Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
I wanted to love this so so so much, but it just fell flat.
I’ve just finished it and couldn’t tell you what the main plot points were. Noah hides stuff from Mara, Noah sees a suicide and doesn’t do anything about it, there’s a lot of talking and not much else. Over and over again.
Granted, it’s only the first book in a trilogy, but I feel like there should be at least some answers to some of the questions that arose in the book and not just a load of unanswered questions at the end.
The most annoying thing about the book is how different the characters are to the first trilogy - all of Noah and Mara’s issues could’ve been solved by them talking to each other (which they spend basically three whole books doing) instead of hardly ever engaging in conversation. At the end of the book, it’s clear Noah still loves Mara but there’s no indication throughout the book as to WHY he does anymore. She doesn’t do anything in the book that makes him fall in love with her even more, or anything that would warrant him still having feelings for her which is so frustrating as it’s clear they’re still there.
Noah’s personality also seemed a lot different which I suppose could be put down to the differing POV but honestly just feels out of character - I reread the original trilogy right before this book and it’s even very different from Noah’s POV nearing the end of Retribution.
All this said, I’ll definitely read the next books in this series because I can’t let these characters go and the plot of the Carriers dying was interesting even though it wasn’t explored as well as it could’ve been in this book. I’m also very very intrigued as to how and why Mara’s grandmother is still alive and why the “power has gone out”. But mostly I’ll read the next ones to make sure Mara and Noah are together in the end because she can’t take one of my favourite book couples and break them up forever in a SPIN OFF.
I hope Mara’s family come back into further books as they were such key characters in the first trilogy and it even mentions them being in New York, and I hope Katie makes an appearance or even becomes a major character because I think she could become so well developed.
As a final word, I’d like to assure anyone reading this that English people don’t say the word “mate” or “mates” every other sentence. Maybe once (or twice, or a fair few times) per day, but definitely not as much as poor Goose and Noah are forced to.
I’ve just finished it and couldn’t tell you what the main plot points were. Noah hides stuff from Mara, Noah sees a suicide and doesn’t do anything about it, there’s a lot of talking and not much else. Over and over again.
Granted, it’s only the first book in a trilogy, but I feel like there should be at least some answers to some of the questions that arose in the book and not just a load of unanswered questions at the end.
The most annoying thing about the book is how different the characters are to the first trilogy - all of Noah and Mara’s issues could’ve been solved by them talking to each other (which they spend basically three whole books doing) instead of hardly ever engaging in conversation. At the end of the book, it’s clear Noah still loves Mara but there’s no indication throughout the book as to WHY he does anymore. She doesn’t do anything in the book that makes him fall in love with her even more, or anything that would warrant him still having feelings for her which is so frustrating as it’s clear they’re still there.
Noah’s personality also seemed a lot different which I suppose could be put down to the differing POV but honestly just feels out of character - I reread the original trilogy right before this book and it’s even very different from Noah’s POV nearing the end of Retribution.
All this said, I’ll definitely read the next books in this series because I can’t let these characters go and the plot of the Carriers dying was interesting even though it wasn’t explored as well as it could’ve been in this book. I’m also very very intrigued as to how and why Mara’s grandmother is still alive and why the “power has gone out”. But mostly I’ll read the next ones to make sure Mara and Noah are together in the end because she can’t take one of my favourite book couples and break them up forever in a SPIN OFF.
I hope Mara’s family come back into further books as they were such key characters in the first trilogy and it even mentions them being in New York, and I hope Katie makes an appearance or even becomes a major character because I think she could become so well developed.
As a final word, I’d like to assure anyone reading this that English people don’t say the word “mate” or “mates” every other sentence. Maybe once (or twice, or a fair few times) per day, but definitely not as much as poor Goose and Noah are forced to.
I admit, I was wary heading into this...Retribution ended so perfectly, I felt like there didn't need to be more.
But there was more, and I had to read it.
And I could not put it down. Finished it at 4am, and absolutely loved it.
But there was more, and I had to read it.
