Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Series: Mara Dyer #2
Publisher: Simon and Schuster BFYR
First published: October 23rd, 2012
Source: Bought
Format: Hardback
Pages: 527

Goodreads Summary:
Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past. She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head. They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets. She’s wrong.

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

Previous review(s): The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

My Rating: 5.0 / 5

First thoughts:

When I read the last word of The Evolution of Mara Dyer I couldn't really think about much but "What the f***ing hell?!" I'm always a tiny bit scared of sequels to books I really loved and if you feel similar, don't be scared of this book - it's just as amazing as the first installment and will leave you speechless and wanting more... immediately.

More detailed:

After falling love with the first installment of this trilogy I have been eagerly awaiting the release of The Evolution of Mara Dyer and of course ditched my reading schedule to read it as soon as possible. But now I almost regret not waiting, because I'm seriously wondering how I'm supposed to survive the wait for the third book of this über-awesome series.

One of my favorite parts is still Noah Shaw, of course. In the beginning I was scared that The Evolution of Mara Dyer might suffer from a typical second-book-problem by not including the love interest as much as I'd like it to, but luckily I soon realized that Noah isn't that easy to get rid of. And while he's quite a broken character, I just love witnessing scenes with him.

Mara is still the unreliable narrator we got to fall in love with in the first book and it's still fascinating to see the world from her perspective. During certain scenes in The Evolution of Mara Dyer - especially toward the ending - I just wanted to hug the poor girl and tell her that she'll eventually get her happy ending. My only problem? I'm not really sure she will and if Michelle Hodkin decides to break our hearts, this is one of the few series I'd actually still love nonetheless.

Just like it's predecessor, The Evolution of Mara Dyer is incredibly hard to put down. Apart from the beautiful style of writing, the über-exciting plotline and the intriguing characters, it's Michelle Hodkin's way of always ending her chapters with little cliffhangers that made me continue reading even when I should have been sleeping or learning.

All in all, I fell in love with this amazing series all over again. I'm already craving the third book more than it's healthy for me and I can't wait to delve back into Mara Dyer's creepy world full of mysteries and secrets that I'm dying to get answers to. If you haven't read this series yet, I strongly recommend you to change that as soon as possible - this is a must-read!

Do you love this series as much as I do? Or, if you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Carina

Review: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
Series: Hemlock #1
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins)
Expected Publication: May 8th, 2012
Source: Edelweiss
Format: eARC
Pages: 400

Goodreads Summary:
Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

My Rating: 5.0 / 5

First thoughts:

With its captivating mystery and interesting take on a world that has to deal with werewolves, Hemlock turned out to be an incredibly addicting start to a series I can't wait to continue. Despite its paranormal elements, this novel has a very realistic feel to it which makes it very easy to connect with the characters and be afraid of the things that might happen to them.

More detailed:

I've been wanting to read more and more werewolf-novels for a while now and put Hemlock onto my to-read list immediately after reading its summary for the first time. Then, more and more very positive reviews started to appear on various blogs and my need to read it got even worse. Luckily my expectations for Kathleen Peacock's debut novel were met: it's fantastic.

We're introduced to Mackenzie, or just Mac, during a horrible part of her life. Her best friend Amy has just been killed by a werewolf and Mac's life as she knew it starts to unravel slowly. I absolutely adored how real Mac seems to be. While she continues to fight for everything and everyone she believes in, she isn't exaggeratedly kick-ass - there are still moments when she feels as though her complete world is breaking apart and I loved her for it.

There are many other characters involved in the mystery of Amy's gruesome death and while some of them will surprise you positively, others will rip your heart out and make you wonder "why the hell you didn't see this coming." What I love most is that you can't sort these characters into black or white - evil or good - categories: even the most awful character has a reason for his behaviour, which makes every characterization very realistic.

The love story is another aspect which sets Hemlock apart from other, similar-sounding Young Adult novels. I don't want to tell you too much, but I was more than happy to find out that I didn't have to deal with yet another brooding but handsome new guy at school (no matter how often I already fell in love with that plotline in the past). Mac's love story is refreshing but heart-breaking and I loved every second of it.

All in all, I wish I could force everyone to read this book. Since I can't, I can only recommend you to pick up a copy of this bittersweet tale of grief, friendship and slowly blossoming love. I devoured Hemlock as fast as possible and am waiting impatiently for its sequel now, hoping that I'll find out soon which turns Mac's life will take in the future.

Challenge(s):

Debut Author Challenge 2012

Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Read the first 91 pages of Hemlock.

Have you read Hemlock? What did you think about it?
Do you plan to read it?
Carina

Review: The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis

The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis
Publisher: Abrams & Chronicle Books
First published: February 2012
Source: Received from publisher
Format: ARC
Pages: 402

Goodreads Summary:
Anna and Abel couldn’t be more different. They are both seventeen and in their last year of school, but while Anna lives in a nice old town house and comes from a well-to-do family, Abel, the school drug dealer, lives in a big, prisonlike tower block at the edge of town. Anna is afraid of him until she realizes that he is caring for his six-year-old sister on his own. Fascinated, Anna follows the two and listens as Abel tells little Micha the story of a tiny queen assailed by dark forces. It’s a beautiful fairy tale that Anna comes to see has a basis in reality. Abel is in real danger of losing Micha to their abusive father and to his own inability to make ends meet. Anna gradually falls in love with Abel, but when his “enemies” begin to turn up dead, she fears she has fallen for a murderer. Has she?

