►Book Review Monday: The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer

(edited by myself)

• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin

Synopsis via Goodreads: 

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.

The first book-series that I am recommending to you is the “Mara Dyer”. This series is actually a trilogy, the first book is “The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer”, the second is “The Evolution of Mara Dyer” and the third is “The Retribution of Mara Dyer” which will be released in June 10^th of 2014.      

Mara Dyer…She has some... well, issues. She was a normal, happy, teenage girl with a perfect life, a perfect boyfriend and with perfect school grades. Her life will change radically after a horrible accident.

She losses her best friend and her boyfriend.  Mara’s new life begins at the hospital, when she wakes up and realises that she forgot everything from the accident’s day. Strange and creepy??Oh YES!

Her family decides to move out, in another city, in Florida. She will have her brothers, Daniel and Joseph stand for her, and of course her parents too. Mara realizes soon that she can’t run away from her past so easily.

The last thing she needs now is to fall in love or is it??I am going to tell you a name, so “listen” carefully: Noah Shaw. 

(image via Tumblr)

So many strange things happened in this book. You are kept in endless suspense. This book gives you a “nail biting tension”. Mara is one of the strongest female characters I have ever read .Mara is smart, sassy, authentic, unstable and very confusing sometimes. It was just so strange reading this book because you sort of felt like her, kind of losing your mind, wondering if that was happening around her was real or just a hallucination, which is kind of creepy.

How awesome are her brothers! Daniel especially, always covering for her and doing things for her. INCREDIBLE! Joseph is just the sweetest brother ever you will want to steal him!!

Noah…The most popular guy in school with the reputation to match, it was just amazing. He is sarcastic, honest, good looking, at the begging a typical bad-boy player and so flirty.   I love how the relationship between Noah and Mara deepens, we got to uncover some secrets and stories.   

Hodkin’s writing consumes you so easily and quickly. It is simple but so addicting. The writing simply blew me away.

(image via Tumblr)

-Savvina

►My Bookish Thoughts {The Curse Workers}

(edited by myself)

The Curse Workers Series by Holly Black

(edited by myself)

Synopsis via Goodreads: 

Cassel comes from a family of Curse Workers - people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all criminals. Many become mobsters and con artists. But not Cassel. He hasn't got magic, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail - he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Cassel has carefully built up a facade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his facade starts to crumble when he finds himself sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

My Thoughts:

First I want to point out that Holly Black, you dear woman, scared me so many times in this book. She sort of created a huge mess in my mind .The world is absolutely unique and amazing. From the very first page I knew that this whole book series will take a special part in my heart. Holly describes very successfully the world she created, the world of the Curse Workers. During this book, and generally during this whole series we learn more and more about the world and the characters too. Every page will be a big surprise for you. Most of the time I couldn't predict what would or what could happen next, I was completely lost like the characters. This book was my first "Holly Black book», my expectations were neither high nor low, I supposed this was just a quick, good read but it was definitely so much more than I thought it  was addicted from chapter one

Let's see what I thought of the characters, what was my first look in them. Cassel, a character that although he was male I could easily relate with him. Funny, shy but at the same time confident, very gifted , simple-but-not-so-simple type of teenage boy. His secrets were hunting me in the entire book, so many questions so little time to answer all of them. Fortunately those questions are answered in the 2# book ( Red Glove ).Barron and Philip, well, I am going more in depth in the Red Glove thoughts. What I thought of the white cat?!?Well think I am going to stick with Daneca's description:

"Good kitty.Who's an amazing killing machine?That's right!You are!You are a brutal,brutal tiny lion!Yes,you are."

Synopsis via Goodreads: 

The cons get craftier and the stakes rise ever higher in the riveting sequel to White Cat—now in paperback!

After rescuing his brothers from Zacharov’s retribution, Cassel is trying to reestablish some kind of normalcy in his life.

That was never going to be easy for someone from a worker family that’s tied to one of the big crime families—and whose mother’s cons get more reckless by the day. But Cassel is coming to terms with what it means to be a worker, and he’s figuring out how to have friends.

Except normal doesn’t last very long. Soon Cassel is being courted by both sides of the law and is forced to confront his past—a past he remembers only in scattered fragments, and one that could destroy his family and his future. Cassel will have to decide whose side he wants to be on, because neutrality is not an option. And then he will have to pull off his biggest con ever to survive….

My Thoughts:

The danger, the death and the action in this book are in a whole another level. Holly Black can seriously make you have heart attacks in every damn chapter. Plot twists and a cliffhanger. Two things that could easily describe this book and this book series .Our protagonist, Cassel faced so many problems ,and danger. The thought that he could possibly die in the end or in the middle of the series never left my mind, till I read the last page of the last book. Suspense is killing you! The secrets are finally revealed, so and the answers.

Character Talk! Sam and Daneca's relationship started slowly growing into me. Those characters had made for me personally a very good impression. They are my ideal best friends, especially Sam. Then one that I kept worrying about was Daneca, I had a very bad feeling about her and I proved I was right.-Don' worry I'm not going to spoil you :D-

Lila Zacharov was exactly how I expected her to be. To be honest sometimes she can be soooo annoying and boring .I closed the book rarely only because of her. At the same time I think she is a kick-ass character too. I am really fond of her. I totally support her and Cassel as a couple, as a ship.

Red Glove is a very quick, promising and engaging read.

“The truth is messy. It's raw and uncomfortable. You can't blame people for preferring lies.” 

“Changing is what people do when they have no options left.”

Synopsis via Goodreads: 

In a world where Magic is illegal.

Cassel Sharpe has the most deadly ability of all. With one touch, he can transform any object - including a person - into something else entirely. And that makes him a wanted man. The Feds are willing to forgive all his past crimes if he'll only leave his con artist family behind and go straight. But why does going straight feel so crooked?

For one thing, it means being on the opposite side of the law from Lila, the girl he loves. She's the daughter of a mob boss and getting ready to join the family business herself. Though Cassel is pretty sure she can never love him back, he can't stop obsessing over her. Which would be bad enough, even if her father wasn't keeping Cassel's mother prisoner in a posh apartment and threatening not to let her leave until she returns the priceless diamond she scammed off him years ago. Too bad she can't remember where she put it.

The Feds say they need Cassel to get rid of a powerful man who is spinning dangerously out of control. But if they want Cassel to use his unique talent to hurt people, what separates the good guys from the bad ones? Or is everyone just out to con him?

Time is running out, and all Cassel's magic and cleverness might not be enough to save him. With no easy answers and no one he can trust, love might be the most dangerous gamble of all.

My Thoughts:

I can say that Holly Black gave an extraordinary touch to the ending and the story. I seriously have no words for this book. Maybe, MAYBE this one is my favorite of the series but I'm not entirely sure yet. Like the previous books, the suspense will KILL you. Much more questions and secrets. .Yup! A lot of drama actually but you know. .it's a "good" not "boring" drama. Well, I enjoyed it but I think most of you will too. As always the writing is amazing and captivating. Holly Black does a very good job with the characters and the story in general. I literately couldn't put it down, it is one of those "I-read-it-in-one-sit" reads.

It was difficult to say goodbye to Cassel, to Sam, to Daneca, to Lila, to everyone. I miss the world, the curses, the darkness, and all those silly, fuzzy feelings that Holly made me feel. As I said in the beginning the ending is extraordinary and very surprising won't spoil you so don't worry won't get to more details, I will wait for those of you that have not read this book or this series in general. I pinky promise you that this book series will BLOW your mind (with a good way ).

-Savvina