Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger. She wakes from a coma in hospital with no memory of how she got there or of the bizarre accident that caused the deaths of her best friends and her boyfriend, yet left her mysteriously unharmed.
The doctors suggest that starting over in a new city, a new school, would be good for her and just to let the memories gradually come back on their own. But Mara's new start is anything but comforting. She sees the faces of her dead friends everywhere, and when she suddenly begins to see other people's deaths right before they happen, Mara wonders whether she's going crazy! And if dealing with all this wasn't enough, Noah Shaw, the most beautiful boy she has ever seen can't seem to leave her alone… but as her life unravels around her, Mara can't help but wonder if Noah has another agenda altogether…
Ages 14+
Mara Dyer 01
Michelle Hodkins trilogy is off to an absolutely fantastic, compelling start. Dark, intoxicating and haunting, these first two books will have you glued to each page, hanging on the curve of every word. Written in dream-like haze, the story is dark, nightmarish and almost psychotic yet utterly compelling and intoxicating. It leaves the reader unsure of what is real and what is not, questioning the borders of dreams and reality. Climaxes in the story comes at strange, unexpected intervals which cause you to jump out of your seat in both terror and exhilaration, making the overall read climatic, ambiguous and thrilling and the characters, shadowy nightmares, flashbacks and taunts written in blood will keep you up all night with no regard for time, drunk on each word and pining for more. Michelle Hodkin has truly written the work of a genius, and I, for one, am holding on to the edge of my seat in wait of the next release. Reviewed by Xsarea Power
QBD, 30/07/2014