The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #3)

“This is a love story. Twisted and messy. Flawed and screwed up. But it’s ours. It’s us. I don’t know how our story will end, but I know how it will start. I pick up my pen and begin to write.

My name is not Mara Dyer, but my lawyer told me I had to choose something.”

Title: The Retribution of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin

My Rating:  5 stars

It’s finally here. The third and final book in the Mara Dyer trilogy. Frankly, I was both terrified and excited to read it and was completely mind-blown by the final installment of Mara’s and Noah’s story.

Mara wakes up strapped to a hospital bed, which, as we all know, is nothing unusual for her. Dr Kells continues to ‘experiment’ on her and keeps her in a state of pain and passiveness until Jude ends up helping her. Yes, that’s right- Jude helps Mara escape the center with Jamie and Stacey and they race to New York to find Noah. On their journey, they finally uncover the reasons of Mara’s supernatural abilities and the characters’ predestined fates.

I loved the key presence of Jamie throughout the book but deeply missed Noah and Daniel who came in only towards the end. Mara was both creepy and funny as she began to use her power more and more. It turns out that both Stacey and Jamie also possess powers and that all of them are a part of an experiment to uncover the secret of immortality. The surreptitious mystery of Abel Lukumi and Amitra Dyer are solved and the mysterious David Shaw (Noah’s father) is introduced. Noah is faced with a Herculean choice and must choose between the lives of two people he holds dear.

The book ties up all loose ends and evokes a lot of questions in the reader’s mind. Although, I had suspected how the ending would be and was correct- it was still enjoyable to read it in the author’s words. All in all, I adore the Mara Dyer trilogy and will forever cherish it as one of my favourite series.

Spoilers-

• Abel Lukumi is Mara’s maternal grandfather- he conceived her mother Indi, with Amitra Dyer- both of whom are immortal.
• Jude finally dies.
• Mara and Noah both ‘die’ but are revived later on.
• Daniel learns the whole truth about Mara’s powers and such.
• Noah's password for his laptop is 'marashaw' ^.^ He also draws a portrait of hers- albeit a poorly drawn one but hey, it the thought that counts.
• None of the characters names are ‘real’- ‘Mara’ writes this trilogy using different names to spread her story to others like her, Noah and Jamie.*

*Everyone has been inquiring about the characters real names but the author, Michelle Hodkin has revealed that she won't reveal them- it is all part of the 'mystery.'

There are a lot of other exciting and unimaginable things that take place but you must read them for yourself.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2)

“If I were to live a thousand years, I would belong to you for all of them. If we were to live a thousand lives, I would want to make you mine in each one.”

Title: The Evolution of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin

My Rating:  5 stars

The Evolution of Mara Dyer is just as good as its predecessor, if not better. And trust me, that is saying something. I have to admit, I was a tad wary that the sequel would not live up to the first book, but boy was I wrong! And I am supremely glad that I was.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer is mysterious and thrilling and will send shivers down your spine as Mara’s story continues. Jude is revealed to be alive and continues to stalk and torture her. He is out for revenge and looms over Mara’s life like a dark shadow. Mara herself begins to experience memories and visions of who turns out to be her deceased grandmother, who is revealed to have also possessed a supernatural power. The synopsis continues to be intrigue and mystify as we delve deeper into Mara’s and Noah’s past.

The romance in the book is adorable; I absolutely love Noah and Mara! Plus, Jamie and Daniel are back too, and there are a few new characters.

My favourite part of the book is Daniel’s speech at Horizons- it was heart-wrenchingly endearing. I also immensely enjoyed conversation exchanged between Noah and Mara. The book ended on a cliff-hanger again. Sigh. Why? Why must you do this, Michelle Hodkin? Oh well, I suppose I will go and start a countdown for the next book. And spend my time obsessing over the characters.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1)

“Thinking something does not make it true. Wanting something does not make it real.”

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin

My Rating:  5 stars

This book had me entranced from the very first sentence. With its suspenseful synopsis, captivating characters and delightful dialogue, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is truly one of the best paranormal books I’ve read. It has a vague blurb, an eerie cover and a curious title, all of which I loved because it beckoned me to read it. This book is dark and light, joyous and tragic and humorous as well as sombre, and altogether is a paradoxical delight to read.

