I woke up on Saturday and despite the fact that I have a big Biology test on Monday, I decided to read two books. Nonstop. I know. Someone needs to control me. This college girl has gone crazy. The only time I got up today was to turn the light on because my hardback book doesn't light up like my Kindle screen. I'm a crazy, lazy college student. Who would have thunk it?
Anyways, the books I read were Miss Me Not by Tiffany King and The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. Those are not books you should read back to back. I currently have no idea what is going on in my mind right now, so I apologize if these little reviews make absolutely no sense whatsoever.
Miss Me Not by Tiffany King
I've read a lot of other Tiffany King books, so I know how she writes. Since I've liked all of her books, I didn't expect this one to be any different. However, this book is not like her other books. I was shocked. In a good way. The subject matter is...darker than most books I've read.
Suicide.
This book is all about suicide and how if affects the individual contemplating it and those around them. I can't even begin to describe how much I enjoyed this book...which sounds bad, but the book was really good.
The book starts off with Madison and her friend James talking about their suicide pact. The two didn't have easy lives. Madison has a distant jerk of a mother. She doesn't even let Madison call her mom. She makes her call her "Donna." Her father isn't in the picture, so it's basically just Madison and her dark past. She doesn't like to be touched, she lives in the shadows, and James is her only "friend." Her suicide buddy. They understand each other, but don't have a normal relationship.
Then Dean came into the picture. Dean Jackson. I loved him. Dean was recruited to help tutor Madison. Day by day, he started to break down the wall Madison built around herself. She began to trust someone for the first time. Since she was growing closer to Dean, her relationship with James started dissipate.
I don't want to give anything away, because I think that everyone should read this book. It is pretty a heavy subject matter, but Tiffany King broke up the heaviness with the quick banter between Dean and Madison. I love their conversations. There is a strong message behind this book and I know that you won't regret reading this book. No matter how dark a tunnel is, there's always a light at the end. It evoked so many emotions in me. I laughed and cried while reading this book. When an author is about to evoke those emotions, it is a very good book. In my opinion, I think this is Tiffany King's best book so far.
"I couldn't help thinking about my petal plucking daisy I had gotten at Mitch's funeral. My world was suddenly filled with people who were the petals of the daisy that would miss me."
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The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
I seriously can't wrap my mind around what just happened while I was reading this. I want to apologize to my roommate for being such an annoying reader. I just...I can't...I previously wrote a review for the first book in this trilogy. I loved book one, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and book two was no different. I loved it. But I hated it at the same time.
Let me just start off by saying this: I LOVE THE COVER. I have serious cover love for this book. When I first got my copy, I just held the book in my hand and stared. It's so pretty.
I love Michelle Hodkin's writing style. It's beautiful and haunting at the same time. To put it lightly, this book is creepy. It's dark and mysterious and just creepy. It had me sitting of the edge of my seat (not literally since I never left my bed) and trying to predict what was going to happen next. I was wrong every single time. I don't like being wrong.
I love Noah and Mara's relationship in this book. And Jamie! I love his humor. He had me actually laughing out loud at some moments. Those light moment were a great reprieve for what came next. Michelle Hodkin is one of those authors that writes in a happy scene and then does a complete one eighty. I can imagine her sitting behind her computer thinking
"Aww, that was cute. Now how I can I make their life miserable again?" I doubt she does that, but still. I can imagine it.
We don't get any more answers in this book than we do in book one, which frustrated me. I just want to know what the heck is going on. This book left me even more confused than the first one.
The ending....If you hate cliff hangers, don't read this series. I, personally, have a love-hate relationship with them. All of my books end or will end with a cliff hanger, so I love writing them. However, I hate when other authors do that. (It doesn't make sense, I realize that.) They are effective, but at the time they just make me want to throw the book at someone.
The third book in this trilogy, The Retribution of Mara Dyer, cannot come soon enough. I need to know what happened and how everything ends. Right now. However, I'll be patient and wait til October. Okay, I might not be too patient, but I can wait.
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CONCLUSION: I would recommend both of these books to anyone who loves reading. If you like a book that evokes an emotion out of you, both of these would be a great choice. Miss Me Not was a more emotional read. It had me laughing and crying. The Evolution of Mara Dyer had me reeling and wanting more. I still can't wrap my mind around what happened. That's a good thing. Both had their lasting impacts on me and I know that I'll be thinking about them for a while.
