The Retribution of Mara Dyer

damn.

this book fucked me up in good ways and bad ways and I love it. I love it I love it I FUCKING LOVE IT and nobody can tell me otherwise. I didn't even use a bookmark when I read this because I knew I was gonna finish it in one sitting. gahhhhh.

this was fucking amazing. the first half of the book had me like “what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck” and the second half had me like “oh my god oh my god oh my god”. at one point I had to stand up from my bed and walk out of the house because something so “holy fucking shit” happened.

also I wanna say I was so scared I wasn't gonna like this because a friend of mine had told me that there was less romance in this book compared to the other two and the main reason I enjoyed the first two was because of that but I loved this book all the same!!!

ummm so read this series if you haven't already you will not regret it.

(“fuck” count: 7 lmao)

a pesar de qué Noah me gusta (algo), este libro fue mejor que los anteriores gracias a su ausencia

k so my expectations.. i really just want to get through this book and be like you go girl..it's about fucking time.. 1200+ worth of my damn time..but ya know overall just yes that was worth it. let's see.


K well. Finally finished, and by finally I mean FINALLY! When it comes to YA sometimes I feel like I'm really just too old for this shit... When it came to the Mara Dyer series, I definitely felt that way, fortunately for me Michelle Hodkin turned out to be a fantastic story teller. She's not the typical happily ever after author, she's the kind that takes a hold of you and doesn't let go till the very final page...my heart is still racing.

It's incredible! I genuinely disliked Mara Dyer, fell head over heels for Noah Shaw, laughed out loud at Jamie, the characters have depth and deal with uncommon struggles. Every time Hodkin gives you a second of happiness (just enough to get your blood pumping) she steals it away (some of the most intense scenes)! Not cool.

Finally, it takes the trilogy to bring it all together. If you do not read all three, you have no idea what you are missing out on. It was worth it, reading the Retribution brings it around full circle, answers all those nagging questions and solidifies my appreciation of Hodkin. I am actively looking forward to the start of the Noah Shaw trilogy due out this November.

3.5 stars I'd say.
I was prepared for the worst. I didn't get the worst though. I really liked the first half. The second half was more so meh. I didn't like the dual perspectives that got thrown in near the end. I mostly just found myself confused when it was Noah talking.

I also didn't really like the whole dying scenes and the coming back to life scenes. They didn't really get me. I found them kind of meh.

Also I totally saw Noah's dad being the person behind the entire thing. So instead of a shock factor I was just like. KNEW IT. Called it.

Overall I loved the trilogy though. 8/10 would recommend.

Could have been stronger.

I was debating whether to give this book 3 stars or 4, and ended up deciding on 3. I really enjoyed this book and this series, but this book didn't feel like a conclusion and I felt that so much was missing. I know there is another book coming out called The Shaw's confession, but I wanted everything to be answered and tied up nicely in this 3rd and final book.

If I'm going to be honest, I was pretty disappointed and unsatisfied with the lack of answers in this book. Book 2 was mostly set up for the questions, and I was hoping that by the end of this book everything was going to click, but for me it never really did. They did investigate, and some questions were answered, but there were still questions and plot holes left. I felt that there were so many things that were being kept from Mara and the crew and that was a bit frustrating for me. I really wanted to know more about the professor and hoped that he would interact with them, but he never did. I was hoping that he would just tell them everything, and who he was exactly. He somewhat did in the letters they got, but again I just felt like he was holding back. I don't know if that's just me or if I missed something, but something, I can't pinpoint exactly, was missing.

