Manifest

Mystyx #1

by Artist Arthur

When fifteen-year-old Krystal Bentley moves to Lincoln, Connecticut, her mom's hometown, she assumes her biggest drama will be adjusting to the burbs after living in New York City.

But Lincoln is nothing like Krystal imagined. The weirdness begins when Ricky Watson starts confiding in her. He's cute, funny, a good listener—and everything she'd ever want—except that he was killed nearly a year ago. Krystal's ghost-whispering talents soon lead other "freaks" to her door—Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, and Jake, who moves objects with his mind. All three share a distinctive birthmark in the shape of an M and, fittingly, call themselves the Mystyx. They set out to learn what really happened to Ricky, only to realize that they aren't the only ones with mysterious powers. But if Krystal succeeds in finding out the truth about Ricky's death, will she lose him for good?

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Ghosts, Supernatural, Romance, Urban Fantasy

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

I am the first born and only girl in my family, and six and nine years separate me and my two brothers. Needless to say, I was alone quite a bit. But being alone gave me plenty of time to indulge my imagination in the world of books. One of the first novels I read was a young adult series that traced the lives of two teenagers in high school, Sweet Valley High. Reading those novels I thought I could do better, and so my quest to write entertaining stories began.

Being an introvert, it took me a long time to feel comfortable enough to let others read my work. How long? Well, the first person to read a story I wrote was my husband. Since then, I’ve been writing professionally for almost nine years now. But it was my daughter who encouraged me to write a book for teens—just one of the reasons I love her so dearly.

I live in Maryland with my husband and three children. If you take away the opinionated teenagers, family drama, overflowing bookshelves and DVDs, my life is pretty boring. But don’t take those things away, since they’re my inspiration.

Reviews

[Misty · Rating 1 out of 5]

2.5

There was a point in Manifest that things sort of clicked for me and I saw the potential for something pretty gripping and distrubing (without giving too much away, there is a serious creep (in the real world sense) preying on the girls of Lincoln, and MC Krystal may be the next on his list.  There was a dark, gritty and realistic edge to this side of the story that I didn't see coming, and it added much needed authenticity and danger.  But this one almost-stellar aspect aside, Manifest fell flat for me.  

One of the biggest problems was the main character, Krystal.  Krystal is very, very hard to like for a good chunk of the book.  She's angsty in the worst way, pouty and insolent, she's kind of obtuse and frustrating, and it was sort of hard for me to root for her.  This did get better as it went along, and I realize that it was an intended progression because of things that had gone on in her life, but it doesn't change the fact that I didn't want to read her; I didn't want to be in her head.  Of the other bigger side characters, Ricky was cliched, contradictory and silly, Sasha is a princess who has yet to grow on me (bad sign, as she's the star of book 2), and Jake, who I liked and felt was more developed, was often brushed to the side.

Another problem I had (and this was partly the result of my own expectations) was the cliched aspect of the novel, coupled with attempts to make it a more POC slant.  I was looking forward to getting a new perspective, something more like a melding of urban fantasy and paranormal romance.  But it never felt authentic to me.  Ricky, the ghost gangbanger, wears his pants low and his Timbalands untied, and he speaks in alternating urban teen slang and well-spoken prepster -- sometimes both in one sentence, like this: "I'll admit, if circumstances were different, I might try to holla at you.  But your foul attitude would probably turn me off."
 Really?  What teen of any background talks in this weird mish-mash?  And what teen says 'foul attitude', other than in a mocking way when they've just been written up for it?  Overall, the way it was handled, I just felt like the author had to try to connect with an audience so she sprinkled some stuff in hoping it worked, or even worse, maybe thinking it rang true, and it didn't.  For me, this was hard to get past, and I found myself rolling my eyes a lot.  The same is true of the "Mystyx" powers (and the name Mystyx) -- it was sort of too grandiose and I rolled my eyes.  A lot.

But even though this bothered me, and I've been fairly negative so far, but truth be told, I did see potential.  As I said in the beginning, there was a darker, more raw undercurrent that really could have made something of the book, and as is, saved it from completely flopping for me.  I feel like Arthur has given herself room to grow over the series, and I'm curious enough, and saw potential enough, to be willing to read book 2 and see what she makes of it.  I wouldn't push Manifest on anyone, but I wouldn't completely dissuade them from reading it, either.  Caution, maybe, but not dissuade.

In the end, I went into Manifest with hopes of a good POC take on paranormal YA, with maybe some romance.  What I got was a letdown: a cliched story of a hard to like main character, with slang and skin color thrown in to mix it up.  But I also caught glimpses of something better, and I'm hoping to see it expanded upon.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★ Worth a read

Manifest is a coming of age (and powers) story. It was easy to read and easy to walk away from. The story didn't stay in my mind whenever I left it, so I had to push my attention away from other things so that I could finish it. Manifest wasn't a bad story, it just wasn't exciting enough. I did have a few problems with it too. First there was too much over-explanation. e.g. Detailing every storm in 1932 - there's 11 of them. I just skipped over these. Second was the cutting short of some scenes. e.g. Krystal thinks she is about to be kissed and the chapter ends and moves on to dinner later that night without explaining what happened. This last one, I'm not sure if it's just cause this isn't the final printed edition but the word contractions where all over the place. e.g. Quote "And it is snowing. Yep, it's May 1..." Sometimes it felt casual and then sometimes it felt stiff cause of it.

