Sunday, November 27, 2011

Rachel Rambles About The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Hello everybody. There's something important that recently happened to me, I don't remember what...
Oh wait. I AM A NANOWRIMO WINNER! *flails*
I hit 50,000 words on Friday and did some dancing around and cheering.
Is my book actually finished? Well, no. But still. I am very proud of those 50,000 words. And today I will keep writing until I finish this freaking book!

So what did I do to celebrate? Well, I slept. A lot. But after I slept, I read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. For the second time. Because it's THE BEST BOOK EVER.
Okay, so I say that about a lot of books. But this book? It deserves that title.

I started reading the Unbecoming of Mara Dyer yesterday morning, expecting to read a little bit, then catch up on various things I've been neglecting during NaNoWriMo. Well, I accidentally read the entire book. Oops.

Oh look, I'm already over it.

So anyway, as soon as I finished, I sat down to write this review. Instead of writing it, however, I just kind of stared at the screen for several minutes. How do I even begin to voice my feelings about this book? I gave up for the night and decided to sleep instead. (What can I say? I'm a lazy teenager. I love sleeping.)

But I'm awake now, and ready to give it another try.


From Goodreads:
Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

I remember reading the synopsis of this book months ago, and though it tells you pretty much nothing, I was immediately intrigued. And then I saw the cover. I don't judge books by their cover, of course, and covers don't really matter to me that much. But this cover? It's Just. So. Pretty. I seriously walked around carrying this book and stroking the cover. In public places, like school. I got some weird looks. But oh well. Anything for this book.

So here's where I'm supposed to give some kind of summary of the book, right? Well, I'm not going to do that. This is one of those books that you just have to read for yourself. Any tiny detail could potentially be a spoiler. So I'll just tell you my opinion.

Holy crap. I love everything about this book. This is the first book I've ever read that has made me laugh, cry, and want to crawl under the covers and hide on the same page. After reading it, I find myself remembering some of the funny lines, and I smile to myself. But at the same time, I was scared to go to bed last night. This book freaked me out so much. In a good way.

Mara Dyer is a character that I really, genuinely like. Her voice is real and easy to relate to, while still being entertaining to read. Some of her decisions aren't the best, but you can at least understand where she's coming from. Mara just feels very real to me. She has strong moments, she has weak moments, she has in between moments. There were never moments where I hated her for doing something stupid and I threw the book at the wall in frustration. (And believe me, that has happened before.) She was just a likable character.

And there's a boy, too. His name's Noah. Um, I love him. I can't even form words to describe how much I love him. He's just amazing. I think most people will love him too.

There are several supporting characters in this book that I grew to love. They are real and funny and just perfect. Whenever things are feeling a little too dark or scary, there are a few characters who can crack a joke and break the tension. They add a whole other unexpected layer to his book.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is packed with twists and turns that I would never have expected. It's new, it's unique, it's funny, it's creepy, it's suspenseful, it's romantic. Michelle Hodkin manages to blend all of these things together into a perfect combination. 

If you like romance, read this book. If you like being scared, read this book. If you like humor, read this book. If you have any emotions whatsoever, read this book.

Oh and there's a sequel, too. I would like the sequel to come out right now, please. *waits* Or maybe I'll just steal it from Michelle Hodkin's brain. *grins evilly* Megan! I could use some help here! *prepares supplies*

Just kidding. But I will be waiting in eager anticipation for the next book.

So everyone go and buy this book. Or borrow it from the library. Or take it from a friend. Find a way to get your hands on this book! Legally. Don't steal it, please. Stealing is bad.


Sunday, November 20, 2011

Word counts and all things Nano

Hello world! Megan here, live and in person! (well not really, cause I'm on the internet. You get the point)
So, like Rachel said, we are currently participating in Nanowrimo, and won't actually be doing regular reviews for a bit. JUST IN CASE YOU CARE, and JUST IN CASE YOU WANT TO KNOW, I'm putting both of our word count widgets below! Now you can see how we are surviving well we are doing! Go ahead, take a look. I promise we won't think you're stalking us. OR WILL WE? *dramatic music* *eyes you suspiciously* you SEEM alright. I'll trust you for now. *will keep an eye on you all*

Okay! I'm out for now! Peace! *HUGS* *waves* *DASHES away*



My word count widget
Rachel's word count widget (Yes she is THAT far ahead of me)




Saturday, November 19, 2011

Sorry we are not here...

If you somehow found this blog before December 2011, then we apologize for the lack of THINGS. We are participating in NaNoWriMo for the first time ever this year, so we are a wee bit busy.

But don't worry, we will be back as soon as we survive finish NaNoWriMo.

And we will be bringing lots of reviews and rambles and BOOK TALK with us!

Until then, we are going to go sit in the corner and cry quietly while our books punch us in the face repeatedly are being written.