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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
4.5 Stars.
You can read my full review here... http://eternalgypsy.blog/2020/02/22/review-the-becoming-of-noah-shaw-by-michelle-hodkin/
I actually really enjoyed this new edition to the saga and I’m excited to see where it goes. The Mara Dyer series left some strings loose and I think Ms. Hodkin is going to try and tie them up here. For example, how involved was Noah’s dad with everything? Where did all this begin and how far back do these abilities go? Who is ‘The Professor’? How exactly are Noah and Mara fated to be… As joined opposites working in unity for peace or battling enemies causing chaos like the Hero and Villain stories?
The book opens more or less where Retribution leaves off. Mara has accompanied Noah to England for his father’s funeral and to help settle his father’s estate. It’s here that things begin happening – the suicide of “Gifted” person – and the joining of another member to their group – Goose, Noah’s childhood friend. Figuring the suicide was a ‘one off’, they travel back to New York and learn that it wasn’t. The suicides of many people like them have been becoming more frequent. Some it seems, were not voluntary. Noah is plagued with being in their minds when they die and can’t accept that even though they look like suicide, they’re actually murder. These people are pleading not to die even as the hang themselves or step in front of a subway train. It doesn’t make sense.
“This is what people who have never wanted to die don’t understand: the worst thing for those of us who do is feeling like we have to live when we don’t want to. That we have to be when we don’t want to, exist where we don’t want to. What we want is nothingness, numbness, because that has to be better than the life of quiet desperation we’re living. Mara’s hand is in my hair as I lean my head back against the cracked leather seat, eyes closed, mind ruminating. The others…they weren’t missing what I’m missing, is the thing. They didn’t exist because they had no other choice. They didn’t see the world through a lens in which every scene contains a door marked exit, a door I’m forever unable to open. They lived because they wanted to. Until the end, when something, or someone, made them stop wanting. And I need to find out what.”
While trying to solve this mystery, new characters join our old cast. Goose, as I mentioned, turns out to be an amplifier. Leo, who I didn’t care for at all, can project images into other’s minds. Sophie, Daniel’s girlfriend, has even been hiding a secret from everyone this whole time. Turns out, our happy little troop was really just sitting on a hidden bomb that has been waiting to explode.
Back to Noah and Mara though. They’re still the two constellations we know and love, constantly circling each other, unable to leave the other’s gravitational pull. But we’re also beginning to see the cracks. Mara got really comfortable being on her own, without Noah. She’s off doing her own thing more often and we don’t see the regret for her actions like we did in Unbecoming or even Evolution. She still the same but she’s also accepted the dark side of herself. She feels no shame anymore. Jaime and Stella try to tell Noah but he has a really hard time accepting it. Stella even blames Mara for the deaths; insinuating that it’s really Mara in everyone’s head, pushing them to kill themselves.
“She’s a rock I want to break myself against.”
That’s really what this first book in the trilogy is about… Noah finally seeing Mara as everyone else does and it breaks him. He still loves her but he doesn’t know if he can be with who she has become. The secrets and their choices become a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. It killed me but at the same time, Michelle has a way of sharing a story that makes senses. I don’t know that any of us would’ve made different choices than them. From Mara or Noah’s perspective, given we were in their position, what happens is logical. I’m still honestly rooting for them but at this point, I can’t see how he can save her from herself. Not now that she doesn’t want to be saved.
You can read my full review here... http://eternalgypsy.blog/2020/02/22/review-the-becoming-of-noah-shaw-by-michelle-hodkin/
I actually really enjoyed this new edition to the saga and I’m excited to see where it goes. The Mara Dyer series left some strings loose and I think Ms. Hodkin is going to try and tie them up here. For example, how involved was Noah’s dad with everything? Where did all this begin and how far back do these abilities go? Who is ‘The Professor’? How exactly are Noah and Mara fated to be… As joined opposites working in unity for peace or battling enemies causing chaos like the Hero and Villain stories?