And now, on to the good. I love the premise of this story. Seems kinda Smallville like, with teens getting strange powers due to freaky occurrences. While this was more paranormal themed, it still dealt with real life issues that teens today need to be careful of. There were a couple creepy scenes earning points for surprise and the eventual culprit was caught at the end and wasn't who I expected it to be. Krystal, while having been through a few upheavals in her life recently including moving towns and schools, having to leave behind her dad and now living with her mother's new husband, is a full-on sulker. And Ricky the ghost tells her so! He's a straight shooter and a breath of fresh air compared to Krystal's attitude. Her friends are all different and have their distinct personalities which suits that aspect of this story. While I didn't really feel connected to the characters, they stayed true to themselves and didn't switch personalities from scene to scene

I've gone with saying this book is worth a read. It didn't speak to me on many levels but I feel as if there'll be people out there that will enjoy it. I must say that the last couple pages really intrigued me with what will happen in the next book. It sounds as if the story could really take off and leave this book in the dust. If it comes my way I'll check it out. This book is recommended to those who like their YA mixed with some paranormal and those looking to read more People of Colour books.

Cover: This is a beautiful cover that is entirely relevant to the story. Love it!

Mystyx Series. I believe this is the first of a series based on the ending of this book and the cover stating that it is "A Mystyx Novel". Unfortunately, I haven't had any luck in uncovering any more information.

I received a galley of this story from Harlequin through NetGalley for review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Transitions. That is the number one thing that sticks out in my mind as to why I didn't like this novel. There were no smooth transitions throughout this novel, the chapters jumped from one thing to another. For example, chapter one ends with Krystal meeting Ricky. Chapter two opens up with Krystal talking about how bad her mom's cooking is. I felt like I missed something so I flipped back to check, but it was no mistake. It was so frustrating! In addition to that, Krystal is annoying. I had a really hard time reading about her. Then she miraculously changes overnight. This happened not only to Krystal, but also to Gerald. Gerald comes off as a rude and uncaring stepfather. This later changes without any warning. I didn't buy it, but apparently his growth is real. Krystal is a whiner and incredibly selfish. The story grows tedious as she holds off on helping Ricky. I expected her decision to come sooner, but she keeps refusing to help him and I couldn't understand why (well besides the fact that she's a brat). The writing and dialogue was stiff, no lines really jumped out at me as being incredible.

I was surprised by and really enjoyed the Greek mythology elements of the story. The Greek mythology ties into the Mystyx powers and I'm eager to learn more about where the powers come from. The mystery was quite well done, lots of twists and the clues are slowly uncovered. There is a lot more to Ricky's death than just having to do with Ricky. The ending is disturbing, but in a good (?) way.

Manifest is a slow and oftentimes frustrating read. You have to be willing to ignore the random chapter transitions and the very slow start. Also be prepared for urges to shake the main character, as well as developing a crush on Ricky. The end almost makes it worth it, I just want some more character development. I would be interested in reading the next book in the Mystyx series in the hopes of finding out more about Sasha and Jake and where their powers come from. There are some surprising parts of the story that make it more enjoyable. The combination of supernatural and a mystery make this story a good one and the series has potential. Plus the cover is really pretty :)

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off that summary is rather misleading, but that's summary on every website including the author's. I don't think Krystal is really desperate to hang on to Ricky, I don't think she's very close to him at all. Secondly, it leads you to believe there are a bunch of people with powers and that's not really true either.

Secondly, I really did NOT like Krystal the main character. She was a hardcore snotty brat for about 3/4 of the book. Some of it wasn't her fault, but her attitude was her fault and I really didn't like her attitude. I hated the way she reacted to people she didn't even know. In the end it did turn around, she calmed down and got a little happier and I expect that in the subsequent books I expect her disposition won't be quite so bad.

Putting those two things aside, I did find myself interested in the story and in finding out whodunit. The ending was interesting enough that I would probably pick up the next book in the series, Mystify, which is coming out February of next year.

[Tiffany Spencer]

Manifest
Krystal tries to outrun a voice in her head crying out for help. It’s been a while and she thought she left the voices behind but they’ve followed her from New York to Lincoln. When she gets home, there’s a transparent boy standing in her room. Before she can find out anything about him tho, her mother Janet calls her down to dinner. Krystal and her mother don’t have a good relationship. Krystal blames her mother for her parent's divorce. She brushes off her attempts at small talk and suggests she go to the spring dance. She points out how withdrawn Cystal’s become. She doesn’t have any friends and she’s stopped eating. She tries to suggest a psychologist but Krystal just dismisses this and heads back up to her room.

The boy is still in her room. His name is Ricky Watson and he asks her help to find out who killed him. She’s the only one that can do it because she’s the only one that can hear him. It’s said the person who did it was in his crew but he doesn’t believe that. He was shot in an alley behind his school and won’t pass on until he finds out who did it. Rickey tells her to get some sleep. They’ll start tomorrow. Krystal dreams that she’s running and finds herself in fog and then bumps into. Ricky’s tombstone. She hears a different voice calling out to her but this time it’s familiar but she doesn’t see anyone. What follows is thunder and smoke. Then she sees dead people coming toward her.

