This is the second book in Michelle Hodkin's Mara Dyer trilogy and I liked it SO much better than the first. While the first book seemed to take a long time to warm up and find its stride, this one gallops out of the gate. It combines paranormal horror with action/adventure and romance from the first page. While it does contain some of my pet peeves - psychiatric hospitals with drug treatments so the characters don't know what's real and what isn't - that's only a small part of the story, and the characters and plot more than make up for it. While the hero and heroine (Mara and Noah) were kind of tentative with each other and still feeling each other out as partners in book one, they are totally together in book two trying to figure out the mystery of what's happening to them. The more united front between the main characters allows Hodkin to delve deeper into the really interesting mysteries of their apparently supernatural powers and their mysterious pasts. The supporting characters are also very strong in this book, notably Mara's big brother Daniel who was one of the best things about the first book and doesn't disappoint in this installment. He's the big brother I wish I had, and I'm not offending any family members by saying that because I don't actually have any older sibs. The adult characters also seem to have a more minor role in this book - although they're still important - and I think that strengthens the narrative and allows the pace to amp up because the reader can be more or less completely focused on the adventures of the teen characters. I tore through this book in one sitting and am eagerly awaiting the third book. I'm glad I stuck with the series even though I wasn't completely sold on the first one.
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