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kelakamille's review against another edition
2.0
wtf actually happened in this book I am so confused?? The premise of the story had me so intrigued, but the characters did nothing to help the plot along? It literally seemed like the plot and the characters were two exclusive beings that never really interacted. And there's so many unanswered questions? And so much unaddressed sketchiness??? Can someone please explain to me what I just read?!??? I have so many questions.
nickymaund's review against another edition
4.0
Reader warning: deals heavily with self harm and suicide.
Takes off after the conclusion to the Mara Dyer trilogy, but told from Noah’s point of view. It took a while for this to get going for me - but it wasn’t because it was hard to get into Noah’s perspective, Hodkin does a good job of that. Some dastardly dealings are afoot as there’s a spate of suicides that grab Noah’s attention and it turns out they’re gifted just like Noah, Mara and co.But I wasn’t too keen on the heavy focus of suicides on the gifted types. I liked the new spin on whether Mara is good or the monster she’s supposed to be as you’re seeing it all through Noah’s eyes. The ending has made me want to read the next in the series.
Takes off after the conclusion to the Mara Dyer trilogy, but told from Noah’s point of view. It took a while for this to get going for me - but it wasn’t because it was hard to get into Noah’s perspective, Hodkin does a good job of that. Some dastardly dealings are afoot as there’s a spate of suicides that grab Noah’s attention and it turns out they’re gifted just like Noah, Mara and co.But I wasn’t too keen on the heavy focus of suicides on the gifted types. I liked the new spin on whether Mara is good or the monster she’s supposed to be as you’re seeing it all through Noah’s eyes. The ending has made me want to read the next in the series.
girlinthepages's review against another edition
5.0
*MASSIVE thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for providing an ARC via NetGalley*
I do not know how I was #blessed enough to get approved for The Becoming of Noah Shaw on NetGalley, but the bookish gods must have been smiling upon me because I was- and almost screamed out loud at work when the approval email came through on my phone. The original Mara Dyer trilogy is absolutely one of the best series I've read, YA or otherwise, and the eerie, haunting feel of it is unmatched. It's committed to its aesthetic, from everything to the writing style to the cover designs to the titles. So of course when I heard their was going to be a spinoff series from Noah's POV, of course I was going to read it, even if I wasn't sure how the tale was going to continue after the revelations in The Retribution of Mara Dyer. However, Michelle Hodkin continues her unsettling series seamlessly in a new state with a new plot and new supporting characters, while still pulling the frightening threads that wove the first three novels into such a haunting tale like a masterful puppeteer.
First and foremost, The Becoming of Noah Shaw carries the same dark and eerie vibe that the original series is so well known for. Reading it felt like a thick fog of an ominous, overcast day was hanging over both the characters and myself as the reader- which is the perfect atmosphere you want when reading a paranormal thriller! While the tone of the writing style was consistent with the original books, the script was flipped getting to read from Noah's first person POV. While Noah doesn't feel like quite as an unreliable narrator as Mara, it was fascinating seeing her through a narrative's eyes that weren't her own (and she was totally, totally creepy). Noah's POV was also brasher, sexier, and more reckless than Mara's- pretty much everything you would expect from a British bad boy with a supernatural chip on his shoulder. I applaud Michelle Hodkin a thousand times over for being able to write such distinct POVs between Mara and Noah.
There was also, thankfully for me, a good amount of recap from the previous series (while not feeling like an info-dump). I didn't have time to reread the original trilogy before reading this (though I most certainly will be soon) but enough reminders about key events were worked into the narrative naturally that I didn't feel lost even though it's been about three years since I read the original trilogy. I was able to comfortably fall back into the universe Hodkin created, revisiting old favorite characters (Daniel! Jamie!) and meeting new ones who both repulsed me and who I adored (Goose is my new favorite character, I want a book just about him! I loved how he just rolled with everything). While the mystery and plot of this book builds off of the previous installments but is definitely still new, I appreciated elements from the original trilogy that made their way into this book, specifically the focus on different types of archetypes. In the original trilogy there is discussion surrounding Carl Jung and his famous psychological archetypes, with Mara notably being assigned the role of the Shadow Self. In this novel, the characters discuss the Dungeons & Dragons archetypes and how they relate to the members of their group and how they may influence their motivations (lawful good, chaotic neutral, chaotic good, etc.- this stuff is really fascinating, I highly recommend checking it out) and I found this to be so interesting and also helpful, as it helps the reader to make sense of characters who are sometimes so unsettling and unpredictable.