Krystal does a search after school the next day and finds she is (is) a clairvoyant. She gets an IM from someone that says she’s cute that calls themselves number 1 and says they’re a friend. She gets a couple of calls the next day from a number she doesn’t recognize. She also gets asked her number by a guy she’s noticed named Franklin. Even more weird, the richest girl at school Sasha, and her friend Jake tell her they really need to speak to her after school. Krystal also becomes acquainted with Alyssa and Camy who warn her to stay away from Franklin.

Gerald (her stepfather) tells Crystal they’re going to dinner. It’s not a request. There’s a moment when she and Ricky look like they’re going to kiss. After excusing herself to go to the bathroom at the restaurant, Krystal finds Ricky talking to a girl need Trina (that she thinks is his girlfriend) about her helping them. Krystal sees them together and walks away. That night, Krystal sees on the beach a woman in a white, gown, with half her face missing that cries out for her help. The next day she finds out Ricky was once a member of the group of boys at school that everyone stays away from. His little brother Antwan still hangs with them.

That night Krystal dreams she and Ricky are by the lake holding hands. He then kisses her. He’s alive. Franklin confronts Crystal the next day about why she didn’t answer his calls. Ricky sees Franklin and isn’t pleased. She finds out Franklin likes abnormalities. He asks if he can sit with her at lunch, Before she can answer, Sasha interrupts. She tries to get Krystal to go with her somewhere, but she refuses. When she looks back, Sasha has vanished. Ricky shows up and convinces her to find Sasha. She might have something that will help.

When she meets up with them, they bring it to her attention that they all have the same birthmark (a cursive M). Sasha shows that she can teleport. Jake can do this too. He’s also super fast and super strong. Jake poses the question what are they. They ask if there’s anything Crstal can do. She decides to tell them the truth (that she can see ghosts. Sasha doesn’t believe her but Jake does. Sasha wants proof. Ricky says tell them about him, Then she tells them the deal with Ricky. Sasha says that it’s their job to help him. Krystal is over it and leaves the boiler room.

Trina then appears and suggests Krystal talk to Antwon and his crew. Krystal forgets about a meeting she has and then finds the school empty after missing it. She hears crying and finds a red-haired girl in the bathroom. The spirit tells her she knows what happened to her, that everyone does, but no one cares before disappearing. Sasha and Jake think this is no coincidence that two spirits have shown up asking for help. They all make plans to figure something out and meet up later at Jakes's. At T home, Sasha gets told she’ll be going to therapy before leaving to go to Jakes.

Jakes's's grandfather starts to talk about “the power”. It feeds from each of them and grows stronger. It was here when their mother’s where there. Around this time there was a lot of rain and wind. It was in November and people mistook it as a hurricane. All the marks begin to glow.(green, pink, blue). At lunch, Jake comes up with a theory. Their marks come from the power of the River Styx. From that, they decide to call themselves Mystix.

At Krystal’s first therapy session, we learn that she’s disappointed in her parents and feels like her mother can’t be honest with her on the reason she let her father. Franklin and Crystal have a study date. A flock of birds try to attack a bunch of children and Krstyal trips while defending them. Ricky shows upamd Krystal tries to to pry what she can about the storms out of Franklin. Franklin says his dad has a system to predict the storm. In fact, he thinks there will be another one soon. Then Franklin looks like he’s about to kiss her. Crstal wants him too but she also wants Rickey to kiss her. Luckily her cell rings. It’s a message that says someone wants to photograph her. Then there’s a naked picture of Ttrina. Krystal decides to keep the message and show it to Trina the next time she bugs her about helping Ricky.

In the middle of the night, Krystal is awakened by a tapping. She goes to the window but there’s nothing there. She goes back to sleep but it awakened again by a presence in the room. Krystal is then attacked by her stuffed animals being hurled at her. The window is now open and the wind has picked up. One of KCrystal’s drawing pencils writes on the mirror Charlotte Ethersby. Something falls on Crstal and she starts to scream. The window shuts. The breeze stops. There’s a picture by the window seat. Krystal knows it was the crying girl. Then we’re told there was an investigation and it was reported three girls got messages from unknown numbers s after they thought they were being followed. Their computers and phones were ceased for examination.


In school, while everyone is taking a quiz, Crystal sees the chalk writing on its own Money. Pictures. Lies. Guilt. KILL. Jakes's grandmother mentions someone in her diary that Jakes's's great uncle that can move things. She says she wants to help him but she’s scared of the darkness. Krystal says it must be the same fog that surrounded her when she was trying to help the children. Sasha finds out that Ricky was dating this girl Trina and it was said he did something to her. They had a fight over money. (Trina was starting to get a lot of it and he questioned her about it). Then Trina disappeared. Sasha says there’s something about to happen. Twon and his crew will be meeting in the music room tomorrow night. They all agree they should find out what’s up. They also all agree it’s a little strange that Ricky is vague about the details of his death. Sasha wants Krystal to see what more she can find out about it. Sasha says they can meet at her pool house later.

