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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
✧･ﾟ:* ✩ 4.5 STARS ✩*:･ﾟ✧
TW: the book deals with suicide, depression, self-harm...
(however [this goes to the people complaining] the book starts with a trigger warning that lists these topics and many others so don't say you were not warned.)
Ok, FIRST OF ALL, I want to say that I do not understand why people are giving such low ratings to this book like….expLAIN????
I feel like everyone was expecting this to be exactly like Mara Dyer, just as mysterious and confusing but the thing with the first books is that they were discovering their powers and we are already past that. Besides this is the first book on The Shaw Confessions so DON’T GIVE UP MY FRIENDS.
AnYwAys, I did liked this book as you can probably tell. I have been waiting for this one for almost 2 fucking years (and a little bit more because legit my book arrived at my place one day after I leFT FOR A ONE WEEK TRIP).
This was nearly everything I wanted…nearly because there are chapters that shouldn’t have happened ☉‿☉
Ok, let’s discuss this whole thing, shall we…
“I love the person I am with you. You recognize somebody in me who I want to be, who I wish I were, and I am him when I am around you.”
(Major spoilers are going to be hidden but some situations/scenes that don’t reveal much of the plot are not so if you haven’t read the book you’ve been warned.)
We start with Noah and Mara wanting some ~alone time~ only to be inTERRUPTED and that is when Noah starts having his visions 2.0 meaning that now he can feel and hear what these people are thinking.
Then we met Goose and I am personally mad over the fact that we don’t get that much information on him, he was just…there, at some points I sort of forgot he existed...and I really liked him! I want to know more about him, about his “friendship” with Noah and why does he has a gift!!
Oh and by the way I kinda ship him with Jamie so I am expecting more interaction between the two of them in the second book *cough* Michelle make that happen *cough*
So everyone goes out for a couple of drinks and let me tell you that that chapter was probably the happiest scene that we get in the book, until someone decided to ruin it. Okay yeah, not funny, so Noah kinda passes out because of the vision of Beth but in the beginning, he kept on mentioning this guy who was there just standing and didn’t do anything right??
Later we met Leo and we confirm that it was him at the train station and… I don’t like him he legit doesn’t have a reaction to anything??
Spoiler
He said that he was in love with Stella but when she jumped out of the bridge I don’t recall him crying or screaming or just fucking GRIEVING ‘cause the person he loved tried committing suicideLisTEN UP. I always KNEW Sophie had something to do with all of this madness. When I started Retribution I thought she was just going to appear all of the sudden and BANG bitch she’s been helping the doctors all this damn time but NOOOO she has a freaking Gift now and oh MY GOD what a coincidence they all ended up in Croyden and she just CAN’T see Noah’s “light” and what a coinCIDENCE SHE STARTED DATING DANIEL.
I love Daniel and I can’t believe she did that to him.
Let’s go back to Stella in here, when she appeared I was so happy™ but out of nowhere, she starts hating on my main girl Mara Amitra Dyer, like???? …Well, we know that in the end of Retribution they weren’t on the best terms but now she despices her existence likE EXCUSE ME??. And then she had the audacity to text Noah because she wanted to speak to him alone and then proceeded to tell him E VE RY THING that happened in Horizons and now Noah doesn’t trust Mara (although he did defended her honor 'till the end, get you a boy that can do both ahem noAH SHAW.)
*sigh* I'm so fucking done.
Alright so i have read a couple of review saying that Noah has “changed” and he is “Not the perfect boy that we met in Mara Dyer, so it is disappointing” Okay first, I don’t think he has changed, it just feels weird because now it is his thoughts we are reading and not Mara’s and I agree that in the beginning is a bit weird because we are used to that voice but the tricky thing is that Mara sees Noah like that, in control, super dreamy and “perfect” because she is in love with him, however Noah views himself in a different way and we are definitely harder on ourselves.
He has the same dark humor and personality and tbh I don’t think he has changed.
PLUUUS you guys have to remember that a couple of months ago he legit had to kill his girlfriend??? And then he died, and even tho he really hates his father he is still grieving like a normal human being?? Idk this whole thing kinda pisses me off.
Another thing that I disagreed with in a review was: “Noah was annoyed at Mara or having sex with her, he doesn’t love her like before” Okay, there are 1 (and a half?) sex scenes and those are at the beginning when things are (sort of) normal. But tb honest that is a little bit beside the point, what got me mad in here is that Noah always always defends Mara, even when she has done some fucked up shit, when Stella tells him about Horizons he kept on defending her to no end, so when Mara tells him that she killed his father I understand all the reasons why Noah is mad, he can’t keep on justifying everything that Mara does
it doesn’t matter how much he loves her, it is not healthy and some of you need to understand that.
End of the second rant.
Alrighty, so I already said this but am I the only one who cannot trust Leo? I legit think he has something to do with all of the suicides, actually one of my theories is that he is somehow controlling Mara and using her as a weapon but she can’t tell. Which reminds me… Mara came back home high????? because she used her powers???? what is that about? this is why I don't trust Leo !!
