Mystic City (Mystic City #1)

MY THOUGHTS
I've been wanting to read this book for awhile, so I felt like I hit the jackpot when I found this book and it's sequel at my local used bookstore! Overall, this book did not disappoint!

This book take place in a futuristic/dystopian New York City. There are two ruling families, the Roses and the Fosters, and everyone in the city has to choose sides between them. Aria has just 'recovered' after ODing off of Stix (a drug) and is now to marry Thomas Foster, whom she supposedly loves and had a great affair with. The problem is that she has no memory of being with Thomas and has no love for him. She ends of meeting Hunter, a mysterious illegal mystic (has magical abilities). She knows that with he she will be able to recall her memories, but what she will unlock will change everything.

This entire plot was just so interesting! I like the whole idea behind the two families and the mystics. It's horrible how they treat the mystics, they drain their powers, but I thought the idea of adding magical elements to a dystopian society very unique. This book has the common theme of everything I was told is a lie, but it's so well done. The element of memory loss is not something you see entirely too often with that idea either.

As for plot,some parts of this book were very predictable. I was able to figure most of the plot early on, though I won't hate on Aria for taking so long to figure things out, as it probably comes from reading so many dystopian novels. Even though, I still very thrown by a few plot twists near the end! The pacing of the book was also fast-paced. You wouldn't expect that with a book featuring memory loss, but there were always things happening and Aria did not just wait around for her memories to come back!

The romance was very different, in some ways. It seems like there would be a love triangle in this book, but there really isn't, since Aria doesn't really love one of them. If you are one of those people who avoids books with two guy names in the synopsis, expecting the dreaded triangle, you'll be safe reading this book! As for everything else in the romance, I liked it, though it didn't wow me.

IN CONCLUSION
This is a great read with a very interesting premise and it's done very well! It's a bit predictable at times, but I didn't let that stop my enjoyment of the book and there were still some surprises along the way! I recommend this book to those who would like to read a dystopian with a hint of fantasy, meanwhile, I'll be reading the next book!

This an amazingly well written futuristic retelling of Romeo and Juliet!
There really is no other way for me to describe it...

This story takes place in a an apocalyptic-Manhattan known as Aeries, where the upper elite live in apartment buildings built on high stilts above the Depths, which is what the city used to be and is now drowning and decaying, where the poor and outcasts live. Just like in the original Romeo and Juliet drama, Mystic City has two feuding families - the Rose family and the Foster family... but wait, there's more! A third party is trying to join in the war of who will rule the city - the Mystics. But more on them in a bit.

Aria Rose wakes up one day, and has no idea what is going on and how she got into her current situation. Confused, she doesn't remember what caused her "accident", why she doesn't remember anything and most of all, she has a fiance?! And to make things even more complicated, her fiance is Thomas Foster! Wouldn't she remember having a secret love affair with their family's nemesis! And how is it that both families have taken to their deceit and love affair so easily and quickly. And how is it that she can remember everything except for the last week of her life, and him - things just don't add up...
Aria is desperate to make a connection with Thomas - shouldn't she be able to feel her love for him even if she can't remember anything? When he looks at her, or even touches her arm - shouldn't that touch burn through her and remind her of what they had? or have? She decides that if she did it once before, she can do it again - she must sneak over and speak to Thomas in private. Maybe then, going through what she has supposedly done may times before, will help her regain her memories.
As she's trying to sneak through the city by going through the Depths and tries to remember what paths she would have traveled to get to Thomas, where they must have hidden and met, she gets into some trouble... and then she meets Hunter - a rebel Mystic.
Mystics are humans with magical powers - they have been outcast-ed as dangerous and uncaring, the government has forced them to register and their abilities are drained and used to power the city.
Aria has been taught in school that these people are menacing, dangerous and to be feared. But when she meets Hunter, and others, she sees for herself that the things that she has been told since the day she was born has all been a lie... and why does Hunter intrigue her so much? Why is it that every time he touches her, it burns right through her? Is it because of his powers...

I have to admit, I was a teeny bit disappointed in the love story here. Led to believe that there would be a love triangle of some sort, no, no there isn't. So for those of you who hate love triangle, rejoice!
There was so many clues as to what really happened to Aria and who her true love is - and she failed miserably so many times to realize any of it. Could it possibly be that she buried her head in denial, unable to accept what her family is capable of? Perhaps. But, there was just too many instances and it made me really frustrated with her... I would have liked to have seen more passion in the end. I was a bit disappointed with their "undying love" moment. BUT, I do have to admit, that after all is said and done, Aria does come into her own and completely owns up to everything. From the beginning she was determined to discover everything on her own, and now that things have changed, she is determined to face what has happened and take on full responsibility.

I am SO looking forward to the next book in this series! Overall, Theo Lawrence did a fabulous job - I really enjoyed the storytelling and world building he did here. And the gorgeous cover really does have an impact and represents Mystic City perfectly. Can't wait to find out what will happen to Aria, Hunter and their families.

Mystery, romance, political intrigue and magic - Mystic City has a little bit of everything! Immediately capturing my attention with Aria's suspicious memory loss, I was hooked from the start. While Aria definitely took too long to realize the truth, her journey of discovery was fascinating. Pair that with vivid images of a futuristic Manhattan, mostly underwater due to global warming, and you've got all the ingredients for a great story!

Lawrence's vision of a futuristic Manhattan was so vivid and described so clearly, I could easily picture the Aeries' towering skyscrapers, interspersed with seemingly floating catwalks and speeding air-trains, its clean lines and bright lights and Aria's skyward apartment. The Aeries stood in such stark contrast to the Depths, where everything was murky water, sludge and shadows, that the dichotomy Lawrence was trying to create was easily accomplished. The mythology behind the Mystics' abilities could have been better explained, since I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a future Earth or an alternate Earth where Mystics have always existed, but when it came time for them to show their true powers, I didn't care how they had them only that they were awesome!

Aria was an interesting protagonist. I loved her determination and her courage, but her naiveté was slightly tiring. Wishing only for the burning passion that she assumed would accompany true love, she quickly begins to question her feelings she has been told she has for Thomas. With her head and her heart at war - her head telling her that she loves Thomas while her heart says something is wrong - it was easy to see why she would be so confused. But as the evidence piled up, and her memories refused to put Thomas' face on her lover's body, I couldn't help but tire of her dogged refusal to see the truth. With a girl as smart as Aria, it really surprised me when it took her the entire book to figure out what I had known for more than half of Mystic City.

The plot is what I truly loved about Mystic City. It would have been enough that Aria was uncertain about whom to trust, considering her memories were completely absent. But the addition of her family's struggle to overcome a new-found political opponent, a registered Mystic from the Depths, added a level of suspense that was tangible. The twists and turns, the uncovered secrets and Aria's realization that her father would go as far as it took in order to secure his family's future in the Aeries was captivating! I was on edge, waiting to uncover more of her family's lies and to learn about the buried truth that many hoped had been forgotten.

While some of the twists were overly predictable, others had me grasping my Kindle a little harder in anticipation of what it would mean for Aria. With a heartwarming romance (that I'm not going to touch on for fear of getting too spoilery), mafia-style political wars, and a constant shroud of mystery due to Aria's missing memories, Mystic City is a must-read!