad.

Anyway. Review. That's what this is.

Everything I loved about The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, I also loved about The Evolution of Mara Dyer. Mara is still the deliciously unreliable narrator-- you feel like you can trust her, but there are moments of doubt. At least for me, there were times when I was like, "What if everyone else is right? What if I only believe Mara because she's the one telling the story?" Which is, like, the BEST question to ask yourself while you're reading a book or watching a movie or, heck, even listening to one person's side of a story. Do you trust the narrator just because they're the narrator? Or do you trust her because she's the only one who can tell this story correctly?

Also, I love that Mara comes a little more unhinged in this book. I'm really going to try to avoid spoilers in this review because the book isn't even out yet, so I'll just say that, well, she kind of had a right to go a little bit nuts. When there's only one person in the world who believes a word that comes out of your mouth, and you're doing things you don't remember, and you can KILL PEOPLE WITH YOUR MIND, a little bit of insanity probably comes with the territory. I say "a little" because it's not like Mara is completely off her rocker; she does have that one person who believes her. Who's going through all of it right there with her. And that's all she really needs to keep her from completely losing it.

So, Noah Shaw, you've done it again.

Thank you for not changing in this book. You're still the bad boy who smokes and swears and fights and denies no incriminating factoid. Thank you for having more layers than anyone but Mara would give you credit for. Thank you for being good at being bad, but also for being good at being good. Thank you for getting along with Mara's brothers, even when she's not around. Thank you for your arrogant, devilish grin. And thank you for hiding your fear, for never doubting Mara no matter how much the two of you doubt yourselves, for always showing up when she needs you, and for helping her be the tiger that bites when you rattle its cage.

Seriously, guys. Their relationship in this book is SO GOOD. And every time it gets to the point where Mara feels like she can't do something without Noah, and I groan a little bit, she makes herself do it without him, and I sigh with relief. She doesn't let herself be that girl, and he doesn't let her be that girl. Which is perfect. They support each other and they're better as a team, but they aren't the kind of team that falls apart when they're not together. Mara constantly feels like he doesn't need her as much as she needs him, but he shows her that it's not true, and that gives her strength. Their relationship gives her strength, hardens up her edges a little-- while it gives his edges a much-needed softening. That's called BALANCE, people!

One relationship that is worse in this book than in the first book: Mara's relationship with her older brother, Daniel. I loved how close they were in the first book, and they're still pretty close, but they're kind of keeping each other at a distance in this one. Daniel because he's worried about Mara (understandably), and Mara because Daniel doesn't believe the truth, so she can't tell him the truth. They're still always on each other's sides, but I just wish he could've been one more person who doesn't doubt her. I understand why he does, but that doesn't mean I like it. Their relationship isn't as easy and relaxed as it was in the first book.

Oh, and then there's Jamie. Yes, Jamie's back! The same old banter between him and Mara. The same sense of humor and slight anger issues, but with all new depth to his character as a fatal flaw in his worldview is exposed and we get to learn more about who he really is. My blog needs some kind of bell for !!!character development!!! so I can ring it every time something like this comes up in one of my reviews. *happydancing*

Anyway. The plot this time around is much more intricate and requires a lot more dot-connecting than the first book, which is always fun. The scenes in Mara's new "school" were a little slow for me, but not so slow that I even thought about putting the book down. Ever.

I love the new developments in this book and I can't wait to see where they lead in the next one. And THE ENDING, WHAT THE HECK. No spoilers, but I didn't see it coming. I had to reread a certain part and then I felt like it was some kind of optical illusion or mind trick, because I definitely missed the most important thing the first time I read it. Just ONE WORD changed everything. I can't even. My stomach dropped, my eyes watered, and my mouth could not form words for the rest of the night. I'm in denial (no really, I don't believe it. I'm not intentionally refusing to believe it, I just don't). And the best part is that the same exact thing happened to Mara. She had to read it again. Her eyes watered and I'm guessing her stomach dropped. And, if I know Mara, she doesn't believe it either.

Which is another thing I love about this book. Maybe I'm more like Mara than I thought, but it is so easy to go through things with her, to understand her, even considering how much you wonder about her reliability as a narrator. One second you're like "Mara, that can't really be what happened, you're telling tales," and the next second you're like, "MARA, WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS."