Krystal finds Ricky in the cemetery. They get into an argument about Franklin. Then Krystal gets texted some more naked pictures of Trina and the crying girl. Krystal demands to know if Ricky is sending the pictures but he says no and looks pissed. Krystal presses him about why he hung out with those guys.He says to watch out for his little brother from on the inside. He says things aren’t always like they seem. Ricky is about to tell Crystal his story when her dad calls to tell her he might be moving. He’ll be coming to see her soon. Rickey again te;;s jer cryptically sometimes things aren’t what they seem.

Jake has news that Rricky’s body was found right by the spot, where the hip hoppers hung out. He was shot three times in the stomach. Sasha wonders if he killed Trina. Krystal says he didn’t. Some guys come to bully Jake. This is when Crystal and Jake’s powers manifest. (They’re banging on his house). He beats them with the wood they tore from his house, turns over the trash in some trash bags so that it’s dumped on their heads, then he locks the door every time they unlock it in attempt to leave.

Krystal gets another message from number one that says he wants to hold her and kiss her all the time, Then she sees Franklin behind her (at school). He kisses her and asks if she’ll be his girl. She says sure. After this, she sees a picture in one of the classrooms that looks familiar, On her way to find Jake and Sasha the smoke reappears. Crytal tells Jake she thinks someone is following her. Jake says something is coming for them. Sasha then appears. Sasha learned Ricky had weird messages on his computer that told him to keep his mouth shut. Jake said his uncle disappeared and his grandfather never heard from him again.. After a discussion about Jake’s family, birds attack again and then they vanish. They all see the black fog, Krystal is woke up from a dream again and corpses are standing around her bed. They say they're there because she can help them. They have messages. Krystal says she won’t help them, starts to scream, and throws her lamp at them before they can get her. Janet and Gerald send Krystal to a psych hospital. She tells the doctor she’s unhappy and this is what she wants to tell her mother. She wants things to go back to like they were. Krystal asks if she can go home. He suggests Janet join the next session.


After this Crystal’s dad arrives. She asks him can she stay with him. He tells her he’s moving to LA and that she can’t move with him. He then tells her Amanda (his girlfriend) is moving with him. They’re engaged and expecting. It’s her old old babysitter. Krystal has a dream about the photographer and the girl. He’s abusing her. There are pictures of other naked girls everywhere. Krystal gets out of the hospital. Ricky shows up and then tells what he knows of Trina’s photos. He was headed to their hang-out, heard keys dropping, and then he remembers being hit. He wants to clear his brother and his crew’s name. Jake and Sasha come by. Krystal allows her mother to bring her a pizza, and touch her. She tells her friends all about what happened. She shows them the pictures. Sasha says she knows Charlotte. Jakes confirms someone is running a teen porn line.

Franklin takes Krystal to the park and on the walk asks her to the dance. She says yes. Krystal and her mother have a sit-down and she finds out her father cheated on her mother with more than just Amanda. But she stayed to give her relationship a chance for Krystal’s sake, At the dance, Crystal discovers after being sent a text to meet with him, it’s Mr. Lule who killed Trina and then Ricky who was gonna tell on him. Afterward, she gets control over the ghosts who’re requesting her help and says her goodbyes to Ricky. That night, Emma has a dream that Becky appears to her apologizing for leaving her. Only she thinks she’s Sutton. Then she vanishes and Sutton’s dad’s laugh is heard.

My Thoughts
Interestingly this was similar to another series I’m reading (The Lying Game). I’ll answer some of the discussion questions.

Do you think supernatural powers exist (No. I don’t believe people can move things tih their minds, vanish and appear at will, have superspeed, or can communicate with the dead). Why? (Because there just isn’t any proof of it). Have you ever had an experience you couldn’t explain? Well, there was one time. Maybe I was half asleep but I could have sworn there was a presence in the room with me. I even fuzzily remember a shape. Then just the other day I was at the beauty shop in the back by the bowl and I saw something out of my eye streak across the floor (a black blur) and it spooked me out for a minute because I thought it was a mouse or a rat but there was no evidence of this after. It was almost like it was just a shadow. Maybe I’ve just been watching, writing, and reading to much scary stuff. It’s messing with my head.

If you could have a supernature power which would it be and why? (I think speed reading. I have sooo many books and while I can process books fast a little extra speed couldn’t hurt. Then mind control could come in handy. It would definitely make my doctor’s appointments go quicker and be a lot easier to handle if I could change the minds of people wanting to poke and prod me all the time. Some things they wanted to do I’d just have them skip. It could also work if I needed something really badly and just didn’t have the money for it. Yeah, yeah I know that’s using my power for bad. Still do you have any idea how this could help someone medically?

How would you have reacted to Ricky’s request? Do you think Krystal did the right thing? Do you think she could have done more? Krystal actually handled it better than I would have because it would have freaked me out to see a ghost standing in my room or to see ghosts requesting my help and honestly dealing with everything I deal with I definitely wouldn’t need their burdens on top of mine so they’d always be pestering me because I probably wouldn’t do what she did. But I do think she did the right thing. She brought innocent people to justice and that has to be a good feelings. I really don’t think she could have done much more. Tho, I do think what happened had more to do with *luck* than her actually doing any detective work of any kind. What if the teacher hadn’t have been attracted to her and sent her those messages? Then I don’t even remember in the book her having the vision of Camy. So, say she would have saved Camy. There probably was going to be someone else. She did get over her selfishness and did go to meet with the photographer so I give her credit for taking a risk.

