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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
"I won't quit the game. I'll destroy the fucking board."
Noah!!!!! My sweet, but tragically broken, son. Experiencing this world through his eyes was such an interesting adventure. I could be reading a grocery list and as long as he was the one who wrote it, I would still be entertained.
I absolutely loved learning more about the entire world the author has created, and about the Gifted. And wow, that ending! You think that all of the surprises are over, and then it hits you. I need the next book!!!
Overall, I enjoyed this book very much. I love Noah with all of my heart, and I cannot wait to see where this series will take us next.
Noah!!!!! My sweet, but tragically broken, son. Experiencing this world through his eyes was such an interesting adventure. I could be reading a grocery list and as long as he was the one who wrote it, I would still be entertained.
I absolutely loved learning more about the entire world the author has created, and about the Gifted. And wow, that ending! You think that all of the surprises are over, and then it hits you. I need the next book!!!
Overall, I enjoyed this book very much. I love Noah with all of my heart, and I cannot wait to see where this series will take us next.
I loved this book! Noah's POV is so entertaining and captivating. I feel like this book did a great job of reminding me what happened in the Mara Dyer trilogy and it seemed like a good set up for the Noah Shaw trilogy. I'm pretty excited that this is a series now and I can't wait to see where it goes!
Noah Shaw is one of my favorite book characters. He's badass and witty. I was ecstatic when I heard that there would be another series, all in Noah's perspective, and I bought this one as soon as it came out!
The content is fantastic and the continuation from the Mara Dyer series and where it left off is practically flawless. It starts off, plunging straight into the nitty gritty and Michelle Hodkin did Noah justice. Her writing style is dark and detailed and points out things that you wouldn't otherwise think about. New characters emerge and the powers Noah and Mara have, continue to put a twist on everything we know about them already. Strap yourselves in this series will continue to be one hell of a ride!
The content is fantastic and the continuation from the Mara Dyer series and where it left off is practically flawless. It starts off, plunging straight into the nitty gritty and Michelle Hodkin did Noah justice. Her writing style is dark and detailed and points out things that you wouldn't otherwise think about. New characters emerge and the powers Noah and Mara have, continue to put a twist on everything we know about them already. Strap yourselves in this series will continue to be one hell of a ride!
3.5 out of 5 stars
WHAT?!?!?!?! I am so shocked by this book ending. I am not sure I am ready. I need the next one now. now. now. Please and thank you. I am not a huge fan of the character development of these characters but that's just how it works sometimes I guess. I just want to see what happens in this trilogy. I am invested in Mara and Noah's lives now.
WHAT?!?!?!?! I am so shocked by this book ending. I am not sure I am ready. I need the next one now. now. now. Please and thank you. I am not a huge fan of the character development of these characters but that's just how it works sometimes I guess. I just want to see what happens in this trilogy. I am invested in Mara and Noah's lives now.
Not really sure what to think about this one...I'm feeling confused and infuriated and kinda lost...
I made a calculated decision when I finished the Mara Dyer Trilogy. I decided that I would not read The Shaw Confessions. I liked where the first trilogy ended and didn’t want to spoil it. But I changed my mind. Because I still had so many questions. And I wanted answers.
I had an idea of where the storyline was going to go because in considering not continuing, I pondered several outcomes.
Put a group of people together and you will create conflict.
Make them teenagers who posses powers which they are still trying to figure out, and you get tension.
Connect them through shared experience and you get betrayal.
It was written in the stars.
Of course there was only ever going to be one outcome: it would get darker.
I think a lot of the negative reviews that I have read for The Becoming Of Noah Shaw are not deserved. This is a great book, a real page turner. And I think that that the nature of the “companion trilogy” might have confused some readers. This is a book which allows the same story to continue being told, in a different way. It’s still true to the characters, it’s still Michelle Hodkin’s voice underneath every other voice. It still feels like the same world. Because it is.
This book has less action - yes. The action it does have rises more steadily, more slowly, but that is no discredit to it at all.
This book is more psychological, more brains than brawn. This is completely justified by the need for answers and explanations - often lengthy explanations - as the plot continues to thicken. It is not boring at all, if anything it is less mindless (that is more mindful) than the other books.
With the psychological aspect comes a lot more dialogue, opening up a whole new plane of possibilities. You can read into what the characters say, the doublespeak, the nuances of their language. More hidden secrets. I really enjoyed the dialogue.