Overall rating: ★★★★½

I deducted half of a star because 1) Certain chapters threw me off a bit (I won't say more than that because spoilers), and 2) Daniel. But otherwise I'M SQUEALING WITH DELIGHT AND ANGST. And wondering what changed between the ARC and the final version?

Book Survey!

One rule: You can't use the same answer twice.
1. What book are you currently reading?
Well, I'm between books. I'm waiting for Pandemonium to get to my house on Tuesday, and I finished The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer yesterday (review to come).
2. What is your favorite book?
The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (I say this not because Mockingjay isn't also my favorite, but because I saved it for a later answer)
3. Who is your favorite character in any book?
Augustus Waters.
4. What character are you most in love with?
Peeta Mellark.
5. What character are you most like in personality?
Katniss Everdeen.
6. What character do you look like?
Tris Prior. Small, with a plain face that competes with blond hair and blue eyes.
7. What character do you wish you were more like?
For some reason I want to say Alaska Young, even though I know she's all tortured and whatnot. It's the self-assured thing.
8. What book do you think is underrated?
Mockingjay. Severely.
9. Favorite bad boy character?
Noah Shaw. Because he actually did earn his reputation.
10. Favorite bad girl character?
Mara Dyer. She crazy. (Those two are such a pair)
11. Favorite English character?
Etienne St. Clair ("But he's not English! He's American! And he lives in France!")
12. Favorite author?
This is such a hard question to answer. Because my favorite books are The Hunger Games books, Suzanne Collins. Because he and his books are both made of awesome, John Green. Because I agree with her on everything and I love her books more than is probably healthy, Stephanie Perkins. Because she talks to her fans more than any author I've seen, and treats them like their questions are worth her time and their theories are valid, Cassandra Clare. And because she's completely crazy, Maureen Johnson.
13. Name a character with a psychological problem that you share (be it serious or not).
Anna Oliphant, obsessive compulsive.
14. Name a character you will/would defend to the ends of the Earth.
Will Herondale.
15. Favorite redheaded character?
Finnick Odair.
16. Favorite love triangle?
Will/Tessa/Jem.
17. Favorite blue-eyed character?
Cricket Bell.
18. Name a character people wouldn't expect you to love, but you do.
Gale Hawthorne.
19. Favorite book you've read this year?
The Fault in Our Stars
20. Favorite villain?
President Snow.
21. Name a book you could/would not finish.
Incarceron.
22. Name a book that made you angry.
Imaginary Girls ...I'm still not over what a waste of time that one was. I want to wring the main character's neck, as well as her sister's, as well as EVERYONE ELSE'S.
23. Name a book that made you happy.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
24. Name 5 books you're looking forward to.
1. Insurgent, 2. Mara Dyer #2, 3. Promised, 4. Isla and the Happily Ever After, 5. Clockwork Princess
25. A random fact about your book preferences.
I am fascinated by books involving secret societies (especially within schools) or factions, i.e. the Loyal Order of the Bassett Hounds in The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks; the territory wars in Jellicoe Road
26. Favorite childhood book?
Well, I didn't really read that many books as a child. There was the Series of Unfortunate Events, but I was 11 when I started reading those. In 4th grade I read this book Wait Till Helen Comes and I loved it (early sign of my taste for the dark and twisty).
27. Bad book habits?
Lately I have not been timing my book-reading correctly, so I'm left without one to read for a couple days until I get back to my dad's. Also I buy them instead of, like, getting them from a library, so I have a lot of books and not a lot of money. Also I buy them on Amazon instead of from real book stores :/
