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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
I’m so glad this series is continuing with Noah Shaw’s story. The Mara Dyer trilogy was only the beginning. Their story progresses a lot in this book.
Though Noah was one of the main characters in the Mara Dyer trilogy, he still remained a mystery. That series was narrated by Mara, so we only got to see her perspective. This book was narrated by Noah, so we got an inside look at what it’s like to be Noah. He is very distinct and different from Mara. Mara becomes the mysterious figure in this book.
I’ve flown through each of these books. I can read them in just a couple of hours. I can’t say too much without giving away the ending, but it was a fast-paced story! Also, there is a page with trigger warnings at the beginning. However, if you’re familiar with this series, you know that just about anything bad that can happen to a person happens in these books, including torture and suicide. The page turns into a bit of a joke, because if you can’t read about these subjects, this series is definitely not for you.
I loved the cliffhanger ending! I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Though Noah was one of the main characters in the Mara Dyer trilogy, he still remained a mystery. That series was narrated by Mara, so we only got to see her perspective. This book was narrated by Noah, so we got an inside look at what it’s like to be Noah. He is very distinct and different from Mara. Mara becomes the mysterious figure in this book.
I’ve flown through each of these books. I can read them in just a couple of hours. I can’t say too much without giving away the ending, but it was a fast-paced story! Also, there is a page with trigger warnings at the beginning. However, if you’re familiar with this series, you know that just about anything bad that can happen to a person happens in these books, including torture and suicide. The page turns into a bit of a joke, because if you can’t read about these subjects, this series is definitely not for you.
I loved the cliffhanger ending! I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Trigger warning for discussion of suicidal ideation, self-harm, and mental illness. Oh, and there's a warning at the beginning of the book, too, so definitely pay attention to that if you have triggers.
Confession time: it's been a while since I read the original Mara Dyer trilogy, and I can't remember it very well, so definitely chalk up some of my confusion to that, though I don't think it has much impact on a lot of the problems I had with this book. Noah Shaw was my favourite character, I think, along with Jamie, so knowing that both of them were coming back - and that Noah was headlining this series - was really exciting to me.
Things I really loved: Noah's voice. He's bitter and dark and sarcastic, and unapologetically so, and I could relate to him a lot (which is probably a bad thing, as Noah is ... really quite unhealthy. But Michelle Hodkin described suicidal ideation really well. Unfortunately, a lot of other things were handled ... not quite as well. fairly badly, in fact.Honestly, I just read the book for Noah and Jamie, because they were the two most well-written characters in the book. Jamie is a good break from the Noah and Mara Show and all the turmoil and angst surrounding them. He's definitely the most fun character, but he also has depth to him. Mara was all right - I do love good antiheroes - but I just did not feel any connection between her and Noah at all, even though the book was supposedly about them. Seeing Mara through Noah's eyes was really interesting because he definitely idolizes and romanticises her, but I was really frustrated by it sometimes.
I really was expecting more to happen in this book, plot-wise, but it was ... very slow and boring, for the most part, and I wanted to find out more about Noah that I wasn't getting in this book (but I suppose this is a trilogy). Again, a lot of focus was on Mara and Noah's relationship, but I felt like the book got started ... right at the end. So much of it could have been cut out. Obviously, I don't know what Hodkin has planned for the next books but I feel like it could easily be a duology.
The big problem I had with The Becoming of Noah Shaw, though, was the romanticisation of mental illness throughout a lot of the story - and, well, through the series too. A lot of it was awful and skewed, such as when Noah tells Mara, "You're my favourite form of self-harm." After a scene where Mara. And that left me absolutely dismayed, because one of the things I know about self-harm intervention is that you're not supposed to make relapses a big deal. People around you are not supposed to make relapses a big deal. How Mara dealt with it was infuriating. And Noah's response was too. That's the big one, but really, this problem is prevalent throughout the entire book.
Confession time: it's been a while since I read the original Mara Dyer trilogy, and I can't remember it very well, so definitely chalk up some of my confusion to that, though I don't think it has much impact on a lot of the problems I had with this book. Noah Shaw was my favourite character, I think, along with Jamie, so knowing that both of them were coming back - and that Noah was headlining this series - was really exciting to me.
