Mystic City (Mystic City Trilogy)

This book takes place in an alternate Manhattan. There was an explosion, where mystics were blamed and now the polar ice caps have melted. This leads to flooding in Manhattan and a clear division of people. The rich and mobsters running everything live in the upper reaches of the city, called the Aeries. The poor and mystics are forced to live in the lower, flooded areas. The mystics are also kept on a tight leash. They need to register and are kept drained of their powers so they don't cause any other problems.

Aria Rose is the daughter to one of the controlling families. She wakes to find herself with amnesia from a drug over dose. She learns that she is engaged to Thomas Foster, the son of a rival family. But things don't seem right to her.

Aria is not the kind of person that does drugs and can't seem to find this secret romance with Thomas that everyone keeps telling her about. Then Aria meets Hunter, a rebel mystic that seems to know more about her than anyone else. She feels safe around him and starts to learn the truth about he lost past.

I will admit that I was hesitant to read this book. I am not a fan of love triangles, especially in young adult stories. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that that is not the case. I really liked the idea behind Mystic City. It is a semi normal theme of the under dog standing up for their oppression. But it was well put together with how Aria fit into the picture.

This is a really good young adult, alternate reality, and dystopian book. I think many that enjoy this story. I cannot wait for the next book to come out to learn more about Mystic City.

Shawn Kovacich
Author and Creator of numerous books and DVD's.

"Mystic City" by Theo Lawrence is an interesting, if not wholly successful, attempt to offer a young adult story with a dystopian future, rival families, strange powers, amnesia and star-crossed lovers. It's tough to breathe new life into a "Romeo and Juliet" type story and I usually cringe when amnesia is a major plot device. On paper, this book should have been a disaster, especially with a mediocre, at best, cast of supporting characters and leads--Aria and Hunter--who are solid but unspectacular.

Despite it all, I enjoyed "Mystic City." It's a credit to Lawrence and his abilities that the book is not a total failure or even close to being one. Despite this being his first novel, Lawrence is a very gifted stage setter and an excellent world builder. His view of New York in the future is what will stay with the reader--certainly more so than the plot.

Lawrence also does a fine job in creating two distinct culture to inhabit his world. Still, the pacing of the novel was a bit off and the ending of the book seemed rushed. Lawrence has strong enough leads and a compelling world to salvage some of the problems in "Mystic City" though he does not fully redeem the book. The book is probably closer to 3.5 than 4 stars. It's above average and most, but certainly not all, younger readers of speculative fiction should enjoy it. There's certainly enough potential here to keep an eye on Lawrence. While not great, I intend to read the second "Mystic City" book which comes out later this year. This reviewer received a free edition of the book from the store's Vine program in return for an honest review.

When I first began reading this book, I could not, for the life of me, remember what it was about. So I was going into it blind. I was sucked into it in no time.

The book has a Romeo and Juliet quality to it. There is a big emphasis on love in the story, but it's done in a way that keeps you interested and wondering how everything will work out.

The only thing I didn't like was that one of the big "mysteries" in the book was really easy to figure out. For me, anyway.

I really enjoued the book though and it's one that I could see as a really cool, futuristic action movie.

This book was wonderful. I love books that mix up elements and create a wonderful story. Take West Side Story (some other reviewers say Romeo and Juliet, but the gangs/families remind me more of the Natalie Wood film, without the musical numbers), mix in mobsters and mystics and get a wonderful new take on forbidden love.

I loved the world that Theo Lawrence created. The characters are terrific too. Okay, my one complaint is that the protagonist is a bit too naive at times, but I could cut her some slack. She'd been drugged, brainwashed and kept naive by her parents.

I am very much looking forward to the sequel.

Aria Rose is in love with Thomas Foster. Or so she is told.
Aria wakes up one day with large gaps in her memory. She doesn't remember having a hidden romance with Thomas, let alone falling in love with him. And now she is supposed to marry him at the end of the summer, ending the rivalry between their two families. She should be happy right, happy that she finally gets to be the one she loves? No;she isn't. She doesn't even know how she feels other than confused. Then she meets an attractive mystic rebel named Hunter; and she is forced to see the truth, and unlock the secrets of her memories.

Characters: The characters were bold and highly loveable (even the secondary characters). The main character, Aria had realistic feelings, a high heart, and a lovable soul. And the two male leads (Thomas and Hunter)were easy to like (even when it was just at first)

Place: Manhattan was a loveable place to set this story. I also loved how Theo Lawrence (author) set it into two parts; the Aeries skyscrapers(full of the rich and powerful) and the Depths(the poor far below, including the mystics)

All and All:Mystic City was heart wrenching and was full of magic, romance, drama, intrigue, and suspense. I loved this book and couldn't put it down for a second.

READ THE BOOK ITS WORTH IT!

The review is really 3.5 stars I quite enjoyed the world Lawrence created; the distinctions between the social classes, the technology, magic, grit, and glamor were all decently done (not superb but good for teen fiction). However all of the characters were a bit too one-dimensional for my taste and the supposed romance between Aria and Hunter is just ridiculous.