28. Do you have an e-reader?
No.
29. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
One at a time. I feel like I'm cheating on them if I don't do it that way.
30. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
No.
31. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
My comfort zone is pretty expansive, so not often.
32. What is your reading comfort zone?
YA.
33. Can you read on the bus/in the car?
No, unfortunately.
34. Favorite place to read?
Don't have one.
35. Do you ever dog-ear books?
No.
36. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Only school books.
37. What makes you love a book?
Above anything, I have to care about the characters and they have to be interesting. And then the plot has to be interesting. And then the writing has to be awesome, obviously.
38. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
Depends on the person I'm recommending it to.
39. Favorite genre?
Don't really have one, other than YA.
40. Genre you rarely read?
Adult. haha
41. Have you ever read a self-help book?
No
42. Most inspirational book you've read this year?
Considering I already said TFiOS, probablyyy... The Sky is Everywhere
43. Favorite reading snack?
Pretzel M&Ms
44. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
Daughter of Smoke & Bone. I kept expecting it to get better instead of appreciating what I actually did like about it.
45. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I don't have exact percentages, but usually I do.
46. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I'll only do it if I really, truly hated the book and want to stop people from wasting their time on it. If I'm lukewarm about it, I'll usually give it 3 stars and try to focus on the things I did like.
47. Most intimidating book you've ever read?
I don't really read intimidating books. Buuuuut I just had to read one about the politics of the Swat Valley for political anthropology, and it was not fun.
48. Books you're most likely to bring on vacation?
Ones I haven't read yet. If it's a beach vacation, summer books. Obviously.
49. The longest you've gone without reading?
Recently? Probably a weekend.
50. What distracts you easily when you're reading?
My FATHER intentionally TALKING TO ME when he can see that I'm REALLY INTO a book.
51. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
Water for Elephants. I liked the movie better than the book, I think.
52. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Twilight. Obviously.
53. The most money you've ever spent on books at one time?
Huhuhuhuhhh... about $220.
54. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Well I never just buy a book on a whim. I make sure I'm interested first, either through reviews or reading the first chapter on Amazon.
55. What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through?
Only boredom can do that.
56. Do you like to keep your books organized?
I like to keep everything organized.
57. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you've read them?
If I liked them, I keep them. If I didn't, I try to sell them.
58. Are there any books you've been avoiding?
That I already own? Yes. That's all I'm willing to say on the matter.
59. A book you didn't expect to like but did?
Birthmarked. I avoided it for a while but got it for Christmas and was surprised by how much I liked it.
60. A book that you expected to like but didn't?
Tiger's Quest, the second in the Tiger's Curse series. It was pretty horrible.
61. Favorite historical fiction book?
The Book Thief
62. Hardcover or paperback?
I don't care. A book is a book.
63. Favorite book nobody has heard of?
Well, I know people have heard of her, but I feel like Deb Caletti is seriously overshadowed by the likes of Sarah Dessen. So anything by her.
64. Favorite classic book?
The Great Gatsby
65. Write something that only people who have read a certain book will understand.
Okay.

