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October 19, 2012

Review: Mystic City by Theo Lawrence - Farah



Title: Mystic City
Author: Theo Lawrence
Publication date: October 9th, 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Genre(s): Young Adult (Sci-Fi/Dystopian)
Source: NetGalley
Format: Digital ARC
Pages: 416

A magical city divided.
A political rebellion ignited.
A love that was meant to last forever.


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.
Mystic City was one of those books where you just had to finish, so you can finally know what happens, and relax.
Mystic City was one of those books where you couldn't think about anything until you found out the ending of the book. I keep putting off writing this review because I honestly don't know what to say! Not because it was bad or anything, but because I just don't know where to start. Therefore, I'll begin with Aria, the main protagonist. Aria Rose is a scion of one of the rivalry families. That being said, you already know that she's one of the richest families as well. One day she wakes up with huge gaps in her memories, and soon realizes that she overdosed on "stic". Not only that, but apparently, she's also engaged to the son of the other rivalry family, Thomas Foster.
Everything was so addicting after that. Aria's family say that she's in love with Thomas, but how come Aria can't remember falling in love with him at all? Being born in a rich family, I understand why her family were happy about the idea of reuniting and getting stronger, but is that really what Aria wanted? All these questions bubbled (is it bubbled?) my head, and I couldn't wait to get my answers. The world building was beautiful. Being in the future of New York, everything is above grounds. They all move from one building to another, not even knowing what trees or grass looks like. The ground surface, where us real people live on, is where the drained mystic's live. Mystic's are those who have supernatural powers. Each one having a different power. It's kind of hard to explain, but the government got rid of all mystics by draining their energy. Honestly, I loved the thought of mystics and how Theo Lawrence did a great job in writing about them!
There's so much suspense in this book, and I loved every bit of it! We also meet Hunter, who is a rebel mystic (which means that he got away from the government without being drained). When Aria meets him, she feels a sudden pull towards him. Then things get more complicated, and so on. Overall, I really enjoyed Mystic City. I will admit, it was kind of hard for me to get into it in the beginning, but then I really loved it to the max! Can't wait for what happens in the next book!

17 comments:

  1. Wow! This book looks so breathtaking. The cover is so unique, and the plot is a somewhat typical dystopian, but seems like so much more.

    Lovely review! Love your descriptions of the suspense!

    -Angie @YA Novelties

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  2. I have read many mixed reviews about this book and just wasn't sure if I was going to pick it up. But, I like the sound of the characters and the plot seems very intriguing...not to mention that twisty romance. I am now very excited to pick this up and find out for myself how it turns out! Thanks for the brilliant review, Farah! :D

    ~ Maida @ Literary Love Affair

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  3. Well I read this one too, and although I didn't like it quite as much as you did, I was still really entertained by it. I did love the world-building though. I am definitely going to continue the series and I think maybe the next book will be even better for me.

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  4. Great review, Farah! I have this coming up for me soon and look forward to reading it now. Some of the mixed reviews had me nervous. :)

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  5. I love the new blog design, by the way! :)

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  6. Yay, I am glad you liked this one too. I adored Aria and Hunter. I am really excited for the next book. Great review. :)

    Jenea @ Books Live Forever

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  7. I really enjoyed this one too!! I didn't like how absolutely clueless Aria was. I would think she would have totally seen what was going on and figured things out quicker. Maybe I am just too perceptive. I thought the visual imagery was awesome and I love the whole star-crossed lovers thing. I am a sucker for it. Tragic romance. *sigh* I am really looking forward to the next book!

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  8. I recently finished Mystic City :) I thought It was pretty good! I can't wait for book 2! Awesome review Farah :)

    Janina @ Synchronized Reading

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  9. I've been dying to read this one! Good to hear you liked it :)

    Momo @ Where the Mome Raths Outgrabe

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  10. This sounds really good! Rivalry families and mystics... I think I'll have to get hold of the book. Thanks for the review :)

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  11. This book sounds incredibly good! And the cover is also very pretty :) Great review!

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  12. This book sounds awesome! So far all the reviews of the book are great. I will have to check out this book soon. Thanks for sharing :))

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  13. The setting of this book sounds the most amazing and unique. I am also curious about the whole memory loss thing. I'm wondering if her family purposely did it to unite the rivalry family. Weird that they drain the mystics! I mean why?! I'm intrigued!

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  14. Futuristic New York City, mystics, and rivalry? Oh, I'm intrigued. :) I love the sound of this book- which you make sound so terrific- so it's without a doubt that I'm going to add it to my TBR list. Nicely review, Farah! :)

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  15. I really loved this one too. I thought it was incredibly creative and very different. And someone compared it to a Romeo and Juliet retelling and I totally agree with that. Such a great story!

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  16. Yay, you loved it, too! Fantastic review! :-D

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  17. I'm still not too keen on the "memory gap" story, but I've read a lot of cool things about modern day New York in this book that I really want to explore.

    Great review!

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