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January Book Review 2019: The Becoming of Noah Shaw

My Reasons For Reading This Book

I went to the library knowing that the book I wanted to check out was available, little did I know that it had been checked out earlier that day. I went to the library on a time crunch knowing that my possible new roommate was coming to meet me and my roommates and to see the place. I attempted to check out a John Green book, but sadly the were all checked out. After looking around in the pop fiction section and reading lots of book descriptions, I finally decided on The Becoming of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin. I read the book description and was instantly intrigued. The fact that it was the first book in the Shaw Confessions trilogy excited me because I usually do not read series or trilogies. 

Content of the Book

The book follows the life of Noah Shaw after the death of his father and the freedom to do what he would like with his inheritance. This trilogy piggy backs off of Michelle Hodkin's Mara Dyer novels. Noah has a "gift" where he can experience the pain and death of those with a "gift" as they die. As a result of witnessing several Carriers' (those who have the gift) suicides, Noah, his girlfriend Mara, her brother Daniel and their two friends come together with the hope of discovering the reason behind the suicides. During their investigation Noah uncovers Mara's secrets and starts to question her and his reasons for placing trust in her. 

What I Liked About This Book

I liked the writing style of this book. It paralleled the typical writing style of a young adult book. I also liked the pace in which the book progressed. The author did not dwell on a specific part of the the novel for too long. Michelle Hodkin executed the inner dialogue of Noah in a way that added to the understanding of who Noah was as a character. As the book progressed the character development of Noah progressed to a level that I have come to expect from young adult novels.

What I Disliked About The Book

Going along with what I just said about the character development of Noah, the book lacked significant character development from any of the other characters. This is something I would have liked to see. When it comes to the plot of the book nothing really happened. When I say this I truly mean it. The book barely had any climaxes/highs and lows. The plot did pick up towards the last couple of chapters of the book, but other than that the rest of the book was mostly little day to day activities performed by the characters. As someone who did not read the Mara Dyer trilogy, I was quite lost during parts of the novel where the author only briefly described what had occurred in the previous novels. With that being said it is my fault that I did not read the previous series.


Would I Recommend This Book?

After considering all parts of this book and the fact that I did not read the Mara Dyer's trilogy, I would would not recommend this book. Even for a young adult book I do not think it is worth it to read. I also do not plan on finishing the trilogy.

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