Things I really loved: Noah's voice. He's bitter and dark and sarcastic, and unapologetically so, and I could relate to him a lot (which is probably a bad thing, as Noah is ... really quite unhealthy. But Michelle Hodkin described suicidal ideation really well. Unfortunately, a lot of other things were handled ... not quite as well. fairly badly, in fact.Honestly, I just read the book for Noah and Jamie, because they were the two most well-written characters in the book. Jamie is a good break from the Noah and Mara Show and all the turmoil and angst surrounding them. He's definitely the most fun character, but he also has depth to him. Mara was all right - I do love good antiheroes - but I just did not feel any connection between her and Noah at all, even though the book was supposedly about them. Seeing Mara through Noah's eyes was really interesting because he definitely idolizes and romanticises her, but I was really frustrated by it sometimes.
I really was expecting more to happen in this book, plot-wise, but it was ... very slow and boring, for the most part, and I wanted to find out more about Noah that I wasn't getting in this book (but I suppose this is a trilogy). Again, a lot of focus was on Mara and Noah's relationship, but I felt like the book got started ... right at the end. So much of it could have been cut out. Obviously, I don't know what Hodkin has planned for the next books but I feel like it could easily be a duology.
The big problem I had with The Becoming of Noah Shaw, though, was the romanticisation of mental illness throughout a lot of the story - and, well, through the series too. A lot of it was awful and skewed, such as when Noah tells Mara, "You're my favourite form of self-harm." After a scene where Mara
Spoiler
threatens to leave Noah because he cut himself as a demonstration of healing abilities
I just gotta say, this book was not good. I think it set out to do a lot of great, interesting things, and it didn't accomplish it at all. First up, read some reviews about the many trigger warnings for this book, because there are a lot. Definitely don't read this if any mentions of suicide puts you off, because the whole plot revolves around that.
Overall thoughts:
This book lacked so many things that made the first series interesting. When I think about Mara's books, the things that made those books so interesting and compelling was that Mara was such an unreliable narrator, who was losing track of time, and couldn't tell what was real and not real. She had a very dark power and is such a morally grey character that she was interesting. Noah was wonderful in the first book because he was a stability that Mara desperately needed. He was someone she could trust, someone who believed her and was like her. Now, throw all that out the window, throw in a confusing and weird plot about Mara and Noah trying to figure out why other gifted people keep dying/committing suicide. Noah is so dull as a narrator. He's reliable, knows exactly what's up, and to be honest, I don't think he brought an interesting voice to the story. Not kidding, it was shocking reading this book and seeing how ridiculously underdeveloped Mara was in this book. Looking back on it, there are hardly any scenes with Mara and Noah in it where they are getting along, besides from the scenes where they're having fun in bed- you know what I mean. They spend so much of this book keeping secrets from each other, and that is not good conflict. It's just annoying, especially when we've already had three books where we've seen how good Mara and Noah are together. I read somebody else's review where they said this book reads like fan fiction, and I hate to say it but I agree. The writing is so sub-par, when it was stellar in the MD trilogy. The characters don't act like themselves, and nothing is explained. I'm going to read the second book of this series and see how it goes, but I don't have high hopes.
Issues:
- the book isn't matching up with the Mara Dyer trilogy. A lot of their powers have very blurred lines. Noah's powers specifically seem to be displayed very differently than in the original series. (Before, he was seeing people in any type of pain, and it wasn't clear what the connection was between them. Now, he's seeing people he's never seen before as they commit suicide (which is different than pain). I also only noticed this in this book, but I don't get why Noah is the only one with two powers, when everyone else just has one. Noah also is very different. He's angry, and has much darker thoughts, with suicidal tendencies. I know in the first trilogy he's described as having anger management problems, but he really wasn't. He got frustrated but didn't act on it. He was more a person who didn't care about the rules and what other people said about him. Here, several times, he was lashing out at people, physically and verbally.
- The plot is very confusing. It jumps on a short time after the end of the Mara Dyer trilogy, but this offers no recaps or explanations. It's built heavily on the end of The Retribution of Mara Dyer (a book that was very confusing and left a lot of readers with many questions). I think maybe this book set out to answer those questions, but it was all so vague, and only made me have more questions. I literally just reread the Mara Dyer books in preparation for this series and I'm still confused.
