Author: Michelle Hodkin
Series: Mara Dyer #1
I adore this book. It is my favorite of the books that I read over the summer, and that is not a title I bestow lightly.
The plot was fascinating. There was some sort of paranormal element, something seriously spooky going on, and Mara doesn't know what it is or why she can't remember the night her best friends died. Her family moves to get away from the trauma, but the PTSD -- because paranormal's not real, right? -- follows. And at her new school, there's Noah. Totally hot, and someone Mara's not sure she can be with.
I loved Mara as a character, and Noah and Daniel and the rest, but that wasn't the main reason I really loved the novel. I was caught up in the story -- I had to know what came next, what was going on. I loved the way the PTSD was handled: realistically. Mara feels like a much more real teenager than many paranormal novel heroines. She sees a psychiatrist (her attitude toward that was very realistic), is wary of her medication (which, by the way, is one that they would actually prescribe in a PTSD situation), falls for a new guy who she's a little wary of, tries to move on with her life but can't quite.
She doesn't accept that something paranormal is happening without question. She challenges it, tries hard to fit it to the reality she's always known. I felt like the whole situation was handled really well. And I liked that she tried to prioritize her real life over the paranormal rather than the other way around.
But yeah mostly I just loved the story and the characters and I am desperately waiting for the sequel. (October 23. Soon. I can make it that long... probably...) At any rate, I love this book and you should read it.
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