What character do you feel you identify with most? None of them. Krstyal was the stereotypical black girl with an attitude that hated her new parent. Sasha and Jake had powers but I didn’t really feel like they were developed that much. It’s like they were an afterthought. They just needed three to be the Mystix. There was a slightly intriguing angle that Sahsa had a secret but it wasn’t followed up on.

Do you think Calvin handled the situation the right way about his other family? Uh no. But then I wasn’t told either when my dad left me and my mom for my stepmother. I really don’t think there is a “good way” to tell your kid your sleeping with someone else other than your partner, have another woman knocked up, and you’ll be married to this other woman soon.

Rating: 5 It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t good. It just mediocre.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reason for Reading: The sounds of a Paranormal YA Ghost Whisperer with an added twist plot was enough to make me want to read it.

This is a book that I enjoyed more the further I got into it. I find that while I'm reading I often rate a book as I go along. This was a two at the beginning, a solid three by the middle and pushing a four and a half by the end so to sum it all off I've gone with an overall four. Krystal can see dead people, hear them, have conversations with them and now they are asking her for help. Ricky Watson, a very cute boy, for a ghost, wants Krystal to find out who killed him and he won't stop pestering her until she agrees to help him. Two other kids at school are trying to corner Krystal into meeting them somewhere secret when they find out Krystal has the mysterious 'M' birthmark that both of them also have. This may all be very exciting to some but not Krystal as she is in the middle of glooming over her parents divorce, her mother's moving her from NYC to hicktown Connecticut and her subsequent marriage to Gerald who seems to hate Krystal almost as much as she hates him.

When I first started reading I really did not like the character of Krystal. She was full of angst, self-importance, rude to her mother and everyone else for that matter, whiny and basically a grating narrative voice to have to read. Krystal's attitude remains the same for a good part of the book but fortunately the plot was exciting enough to keep me reading. There is a mystery to solve and the three teens set out to solve who killed Ricky; popular belief is that the crew he hung with had something to do with it but Ricky wants their names cleared and the real killer found. The story becomes more involved when Krystal meets another ghost in the boiler room, a crying girl who has had her head bashed in and thinks there may be a connection to Ricky's death.

The plot was a fun read and I ended up reading the book in an afternoon. Little bits of information are leaked as the book progresses though I knew who the culprit was early on. This plot line is closed by the end of the book. In amongst the solving of the mystery, is a plot line where the teens found out about their birthmarks and powers, this, again, is an intriguing story arc and one that will continue through the series. They learn enough in this volume but there are many more questions to ask and so much more to know. The dynamics of the group of three who are from very different backgrounds is also explored and grows.

Krystal's home life is an ongoing issue through the book and it just plain annoyed me. I'm not cold-hearted. I appreciate the drama of the situation, but it is one of those things where if everybody had just told the truth at the beginning there would not have been all this hatred and misery for so long. Toward the end there is some kind of resolution, and Krystal seems to lose her angst and bad attitude but we'll have to wait until book two to find out for sure. Because Krystal aside I really liked all the other characters, especially Sasha and I'm quite excited to find out what the next ghost will want Krystal to help with.

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I really did. The fact that there’s so few characters of color in the YA paranormal genre made me pick this book up with no hesitation.

After I finished it, I felt Manifest didn't.

I never thought I’d ever read another heroine more annoying than Bella Swann of Twilight. Well Bella, meet Krystal Bentley. Whiny, self-absorbed and major bad attitude bar none doesn’t even begin to describe this guest to her own personal pity party. I’m sorry that sounds harsh, but I make no apologies for preferring my heroines to be fearless and strong, especially in this genre. Okay, she’s been uprooted to a new school, she hates her stepfather and her real father has gone off and started a brand new life without her (on top of having cheated on her mother). The only good thing is that Krystal doesn't have a stalker vampire/boyfriend. Maybe that's a good thing, because after being around her for one hour, he'd probably stake himself.

And that’s something else that bothered me. Why did this author choose to write about another dysfunctional family situation, especially considering the target market for books like this? My guess is that Krystal’s family life (or lack thereof) would give her a reason to behave ‘like a teenager’, but it just wasn’t necessary considering that she already had issues with seeing dead people. That alone would be enough to cause angst in the most normal teen.

We get it, after about half the book, Krystal's upset about her life. Get over it!

The saving grace of this novel was Ricky Watson, the dead teenager who seeks Krystal’s help to clear his brother and friends of his murder. In spite of being dead, he was the liveliest and most fully-fleshed character and I was far more emotionally invested in his happy ending than Krystal's. It was worth the price of the book when Ricky chastised her for her snotty, selfish attitude. Normally I don't have an issue with first person narratives, but Krystal just wasn't interesting enough to maintain any sort of connection. Definitely a case of telling and not showing. The other characters--Sascha, Jake, Frederick--there's just no sense of who they are, although Sascha and Jake also have mysterious birthmarks and powers.

