Rating: 4/5
I was so excited when this book came out. But then did not get to buying or reading it until this past weekend. The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin was one of my most anticipated reads of 2014. And unfortunately it fell a tad bit short of my expectations. The long-awaited conclusion to the Mara Dyer trilogy had as much laughter, pain, love, and loss as one would expect the book to have. The premise of this book is Mara’s vengeance on those who wronged her including Dr. Kells and whomever is backing Dr. Kells’ “research”, which is more or less torture not research. The novel switches points of view and again includes flashbacks to the past of Mara’s grandmother and her journey through India, England, and life.
Retribution begins with Mara waking up on an iron bed in a mirrored room with her reflection talking to her. Yes, once again, this book starts out with a mind fuck. And it continues pretty much to the conclusion of the book. I thought that maybe half way through the book I would finally have some idea about what the hell was going on, even after reading two and a half books, but no, I was still as lost as ever. However, that is what makes these novels so compelling! The fact that it is unpredictable and confusing. As a reader, you keep second guessing yourself on all of your theories and ideas about what is going to happen next and how it will end. Who is behind Dr. Kells research? Why exactly is she doing this? Is there really a cure for G1821 or is it really a genetic mutation that will always be inside of those affected by it? I could write down all the crazy ideas I had but I don’t want to spoil anyone. But this is the gift that Hodkin has, her ability to write a novel that keeps you on your toes and makes you keep reading, page after page, when you feel like you need to hold your eyes open with tape because they just want to close but you can’t sleep just one more chapter because you need to find out what happens next. Maybe Hodkin has G1821 and her ability is to write spell-binding novels. Perhaps one of my favorite things about her writing is her humor, even when the book gets dark and you know someone is probably going to die on the next page (and it’s probably Mara doing the killing), Hodkin writes incredibly funny, witty, fangirl worthy dialogue. How does one not appreciate the fact that in seven lines of dialogue, she manages to make references to The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was laughing out loud, my boyfriend looked at me as if I were crazy. I had to take a picture of the page and send it to my sister. (It’s page 265 if you are curious.) These are the kind of things that made me fall in love with this series to begin with. There was even a Hunger Games reference early on in the book. If Hodkin can write a story like this, I wonder what its like in real life, is she just as awesome? If so can we please be friends? Yes, I was talking to you Miss Hodkin, you know so email me if you are reading this!
Despite the humor and page turning addictiveness, I do think the book ended a little flat. I felt like there were far too many holes. And there are some spoilers here so if you didn’t read the book yet you might want to stop and just skip to the quotes part. What happened with David Shaw and why did they just let them go? He had to have known after the fact that Mara was still alive and that Noah was killed and then magically saved. I know Mara kept saying in her thoughts she would get revenge one day but it still felt like a cop-out. I think more story could have developed around David to make the story more conclusive. Even if it had to do with court and lawyers and all that jazz. Secondly, what the hell were those devices inside of Mara? She removes them and suddenly becomes better but why were they put inside of her in the first place and when they were taken out why did most of her mental issues disappear? Like talking to her reflection. If those were the root cause of most of the mental disorders than were these placed in her body sooner than after Horizons was “destroyed”? Maybe when Jude convinced her to slit her wrists, when she was in the hospital. Or even sooner than that? What about after Tamerlane collapsed? I understand that her PTSD acted as the trigger for her manifestation of G1821 but those things that were inside of her just don’t add up. If anyone reading this has a theory please contact me because I would love to talk about this! Lastly, I wish there was a little more depth with Lukumi/Lenaurd. I really just want to know more about him! Maybe we can get a novella? Once again I am talking to you Michelle Hodkin!
OKAY OKAY SPOILERS ARE OVER!
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. It kept me up late a few nights and almost missed my bus stop more than once because I was so engrossed in reading. As I said before I felt that Hodkin did an incredible job of writing a thought provoking novel and sending my head into a sandstorm of confusion but eventually the sand settled and I began to understand. My only wish was that the ending was more solid, did not end as quickly and answered just a few more questions. I definitely recommend anyone to read this trilogy. I think it is so much different from a lot of other YA. So if you are down to feeling complete lost and baffled while reading a book, pick up this trilogy ASAP!
Favorite Quotes
“You have the soul of a kitten.” “A kitten.” “An assassin kitten.”
“What’s the most terrifying thing you can think of in these tunnels? Rats? Mole people?” “Wrong. The most terrifying thing in these tunnels is me.”
“The people we care about are always worth more to us than the people we don’t. No matter what anyone pretends.”
“You should’ve seen the way he was looking at you while you were out.” “How?” “Like you’re the ocean and he’s desperate to drown.”
“It is our choices that define us, not our abilities.”
‘It’s like you’re a mirror, and you show me who I want to be, instead of who I am.”
“Maybe sometimes we can only see the truth about ourselves if someone shows us where to look.”
“I’ll love you to ruins.”
“You think it can’t get worse than wanting someone and not having them, but it can. You can want someone, have them, and want them more. Still. Always. You can never get enough.”
“I love you. Today. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever. If I were to live a thousand years, I would belong to you for all of them. If I were to live a thousand lives, I would want to make you mine in each one.”
Between Pages 