The book opens more or less where Retribution leaves off. Mara has accompanied Noah to England for his father’s funeral and to help settle his father’s estate. It’s here that things begin happening – the suicide of “Gifted” person – and the joining of another member to their group – Goose, Noah’s childhood friend. Figuring the suicide was a ‘one off’, they travel back to New York and learn that it wasn’t. The suicides of many people like them have been becoming more frequent. Some it seems, were not voluntary. Noah is plagued with being in their minds when they die and can’t accept that even though they look like suicide, they’re actually murder. These people are pleading not to die even as the hang themselves or step in front of a subway train. It doesn’t make sense.
“This is what people who have never wanted to die don’t understand: the worst thing for those of us who do is feeling like we have to live when we don’t want to. That we have to be when we don’t want to, exist where we don’t want to. What we want is nothingness, numbness, because that has to be better than the life of quiet desperation we’re living. Mara’s hand is in my hair as I lean my head back against the cracked leather seat, eyes closed, mind ruminating. The others…they weren’t missing what I’m missing, is the thing. They didn’t exist because they had no other choice. They didn’t see the world through a lens in which every scene contains a door marked exit, a door I’m forever unable to open. They lived because they wanted to. Until the end, when something, or someone, made them stop wanting. And I need to find out what.”
While trying to solve this mystery, new characters join our old cast. Goose, as I mentioned, turns out to be an amplifier. Leo, who I didn’t care for at all, can project images into other’s minds. Sophie, Daniel’s girlfriend, has even been hiding a secret from everyone this whole time. Turns out, our happy little troop was really just sitting on a hidden bomb that has been waiting to explode.
Back to Noah and Mara though. They’re still the two constellations we know and love, constantly circling each other, unable to leave the other’s gravitational pull. But we’re also beginning to see the cracks. Mara got really comfortable being on her own, without Noah. She’s off doing her own thing more often and we don’t see the regret for her actions like we did in Unbecoming or even Evolution. She still the same but she’s also accepted the dark side of herself. She feels no shame anymore. Jaime and Stella try to tell Noah but he has a really hard time accepting it. Stella even blames Mara for the deaths; insinuating that it’s really Mara in everyone’s head, pushing them to kill themselves.
“She’s a rock I want to break myself against.”
That’s really what this first book in the trilogy is about… Noah finally seeing Mara as everyone else does and it breaks him. He still loves her but he doesn’t know if he can be with who she has become. The secrets and their choices become a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. It killed me but at the same time, Michelle has a way of sharing a story that makes senses. I don’t know that any of us would’ve made different choices than them. From Mara or Noah’s perspective, given we were in their position, what happens is logical. I’m still honestly rooting for them but at this point, I can’t see how he can save her from herself. Not now that she doesn’t want to be saved.
Unfortunately this was not was I was expecting. I started off really enjoying it, but then I feel like it was confusing. All the character development in the Mara Dyer books seems completely lost for me, both with Noah, but especially Mara. I hated the ending to the extreme. Just looked at my book and see that it's volume one of a series. Not sure if I want to continue it, if I do I'll just check it out from the library. I have no idea where it could go from the ending. As I feel like it was a conclusion.
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
i’m really sad about the ending. mara is really not who i thought she was but i’m so proud to f noah even if i want to cry everytimes i think about it
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
YOU DON'T LIKE THE MURDER? GROW UP! the atrocities are part of her and i've decided they're funny ;)
WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS.
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD.
I'M SO EMOTIONAL RIGHT NOT I NEED SOME TIME TO PROCESS THIS.
I'M SO FUCKING EXCITED FOR THIS.
FROM NOAH'S POV OH MY GOD.
I THOUGHT SHE WAS WRITING A NEW SERIES NOT A SPIN OFF THIS IS AMAZING.
I'M REALLY EMOTIONAL RIGHT NOW WORDS CAN NOT EXPLAIN.
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD.
I'M SO EMOTIONAL RIGHT NOT I NEED SOME TIME TO PROCESS THIS.
I'M SO FUCKING EXCITED FOR THIS.
FROM NOAH'S POV OH MY GOD.
I THOUGHT SHE WAS WRITING A NEW SERIES NOT A SPIN OFF THIS IS AMAZING.