On the plus side, the author gave Krystal paranormal powers, rather than the typical "heroine meets someone of the paranormal persuasion". I was hoping that after a few pages of “woe is me” (which is all I can tolerate), Krystal would start to embrace the adventure of her talents and grow annd start solving this rather dark mystery. And that's another issue--the mystery seemed to be put together as an afterthought. None of the Mystyx characters do anything 'detective-like' such as finding clues. It seemed as if whatever clues there were, just happened to find them.

Having said all this, I'm interested to see where Ms. Arthur takes the rest of the Mystyx series. It's got a lot of potential and it's nice to read about heroines who have powers in their own right.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first heard about Manifest, I was quite excited because the cover was pretty and the summary sounded intriguing. Sadly enough, when I finally did read Manifest I found out it wasn't nearly as fantastic as thought it would be because of a lackluster main character and plot holes.

One of my main reasons for me not being to found of this novel was Krystal. I couldn't relate to her and didn't find her to be all that likable for most of the book, because of how badly she treated her mom to her stubborn and ignorant attitude toward her new life, so for most of the novel, I was trying my best to not let this all affect my liking but it did unfortunately. Though, as luck would have it, Krystal actually made a great turn around at the end of the novel, leaving her to finally understand everything and gain a better opinion towards her life, and for me to finally give her chance because, as truth be told, I was starting to like her after all. I was quite found of the other characters for most of the novel. One of my favorites was Ricky, the ghostly spirt needing Krystal's help. He was funny, sweet, and a good friend to Krystal. Also, I liked the other Mystyx teens, Jake and Sasha.

One of my favorite parts of this novel was learning the history behind the Mystyx, as well as more about their supernatural powers. It was interesting and pretty original, but I would have liked more development and explanation for some of the plot holes that kept popping up. This is a series, though, so hopefully more will be explained in the next additions.

Artist's writing was decent, not the worst nor best but she did make the novel move in a fast pace, giving great development to the characters and some of the conflicts.

In all, while Manifest was not the best coming to age tale or supernatural read I've read, it still was one I did enjoy for the most part. And the biggest question of all: Will I be reading the sequel? I'm not really sure. There's part of me that doesn't want to back to this series but another that wants to know what's going to happen next after that crazy cliff-hanger ending.

Grade: C

[Literary Cravings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone goes through struggles throughout their lives and its how we deal during those struggles that show us who we are. In Manifest we are introduced to Krystal Bentley who is not your average teenage girl. She has to deal with one of the hardest situations that could happen to a teenager, the separation of her parents and having to deal with their partners. On top of all that family drama she has to deal with a sexy Ricky Watson who, unfortunate for her, is dead and is recruiting her to find out who killed him. Krystal was a very straight forward girl not afraid to say what she felt except to her mother. Though Krystal was angry and in denial at what was going on in her life, I could surprisingly understand where she was coming from. Dealing with the breakup with no real explanation, ghosts, a new home, school & stepfather would make anyone angry. The plot was interesting and I liked how there was multiple situations going on with the story. With everything going on I was glad that she wasn't going through it alone, though reluctantly Krystal made friends with two unlikely kids at her school. Jake, the loner and Sasha the popular rich girl who surprisingly has powers of their own. Bringing them together in this mysterious journey that started way before they were born as well as unleashing an unknown evil. I enjoyed the added romance woven into all the supernatural, family drama and danger. I absolutely loved the diversity with the characters and how Arthur created a strong, realistic African American heroine who had faults but was able and willing to grow and mature into a better understanding person. I would have like going into more of the origins of the powers and more intensity within Krystal's romance. I would loved to have known more about Sacha and Jake's characters and can't wait for the continuation of the series. I felt that the story was a good read with lots of room to grow into a great series.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why I read this: It sounded like an interesting book. I love the cover and the main character's name is Krystal (spelled different than mine), which is not a name that is used often, I could not resist.

How is the novel driven: Character though events play a main role too, but this is all about Krystal really learning about herself and her power and being introduced to Sasha and Jake as well.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I liked the weather aspect affecting the main characters' powers and what happened in the community. I liked the different take on paranormal with the characters having specific powers. I also liked having the small group of characters with these powers and getting to know them.

Krystal was an interesting character and I enjoyed seeing her growth during this novel. She learns more about herself and comes to grip with a lot that goes on in her life. I like how she finally takes a look around and notices other things besides herself. I think a lot of teens can relate to what Krystal is going through and Ms. Arthur portrays her in a honest and real way.

I think Jake and Sasha make interesting characters as well and can't wait to read more about them in the next two books in this series. They make the group of three really interesting with the different social statuses, and completely different types of people they are, yet when thrown into the situation they are in, they work together and become friends.

The ending wrapped up this book nicely but left it very open for the next two books. I like it when a series does that. I'm eager for the next book, but not upset because I was left completely hanging. Ms. Arthur does a wonderful job pacing the book and finishing the book - it was a very enjoyable read.

My Rating: 4.25/5.0

[Angelc]

Krystal hears dead people. The voices had stopped until she and her mom moved out of their home and left Krystal's dad. Krystal meets Ricky, a ghost who needs her help. Ricky's brother and his friends are accused of Ricky's murder. Ricky knows it's not true but needs Krystal's help to find out who really killed him. In the meanwhile, Krystal finds Sasha and Jake, who share her talent for talking to ghosts.