In order the stay away from spoiler territory, I'll refrain from discussing plot specifics too much. However, I will say that just because we're not reading about creepy Horizons and crazy Dr. Kells doesn't mean that this book doesn't have its own scare factor that can hold its own against the others. There's a lot of build up from the events that happened in the previous novels, and we start to learn even more about the manifestation of the characters' powers and meet more teens with them and learn about an even wider variety of their "gifts." Readers also get a glimpse into how other teens have coped with their paranormal abilities and how its impacted their life, which was an element I was really fascinated by and appreciated, that Michelle Hodkin writes about such unsettling and extreme circumstances yet doesn't pretend they exist in a vacuum and thinks about the real ramifications they would have on the characters' lives, even off what we see on the page. The epilogue of the novel was also incredible to- shocking and crazy yet it felt so perfect too, like I was just WAITING for this reveal to happen since book one. There were also a lot of letters and journal entries peppered throughout the story that helped tie past and present together, and I'm really excited to see how they look in a finished copy.
Overall: The Becoming of Noah Shaw was incredible. It kept the unique and unsettling aesthetic of the previous three books while also doing justice to a new narrator and letting the reader see Mara from outside her own head, which was so interesting because readers of the original trilogy were with her through so much. While I at times missed the Florida setting and Mara's family, I loved getting to learn more about Noah's past and learn more about his family and estate in the UK. The ending of the novel has a worthy plot twist, and though it left me reeling and almost a bit unsure of what I read, I loved that I can still be surprised by this series, and in a big way. If you're a fan of the original Mara Dyer trilogy, The Becoming of Noah Shaw will be a HUGE highlight of your 2017 reading year.This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
I do not know how I was #blessed enough to get approved for The Becoming of Noah Shaw on NetGalley, but the bookish gods must have been smiling upon me because I was- and almost screamed out loud at work when the approval email came through on my phone. The original Mara Dyer trilogy is absolutely one of the best series I've read, YA or otherwise, and the eerie, haunting feel of it is unmatched. It's committed to its aesthetic, from everything to the writing style to the cover designs to the titles. So of course when I heard their was going to be a spinoff series from Noah's POV, of course I was going to read it, even if I wasn't sure how the tale was going to continue after the revelations in The Retribution of Mara Dyer. However, Michelle Hodkin continues her unsettling series seamlessly in a new state with a new plot and new supporting characters, while still pulling the frightening threads that wove the first three novels into such a haunting tale like a masterful puppeteer.
First and foremost, The Becoming of Noah Shaw carries the same dark and eerie vibe that the original series is so well known for. Reading it felt like a thick fog of an ominous, overcast day was hanging over both the characters and myself as the reader- which is the perfect atmosphere you want when reading a paranormal thriller! While the tone of the writing style was consistent with the original books, the script was flipped getting to read from Noah's first person POV. While Noah doesn't feel like quite as an unreliable narrator as Mara, it was fascinating seeing her through a narrative's eyes that weren't her own (and she was totally, totally creepy). Noah's POV was also brasher, sexier, and more reckless than Mara's- pretty much everything you would expect from a British bad boy with a supernatural chip on his shoulder. I applaud Michelle Hodkin a thousand times over for being able to write such distinct POVs between Mara and Noah.
There was also, thankfully for me, a good amount of recap from the previous series (while not feeling like an info-dump). I didn't have time to reread the original trilogy before reading this (though I most certainly will be soon) but enough reminders about key events were worked into the narrative naturally that I didn't feel lost even though it's been about three years since I read the original trilogy. I was able to comfortably fall back into the universe Hodkin created, revisiting old favorite characters (Daniel! Jamie!) and meeting new ones who both repulsed me and who I adored (Goose is my new favorite character, I want a book just about him! I loved how he just rolled with everything). While the mystery and plot of this book builds off of the previous installments but is definitely still new, I appreciated elements from the original trilogy that made their way into this book, specifically the focus on different types of archetypes. In the original trilogy there is discussion surrounding Carl Jung and his famous psychological archetypes, with Mara notably being assigned the role of the Shadow Self. In this novel, the characters discuss the Dungeons & Dragons archetypes and how they relate to the members of their group and how they may influence their motivations (lawful good, chaotic neutral, chaotic good, etc.- this stuff is really fascinating, I highly recommend checking it out) and I found this to be so interesting and also helpful, as it helps the reader to make sense of characters who are sometimes so unsettling and unpredictable.