So I don't want to make this longer than it already is so let’s get to the part were Stella is in the bridge and tries to commit suicide but Noah finds SHE MANAGED TO STAY ALIVE which is good, don’t get me wrong I like her but I was SHOOKETH and then things got a little bit weird because Goose passed out and then Noah passed out too and Mara wasn’t there anymore and I was #iamconfusion
AND NOW EVERYONE LOST THEIR POWERS !??!? EXCEPT BUT MARA?? (‘Cause she said she still has them but HOW DOES SHE KNOOWWWS?)
Noah confronts Mara and she admits to killing his father (which I wasn't surprised at all because that was always one of my theories) and she also tells him about the police officers and that fucking paragraph man that got me good straight to my HEART AND FEELINGS
“And then I was surrounded by people who would do their job and then go home to their families and laugh around their dinner tables and read their children bedtime stories and you and I were never going to get that because you were dead and I was alone.”
AND THEN NOAH TELLS HER TO LEAVE AND THIS WAS WHAT I WAS SCARED OF FROM THE BEGINNING AND THIS IS WHY I DIDNT WANTED ANOTHER BOOK IM CRYING
And then, like Michelle hasn't had played with our hearts for about like 400 pages, she decides that BOOM Mara’s grandmother is alive and better than ever and they are going to find Mara and fix this whole mess together (i hope) 😭😭
Listen up kids, I want the second book NOW, I really hope it comes out next year and they don't delay it any longer than it should.
That’s everything I need to say, I love Noah, my main girl Mara and my sons Jamie, Daniel and Goose.
I recommend this to everyone
bye.
------------
(19/Nov/17)
I love my husband Noah Elliot Simon Shaw so I don’t regret this book being the last one that I read this year (and not once but twice).
Another great book from Michelle Hodkin, While I loved the books more from Mara's perspective I will still consume these with great force.
legitimately nothing happened until the last 30 pages of this book…
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting. As usual, I'm kind of regretting my choice of using an audiobook for this one because I don't think I fully grasped what was happening at times? I liked it overall - maybe 3.5 stars for my rating. I definitely liked being in Noah's head; he's exactly what I expected. Mara seriously annoyed me in this one. Again, maybe it was due to the audio of her voice? I didn't like it too much. Overall, I'm pretty pumped this series exists and can't believe I have to wait to read the next installment instead of binging them like I did with Mara Dyer.
Awfully out of character, will be erasing it from my memory
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
jamie is so sus rn idk what’s going on like why is he aligning w the professor
sophie joining leo and them? weird but so unexpected like bitch. daniel THE BAE and best character deserves better. i miss the fam like joseph and mum and dad 💔 i hate that they’re being kind controlled and left out
stella wth we were all rooting for u what’s going on. she’s so rude and blaming mara like what
leo and his group are SUS i’m so confused tho like noah said stepping into the house is the one decision he wishes he could’ve changed so…
I LOVE GOOSE king. if he does i’ll be so upset like i love him :( i have a bad feeling just cos he’s got caught up w this now. his power is mysterious tho idk
reading noah’s pov is hard like his depression is so bad, he rlly has nothing to live for besides mara. i hope by the bf he finds purpose and true happiness. also he can’t heal now what? i thought he healed after cutting himself to prove goose so im confused
bruh im so confused with mara like what is going on. she killed noah’s dad which SLAY but she’s not killing everyone else but everyone’s blaming her and im fucking confused. the plot makes no sense like why r these ppl dying. UGH this story could’ve been so so good but it went down the weirdest direction.
also her grandma is alive wtf… i can’t even. i rlly hope this trilogy is the end of the series like the plot just gets worse and worse and i have no idea what’s going on.
noah and mara aren’t being that cute rn like they’re kinda codependent but toxic rn idk. ugh idk what’s going on.
it was funny at times but even the group dynamic isn’t the same as before. the chaotic neutral stuff jamie is talking abt was lowk accurate and funny but yea, idk it all feels different. but “who cares i love him anyway” being maras lifetime story WAS HILARIOUS
anyways boring lol. maybe cos i’m in a sleep and literally don’t wanna read anything but yea.
Finally finished!!!! And..... I was less then impressed. Let's just say that I will not be finishing this series.
OH MY GOOOOD! I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE IS GOING TO BE A SPIN OFF
Actual review below:
actual rating: 2.8
I’m not gonna lie to you guys, this was a let down to me. It didn’t feel like the same story in a lot of ways. The characters were so much different from how we used to know them as were Mara and Noah’s relationship. Yes, I know, the story is told from Noah's perspective, but the character himsef seemed very different from the boy we used to know. He was veeeery frustrating to me.
There wasn’t a lot of a plot, but I enjoyed the reading experience and the last chapter definitely made me want to know what is gonna happen next, so I'll be reading the sequel as well.
Actual review below:
actual rating: 2.8
I’m not gonna lie to you guys, this was a let down to me. It didn’t feel like the same story in a lot of ways. The characters were so much different from how we used to know them as were Mara and Noah’s relationship. Yes, I know, the story is told from Noah's perspective, but the character himsef seemed very different from the boy we used to know. He was veeeery frustrating to me.
There wasn’t a lot of a plot, but I enjoyed the reading experience and the last chapter definitely made me want to know what is gonna happen next, so I'll be reading the sequel as well.