I was expecting a dreamier, more fantasy-like story, based on the cover, but this book is really gritty and raw. I would definitely say parental advisory on this one because there was stuff in this book that I didn't want to read about and I definitely wouldn't want kids reading it. Yes, the "bad stuff" is done by the "bad guys" so it's dealt with responsibly, but I'd rather read about rainbows and kittens, ok? That's me.

I liked how the author explored Krystal's relationship with her parents, who were recently divorced. The situation is real and lot of teens can relate.

I also liked the fact that Ricky, the ghost, was Krystal's friend, not her love interest. This is a new angle on the supernatural trend. Also, i love to see different types of relationships explored in books, including male/female friendships.

I thought the dialogue was written really well. The conversations flowed and sounded the way a real teen would talk. the action was a little slow but the book was a quick read.

This book is a fresh take on the YA paranormal genre, but parts were way too dark for my taste.

ARC sent by publicist in exchange for review

reviewed for http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com

[Heather T · Rating 2 out of 5]

It got a little better, but the main character was so annoying that it was hard to get into the story. I was happy to finally get a story where the main character isn't your typical "white" teen. However, there's finally a book with some diversity and I'm afraid everyone is just going to think the character is fulfilling the stereotype of angry black woman because the main character is so pissed off at everyone, but I think the stereotype more accurately falls with your regular angry, disgruntled teenager that's pissed off at the world. I'm bothered by the fact that it will probably be interpreted the first way by more than one person. I'm sure the majority will figure it out, but there are idiots out there. (Perhaps here I should add that the main character is 1/2 Black 1/4 Cherokee and 1/4 Caucasian?)
Anyway, as to the plot...blah! It got a little interesting, but it was predictable and even the "exicting" moments weren't so exciting. There was just something about the writing style that I just didn't connect with. i felt a disconnect between me and the characters that kept me from being able to settle into the read. Honestly, I almost gave up on it multiple times, but it was such a quick read for me that I felt like I just had to trudge through. I might give this author another chance one day, but I'll be using my library instead of paying full price until I see something much better from Mrs. Arthur, although I am rooting for her.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why I read this: I thought it looked fantastic and I love stories lately that have ghosts in it.

Plot: Here is where the book fell a little short for me. It felt a little cliche personally and I guess I really don't understand how you can fall in love with a ghost. But teens are teens and overall, it had a great supernatural feel to it, with a decent balance of growing friendships and a mystery to solve.

Characters: Probably the best part of the book were the characters. There was such diversity, we have the somewhat normal teen girl - our main character Krystal - who is knew and just sort of fits in. There's the popular annoying and mean girl, the good looking African American ghost, and then the boy from the other side of the tracks who has more responsibility at home than the two girls combined. I will probably read the rest of the books to get a closer look at the other two characters with special gifts.

Relatability: Definitely has a lot of teen issues in it - dealing with parents who aren't around, moving to a new place and school, feeling responsible for things out of your control... and most of all just trying to be yourself.

Cover Commentary: I really love it. Very fitting.

[Kelly Hager · Rating 2 out of 5]

Krystal is not at all happy--her parents split up and her mom remarried a guy that she doesn't really get along with. AND they now live in her mom's hometown in Connecticut instead of in New York, where Krystal grew up. As an added bonus, she's getting visits from a ghost.

When she sees two other teens that have the same birthmark she does (it's in the shape of an M) and learns that they have weird powers, too, things only get weirder.

You know how there are young adult novels that transcend the YA thing and can be loved by people regardless of age (like, say, Hunger Games)? This wasn't one of those for me. Krystal seemed really immature and whiny, and she kept forgetting that she was the only one who could see the ghost/s.

I did read the entire book and the last few chapters were a very compelling read, and the sequel sounds like it'll be amazing. But the book was almost 350 pages and a lot of that was just sort of filler for me.

Again, though, I think actual young adults will probably like this book more than I did. :)

[Rhia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Krystal is a very cool person, someone I can easily relate too. She doesn’t obsess about boys, especially not an unrealistically beautiful love interest. There is a touch of romance, and Krystal does have emotions to get through in terms of terms of romance, but that’s not what this story is about. (Which I like.)

Artist sets a very good mood in this book. There are some very spooky scenes, and very exciting ones, as well. I loved her characters, they were very deep, and the whole book was very engaging. Definitely a great read, and so worth your time!

[Stephanie Tang · Rating 2 out of 5]

couldn't finish this one. Krystal annoyed me way too much and the story had gaping plot holes.

[Kylee Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this was a really good kickoff to the entire series I'm really excited to read the next book in the series if the ending was a bit predictable but I don't mind it was very enjoyable

[Haki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book. Quick read

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I raced through this book in a matter of a few hours (collectively, over the course of a couple days). Cover to cover. I just couldn't put it down. The story opens with a really bratty Krystal having to go through her parents divorce by pretty much being dragged through it against her will. Despite the over-the-top brattiness, her voice was just so compelling I couldn't stop reading. She really is self-centered and really tried to make the world revolve around her but I can somewhat sympathize with her. My parents divorced when I was just a little younger than her and while the circumstances of their divorce were wildly different, the loss was still there. I just didn't have to uproot myself which was a good thing.