- I never understood what they were all doing in New York. There are several new characters introduced that do not add anything to the story. Noah meets up with an old friend named Goose from his life in England (which, why is he named Goose???? It says it's a reference to some kind of inside joke, but never tells what the joke is, so he just sounds like a moron for the entire book). I could never figure out how he ended up with the crew in NYC, even though I know that Noah invited him, I don't know why. He really felt like an intruder on the friend group the entire time.
- also, Noah was constantly referring to his phone as a 'mobile.' It wouldn't bother me if the word was used occasionally, but it was so many times. Seriously, this book was published in 2017 - you don't need to specify that it's a mobile/cell phone and not a house phone anymore. Just call it a phone. Maybe it was supposed to add to his pretentious English-ness.
Overall thoughts:
This book lacked so many things that made the first series interesting. When I think about Mara's books, the things that made those books so interesting and compelling was that Mara was such an unreliable narrator, who was losing track of time, and couldn't tell what was real and not real. She had a very dark power and is such a morally grey character that she was interesting. Noah was wonderful in the first book because he was a stability that Mara desperately needed. He was someone she could trust, someone who believed her and was like her. Now, throw all that out the window, throw in a confusing and weird plot about Mara and Noah trying to figure out why other gifted people keep dying/committing suicide. Noah is so dull as a narrator. He's reliable, knows exactly what's up, and to be honest, I don't think he brought an interesting voice to the story. Not kidding, it was shocking reading this book and seeing how ridiculously underdeveloped Mara was in this book. Looking back on it, there are hardly any scenes with Mara and Noah in it where they are getting along, besides from the scenes where they're having fun in bed- you know what I mean. They spend so much of this book keeping secrets from each other, and that is not good conflict. It's just annoying, especially when we've already had three books where we've seen how good Mara and Noah are together. I read somebody else's review where they said this book reads like fan fiction, and I hate to say it but I agree. The writing is so sub-par, when it was stellar in the MD trilogy. The characters don't act like themselves, and nothing is explained. I'm going to read the second book of this series and see how it goes, but I don't have high hopes.
Issues:
- the book isn't matching up with the Mara Dyer trilogy. A lot of their powers have very blurred lines. Noah's powers specifically seem to be displayed very differently than in the original series. (Before, he was seeing people in any type of pain, and it wasn't clear what the connection was between them. Now, he's seeing people he's never seen before as they commit suicide (which is different than pain). I also only noticed this in this book, but I don't get why Noah is the only one with two powers, when everyone else just has one. Noah also is very different. He's angry, and has much darker thoughts, with suicidal tendencies. I know in the first trilogy he's described as having anger management problems, but he really wasn't. He got frustrated but didn't act on it. He was more a person who didn't care about the rules and what other people said about him. Here, several times, he was lashing out at people, physically and verbally.
- The plot is very confusing. It jumps on a short time after the end of the Mara Dyer trilogy, but this offers no recaps or explanations. It's built heavily on the end of The Retribution of Mara Dyer (a book that was very confusing and left a lot of readers with many questions). I think maybe this book set out to answer those questions, but it was all so vague, and only made me have more questions. I literally just reread the Mara Dyer books in preparation for this series and I'm still confused.
- I never understood what they were all doing in New York. There are several new characters introduced that do not add anything to the story. Noah meets up with an old friend named Goose from his life in England (which, why is he named Goose???? It says it's a reference to some kind of inside joke, but never tells what the joke is, so he just sounds like a moron for the entire book). I could never figure out how he ended up with the crew in NYC, even though I know that Noah invited him, I don't know why. He really felt like an intruder on the friend group the entire time.
- also, Noah was constantly referring to his phone as a 'mobile.' It wouldn't bother me if the word was used occasionally, but it was so many times. Seriously, this book was published in 2017 - you don't need to specify that it's a mobile/cell phone and not a house phone anymore. Just call it a phone. Maybe it was supposed to add to his pretentious English-ness.
It’s interesting to see Mara from another perspective. That chick is crazy, lol.
I have to say, I’m not a huge fan of Noah. I never have been. He seems like one of those Edward Cullen types. You know, the “poor me, I have endless money and influence and I’m also drop dead gorgeous, but you should feel sorry for me because I’m so just so tortured and brooding and misunderstood” type? Yeah, Noah is one of those. I thought I would like him more if I read a book where he was the narrator, but he sounds so similar to Mara that there were numerous times I forgot that Mara wasn’t the one speaking.