Mara Dyer is a seventeen year old girl who has no memory of the night of the accident in which her best friend Rachel, boyfriend Jude and his sister Claire died. Mara, the sole survivor now suffers from hallucinations and PTSD and begins to discover a newfound supernatural power. Not only this, but Mara is witty, intelligent and an outright comedian. A fun and feisty character, I loved her narration throughout the book and am eager for more.

And don’t even get me started on Noah Shaw. An arrogant, rebellious ‘bad-boy’, that too with an English accent no less, I am well aware that Noah sounds like a clichéd YA male protagonist, but let me enlighten you by saying that he is anything but. Also intelligent with a remarkable memory, good looks that would put Michelangelo’s David to shame and a wit to match the brightest genius, Noah is intrigued by Mara and reveals that she may not be the only one ‘different’.

I especially loved the side characters, namely Daniel Dyer, Jamie Roth and Indi Dyer. Daniel, Mara’s brother was supportive and sweet and his clever brotherly banter and caring instincts made me pang for a sibling like him. Jamie Roth, Mara’s new friend at her new school was hilarious and another one of Hodkin’s brilliant characters I approved that he wasn’t made to be a love interest; I am sick of love triangles and besides, it’s good to have an insightful, helpful friend who has other concerns than pining after the protagonist . Last but not least, I absolutely loved Indi Dyer, Mara’s mother. She was maternal, protective and loving- all the things a mother should be. I felt that Indi was very well portrayed and was a realistic character. I could understand her perspective and wholly approved of her character.

The book ended on a suspenseful cliff-hanger and I am very much eager to read the next one.

The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus #1)

Title: The Lost Hero

Author: Rick Riordan

My Rating: 5 stars

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

New prophecy. New characters. Same world.

Jason Grace, Piper Mclean and Leo Valdez are the new trio of demigods who are recruited to Camp Half-Blood and set off on a quest to free and release Hera from her bonds by the Winter Solstice which is in four days.

Jason is the son of Zeus, or Jupiter as Jason originally knows him. He has lost his memory and doesn’t remember any of his past. Piper is the daughter of Aphrodite and carries with her secrets and powers. Leo is the son of Hephaestus, an incredibly talented workman and a completely droll entertainer who provides comic relief throughout the book. They arrive at Camp Half-Blood with Coach Gleeson- a satyr, Butch- son of Iris (the goddess of the rainbow) and Annabeth Chase who is looking for her boyfriend, the legendary demigod, Percy Jackson, who has been missing for three days.

All too soon, the three teenage demigods are required to go on a quest to save Hera before the Winter Solstice which is in four days. They leave camp on a bronze dragon, pay a chilly visit to the Boreads, battle Cyclopes and giants and ultimately uncover the many mysteries surrounding the whereabouts of Percy; Jason’s missing memories and the still more dangerous task that awaits them.

I enjoyed all aspects of this book but really missed Percy and his perspective. My favourite character was easily Leo, and I liked Jason too, but found Piper to be slightly annoying, and I really can’t come to a conclusion as to why. The ending was quite intelligent and I look forward to the next book.

 

Switched (Trylle#1)

Title: Switched

Author: Amanda Hocking

My Rating: 1 star

Reading the very first sentence of this book, left me feeling revolted, with an awful taste in my mouth. The main character, Wendy was not only incredibly aggravating, but also a completely spoilt and self-absorbed brat. And to just give you a slight idea of just how annoying she is, just think of her, as a junior Dolores Umbridge in the making. I can hear your gasp of horror over carry over the internet, and feel you shuddering at the screen right now. Yes, that's how annoying this Wendy Everly is. And is if that's not enough, she is conveyed as the 'victim' who is 'scorned', 'misunderstood' and 'misjudged' by all members of society. She is shown as the misfit who 'doesn't belong' and has always felt out of place despite the fact that she belongs to a rich, loving family.

Why of course, this is because Wendy belongs to a paranormal race of creatures (WHOA! Who would've seen that one coming?) and is in fact a [insert suspenseful music- duh,duh,duh...] TROLL! Well, that explains a lot about her personality. She is a changeling princess placed with humans which is why her mother (who realised that she wasn't her real daughter, or a human being, for that matter) attempted to kill her and ended up institutionalized. Boo hoo, cry me a freaking river; I wish she had succeeded so that I did not have to suffer at the hands of the three hundred and something paged book.