And I could not put it down. Finished it at 4am, and absolutely loved it.
jesus fucking christ. what the actual fuck.
i wanna bang my head into a wall repeatedly until i either forget what i read or i pass out.
what mara did... im sorry but i'll defend her to death, she's my bookish wanda maximoff.
i wanna bang my head into a wall repeatedly until i either forget what i read or i pass out.
what mara did... im sorry but i'll defend her to death, she's my bookish wanda maximoff.
Series: The Shaw Confession #1
Publication Date: Nov 7, 2017
Rating: 4/5
Trigger Warning: Suicide, self-harm, adult language, mental illness (and a whole lot more. A trigger warning page can be found in the start of the book)
"I won't quit the game. I'll destroy the fucking board."
Please note that this is a spin-off series of The Mara Dyer trilogy. Therefore, you must have read those books first before picking this one up.
NOW TO THE FANGIRLING/ RANT:
I was a little sceptical of this spin-off because I was happy with how TMD ended and spin-offs are usually disappointing for me BUT OH MY GOD I NEEDED THIS IN MY LIFE! This book picks up almost a week after the events of The Retribution of Mara Dyer and explored the "Gifts" of Noah, Mara and the gang. Noah starts seeing visions of other Gifted people just before they commit suicide and this leads the gang on a journey of discovering others like them.
THINGS I ENJOYED:
1) Since this book was entirely from Noah's perspective, the sarcasm, banter and absolute savagery was on an all time high (which I loved).
2) The character developments (especially Noah's). One of my issues with the Mara Dyer trilogy was the relationship between Noah and Mara. Noah suffers from depression and his only light in life is Mara. He practically worships her. I was so relieved when Noah started questioning his relationship because he was always the one who did everything Mara wanted without hesitation and that irked me so much. Don't get me wrong, I do ship them but I also don't???? IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
3) The writing. It is beautiful and the book just flies by. A lot of questions were answered and a thousand more were created!! (I AM LOSING MY MIND!) I also enjoyed all the new characters that were introduced. A few characters from the past made appearances (some unexpected!!!!). Every single character in this book has secrets. Some were revealed, some hinted at and then there were the ones you yell about in the middle of the night BECAUSE HODKIN: HOW DARE YOU!
4) This is written as an OwnVoices book for the mental health rep and I really appreciate the way Hodkin depicts mental illness in this (and all her books tbh) without romanticising or shying away from the harsh truths.
THINGS I DIDN'T REALLY ENJOY:
1) The Plot (or a lack thereof). My only problem with this book is that NOTHING REALLY HAPPENS until the last 10% or so which I didn't really mind as it was setting up for the last two books. Also for those of you who hate cliffhangers: there's a pretty big one here that I screamed about for 2 hours straight.
I would also like to again mention that this book is very much tied to the Mara Dyer trilogy. For those of you (like me) who read them years ago, PLEASE either reread them or read the detailed summary on RECAPTAINS (they only have the first two books. So I reread the last one). Hodkin has inserted certain important paragraphs from the previous books in some areas, which helped a lot but I still think a recap is needed before going into this.
Overall I enjoyed this book and it was a great start to the series. I NEED BOOK 2 NOW!
*****Received an Advanced Reader's Copy courtesy of Pansing Malaysia in exchange for an honest review*****
A version of this review can also be found on instagram @darkreaders.
Publication Date: Nov 7, 2017
Rating: 4/5
Trigger Warning: Suicide, self-harm, adult language, mental illness (and a whole lot more. A trigger warning page can be found in the start of the book)
"I won't quit the game. I'll destroy the fucking board."
Please note that this is a spin-off series of The Mara Dyer trilogy. Therefore, you must have read those books first before picking this one up.
NOW TO THE FANGIRLING/ RANT:
I was a little sceptical of this spin-off because I was happy with how TMD ended and spin-offs are usually disappointing for me BUT OH MY GOD I NEEDED THIS IN MY LIFE! This book picks up almost a week after the events of The Retribution of Mara Dyer and explored the "Gifts" of Noah, Mara and the gang. Noah starts seeing visions of other Gifted people just before they commit suicide and this leads the gang on a journey of discovering others like them.