In order the stay away from spoiler territory, I'll refrain from discussing plot specifics too much. However, I will say that just because we're not reading about creepy Horizons and crazy Dr. Kells doesn't mean that this book doesn't have its own scare factor that can hold its own against the others. There's a lot of build up from the events that happened in the previous novels, and we start to learn even more about the manifestation of the characters' powers and meet more teens with them and learn about an even wider variety of their "gifts." Readers also get a glimpse into how other teens have coped with their paranormal abilities and how its impacted their life, which was an element I was really fascinated by and appreciated, that Michelle Hodkin writes about such unsettling and extreme circumstances yet doesn't pretend they exist in a vacuum and thinks about the real ramifications they would have on the characters' lives, even off what we see on the page. The epilogue of the novel was also incredible to- shocking and crazy yet it felt so perfect too, like I was just WAITING for this reveal to happen since book one. There were also a lot of letters and journal entries peppered throughout the story that helped tie past and present together, and I'm really excited to see how they look in a finished copy.
Overall: The Becoming of Noah Shaw was incredible. It kept the unique and unsettling aesthetic of the previous three books while also doing justice to a new narrator and letting the reader see Mara from outside her own head, which was so interesting because readers of the original trilogy were with her through so much. While I at times missed the Florida setting and Mara's family, I loved getting to learn more about Noah's past and learn more about his family and estate in the UK. The ending of the novel has a worthy plot twist, and though it left me reeling and almost a bit unsure of what I read, I loved that I can still be surprised by this series, and in a big way. If you're a fan of the original Mara Dyer trilogy, The Becoming of Noah Shaw will be a HUGE highlight of your 2017 reading year.This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
juliajoanneblack's review against another edition
3.0
Actual rating is 2.5 stars.
Oh God! This book is a giant mess. Its not terrible but I didnt find it likable either. I wont enter in much details but from the beginning to the end the book was predictible to the point I wanted to DNF it. I didnt but there were parts in this book that made me want to throw my Kindle out of the window.
It is supposed to be a book about Noah but every line in it is about Mara. I understand Noah loves her and the book shows his thoughts and feelings but that was too much.
There were scenes that made me feel sick. The scene with Noah and Mara wanting to have sex in the Church, then how Mara confessed to Noah that killed his father ... Ugh.
I loved Mara Dyer trilogy. This book however fell to meet my expectations.
Oh God! This book is a giant mess. Its not terrible but I didnt find it likable either. I wont enter in much details but from the beginning to the end the book was predictible to the point I wanted to DNF it. I didnt but there were parts in this book that made me want to throw my Kindle out of the window.
It is supposed to be a book about Noah but every line in it is about Mara. I understand Noah loves her and the book shows his thoughts and feelings but that was too much.
There were scenes that made me feel sick. The scene with Noah and Mara wanting to have sex in the Church, then how Mara confessed to Noah that killed his father ... Ugh.
I loved Mara Dyer trilogy. This book however fell to meet my expectations.
toadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the unbecoming of Mara Dyer series (one of my favourite books!) unfortunately I was disappointed in this book. Made me start to really dislike the main characters. I plan on reading the rest of the series though to see how it goes!
abbievillehorror's review against another edition
4.0
I know the point of the Mara Dyer series, and presumably also Noah Shaw, was having an unreliable narrator. And I know that Mara is an antihero. Still, there were many times where I felt her and Noah’s relationship in this book stepped a little too closely to a romanticization of abusive behavior, and Noah’s thoughts stepped a little too closely to a glamorization of suicide. Honestly, I just kind of hated being in Noah’s head and seeing the patronizing, objectifying way he viewed Mara—almost as a manic pixie dream girl. I did appreciate that it was called out on the page how Noah is a cliche book boyfriend type, but it was still a bit much for me.
Still, I can’t help but love these books because of how much I loved Mara Dyer—and still love her as a character. I trust that Michelle needs to be in Noah’s head to tell the rest of this story, but I so miss being in Mara’s. And the ending of the book, when things started tying together in terrifying ways and we finally got to experience tension and drama outside of Noah’s experience, it turned into a real page turner.
Still, I can’t help but love these books because of how much I loved Mara Dyer—and still love her as a character. I trust that Michelle needs to be in Noah’s head to tell the rest of this story, but I so miss being in Mara’s. And the ending of the book, when things started tying together in terrifying ways and we finally got to experience tension and drama outside of Noah’s experience, it turned into a real page turner.
neverstopreading's review against another edition
4.0
“I’ve seen her in the middle of the night and the middle of the day, with makeup and without, with her hair done up and when it’s been unwashed for days. I’ve seen her in jeans and in silk and in nothing. I would gladly spend the rest of my life just looking at her.”
heyjudy's review against another edition
4.0
~4 Stars
I was surprised to hear that this series was continuing, as I didn't really think it needed to be, originally. I also didn't really consider not picking it up—I really enjoyed the first trilogy, and had no qualms about reading more. I was intrigued, but a tiny bit wary.
