The Retribution Of Mara Dyer is the third and final book in the Mara Dyer trilogy written by Michelle Hodkin. If you have not read the other books, I suggest not reading this review because it will contain spoilers for the other books however, it does not contain spoilers for the third book.

If you would like to, you can see my reviews for the first book and the second book!

About the book. 

SUMMARY

The Retribution Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin is the third and final book in the Mara Dyer trilogy. It follows Mara Dyer, a girl with special abilities who had been manipulated by many different people for a long, long time. She had no idea this is how it was going to end. She wanted to believe there was more to what she had been told and never thought about how far she would go for vengeance until now.

I was a big, big fan of the first two books. I sped through both of them and they were such a blast to read! However, I found myself feeling a little bit disappointed with this.

WRITING

Michelle Hodkin’s writing is amazing! I’m not sure if I’ve commented on this before but she has such a good flow and it’s so mysterious, creepy and suspense filled! Her writing really emphasises the best parts of the book and adds a lot of creep-factor to the story. I also like her use of shorter sentences for emphasis and the way the book always has cliff hangers.

Hodkin is also a really funny writer and there were parts of the book that had me laughing!

IDEA

I felt from the first two books, this one was vastly different and not in the way I liked. I didn’t really like how it was less about Mara and Noah and more about the program in general, about Jude, about the other characters and their abilities and about her past.

While some parts were interesting, I felt as the book lost its original focus, I lost my interest in it. When I was reading the second book (which was my favourite in the series), I spent the entire time guessing and thinking about it but since having finished this book more than a week ago, I’ve barely thought back to it.

The fact that the book becomes less about Mara and her story and more about genetics and supernatural stuff, I just tuned out. I am not a huge sci-fi fan because while it is interesting, it gets too technical for me to really enjoy, which I found with this book.

There was too much talk about history, about genetics, about supernatural and spiritual stuff and I personally, didn’t enjoy it. It’s not that I don’t find those topics interesting, it’s just the way it was done in the book that I didn’t enjoy.

PLOT

I mentioned this before but the way the book shifted focus really annoyed me. I loved the first two books for the focus solely on Mara and Noah. Not genetics, not spiritual stuff, not scientific experiments, no.

I liked the introduction of new characters but the old ones that weren’t in the book left me really, really sad such as Mara’s family, who I adored! Everything happened too suddenly for me as well. One moment things were fine and the next moment, everything is different.

The final thing that annoys me the most is the unanswered questions left at the end! I can’t talk about them too much because I would hate to ruin the book for people but there were so many unanswered questions for me! And not the obvious one which is the last line of the book!

No, I mean the other stuff like Mara’s family and her friends, and what the hell happens next. I felt it was an incomplete book and not in the way the author leaves for readers to make their own conclusions. No, I mean in the way that the book had too many missing details and plot holes’.

However, let me just add that a lot of people have enjoyed this series, even the last book. I think the fact I didn’t like it was more a personal thing because I lost track of what was happening because it happened too fast and got too confusing. However, the fact that there were so many unanswered questions at the end really ruined the entire book for me and left me feeling very sluggish and ‘meh’.

In saying that, the end is very epic!

I have heard that once you read the series entirely and you re-read again, you understand it better because you can make the links with the ‘unbecoming’ the ‘evolution’ and the ‘retribution’ that occurs in the books.

I think one thing Hodkin did really well in the series is link the three books together. The ending of the third book ties in so well to the beginning of the first book it’s crazy. She has written them very well together and as a series, it is enjoyable because it relates so well to each other!

CHARACTERS

The character development in this book is intense! A little too sudden, in my opinion but nonetheless, it wasn’t too bad. You really see Mara and Noah grow as characters and you see them change in the circumstances they have been put in.

While I can’t say I really like the new versions of the characters, it is true that they are more realistic this way and have been well written and expressed, especially Noah and his complexities.

The other characters such as Jamie, Stella and Daniel made the book quite funny and enjoyable but I felt they lacked character development and weren’t people I adored, unfortunately.

But in their defence, that spot is reserved solely for Noah.

FINALLY…

I know this review hasn’t been all that positive but do know, I enjoyed Hodkin’s writing and characters but because of the plot and the ideas, I felt quite let down, especially after such an epic first and second book!

I am sorry to say that I didn’t enjoy it because I did want to but maybe if I re-read it sometime, I’ll find it more enjoyable!

And don’t not read it on my account. There have been many people (whom I trust with book opinions) that have said it is an enjoyable read and I hope you do enjoy it. And if you have read the other two books, finish the series off because trust me, you’ll want to read the ending!