Review: Mystic City

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I was intrigued by the story concept of this book as soon as I read the back cover blurb. Others have detailed the storyline already, so I won't go into what it's about here.

The dystopian world is striking and interesting, becoming a separate character in the story. Aria, her parents, and Hunter are also unique personalities that fit with the story world and with the plotline.

I did think that the story started off very slow. The first several chapters seemed to drag a bit to me. The story was interesting enough that I kept reading, and the plot eventually picked up, so I guess that says it was engaging enough to keep my interest, but the first third of the book seemed so slow to me that the book would have been easy to set down at some points if I'd had something else I needed to do.

After the story picks up, it was interesting to see how Aria changes as events unfold. I thought it took her ridiculously long to figure out what had happened to her, but that might be just me. When things did become clear, the storyline was very intriguing and I couldn't wait to read what happened next.

This might be just me, but the description and explanation of the dystopian world in the beginning was a bit confusing to me and I had to exert some effort to figure out the world of the mystics and their role in the city. Eventually it became clear to me, but that effort to figure out the story world made the reading flow in the beginning stutter a bit for me.

There were times when I didn't quite feel Aria's emotions very strongly, either, which detracted from the romance a bit for me. I guess I had expected to feel her emotions more than I actually did while reading.

However, the romantic arc itself progresses well--despite the slow start--and is very satisfying. Readers who love romance will be happy with how Aria's love life turns out.

I was especially impressed with Aria's character. She grew and changed throughout the story from a confused girlish character to a woman who was strong, brave, and willing to stand up for a higher cause. Lack of that type of willingness to stand and fight for a higher cause was what I had thought a little disappointing in Katniss's character in The Hunger Games, so seeing that bravery in Mystic City was very satisfying.

Overall, the story was engaging and interesting and entertaining. The last half of the book was especially riveting and I couldn't have put it down if I'd had to.

I received a complimentary copy of the uncorrected proof from Random House in exchange for an honest review.



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