Aria and Hunter's romance is clearly modeled after Romeo and Juliet which I always found trite and ridiculous; maybe lovers of that classic Shakespearean play will enjoy the teen-angst here. Too often I found myself asking "Why would they even do this?" with no reasonable explanation other than the author needed to move the plot along. (For example, WHY did Aria suddenly need to grab Elissa to take with her to the tunnels?)

Ignoring these annoyances, the story is entertaining enough. I think teens and pre-teens will enjoy this more than adults. Aria frustrates me for not being a stronger character but she does show sufficient guts to have the makings of a true heroine later on (I understand this is the start of a trilogy).

I must admit that I loved this book. The story drew me in immediately and kept me constantly trying to guess what would happen next (or actually what had already happened because of the way the story is told). The characters are smart and funny and the story was unique.

The only negative thing I have to say about the story was that they included some curse words, which would keep me from sharing this with young adults under 15 or 16.

Overall a great story and I'll definitely be looking forward to #2 in the series!

This book drew me in from page one!! Read it on one sitting! Loved the the fresh story line and the authors writing style! Love and loved to hate all the characters. My favorite was of course Hunter!! The parents, ugh worse parents awarded to them!! I can't wait for book 2 to come out summer of 2013. The only think I hate is I have to wait lol. I will read whatever this author writes in the future. Buy this book you won't be dissapointed! Also love the cover!

Very poor job. This could have been a good book if someone else had written it. The world building is pretty good, and the actual plot, whilst very predictable, could have worked if some internal inconsistencies had been cleared up. The real let down is characters flatter than cardboard, who do idiotic things from start to finish. I also think it was a real mistake to write in the first person. After a whole book of Aria's whining naivete I really couldn't stand to hear any more from her.
The author should broaden his own reading spectrum, get some more life experience and consider writing for film and TV. You could really tell it was a young man writing, his whole focus seemed to be Move The Plot Along, even if it was not what was needed.

What makes this novel stand out amongst other YA utopians, is its excellent world building and writing style, the great mix of action and romance, and unique story line. Though there are "mystics" with magical powers in the world TL created, I would not catalog this book under fantasy at all, which is interesting. 
I can't wait for the next books in this series to come out.

I was surprised to see several 1-2 star ratings for this book, but, as always, decided to make my own decision. I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the book and was unable to put it down towards the end. Lawrence created several interesting characters and several that you will love to hate! I am excited to read the next book and see where the story goes.

...which gets bogged down in some unfortunate writing.

'Mystic City' has a great premise steeped in a scary, timely truth: that someday Manhattan will be partially underwater, creating a post-apocalyptic-like Venice where the haves live high in Park Avenue skyscrapers and the have-nots live down in the canals. Taking it a step further into somewhat unnecessary territory, the city is also populated by mutants with vaguely X-Men type powers. And the last layer in this cake is the Romeo and Juliet plot, 'updated' with some fun twists and turns but ultimately mutilated in order to sell sequels.

However, even this would be forgiven if not for some really bad choices with character description. Talk about unnecessary - the number of times unremarkable characters are described in the most trite ways possible, with rippling muscles and gorgeous features, takes up so many pages that this story, which should have raced along at an exciting clip, drags. Without these desperate-seeming sops to teen readers, this might have been an appealing gloss on Shakespeare.

Very much reminded me of Romeo and Juliet, well written and good pacing.

Aria Rose is the youngest member of the Rose family. Her family and the Foster's have been rivals for generations in the city of Manhattan, a feud that goes back to the early 20th century. One day when Aria wakes up, she finds herself engaged to the son of the Foster's, Thomas. But she has no idea how it happened or when, the memories are simply gone. She is told by her family and their doctor, that she OD on Stic, a type of drug, and that's what caused the memory loss. She's told that her memories will come back in time and that tonight they are celebrating her and Thomas's engagement.

She feels nothing for this boy and tries desperately to remember anything about falling in love with him. According to everyone else, they met and fell in love behind everyone else's backs, their being married will unite their families and end the feud. When Aria steps out onto the balcony to get some fresh air and some time to herself during the party, she finds a silver heart shaped locket and a note that says "Remember" on it. She keeps the locket and and soon finds love letters that she had hidden away before her "memory loss". As she reads the letters and begins to search for answers to what exactly happened to her, Aria sees that she's being lied to by her family, she never took Stic, her memories were stolen from her.

Aria now needs to find out why and what it all has to do with the upcoming election for mayor of the city, an election that the Rose and Foster families want to make sure that they can win, and will do so at any cost, even murder.

This is one of those books that grab your attention right in the first chapter. One of the books that has a heroic protagonist with a sexy love interest and a set of secondary characters that you cannot help but feel something for. This reminds me of another retelling of Romeo and Juliet.

This is a tricky book for me to review. First off, let me say that the cover is fantastic, I had a bout of insta-love with it! I wish that I had the same feelings for the content of the book.

