Reactionary Reading: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Welcome to the another edition of Reactionary Reading, a feature where I share my reading notes with all of y'all! This week I'm publishing my notes on The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, a book that I had LARGE reactions to while reading it.

For those of you new to this feature, there are a couple THINGS you probably need to know about it. So, here's how it works:

I have gone through and redacted major spoiler information. (Yep, just like the government does.) If you've read the books, or if you don't care about being spoiled, feel free to highlight the redacted portions so you can read the text. (It's like a game! Sort of.) But there might still be minor spoilers involved. So if you're the type that hates knowing things before you read, DO NOT PROCEED. And please keep in mind that this is all in good fun and are just my thoughts and opinions. Also, bad language abounds.

So without further ado, may I present my notes (which I didn't remember to start taking until a couple hundred pages into the book) on The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.

Michelle Hodkin just might be the queen of witty, sexually-charged banter.

p. 222: A look of horror dawned on Noah's face. "What are you doing?"

"I am paying for my lunch."

"I don't understand," Noah said.

"Food costs money."

"Brilliant. But that still doesn't explain why you think you're payin for it."

"Because I pay for my own food."

"It was ten dollars."

"And, wouldn't you know, I have ten dollars."

"And I have an American Express Black Card." 

I keep finding myself holding my breath! The sexual tension between Mara Dyer and Noah Shaw is like humidity.

Noah is straight up sex. What is it about the reckless ones?! He's the guy who knows exactly the sort of thrall he holds over women. I mean, the art room business. If he were my boyfriend I would be embarrassed and pissed and giddy all at the same time. And that's the thing about him—he's easy be annoyed with, but impossible to hate.

p. 265: Noah does this thing every now and then where he mutters something like, "That's why—" or "I thought—" or "I remembered—" and it makes me think things are not as they seem. I'm all concerned there's something Mara doesn't remember or know, that Noah does. Or that Noah isn't real at all. Which then means that her reality isn't actually her reality and that this is about to get allllll kinds of Inception up in here.

I love super precocious Joseph, with his stock tips and reading of the WSJ and sharp wit.

Jamie is incredible. Funny and understanding and supportive and geeky in all the right ways. [Parseltongue/elvish thing. love that.] Any person would be LUCKY to have him in their life.

I fucking hate Anna and Aiden so goddamn much. They are hideous, horrible people. I hope they have a gloriously satisfying demise.

I'm seriously concerned about Mara's losing track of time. What if she's going out and doing terrible things?! Like in White Cat?! OMG. WHAT IF SHE'S A DEATH WORKER LIKE CASSEL?! Ok, probably not. But seriously. What if she's wandering around, doing horrible things, and she can't remember them because they're terrible? Oh man.

OMG. What if Mara is a vengeance demon, like Anya on Buffy!

p. 325: I also think my stupid knowledge that something severely twisty is coming up in right about twenty-five pages is messing with my reading experience. Argh.

Mara's birthday is on the Ides of March!!!!

Oh holy Buddha, Joseph. Also: WTF all does Noah know?! And why is it all a big mystery? WHAT IS HAPPENING?

p. 331: Okay, if THAT was Gatorgate, then that wasn't such a big deal.

p. 345: I'm getting really, really concerned about the levels of mindfuckery that are potentially happening right now.

p. 351: Oh. Oh my God. I think she's a vengeance demon. Or some sort of vengeancy-something.

p. 387: HEEEEERE WE GO!

p. 420: I am SO RIGHT.

p. 426: Where's Jaime? And who's the guy with the Rolex? And the Santeria priest? SO MANY QUESTIONS. But now is Mara/Noah sexy time. So the questions can WAIT.

p. 427: And why the hell is the letter at the front all weird and foreshadowy about her name and the lawyer and such? And what's with the foreshadowing at the end of some chapters where Mara talks about the things she should/shouldn't have done in retrospect? OMG. Need to knooooow.

p. 449: NO FRAKKING WAY.