Review: The Retribution of Mara Dyer

Title:  The Retribution of Mara Dyer
Series:  Mara Dyer #3
Author:  Michelle Hodkin (Website | Twitter)
Age Group:  Young Adult
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date:  November 2, 2014
Source:  Bought

Mara Dyer wants to believe there's more to the lies she’s been told.
There is.
She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
She should.
She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.
She will now.
Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.
Retribution has arrived.

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My Review:  It's sort of amazing to me right now that I'm actually writing a review for this novel.  It has been pushed back so many times and the wait has seemed endless but now, it's finally here.  And holy cow, guys.  The wait, I am thrilled to say, was totally worth it.  This had the same smarts, snark, romance, and mind-blowing revelations as the previous two novels and I am so happy with the way this trilogy has wrapped up.  I can safely say this in my top five favorite trilogies.  

Possibly my favorite thing about this series is the characters.  They are all gold.  Seriously, I love them so much.  Mara is a wonderfully complex character and every time I get a chance to see from her eyes, it's amazing.  As Mara struggles with right and wrong, so does the reader.  I find myself sympathizing and cheering her on, even when she does some pretty horrible things.  She has her good and bad qualities and her flaws really only make me like her more.  That, and her amazing sense of humor.  Another character I came to appreciate a lot more in this novel is Jamie.  I mean, I knew I liked him before but now I just adore him.  The way he supports Mara is great and I like his blunt way of saying things.  He's a very interesting side character.  

And, of course, there's Noah.  

This guy.  THIS GUY.  I love him.  Simple as that.  He's sort of a terrible person and he is definitely twisted but I just can't get enough of him.  He's so just....ARG!  I can't even explain the feels that I'm feeling about him.  His humor, his dedication, his loyalty, his undying and unwavering love for Mara...I can't.  I can't with any of it.  My heart is bursting with love for him.  And the fact that we were able to see from his POV in this novel basically made my entire month.  I loved being able to finally get into his head and see how he feels about these situations.  

I am completely, totally, 100% satisfied with the ending to this series.  I want more but I'll always want more just because it is so amazing.  Michelle Hodkin could write a book of just Mara and Noah bantering back and forth and I'd pay money to have it.  I'm sad this trilogy is over but I'm so excited to see what she comes up with next!

“Names?' the receptionist asked us.

“Jesus,” Jamie answered.

“Mary,” said Stella.

“Satan,” I said as I walked past her and pushed open the door to Ira Ginsberg’s office.” 

As a special treat, I've also been offered a sound clip of the audio book of The Retribution of Mara Dyer by the wonderful people over at Audible!  If you want to hear a bit of this awesome reading, go here! 

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