I'M REALLY EMOTIONAL RIGHT NOW WORDS CAN NOT EXPLAIN.
I had such high hopes for this book, but sadly, was disappointed. After falling in love with the Mara Dyer books and Noah Shaw, I thought I was going to love this. I feel bad for giving it 3 stars, as I've followed the author for a while, and I know she's put her heart and soul into writing this book. But the plot fell short for me, and the characters... they didn't feel like the old ones I'd come love. Nevertheless, I will continue with this series because I did find the ending amazing! I can't wait to see what Michelle Hodkin has in store for us in the next novel, and hopefully I'll enjoy it more.
I deserve the marashaw spring wedding and marashaw babies mentioned in this book.
i love the mara dyer trilogy, as well as michelle, but this was just tragic. i was really stoked to read this book, however, i couldn’t get into it. i tried, but the concept was terrible. i hated the way things ended, and have decided not to read the next book.
i am throughly disappointed. i am just going to pretend everything ended with the retribution of mara dyer.
i am throughly disappointed. i am just going to pretend everything ended with the retribution of mara dyer.
*I read this in Novemeber 2017 and reviewed it then. I read it as an arc and decided to DNF at 51%. An earc was provided by the publisher and as always, this is my honest opinion. All my reviews are at www.terriblebookblogger.wordpress.com
This was one of my most anticipated books of 2017 and…yeah.
Maybe I should have reread the Mara Dyer trilogy before because I had zero idea what was going on when I started reading and it slowly started coming back to me, but even then.
My main issue with this book is the plot, or the lack of one. The pacing is so slow as Noah and the gang wander around trying to figure out why this super weird scary thing is happening. But there’s no tension. People are dying, but it’s so far removed, I didn’t really care.
You’d think at 51% there would be a little more story involved, but it was all just kind of slow and distant.
To be 100% fair, I found out as I was reading this that the earc is missing words, pages, and even whole chapters, so maybe I missed something that changed everything. I considered buying a copy or trying to get it from the library and rereading all I had read, but it seemed like too much effort for a book I wasn’t enjoying at its core.
Maybe if I reread The Mara Dyer trilogy, I’ll find that I no longer enjoy it as I once did and that carried over to The Becoming of Noah Shaw, but I found this one too strange, too slow, and too superficial to really connect with the story.
When I tried to pick this up about a week and a half since I last read it, I looked at it briefly, and closed the book. Even if I were to finish this earc and know there are chapters missing, I know I won’t enjoy it, because Noah and Mara’s relationship exhausts me.
I’ve had an exceptionally bad reading month in November, so maybe later I’ll pick this one back up and give it another try. I keep hearing about the ending being shocking, but I have a feeling that this series will end with The Mara Dyer trilogy for me.
This was one of my most anticipated books of 2017 and…yeah.
Maybe I should have reread the Mara Dyer trilogy before because I had zero idea what was going on when I started reading and it slowly started coming back to me, but even then.
My main issue with this book is the plot, or the lack of one. The pacing is so slow as Noah and the gang wander around trying to figure out why this super weird scary thing is happening. But there’s no tension. People are dying, but it’s so far removed, I didn’t really care.
You’d think at 51% there would be a little more story involved, but it was all just kind of slow and distant.
To be 100% fair, I found out as I was reading this that the earc is missing words, pages, and even whole chapters, so maybe I missed something that changed everything. I considered buying a copy or trying to get it from the library and rereading all I had read, but it seemed like too much effort for a book I wasn’t enjoying at its core.
Maybe if I reread The Mara Dyer trilogy, I’ll find that I no longer enjoy it as I once did and that carried over to The Becoming of Noah Shaw, but I found this one too strange, too slow, and too superficial to really connect with the story.
When I tried to pick this up about a week and a half since I last read it, I looked at it briefly, and closed the book. Even if I were to finish this earc and know there are chapters missing, I know I won’t enjoy it, because Noah and Mara’s relationship exhausts me.
I’ve had an exceptionally bad reading month in November, so maybe later I’ll pick this one back up and give it another try. I keep hearing about the ending being shocking, but I have a feeling that this series will end with The Mara Dyer trilogy for me.