Anyway, Wendy darling (It’s a Peter Pan thing) here decides to run off with fellow troll Finn, to her true family but alas, her real mother is just as bad as her adoptive one.
The romance is absolutely nauseating. I am getting sick of instantaneous love and this was overall just a completely clichéd book. The only thing remotely interesting was the paranormal creatures, although trolls, portrayed from Hocking’s perspective aren’t exactly my cup of tea. Plus, I suppose it was bound to happen; vampires, werewolves, fairies, witches, ooh what’s next on the supernatural list?
Altogether, I loathed this book as can be seen from my expression, all the while I was reading the book.

The Awakening (The Vampire Diaries #1)

Title: The Awakening

Author: L.J. Smith

My Rating: 1 star

I only read about 1-2 chapters of this book. And I after searching high and low, reading through thesauruses and pondering for hours, I have come up with the perfect word to describe The Awakening. Eww. I can hear you applauding me so I shall take a virtual bow. Thank you. Thank you. I know, right? Eww, eww, eww.

What do we have here? A vain, self-absorbed and depressed teenager and an ancient, lovesick vampire who devours...wait for it... fluffy, innocent, fluffy, cute, fluffy rabbits. How utterly unforgivable. Humanity Vampire-ity has reached a whole new level of cruelty. Someone call the RSPCA. (Which for those of you not in Australia is, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). I reached the part where Elena the egomaniac is 'insulted' after being ignored by Stefan the sadistic rabbit eater. And then I tried to throw down the book with a disgusted sigh. Unfortunately, I was reading a PDF file of the book on my laptop and was irritated- as you can imagine- that I couldn't fulfil my intention. Alas, I had to contend myself with closing the file with a vehement click of the mouse and cussing a stream of unladylike words. IMPORTANT NOTE: There is no joy like the joy of reading the physical, hard copy of a book. It can be kissed, hugged, cried on, stained and of course, shredded into pieces too :D And because I believe that the last one is sacrilege, I think it should be replaced by the guilty book being thrown from a height of approximately 1.5 meters (not anymore, lest the book should get seriously harmed- which is also sacrilege) and being told in a strict voice "Bad book! BAD BOOK!"

Anyway, after all of this, it was clear that the book was going to be a hideous mixture of lame romance and disturbing dramas of high school. So I swore at the book again and went to read something else.

Yay! 
The End.

P.S. The TV series is much better than the books

Obsidian (Lux #1)

Title: Obsidian

Author: Jennifer L Armentrout

My rating: 5 stars

“Beautiful face. Beautiful body. Horrible attitude. It was the holy trinity of hot boys.”

Starting over is never easy...

After Katy Swartz’s father passes away from cancer, her mother decided to make a fresh start. A new house, new town and new school doesn’t sound like much fun to Katy, especially having to leave Florida for West Virginia and having an ultra gorgeous, ultra powerful and ultra douche bag  for a neighbour. Oh yeah, he’s also an alien.

Although Daemon Black is infuriatingly handsome and infuriatingly rude, his sister Dee becomes Kat’s best friend and they are forced to spend time together. This results in many witty exchanges, sarcastic remarks and of course, a lot of sexual tension.

After an accident, Daemon heals Kat with his ‘extra-terrestrial’ powers, forming a supernatural bond between them.  Instead of giving away anything else, I’ll just say that what follows will be enough to make you spontaneously combust.

Daemon Black

Daemon Black is both hot and annoying as hell. Acting hot one second, and cold the next, he confused Katy and myself into evoking a love-hate relationship with him; that adorable little bigot.

Katy Swartz

Kat is hands down my favourite female protagonist in YA literature. She is witty, intelligent, funny and strong all at once. She stands up to Daemon and is anything but a damsel in distress. I especially love the pop culture references she constantly makes, it demonstrates that she is an actual teenager and makes her more relatable.

I love everything about Obsidian and every other book in this series. Thankfully, this first one doesn’t end with a cliff-hanger but still makes you want to read the next one.

The Deepest Cut

Note: This is a free book that can be purchased from iTunes, Kindle (Amazon), Kobo and other e-book websites.

Title: The Deepest Cut

Author: J.A. Templeton

My rating: 4 stars

This was, to my surprise, a pretty decent read. Not the best and not with characters that stay with you long after, but quite interesting all the same. Riley Williams is a 16 yr old teenager who blames herself for her mother's death in a car accident, and to deal with this pain, she regularly cuts herself, hence the title of the story. Riley has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts ever since the car accident with her mother.