Upon starting this book, I had no idea so many people disliked it. I understand some of it, though—it does play with a lot of problematic themes (suicide, drugs, sex, self-harm, to name a few), and it has a lot of really awful, unapologetic characters, including the protagonists. But... I never minded those things. I even liked the story because of those things. One of my favorite things about the first series was how violent and bad Mara could be.
Now, to confess—it has been such a long time since I originally read the series, that I remembered very little of it. I barely remember how it ended, or any of the big reveals, or much of it at all. I don't think that hindered my reading of this book too much, though. (Re-reading would have helped clear up some topics, but oh well, my copies are in a box somewhere.)
This series is in Noah's point of view. His father has just died, he's moving to New York with Mara and some of their friends, and suddenly other Gifted people are committing suicide all over the place, only he doesn't think it's by their choice.
It's interesting being in Noah's head, instead of Mara's. They're both very dark characters, and they've experienced a lot of bad things. As the story progresses, we learn more about what his father was up to, what the Professor might have been doing, and what each character knows and hasn't been honest about. And Noah starts discovering, and accepting, some things about Mara that he didn't realize before this.
There are several surprises in this book. Following Noah as he discovers things is surprising, and a little rough at times. He doesn't want to deal with things, and he has his own moral code, but he's forced to make some decisions here. A big reason for why I want to continue this series, not only to discover all of the secrets and find out who is behind all of this and what they want, is to see Noah do something about it. He understands how The Game works, but he hasn't wanted to be a part of it. He's always wanted to kind of give up, to not be the Hero everyone claims he is. But now he's being put in a position where he might have to do just that.
I do really love Noah and Mara's relationship, and I enjoy how dark and rough and gritty, and psychological, this series can be. But I might actually want to know how the plot line wraps up more than anything else. It's surprising to me, but I want to know where this is going to go next.
I was surprised to hear that this series was continuing, as I didn't really think it needed to be, originally. I also didn't really consider not picking it up—I really enjoyed the first trilogy, and had no qualms about reading more. I was intrigued, but a tiny bit wary.
Upon starting this book, I had no idea so many people disliked it. I understand some of it, though—it does play with a lot of problematic themes (suicide, drugs, sex, self-harm, to name a few), and it has a lot of really awful, unapologetic characters, including the protagonists. But... I never minded those things. I even liked the story because of those things. One of my favorite things about the first series was how violent and bad Mara could be.
Now, to confess—it has been such a long time since I originally read the series, that I remembered very little of it. I barely remember how it ended, or any of the big reveals, or much of it at all. I don't think that hindered my reading of this book too much, though. (Re-reading would have helped clear up some topics, but oh well, my copies are in a box somewhere.)
This series is in Noah's point of view. His father has just died, he's moving to New York with Mara and some of their friends, and suddenly other Gifted people are committing suicide all over the place, only he doesn't think it's by their choice.
It's interesting being in Noah's head, instead of Mara's. They're both very dark characters, and they've experienced a lot of bad things. As the story progresses, we learn more about what his father was up to, what the Professor might have been doing, and what each character knows and hasn't been honest about. And Noah starts discovering, and accepting, some things about Mara that he didn't realize before this.
There are several surprises in this book. Following Noah as he discovers things is surprising, and a little rough at times. He doesn't want to deal with things, and he has his own moral code, but he's forced to make some decisions here. A big reason for why I want to continue this series, not only to discover all of the secrets and find out who is behind all of this and what they want, is to see Noah do something about it. He understands how The Game works, but he hasn't wanted to be a part of it. He's always wanted to kind of give up, to not be the Hero everyone claims he is. But now he's being put in a position where he might have to do just that.
I do really love Noah and Mara's relationship, and I enjoy how dark and rough and gritty, and psychological, this series can be. But I might actually want to know how the plot line wraps up more than anything else. It's surprising to me, but I want to know where this is going to go next.
juliaw343's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sabrinap's review against another edition
3.0
Will Contain spoilers about the Mara Dyer Trilogy
I'm baffled.