The starkest difference in The Becoming Of Noah Shaw is that it is written from Noah’s perspective. Naturally, the writing comes across as more snarky and sarcastic. Because it’s Noah. Characters like Jamie for instance, are presented differently as they are seen through the eyes of Noah. It wouldn’t make sense for it to be otherwise - for Jamie to be as wisecrackey and droll as Mara experiences him.
Likewise, Mara appears in a different light - not only because she has gone through an evolution by the end of the Mara Dyer Trilogy, but because we are seeing her through someone else’s eyes, no longer from within. Hence, it is not that Mara and the others are paled, it is that Noah is brought into sharper focus - which is a total treat.
We finally get to see what we had only had glimpses of before, under his cool exterior. We get to see what Noah is thinking. That is a reason to read if ever I saw one.
It ventures even darker than the Mara trilogy, and it takes a much more mature turn with the themes it delves into.
There is a trigger warning at the start of this book - essentially a caution that everything which takes place in this book is a potential trigger. That is true, but it is also important not to shy away from the important issues it raises. Issues that are as pertinent to normal everyday teens as they are to the characters in this book. Namely suicide and self-harm. These issues, importantly, are not shied away from but are addressed directly, and continue to be something the characters struggle through.
For a fantasy book, this is disturbingly true to life. The characters are very real and behave like people in the real world. The relationships are all to recognisable.
This book gets to a really dark place - but that was the only way this was ever going to go.
The Becoming Of Noah Shaw did answer all my questions, but it also presented more, as any good author will do to their characters, Michelle Hodkins doesn’t give them a break.
I had an idea of where the storyline was going to go because in considering not continuing, I pondered several outcomes.
Put a group of people together and you will create conflict.
Make them teenagers who posses powers which they are still trying to figure out, and you get tension.
Connect them through shared experience and you get betrayal.
It was written in the stars.
Of course there was only ever going to be one outcome: it would get darker.
I think a lot of the negative reviews that I have read for The Becoming Of Noah Shaw are not deserved. This is a great book, a real page turner. And I think that that the nature of the “companion trilogy” might have confused some readers. This is a book which allows the same story to continue being told, in a different way. It’s still true to the characters, it’s still Michelle Hodkin’s voice underneath every other voice. It still feels like the same world. Because it is.
This book has less action - yes. The action it does have rises more steadily, more slowly, but that is no discredit to it at all.
This book is more psychological, more brains than brawn. This is completely justified by the need for answers and explanations - often lengthy explanations - as the plot continues to thicken. It is not boring at all, if anything it is less mindless (that is more mindful) than the other books.
With the psychological aspect comes a lot more dialogue, opening up a whole new plane of possibilities. You can read into what the characters say, the doublespeak, the nuances of their language. More hidden secrets. I really enjoyed the dialogue.
The starkest difference in The Becoming Of Noah Shaw is that it is written from Noah’s perspective. Naturally, the writing comes across as more snarky and sarcastic. Because it’s Noah. Characters like Jamie for instance, are presented differently as they are seen through the eyes of Noah. It wouldn’t make sense for it to be otherwise - for Jamie to be as wisecrackey and droll as Mara experiences him.
Likewise, Mara appears in a different light - not only because she has gone through an evolution by the end of the Mara Dyer Trilogy, but because we are seeing her through someone else’s eyes, no longer from within. Hence, it is not that Mara and the others are paled, it is that Noah is brought into sharper focus - which is a total treat.
We finally get to see what we had only had glimpses of before, under his cool exterior. We get to see what Noah is thinking. That is a reason to read if ever I saw one.
It ventures even darker than the Mara trilogy, and it takes a much more mature turn with the themes it delves into.
There is a trigger warning at the start of this book - essentially a caution that everything which takes place in this book is a potential trigger. That is true, but it is also important not to shy away from the important issues it raises. Issues that are as pertinent to normal everyday teens as they are to the characters in this book. Namely suicide and self-harm. These issues, importantly, are not shied away from but are addressed directly, and continue to be something the characters struggle through.
For a fantasy book, this is disturbingly true to life. The characters are very real and behave like people in the real world. The relationships are all to recognisable.
This book gets to a really dark place - but that was the only way this was ever going to go.