Oblivious to her newly acquired skill and trying to make a fresh start, Riley's dad relocates with her and her brother Shane to Ireland and start a new life in Scotland. In their 'new' house, Riley is caught cutting herself. By Ian MacKinnon, a 19-yr old ghost cursed to roam the Earth without peace. They form a truce, which soon turns into a friendship and then love.

Riley must help end Ian's curse and help him cross over to the afterlife. She also must get rid of Laria, the evil ghost also bound to roam Earth and the one who cursed Ian.

Can Riley stop Laria and return Ian to the afterlife?
Can she let go of the boy she loves?
Will she find her mother's ghost and ask for forgiveness?
Okay...this is starting to sound like some typical blurb trying to get readers instead of a couple of catchy rhetorical questions. But, yeah- this is a good read for anyone looking for a good paranormal read but note that Laria is kinda creepy and the book can be well, to be honest, kind of cheesy at times :-/ But well, not everything is perfect and this is an interesting novel well worth a try for anyone looking for a romantic read with a ghostly twist.

Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures #2)

Title: Beautiful Creatures

Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

My rating: 3 stars

I know, I know, despite my vow to discontinue this series, I not only started, but finished this book. But in one of my emotionally vulnerable moments, i.e. me feeling bored and somewhat alone and masochist I began reading Beautiful Darkness. For the record, I thought it to be better than Beautiful Creatures. Still frustrating at times, but a definite improvement from its predecessor.

Despite the fact that Ethan was placed in the typical 'female's place' in YA books, acting all desperate and needy for Lena, who in turn takes the 'male's place' by behaving all surreptitiously mysterious and has become a rebellious bad girl, my liking for Ethan remained hovering well above my liking, or lack thereof; of Edward Cullen.

Lena was as annoying as ever, if not even more so. Who would've thought that possible right?

I LOVED the side characters. Link, Liv, Ridley, Amma, Ethan's great aunt's, heck, I loved Lucille, their cat. My favourite side character once more was Macon, his history was very interesting.

The plot itself was once more, mystifying and captivating but, the main characters could've been executed in a better manner. By which I mean, I would pay for Ethan to have been less pathetic and needy for Lena and Lena to be, well- less like her own self and someone less vexatious.

Also, I wish that the authors would stop using lame cliffhangers, especially the 16/17 moon song. Jeez, how long are they going to milk that cow?!

Anyway, I might continue the series, owing solely to the fact that the synopsis is intriguing. However, I will not hesitate to ruthlessly abandon the book, committing sacrilege in the process if I find the next book lacking.

City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6)

Title: City of Heavenly Fire

Author: Cassandra Clare

Rating: 5 stars

IMPORTANT NOTE: READING THIS BOOK WILL SURELY EVOKE FITS OF DESPAIR BUT ALSO FANGIRLING. TREAD WITH CAUTION.

Wow. That's all I can find in my vast vocabulary to describe this book. Wow. Not a sarcastic or dazed wow, but one of awe, incredulity and amazement.

Cassandra Clare deserves a standing ovation for the beautiful world she has created, a tale of not only of Shadowhunters and magical creatures, but one of friendship, family, blood, pain and loss. She brings new and extra-ordinary meaning to these ordinary words and binds them into something completely bedazzling. She incorporates all the Shadowhunter Chronicles including The Infernal Devices, The Bane Chronicles and The Dark Artifices in such a beautiful and elegant manner that it made my heart swell with joy and I nearly burst into tears at the perfection of it all.

City of Heavenly Fire begins where City of Lost Souls left off and springs right into the action of the final war. The characters don't dawdle or act in the pathetic clichéd manner of other 'final-book-in-series' which are usually full of 'one last-' things, goodbyes, hopelessness and anticlimactic endings. Our characters don't lose hope, they fight and suffer and lose and triumph. And I feel incredibly grateful to have read this marvellous series.

And for those of you wondering, yes there are deaths and heartbreak and yes, you may have your soul shredded and your heart ripped out more than a couple of times and yes you will need to have tissues and chocolate nearby, but trust me, the book will leave you with a sense of utter calm but also buzzing curiosity and an indescribable affection for all of the characters.