The first part of the book takes you through Aria's engagement party. An engagement that has the entire city watching. An engagement that Aria can not recall, to a boy she can not recall. A boy who should be her enemy. Though I loved the idea of this, the story itself fell flat here. The fist part (for which there are three) of Mystic City moves at a slow pace. The characters are all, including Aria, fairly intolerable people. They are rich and entitled and I disliked them all. Strongly.

Enter Hunter. Hunter, the saving grace of this story. Well, somewhat. Mystic City's pace picks up in part two. Aria, unknowingly, makes some connections with people from her past. Pieces begin to fall into place for the reader. Aria herself does not catch on so quickly. She becomes more caring and all around stronger character. The true personalities of the people in Aria's life show themselves and they are far, far from good. Seriously, this girl has some horrid family members! Hunter is pretty wonderful though, but perhaps a bit soft at times.

The story of Aria and Hunter finding each other is a sweet one and the world that Lawrence builds is very interesting. It is post global warming Manhattan, where people have been forced to build up and live high above the flooded streets of the past. Only those with "mystic" powers still live below, those who will be drained to power the city in the sky.

I don't understand where these mystical powers came from, there is nothing that really explains it. I found that somewhat odd, since the rest of the world is fairly realistic. But it is an interesting twist and I liked the range of the different powers.

Part three was even more exciting. Things really hit the fan and Aria is fighting not only for her life but for the lives of those she's come to care about and love. The ending really leaves a lot of room for future installments, I'm not quite sure if I am sold though. It's an all right read and I think there will be many who will enjoy it. I just needed a bit more action.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

I brought this book because I love Sci-Fi and the front cover is amazing! Never again will I purchase a book just because of the pretty cover. I'm sadden to say that even halfway through the book there is nothing -no action at all.
I'm not one to usually write reviews, but this book was that disappointing I felt I had to say something. The characters are flat and predictable and while the concept of the book is great the actual story just doesn't get 'there'.
I do hope the story in the next installment is better but I will not be reading it to find out.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Fire may be a main part, but the death it causes holds the vengeance that sets everything in motion.

Opening Sentence: It was the first night of parent-teacher conferences at Beacon Hills High, and everyone in the school parking lot was panicking.

The Review:

What is it with wolves that makes them just sooo hot?!

Beacon Hills. A town where you wouldn't think that things could go wrong. A town where wolves haven't made an appearance in almost sixty years. So, why the dead bodies? Maybe because werewolves aren't wolves, and they have come back to Beacon Hills.

All Scott McCall wanted was to make first string on the Lacrosse team and to get a girlfriend. And getting the Bite helped him reach his goals. But, however, the Bite complicated his life more than anything he thought possible. Who wouldn't want to have enhanced vision and extra strength and all that good hotness that seems to come with every single werewolf? But, when your girlfriends' family hunts your kind and they could easily figure it out that you're one of the monsters that they are trying to rid the world of, yeah, you'd probably hate your life too.

The twisty part about this book is the different point of views and the time changes. Warning readers, if you don't like confusing then don't read this book. However, if you think that you can handle it, be my guest. Holder sure does make it very interesting. It's endless cliffhanger after cliffhanger, leaving you on the edge of your seat. And bouncing back and forth from six years ago to the present just makes you want to read faster, because honestly the book shows you way more than the show, Teen Wolf -which it's based off of- does. The setting takes place basically in the Beacon Hills Preserve, but shifts to different places depending on whom the point of view is in and where they are at. But in the end, it all goes down at the preserve. All I have to say is get ready for a lot of fire, fire, and more fire.

You will find yourself up late at night busting out laughing at Stiles Stilinski, Scotts loyal best friend. He knows all about Scott being a werewolf and he tries to help. The only bad part about that is that Stiles' dad is the sheriff in town, and one wrong word to his dad and Scott would be busted. And Derek would be really mad, which is probably an understatement. But Stiles would more or less be dead. Sad face, because you will find yourself falling in love with his witty sense of humor and his clumsiness. I mean, it's really just adorable and Holder portrays him very well.

Then there's Derek, another wolf that was born a wolf. And if you didn't already think he was hot from Teen Wolf, then you will now from the passages that are in the past. They are all mostly in his point of view and it shows him when he was a young, vulnerable, maturing werewolf that thinks he's in love. Too bad the woman, and yes I mean woman, is a werewolf hunter. And she uses him. Majorly. That's all I am going to say about that except that there is more and more fire.

Overall, it is a really good book and the way that Holder writes leaves you on the edge, but in the end it all clicks in your head and you're like wow why didn't I see that earlier? The end leaves you with the promise of another book, hopefully because I really can't wait. Holder makes you want to read more and then you find yourself staring at the book, on the final page, and like aww it's over? (Sad face) But READ THIS BOOK!!! You will definitely love it and it is really worth your time.

FTC Advisory: MTV Books provided me with a copy of On Fire: A Teen Wolf Novel. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review.