The Becoming Of Noah Shaw did answer all my questions, but it also presented more, as any good author will do to their characters, Michelle Hodkins doesn’t give them a break.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
surprisingly, a quick read. As a super fan of the Mara Dyer trilogy, I couldn’t wait to devour this, however, it didn’t meet expectations. It’s like the Hunger Games, I would be happy for it to have finished on The Retribution. The first instalment of the Noah Shaw trilogy felt forced, unnecessary, and to be honest, I would’ve preferred it as a novella, a collection of stories after the events, rather than a drawn out suicide mystery.
(the mara dyer fan inside of me feels guilty for not liking this book)
(the mara dyer fan inside of me feels guilty for not liking this book)
2.5 stars.
The disappointment of the year. No, really. I was SO excited for this book to come out—I waited so long for it! I couldn’t wait to reabsorb the creepiness and the plot twists and everything.
This book was not what I wanted.
Either my reading tastes have changed SUPER drastically (I don’t really think so), or this book just wasn’t good. First of all, it was overly vulgar, and overly explicit and sexual. It didn’t even mean anything because something either disgusting or supposedly “hot” was happening all the time, and I just ended up becoming desensitized and annoyed by it. There was no real plot, and I only kept reading because I wanted a plot twist at the end and I didn’t want to DNF it. I have to say, it was addicting as always, but instead of being intrigued, I just wanted to get it over with.
I was super confused the entire book, since Hodkin didn’t do a very good job of reminding us what had happened in previous books, and nothing really happened in this book anyway. I mean, I remember the Mara Dyer books as being vague, but nothing made SENSE in this one. Did Mara actually force people to kill themselves? And if she did, I mean, WHY? There was no reason to anything; it just happened and it was useless and grotesque. Basically, all the violence and the sex was pointless. I didn’t see any motive for anything, and quite honestly, this book made my head hurt.
Another part I despised was how the author used suicide/mental illness/self-harm so freely. She literally used suicide as a plot device! And with no motive! Yea yea there’s a trigger warning in the beginning of the book, but really? It was so unnecessary; and I hated how it didn’t even mean anything. The book ended unclear, which I’d be fine with, but there are some things you have to explain, and this was one of them.
I have so many more complaints, but all I want to say now is that I wish I had loved this more. Sadly, the best part of the book was the last 50 pages, and I don’t think it was worth reading the rest of the 300+ pages for that. Giving it an extra 0.5 stars purely for the ending (I liked the cliffhanger) and because of my nostalgia for the old books. Not sure if I’ll continue the series, but we’ll see.
"...which she describes as strange and twisted and fun."
Sounds like the typical Michelle Hodkin book. But I'm excited. And why did I learn about this just now?!
The disappointment of the year. No, really. I was SO excited for this book to come out—I waited so long for it! I couldn’t wait to reabsorb the creepiness and the plot twists and everything.
This book was not what I wanted.
Either my reading tastes have changed SUPER drastically (I don’t really think so), or this book just wasn’t good. First of all, it was overly vulgar, and overly explicit and sexual. It didn’t even mean anything because something either disgusting or supposedly “hot” was happening all the time, and I just ended up becoming desensitized and annoyed by it. There was no real plot, and I only kept reading because I wanted a plot twist at the end and I didn’t want to DNF it. I have to say, it was addicting as always, but instead of being intrigued, I just wanted to get it over with.
I was super confused the entire book, since Hodkin didn’t do a very good job of reminding us what had happened in previous books, and nothing really happened in this book anyway. I mean, I remember the Mara Dyer books as being vague, but nothing made SENSE in this one. Did Mara actually force people to kill themselves? And if she did, I mean, WHY? There was no reason to anything; it just happened and it was useless and grotesque. Basically, all the violence and the sex was pointless. I didn’t see any motive for anything, and quite honestly, this book made my head hurt.
Another part I despised was how the author used suicide/mental illness/self-harm so freely. She literally used suicide as a plot device! And with no motive! Yea yea there’s a trigger warning in the beginning of the book, but really? It was so unnecessary; and I hated how it didn’t even mean anything. The book ended unclear, which I’d be fine with, but there are some things you have to explain, and this was one of them.
I have so many more complaints, but all I want to say now is that I wish I had loved this more. Sadly, the best part of the book was the last 50 pages, and I don’t think it was worth reading the rest of the 300+ pages for that. Giving it an extra 0.5 stars purely for the ending (I liked the cliffhanger) and because of my nostalgia for the old books. Not sure if I’ll continue the series, but we’ll see.
"...which she describes as strange and twisted and fun."
Sounds like the typical Michelle Hodkin book. But I'm excited. And why did I learn about this just now?!