Rather than explaining the plot, I will give descriptions and summaries of the characters so that there are no spoilers.

Clary: As badass and clever as ever, Clary is delightful and skilful as ever, saving the 'gang' with her extra-ordinary abilities to create and use runes along with her sharp wit. She is the ultimate saviour and main protagonist who defeats the evil.

First dialogue in the book: How's it coming along?

Jace: The Handsome Herondale. Jace is incredibly...incredible in this book. A legendary warrior as always but CoHF shows much of his softer side and it makes me proud to see how much he's improved throughout the series, and that's saying something; considering that he was the best male character in fictional literature in CoB. He is also the main protagonist that defeats evil; he is the weapon and power.

First dialogue in the book: This sounds very romantic.

Simon: This one broke my heart. Well, shattered it really. Into a fine powdery dust that I inhaled and choked on. Don't worry- it's not what you think. It's worse/ But it'll be okay...so don't worry. (You'll know what I mean if you read/ or have read it)I also especially love Simon because he hates being a bloodsucking and immortal monster; a vampire. Unlike other protagonists in other books, he doesn't NOT mind feeding on humans and being overjoyed at having super strength and being 'forever young'. (Ahem, ahem...you know those characters...)

First dialogue in the book:I hope you told the Clave this.

Isabelle: She is much milder, by which I mean more romantic in this book and more adorable too. Izzy is also more central in the plot, and more present throughout the book. With her trusty whips and boots, she is ready to unleash chaos on the enemy. (Wow these descriptions sound weird; like I'm promoting characters, but- I'm gonna keep doing it.)

First dialogue in the book: He's been texting Magnus.

Alec: I LOVED Alec in CoHF; HE WAS AMAZING! He was heartbroken and grieving, but was an remained an absolutely strong character and I have a special place in my heart where he rules as king.

First dialogue in the book: I haven't.

Magnus: More of Magnus' past is revealed, incorporating with The Bane Chronicles and characters from The Infernal Devices.

First dialogue in the book: What are you doing here?

Sebastian/Jonathan: Call me weird, but I've always liked Sebastian/Jonathan despite his evil-ness and twisted nature, he is one of the best antagonists and I will forever cherish him and honour him as an antagonist. He has that dark appeal, like Bellatrix Lestrange or Voldemort. I was grieved after reading how it ended for him and I may or may not have shed a bucket of tears. I still like him.

By the way, I have only included the first dialogues to further arouse your curiosity ;)

TOTAL FANGIRLING MOMENTS *very mild spoilers*

-Jessamine's ghost protecting the London Institute

-Reunion of Jem Carstairs/ Brother Zachariah with Church the cat

-Simon's final band name 'The Mortal Instruments'

-Tessa Gray and her name influencing Clary's: Jocelyn Fairchild and Theresa Gray = Fray!

-Sebastian/ Jonathan with green eyes

-Magnus giving Alec 'The Bane Chronicles'

-THE WEDDING!

Sad Spoilers

[-Jordan Kyle dies
-Raphael the vampire dies
-Sebastian dies as Jonathan(with green eyes and much regret; the demon blood remoed from his system)
-Magnus' father is Asmodeus and he takes Simon's memory, but on the plus side, Simon is no longer a vampire; just a mundane. (He hates being a vampire, remember.)
-Simon loses his memory of the Shadow World; even Clary(Don't worry, Magnus helps him regain it and Simon is going to Ascend and become a Shadowhunter & be with Izzy so YAY!)
He might even become parabatai with Clary!]

My favourite snippets include but are not limited to:

Imagine if you were the last Shadowhunter left on earth, imagine if all your family and friends were dead, imagine if there were no one left who even believed in what you were. Imagine if you were on the earth in a billion, billion years, after the sun had scorched away all the life, and you were crying out from inside yourself for just one single living creature to still draw breath alongside you, but there was nothing, only rivers of fire and ashes. Imagine being that lonely and then imagine there was only one way to fix it. Then imagine what you would do to make that thing happen.'

"We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss."

"Straight people," Alec declared. "Why can't they control themselves?"
"It's a mystery," Simon agreed, and lay back down to sleep.

"I see that many pigeons have pooped upon these stairs," he remarked. "I shall remain standing, if that's not too rude."

"...Go forth, children of the Angel.
"Go forth and light the lights of war."