Mystic City by Theo Lawrence
Rating: A-
Synopsis:
For fans of Matched, The Hunger Games, X-Men, and Blade Runner comes a tale of a magical city divided, a political rebellion ignited, and a love that was meant to last forever. Book One of the Mystic City Novels.
Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City’s two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents’ sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn’t remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can’t conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.
My thoughts on the book:
Mystic City is a unique dystopian novel that is set in post-global warming New York. This book captivated me, and after the first few pages, I was hooked. The characters are amazing and, for the most part, well-developed. The world-building is done fairly well, and the concept itself is extremely unique. If you’re a fan of dystopian fantasy, this is one book you do not want to miss!
Aria is an excellent leading character. There were times that I wanted to smack her, but overall, she was strong and intelligent. Her friends, however, were anything but. Kiki is obnoxious and such a cookie cutter character that I couldn’t stand to read about her. Bennie is okay, but nothing terrific. Thomas is a jerk, and I can’t stand him. I adore Hunter and Turk, though! Also, some of the secondary characters, such as Elissa and Benedict are extremely interesting. The Roses and the Fosters are both terrifying, and I could not believe the awful things that they do in the name of power.
The plot is unique and captivating. I had the mystery figured out with Aria pretty early on, but I still couldn’t put the book down. I had to know when she’d figure it out and who else knew what was going on. I also had to know what else was going to happen before she figured everything out. That being said, there still were plenty of surprises! Some of the events really shocked me, and it was all I could do not to flip to the end to see how things end up. Needless to say, this novel is extremely suspenseful. I was kept on the edge of my seat the entire time. Lawrence definitely kept me guessing, and that’s a good thing!
The world-building is okay, but sometimes I felt that there was so much description that the author was showing more than telling. For the most part, things are pretty balanced, though, and a lot of the descriptions may be edited out before the final version is released. The pacing is pretty spot-on, though it does drag a little bit in the beginning. I would have liked for things to come together more quickly. For the most part, though, I have no complaints. The ending is excellent. It ties up a lot of the loose ends, but leaves room for the sequel.
Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves dystopian fantasies. You will not be disappointed!
This review is also posted at http://falln2books.blogspot.com/2012/10/mystic-city-by-theo-lawrence.html