Who Is Mara Wildes?

by Amanda East

Mara Wildes has lived a life of unknowns. Left on a firehouse doorstep as an infant, she has never fit anywhere and never had any answers to how her own life started. She has all but given up hope when a mysterious package arrives and sends her on a path to her birthplace nearly 600 miles from her Chicago home.

The Missouri Ozarks.

Immediately, her new surroundings open up a whole new world for Mara. Befriending locals, meeting a man that makes her heart race, and sleeping under starry skies were things she never expected to be doing but they light up her life like never before. Unfortunately, with light also comes darkness.

Local lore about demons in the trees and tales of witchcraft swirl amongst the secrets of Mara's past. A legend of a shadow man begins to invade her dreams and something evil seems to have crept into her home. Then local children start to vanish and all eyes turn toward the newcomer to their sleepy lakeside town.

Mara grapples to find absolution in a reality that seems to be more supernatural than real, just hoping she can escape falling victim to the secrets hidden away in the Ozark hills.

Genres: Horror

169 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 25, 2022

Reviews

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was pretty good, but the pacing needed some improvement, things that should have been heartbreaking felt like they were unceremoniously moved along from without emotional payoff or weight and the love interest thus became a rather flat dream boy type (not that he ever came across as a particularly complex guy). The unravelling at the end also felt really rushed which was too bad.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

1✨ Uhh this was definitely a book I could have gone without reading. It was way too short for the premise of the story, everything was rushed and major details were missing. Too many grammatical errors for me to count and the writing overall was very amateur. I will give credit to the concept though, I really liked that, kind of gave “lady of the lake” vibes if you know what I mean.

[FoodxHugs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy this.

I wanted to try out a new author and as this was a paranormal romance story I thought it would be something I'd like...

This was pretty bad. The couple Mara and Jackson were boring and/or spineless. I just couldn't gel with the storyline or the casual writing.

I was relieved when I finished it, as I could return it back.

Just too rushed and nonsensical for me.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one!

Once I started this book I couldn’t put it down, I needed to know what happened. I really enjoyed Mara and Jackson, they jumped off the pages. The story was engaging and kept me riveted. The only complaint I have is I wish the book was longer.

[Stefanie Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The whole timeline of this story feels too rushed. This could’ve been such a great story but… yeah.. everything stuffed into 3 days. If it would’ve been drawn out it would’ve been so much better. Good writing though.

Mara doesn’t know where she was born, who her parents are, she knows nothing about her past. Until one day she receives a package that shows her as a baby, with her mother. She decides to go to her birthplace and she hopes to find out who she is.

[Kyra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this book. It was extremely fast paced where I felt as though a lot of the storyline was skipped. It was confusing all throughout the book and not consistent.
The ending was alright, but left a lot of questions about the shadow man, Sara, and pretty much all the characters. Like who dropped the box off at Mara’s door? Why did the shadow man not help Mara when the water kept trying to kill her? Why did Sara kill the other two children? Who are these other witches that were mentioned at the end?

[Selena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who is Mara Wildes is a short, interesting enough book about a woman named Mara trying to find out why her mother abandoned her all those years ago. Only to find out so much more than she was ready for.

Mara learns about her mother, Emma and all of the rumours surround her mother’s friends Sara and Aiyanna as well as the death of Emma.

I overall, really did enjoy this book. Unfortunately, it was a bit too short for me, but I still really liked it. It was captivating and it really drew me in. It had the perfect amount of creepy elements that made you want to continue to read.

[Danii · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this down!

The writing style is so relatable and not as stiff as other authors. It wasn't too wordsy and didn't take too long to set the atmosphere/lay down context. There were some grammatical errors but nothing too egregious. Overall, I'm definitely recommending this to my book group!

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

strong start

I enjoyed most of this book. Unfortunately, the editing wasn’t great and that was distracting. Also, just as the plot picks up, the author jumps to “one month later” and wraps up the story. It seems she just wanted to stop or she ran out of ideas. I was so invested until then.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a lot of interesting elements to this book that I think were missed opportunities. The magic and motivations of the older generation sounded amazing but the front and center current day characters and romance angles kind of ruined it all. Not a bad story but also not incredible. I understand this is a newer author so I may give another of her works a chance.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5

The story itself was good, and I enjoyed the concept. The writing was a bit amateur-ish, but it's easy to tell with some tweaking, and maybe expanding upon specific elements of the story, this could be a great book. The ending felt a little rushed, but still made for a fairly enjoyable read.

[Monica Weiesnbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this Author!! Both books I’ve read of hers have been very good and fast paced! I’m surprised what she can fit in books less then 200 pages but I’m not complaining!!! Look forward to more reads from her!!

[Abby Burell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fun, creepy read for spooky time, although I feel like the story could have been fleshed out a little bit more. I'd definitely read a sequel if it ever came out, exploring the daughter's growth and hopefully delving into Mara's mother a little bit more.

[Housten Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

must read

New to my reading journey but this book threw me through some loops! Super good read! Definitely recommend this short read

[Amber Althoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this quick read. It has witches, a shadow man, a lady in the lake. Mara has to figure out who is really evil while she learns about her past and figures out her future.

[Rachel Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book swept me away into an adventure I didn't want to end. I wish the story was longer so I could spend more time with these characters and the lore in this book.

[Jack Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good character development but seemed a little rushed near the end

[Callie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short easy book. It didn’t feel entirely finished? Like maybe we could’ve had some more story in the middle? All in all, it was okay. I don’t regret reading it.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite possibly one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read…? I’m honestly still not sure I completely understand. Also her relationship with the MMC…wut😐

[Cheyenne Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good story, and I finished it in one day cause it sucked me in... however, I was left wanting them to go further into some things. All in all, I'm not disappointed and will likely read it again.