THINGS I ENJOYED:
1) Since this book was entirely from Noah's perspective, the sarcasm, banter and absolute savagery was on an all time high (which I loved).
2) The character developments (especially Noah's). One of my issues with the Mara Dyer trilogy was the relationship between Noah and Mara. Noah suffers from depression and his only light in life is Mara. He practically worships her. I was so relieved when Noah started questioning his relationship because he was always the one who did everything Mara wanted without hesitation and that irked me so much. Don't get me wrong, I do ship them but I also don't???? IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
3) The writing. It is beautiful and the book just flies by. A lot of questions were answered and a thousand more were created!! (I AM LOSING MY MIND!) I also enjoyed all the new characters that were introduced. A few characters from the past made appearances (some unexpected!!!!). Every single character in this book has secrets. Some were revealed, some hinted at and then there were the ones you yell about in the middle of the night BECAUSE HODKIN: HOW DARE YOU!
4) This is written as an OwnVoices book for the mental health rep and I really appreciate the way Hodkin depicts mental illness in this (and all her books tbh) without romanticising or shying away from the harsh truths.
THINGS I DIDN'T REALLY ENJOY:
1) The Plot (or a lack thereof). My only problem with this book is that NOTHING REALLY HAPPENS until the last 10% or so which I didn't really mind as it was setting up for the last two books. Also for those of you who hate cliffhangers: there's a pretty big one here that I screamed about for 2 hours straight.
I would also like to again mention that this book is very much tied to the Mara Dyer trilogy. For those of you (like me) who read them years ago, PLEASE either reread them or read the detailed summary on RECAPTAINS (they only have the first two books. So I reread the last one). Hodkin has inserted certain important paragraphs from the previous books in some areas, which helped a lot but I still think a recap is needed before going into this.
Overall I enjoyed this book and it was a great start to the series. I NEED BOOK 2 NOW!
*****Received an Advanced Reader's Copy courtesy of Pansing Malaysia in exchange for an honest review*****
A version of this review can also be found on instagram @darkreaders.
A fast-paced and dark story. The other books in the series were super creepy and at times straight-up scary. This book still had some of the mystery and I'm curious to see where it will lead in the coming sequels.
I loved getting back into this world!!! And I absolutely loved hearing from Noah’s point of view! I can’t wait til the next one!
I’m angry. At first I really enjoyed this book but the way Mara and Noah’s relationship was literally and figuratively dragged through the mud and ruined makes me wanna scream. The Mara at the end of this book is not the Mara in the Mara Dyer series. I should’ve taken the low reviews as a warning but I had hope. Super disappointed with how this book went.
Me rn:
October 2018
Soooooo umm I loved it???? everybody hates it though. makes me kinda sad. Granted, the writing wasn't the best and it was kinda messy and all over the place but it was really compelling all the way through. Also, I don't think you'd get much out of this if you didn't read the original trilogy recently. The whole mystery would go right over your head.
But I'm also trash for the series so what do i know
MAY 2017
HOLY SHIT TWO YEARS OF NOTHING AND NOW A COVER DEAR GOD HELP ME.
NOVEMBER 2015
BOOK ONE OF THE FUCKING SHAW CONFESSIONS?
IS THIS reAL LIfE?
NOBODY TOLD ME ABOUT tHiS
NOAH SHAW
MY ETERNAL LOVE
IS BACK
Soooooo umm I loved it???? everybody hates it though. makes me kinda sad. Granted, the writing wasn't the best and it was kinda messy and all over the place but it was really compelling all the way through. Also, I don't think you'd get much out of this if you didn't read the original trilogy recently. The whole mystery would go right over your head.
But I'm also trash for the series so what do i know
MAY 2017
HOLY SHIT TWO YEARS OF NOTHING AND NOW A COVER DEAR GOD HELP ME.
NOVEMBER 2015
BOOK ONE OF THE FUCKING SHAW CONFESSIONS?
IS THIS reAL LIfE?
NOBODY TOLD ME ABOUT tHiS
NOAH SHAW
MY ETERNAL LOVE
IS BACK