David, Noah's dad, what was up with him? He was just so nonchalant about everything, it was strange. Then he just disappeared, why didn't the police mention anything about him? It's as if he was never there. I mean didn't the kids tell them? Jude, who was a pretty important villain (misunderstood hero? I don't know), just became completely useless in this book. And was only there for convenience of other characters, and I was kind of sad about that. I was waiting for his villainous monologue/explanation to ensue but it never did, he just stood there, doing nothing.
I am however, really happy that Daniel was told the truth and was there to help them investigate, even if this had nothing to do with him. I was just glad that there was someone in Mara's family that believed and tried to understand her. She deserved it after the hell she went through I was quite sad to see Stella leave and was hoping she was going to come back towards the end. She was a bit annoying but she was still pretty important and I wanted to know what her letter said.

I really liked how action packed this book was, I was never bored and the change in Mara was very interesting to read. It was hard not to back her up and agree with her, especially during the metro scene. I feel that if I were Mara at that moment, I probably would have reacted the same, am I just crazy? Probably.

As a whole I loved this series. I loved the characters, found the plot to be pretty unique and loved the paranormal/creepy factor. However, I just wish that there were more answers than questions, but I guess now I'll have to wait for the The Shaw's confessions (ugh. I need it now!).

I love it. I love it. I didn't think I'd love it, but I do.
I understand why people might be disappointed, but the ending did it for me. The connection back to the first book and how everything is wound together and the idea that this is a book of fact and not fiction, I just fucking love it.

I read this back in 2016 but I just want to share my unique reading experience for this book.
I was walking to my room and opened the first page and read the first couple lines, I stopped outside my bedroom door and kept reading. Before I knew it, I finished the book. I read this whole book in one standing, I don't even know how I did it but I was standing in one place for hours and didn't take my eyes of this book once. No toilet or snack breaks. It sucked me in so much that I didn't even realise I was standing for that long.
When I finished it, I kinda looked around and realised where I was and how dark it got around me, It was night time!

I read the first two books in one sitting so if that doesn't say how addicting these books are...

Goddamn it was terrific. And cute, so very cute. It was a satisfying ending.

The last sentence tho... it broke my heart because I kinda feel betrayed, you know. But in a kind, harmless way. It's so weird. I'm the kind of girl who likes when everything is truly established. And I've been getting so attached to the characters that I want to know their real names, even if that's something ridiculously abstract and the concept of the novel is brillant and I don't want to change anything. Now it's said. :)

No spoiler review:
I was nervous and excited to see how Hodkin would wrap up this amazing trilogy. This series is like nothing else I've ever read. It is horrifying and poetic, but also a perfect romance. The ending, without giving anything away, was exactly the ending the story needed. It surprised me how much I loved it. It is hard for me to explain more without giving it away. I will say, each character is deepened and filled with personality until you feel like you know them personally. I fully approve.
The read overall was more painful in some ways than the previous two. There were a few things in the book I could have done without, but overall a strong conclusion.
If you loved the series, you will not be disappointed.

****Spoiler review******
It has been a while since I read the last book, and in the gap I forgot how much these books mess with your head. This one does so less than previous, but there are still plenty of “What just happened?” moments which I really love about the trilogy.
The most notable flaw I think was the double not real death scenes from Noah and Mara both. One was fine, but both felt...well I was with Jamie on this one. What even?
In general though, the story went such interesting directions. I adored the reveals about Lukumi and Mara's grandmother. I loved how Jamie becomes more flesh and blood. And I've always adored Daniel, so seeing him become a real main character was perfect.
And the ending. The way the story tied back to the first novel, and ultimately it was not about saving the world, or understanding the horror, it was always a love story. That was perfect.

AHH! That was beautiful and perfect. It was the perfect way to end this trilogy. And I love the parallelism with the first line of the The Unbecoming and the last line in this book. Even though we had to wait so long for this book to come out, it was worth it.

I've reread the first two books because I wanted to be better prepared for this final installment. Why, why did I do that? Why did I waste my time? F-you Mara Dyer and your stupid, half-baked love story. All I wanted was to unravel the mystery, find out the reason behind all the crazy stuff that went down in the first two books and I all get is “because it's destiny”? Destiny and mythical archetypes? Are you frickin' kidding me?