Unidentified snippet theories

So, I've been compiling a mental list of theories about Cassie Clare's "unidentified snippets" for a while now, and I think it's time to write them down. So I can either say "I told you so" when I'm right or, you know, lie and say "my idea was better" when I'm wrong.

To my son,
If you are reading this letter, then I am dead.
Well, Cassie has explicitly stated that one version of City of Lost Souls is going to have a letter from Stephen Herondale to Jace as an extra feature. So I'm guessing this is the beginning of that letter.

"In your eyes, I have always found grace."
This sure sounds like something Jem would say to Tessa. But if we're thinking outside of the box, it could be something Magnus says to Alec if Alec's having one of those moments where he's jealous of people Magnus has had feelings for before. He knows about Will and has never gotten a straight answer regarding him, so he probably has more questions to ask. My out-of-the-box theory about this is that Alec asks how they look alike, and Magnus explains the eyes and the hair. But then he obviously has to say something to explain why he's in love with Alec and not Will, so he states the difference. Alec's eyes could possibly have grace, while Will's never did. I'm not just spitballing here; it could be true. Will has never exactly been known for grace.

He stopped dead. "Tessa told you?" he said.
Now, I have two different theories for who "he" is, but I get the strange feeling that the "you" is Sophie (my initial panic was that "he" was Will and "you" was Jem, but I'm pushing that thought down). It's probably either Gideon or Will speaking. If it's Gideon, he's probably talking about something we find out later, and if it's Will, he could be talking about... you know... The Thing. I mean, Sophie is the one who came and helped Tessa when she burned her hand on the fire stoker. It's possible that Tessa could finally give in and tell Sophie why she really did it, because she knows she can trust Sophie to keep it a secret.

his parabatai rune was bleeding
Hokay, so, my first thought for this one was "well, the H in 'his' isn't capitalized, and there's no period at the end of it. So it's not a whole sentence, and therefore there is more to the sentence, and therefore it's not as dramatic as it sounds." But who am I kidding? It doesn't matter what the rest of the sentence is, because this part is A BIG DEAL. I am about 70% sure this is Will/Jem and not Jace/Alec. Oh the implications! It could be a literal bleeding from battle or an attempt to disfigure the rune (WHY?), or it could be a figurative bleeding because the partnership has been injured (NO!), or it could be both. It is probably both.

Marry me today.
Initial thought: Jem is dying. Jem and Tessa are already engaged. My thought now: I'm not going Infernal Devices on this one because it's too painful. I'm siding with the person on Tumblr who made a nice piece of art featuring Magnus and Alec.

She slid the gold ring back on her finger before heading into Jace's bedroom.
Well, I doubt the Morgenstern ring actually fits Clary, and I see no reason why Jace would have proposed to her. I'm going really out-of-the-box and saying that Jace finds out that Tessa is his great-great-great grandmother (I will hold on to this possibility until it is explicitly confirmed that Tessa is a warlock) and the "ring" in question is a Herondale ring Will had had made for her when they (inevitably) got married. Jace has invited her to the New York Institute to ask her about something important, considering she knows a lot about the Herondales and can probably explain that whole Silent-Brothers-have-ties-with-them thing. I mean, I can't say I know why Jace would care about that, but I still do. Wishful thinking.

Will's hand looked brown and sunburnt by contrast, their fingers dovetailed together like piano keys.
Okay, this is kind of a lame unidentified snippet. The only places my imagination will allow me to go with this is that Will and Tessa are holding hands, or Tessa is observing Will and Jem holding hands (because Jem is probably dying... *sobs*).

He kissed each finger, and with each of them spoke a word. Five fingers, five words. His last.
AAAHHHHH. Once again I'm trying to think of a possible City of Lost Souls scene here but coming up with nothing. I can only picture Jem lying in bed holding hands with Tessa on one side and Will on the other and the five words are "Take care of each other." Or maybe "We will be together again."

"Did you..." he could barely bring himself to ask. "Did you like it?"
"Yeah." Her voice was husky. "I liked it."
LOLZ. I can imagine the fanfics about this one. "He" is probably Simon, because scenes with Jace and Clary are not usually written from Jace's perspective ("he could barely bring himself to ask" vs. "her voice was husky" --the narrator is definitely in "his" mind, not "hers"). I'll let you draw your own conclusions about that one. But it could also be nothing like that. Say, for instance, Isabelle has tried some strange vampire thing because she and Simon are obviously developing a little something-something. And "he" is Alec or Jace.

Sequels!

Woohoo! I love this title. "Blood" makes it sound like it's going to be a gory, violent book, but then "Starlight" makes it sound like it'll be pretty and peaceful. I don't really understand all the hype around the first book (the love story, especially, was not my favorite. It seemed a little insta!love-y, which it kind of was-- because of the whole we-were-in-love-in-a-past-life thing), but I'm excited for this one nonetheless. Gah, so many sequels this year!

1. February 28th- Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver

2. March 13th- Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles #2) by Melina Marchetta

3. May 1st- INSURGENT (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth. SO. EXCITED.

4. May 1st- Bitterblue (Graceling #3) by Kristin Cashore

5. May 8th- City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare

6. May 29th- Dreamless (Starcrossed #2) by Josephine Angelini

7. June 14th- Timepiece (Hourglass #2) by Myra McEntire

Unknown dates:

Middle Ground (Awaken #2) by Katie Kacvinsky

Outpost (Razorland #2) by Ann Aguirre

Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2) by Laini Taylor

CLOCKWORK PRINCESS (Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare --UPDATE: sometime between March and September 2013. I'M GOING TO DIE.
The Madness Underneath (Shades of London #2) by Maureen Johnson --UPDATE: January 2nd, 2013. Sad. :(
The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) by Michelle Hodkin

That's all I've got for now, but there will probably be more.