I liked getting to know some of the new characters, and I’m curious to see what will happen to Mara and Noah from here.
I have to say, I’m not a huge fan of Noah. I never have been. He seems like one of those Edward Cullen types. You know, the “poor me, I have endless money and influence and I’m also drop dead gorgeous, but you should feel sorry for me because I’m so just so tortured and brooding and misunderstood” type? Yeah, Noah is one of those. I thought I would like him more if I read a book where he was the narrator, but he sounds so similar to Mara that there were numerous times I forgot that Mara wasn’t the one speaking.
I liked getting to know some of the new characters, and I’m curious to see what will happen to Mara and Noah from here.
Do I even need to read this book in order to put it on my favorites shelf?
12/26/16: yo michelle can we get a cover or release date or something
2/19/17: THE BECOMING OF NOAH SHAW. NOVEMBER 7TH. END ME. (jk don't I need to stay alive to read this)
11/14/17: mother. fuck.
12/26/16: yo michelle can we get a cover or release date or something
2/19/17: THE BECOMING OF NOAH SHAW. NOVEMBER 7TH. END ME. (jk don't I need to stay alive to read this)
11/14/17: mother. fuck.
Oh, man, this book was so fantastic! Different from the first in the Mara Dyer series, because Noah is more clear, the events of the first series have happened. But oh, that ending! So evil!
Noah, his love Mara, and their friends have Gifts, with a capital ‘G.’ Perspectives vary on if their Gifts are good or not, but they are what tie this group of friends together.
While these characters seem interesting, a lot of their background was surely explained in the previous Mara Dyer books. Having not read those, some parts of their characters or their relationships were unclear.
In this book, Noah Shaw starts out in England for a family function, and his girlfriend Mara is around, but not directly with Noah and his family at first. They soon travel to the U.S., and are joined by Noah’s school friend, Goose, who has nowhere else to go at the moment.
In the U.S., Noah, Mara, and Goose meet up with some other young adults with Gifts who apparently Mara had been staying with at an earlier date. Since they all chose to separate at some point, no one is sure who to trust, especially when other kids like them have been disappearing or being found dead. Not a lot of the population knows about these unique kids and their Gifts—could it be one of them causing all the trouble? It’s never said for sure, but there are more books that follow in the Noah Shaw series.
Overall, I’d give this book 3 out of 5 stars. The characters were definitely intriguing, but there was a large chunk of the story I was missing since I’m unfamiliar with the rest of the Mara Dyer series books. The Mara Dyer and Noah Shaw series would probably be enjoyable for those who enjoy teen series with a twist of paranormal mystery.
http://booksithinkyoushouldread.blogspot.com/2021/11/book-review-becoming-of-noah-shaw-by.html
While these characters seem interesting, a lot of their background was surely explained in the previous Mara Dyer books. Having not read those, some parts of their characters or their relationships were unclear.
In this book, Noah Shaw starts out in England for a family function, and his girlfriend Mara is around, but not directly with Noah and his family at first. They soon travel to the U.S., and are joined by Noah’s school friend, Goose, who has nowhere else to go at the moment.
In the U.S., Noah, Mara, and Goose meet up with some other young adults with Gifts who apparently Mara had been staying with at an earlier date. Since they all chose to separate at some point, no one is sure who to trust, especially when other kids like them have been disappearing or being found dead. Not a lot of the population knows about these unique kids and their Gifts—could it be one of them causing all the trouble? It’s never said for sure, but there are more books that follow in the Noah Shaw series.
Overall, I’d give this book 3 out of 5 stars. The characters were definitely intriguing, but there was a large chunk of the story I was missing since I’m unfamiliar with the rest of the Mara Dyer series books. The Mara Dyer and Noah Shaw series would probably be enjoyable for those who enjoy teen series with a twist of paranormal mystery.
http://booksithinkyoushouldread.blogspot.com/2021/11/book-review-becoming-of-noah-shaw-by.html
I COUDL NOT TELL YOU AT ALL WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS BOOK BUT I AM READY TO READ MORE !!!!!