Award-winning author Antonia Michaelis moves in a bold new direction with her latest novel: a dark, haunting, contemporary story that is part mystery, part romance, and part melodrama.

This is more suitable for older teens (16+).

My Rating: 5.0 / 5

First thoughts:

I didn't expect it, but The Storyteller turned out to be one of the most captivating reads for me. It was an emotional rollercoaster - never letting me take a break to clear my head and get a distance from this heart-breaking story. It was impossible to put down and that is why I ended up reading it in a very short time. If you're looking for a contemporary story that will not leave your mind, pick up this one!

More detailed:

The Storyteller is one of the rare books that will break your heart and mend it just to shatter it into thousands of little pieces again. There were moments when I couldn't put it down and moments when I was almost too scared to pick it up again - scared of what might happen to the characters that I have grown to love. I was addicted to this captivating style of writing and afraid of the decisions Anna and Abel might make.

This is not a happy book and still, it made me laugh out loud sometimes and was able to put a smile on my face. Anna is pulled into a darker world than the protected one she is used to, but cannot manage to stay away. She's a fascinating character, both naive and grown-up in an unbelievable way. At times, it is hard to relate to her, but I ended up feeling like a bigger sister who wanted to protect her from the world she is living in.

Abel is a difficult character. It's no secret that I love reading about the "bad boys" and often end up taking their side in a love triangle (something that is not to be found in The Storyteller) and I fell for Abel the moment we are introduced to him. He's quiet and kind-hearted, but at the same time he is very mysterious and it takes a long time to find out all of his secrets - and some of these made me cry.

Thanks to the disaster that is my local library, I didn't get to compare the English translation with the German original. I love Antonia Michaelis' style of writing and I'd really like to see what it is like in German, because I can actually imagine that it might be even more beautiful. Antonia is not just describing places and actions, she has made me feel as though I was actually part of this story.

All in all, I loved The Storyteller. It's a very heavy and dark story, one that made me cry. But it also made me laugh with its characters and hope for them to get their happy ending. It might not be the right kind of story for everyone, but if you are looking for a fairytale-like contemporary story that will be like a rollercoaster for your feelings, pick up this one.

Challenge(s):

YA Contemporary Challenge 2012

Now knowing what the book is like, this trailer is even more creepy and lovely at the same time!

Have you read The Storyteller? What did you think about it?

Do you plan to read it?

Carina

Review: dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman

dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
First published: November 15th, 2011
Source: NetGalley
Format: eARC
Pages: 248

Goodreads Summary:
A friend posted a video of me dancing online and now I'm now longer Alicia Ruffino. I'm dancergirl—and suddenly it's like me against the world—everyone's got opinions.

My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy—even he's acting weird. And some stranger isn't content to just watch anymore.

Ali, dancergirl. Whatever you know me as, however you've seen me online, I've trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose more than just my love of dancing.

I could lose my life.

My Rating: 4.0 / 5

First thoughts:
Especially towards the end this novel's creepiness picked up and made it impossible to stop reading until I found out who was stalking Alicia. While reading I was never sure whom to suspect since so many people could have been the stalker. This is definitely a very exciting novel with a few surprises!

More detailed:
dancergirl conveys a very important message: Nowadays people are very careless about the things they publish on the internet, never thinking twice about any possible consequences. Carol M. Tanzman's novel highlights this problem, sketching out a scary but believable scenario by telling us Alicia's story.

I have to admit that, at first, I struggled to connect to Alicia. While I adored her love for dancing right from the beginning, I didn't really care about her story immediately. But after a few chapters I got to know her better and started to like her more, enabling me to relate to her. And that was also the moment I got scared for her, crossing my fingers that nothing too bad would happen.

An aspect I immensely enjoyed about dancergirl were the secondary characters, especially her best friends Jacy, Sonya and Clarissa. It was obvious how they cared about each other despite their differences and I loved how everyone tried to help Alicia when her life was turned upside down by her stalker. But I also loved characters like Samantha and Cisco since they ensured a great diversity. Carol M. Tanzman managed to create believeable, round secondary characters, which cannot be found in too many novels.

All in all, I think dancergirl is a novel everyone should read since it addresses a very complicated problem which is getting more present and dangerous every day. Alicia's story is a fast read, a fact created by Carol M Tanzman's beautiful writing, which is especially intriguing during the dancing scenes. I really enjoyed this and believe that many other will like it as well.

Next book in the series:

2. Circle of Silence (August 2012)

Have you read dancergirl? What did you think about it?

Do you plan to read it?

Carina