Monday, January 20, 2014

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence - OPTIONAL

Lawrence, Theo  Mystic City, 397 pgs.  Delacort Press, 2012.  $17.99  Content: Language: PG-13 (20 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG-13.  

Aria Rose comes from a wealthy family that lives atop Manhattan’s dirty streets.  Ever since the Conflaguration, a magical bomb set off in the middle of the city by magic-wielding mystics, there has been a drastic divide between the political powers of the city, and Aria’s father seems to be on top.  In the upcoming elections, the Rose family has to win in order to keep the mystics from gaining political power, and Aria’s father has come up with a manipulative way to have Aria unite the Foster and Rose families in hopes of creating a political powerhouse.  The cost is Aria’s memories, her future and her heart.  

This is a futuristic Romeo and Juliet type story.  The plot moves along smoothly and although at times it is predictable it’s enjoyable to watch the story unfold.  I felt like the first 300 pages made sense and then when the climax and battle started, characters that were underdeveloped became important players.  The battle scenes were confusing and hard to follow and the gore included bodies being decapitated and skin melting off skeletons.  It moved the book from advisable to optional.  

MS, HS-OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

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