I don't know what to think about this book. Whether I hate it or I like it. It's right in the middle. So many great things about this book yet so many things that make me want to throw the book out the window. The Mara Dyer Trilogy was great. I enjoyed it thoroughly even though the last book wasn't the ending that I wanted our characters to have. Not really vibing with A.L knowing that he is literally Mara's grandfather and is making her life a living hell.
There were many things I didn't like about the book. Firstly, I don't understand this gene. In the book where they somewhat explained it has me even more confused. Like, I get this original carrier stuff but now explain to me how people such as Jamie have this gene BUT weren't genetically modified by Kells. This book also has a HUGE Trigger warning and is mostly around suicide. The number of suicides that happened throughout the book without a TW was just really unsettling. Imagine every other page in the book with Noah explaining THROUGHLY someone committing suicide. I'm not really for it. Also, don't get me started on the epilogue. No. I'm good.
Something I did like about the book was Noah POV. I think it was interesting to see how Noah thought of things happening. Also, Noah constantly questioning Mara! Holy shit, I loved that. Mara was all about their relationship being a little rocky but it was all for Noah while Noah thought of the same mentality but sometimes questions everything that Mara is doing. When developing deeper into the books "somewhat" storyline, Noah has this state where he believes Mara but at the same time doesn't. I thought it was interesting but this might appeal annoying to others. One thing I also liked was seeing Noah's mom POV on stuff that happened with Mara's grandmother which was explained throughout the second and third book of the Mara Dyer Trilogy. This book was just loaded with information that I understood but at the same time, didn't at all. The best part about this book (SPOILER ALERT, was how Noah's dad is finally dead. Thank the heavens. Hated that man with a fricken passion.)
So whether I hate the book or like it is just confusing. If you are really interested in Noah I would suggest you read the book but you probably will come out of it mad and with more questions. If you didn't like the end of the Mara Dyer Trilogy, trust me, this doesn't make it any better.
I'm still going to read the second book even though I feel like it might ruin everything for me. Yet this book somewhat did it lol. No hate to Michelle Hodkin at all but I think you should've ended this world with the Mara Dyer Trilogy with a complete ending instead of dragging it to the Shaw Confessions with storylines that most of the fandom might not be interested in. Leo tho is my baby boy.
So yea, here's my review on this book that I don't know what I feel on.
I'm baffled.
I don't know what to think about this book. Whether I hate it or I like it. It's right in the middle. So many great things about this book yet so many things that make me want to throw the book out the window. The Mara Dyer Trilogy was great. I enjoyed it thoroughly even though the last book wasn't the ending that I wanted our characters to have. Not really vibing with A.L knowing that he is literally Mara's grandfather and is making her life a living hell.
There were many things I didn't like about the book. Firstly, I don't understand this gene. In the book where they somewhat explained it has me even more confused. Like, I get this original carrier stuff but now explain to me how people such as Jamie have this gene BUT weren't genetically modified by Kells. This book also has a HUGE Trigger warning and is mostly around suicide. The number of suicides that happened throughout the book without a TW was just really unsettling. Imagine every other page in the book with Noah explaining THROUGHLY someone committing suicide. I'm not really for it. Also, don't get me started on the epilogue. No. I'm good.
Something I did like about the book was Noah POV. I think it was interesting to see how Noah thought of things happening. Also, Noah constantly questioning Mara! Holy shit, I loved that. Mara was all about their relationship being a little rocky but it was all for Noah while Noah thought of the same mentality but sometimes questions everything that Mara is doing. When developing deeper into the books "somewhat" storyline, Noah has this state where he believes Mara but at the same time doesn't. I thought it was interesting but this might appeal annoying to others. One thing I also liked was seeing Noah's mom POV on stuff that happened with Mara's grandmother which was explained throughout the second and third book of the Mara Dyer Trilogy. This book was just loaded with information that I understood but at the same time, didn't at all. The best part about this book (SPOILER ALERT, was how Noah's dad is finally dead. Thank the heavens. Hated that man with a fricken passion.)
So whether I hate the book or like it is just confusing. If you are really interested in Noah I would suggest you read the book but you probably will come out of it mad and with more questions. If you didn't like the end of the Mara Dyer Trilogy, trust me, this doesn't make it any better.
I'm still going to read the second book even though I feel like it might ruin everything for me. Yet this book somewhat did it lol. No hate to Michelle Hodkin at all but I think you should've ended this world with the Mara Dyer Trilogy with a complete ending instead of dragging it to the Shaw Confessions with storylines that most of the fandom might not be interested in. Leo tho is my baby boy.
So yea, here's my review on this book that I don't know what I feel on.