Enter Ricky who essentially hands Krystal the smackdown she so desperately needs. It's because of him that she grows from this self-involved girl caring nothing for anyone else to someone that's willing to go out on a limb to solve other people's problems and actually see the forest for the trees. Her own self-deprecation makes her all the more appealing as a character. When the full situation behind her parents divorce comes to light, she ends up with egg on her face and fully feels the guilt for acting like such a bitch to her mother and step-father. I found this growth so amazingly appealing because it felt so genuine and so realistic. Being humbled hurts and it was nice to see that Krystal doesn't escape that.

I love the fruition of the powers and the people that have them. Sasha is such a torn character, straddling a line between a rich obligation and a human one. I found it ironic that someone who shouldn't want nor need the ability to disappear does have it. I'm wondering how her power is going to grow and what it's going to be used for. It doesn't seem to be as wondrous as Jake's telekinesis or Krystal's mediumship. It'll be interesting to see how that develops. And I love just how pivotal Jake's role in uncovering all of the information is. This "low life" Tracker basically holds the key for these teens to figure out the whys and the hows behind their powers. He's humbled because of his position in life but when the situation calls for it, he protects what he does have unabashedly and without shame. The dynamic between these three is great and they compliment each other wonderfully.

I thought the driving conflict of the story was a little far out there but I liked how it had a very Supernatural (as in the TV show) feel. I couldn't help but equating that black fog that kept appearing to the way demons appear in the show. It makes me want to know what that black fog is, to see if it's similar. I also liked how the supernatural element was kind of second tier to the development of the characters themselves. Yeah, it was a pretty big part but it was more about growth of character than flashy super powers.

The only real issue I had with the book was the rich vs. poor attitude in school. I live in Connecticut and yeah, there are some really rich people here. Really rich. There are also some really poor people too. And the thing with coastal towns in Connecticut, they're either ridiculously rich or pretty inner city. The likes of Bridgeport and New Haven have really high crime rates and if really rich parents happened to live in these cities, their children would not be going to public schools. I mean, if a CT girl was rich enough to have a driver, he certainly wouldn't be driving her to a public school. So that was really the only part that really kept pulling me out of the story. I know that kind of juxtaposition creates great drama but I just don't know how realistic it is for CT. If I didn't know the area, it wouldn't have been a problem.

So overall, Manifest is a great, compelling read that'll have you rocketing from one cover to the other. The spirit-talking is freaky, Krystal is a great character that's put in some scary situations, her friends are awesome and the ending had me wanting to read more. So when does the next book come out?

[Kyleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going into Manifest I really didn't have that high of expectations. And I was right to expect as much as it turns out. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't horrible . It was just a bit lackluster. There wasn't anything special to Manifest that made it stand out in my mind. While there were some aspects that I really enjoyed, others just rather killed the high points for me.

I have to say that Krystal annoyed the hell out of me. Talk about the epitome of whiny teenager who doesn't appreciate anything in her life. So her parents got a divorce. Whoop de freakin' doo. My parents are getting a divorce. Hey, it's no walk in the park, but the way she treated her mother and new step father was completely uncalled for and there was no reason other than her being a little brat. The way she treated others when they were only trying to be her friend was also annoying. Krystal is probably the most snooty bitch of an MC I've ever read. Okay well... that's not entirely true. She's the most snooty bitch for the most stupid reason I've ever read. There, that's a bit more accurate. She just really annoyed the crap out of me, if you couldn't already tell. While I, probably more than most people, can understand what she was going through, the reason does not justify her actions. I would never act the way she did on many occasions. Ne-ver. I think my dislike of Krystal majorally inhibited me from enjoying this book. Well... one of the major reasons at least. However, she did get better towards the end. I ended up not completely hating her. Just for the first half of the novel at least.

Since I'm being rather negative, here's some positives I liked about this book. I love, love, loved the tie in to Greek mythology. Mystyx? My Styx? The Styx River between the Underworld and the earth? Coolio!!!! I had a slight geek out moment. I completely loved that. I'm a history nut, what can I say? While their powers are not explained (yet) I still found it intriguing. The "storms" that supposedly were going on at the time of each of the groups conception was also kind of a cool twist. How do weird storms at the time of their birth correlate to their magical abilities? I haven't a clue. It will be interesting to see how that ties in. I also really enjoyed the other characters. Okay... well maybe just one that I liked a lot. Jake was awesome. Quiet, caring, and just an all around great guy. Slightly baggy clothing, hoodies, long shaggy hair. He's so my type. Such a shame he's fictional. Lol. Sasha was so bipolar most of the time I can't really say I like her all that much. However, I suspect there is much more to her character than I initially thought. In the synopsis it's implied that Krystal falls for the ghost. All I'm going to say on the matter is thank goodness for her rational. I may not like the way Krystal acts in most circumstances, but I tend to agree with her logic most of the time. Notice I say most of the time. Lol.

While I enjoyed the unusual story, it wasn't really all that well written. Not that the writing was horrible, it wasn't. It was simply that the plot could have been more... more....just well better. I can't really explain it. The most "terrifying" and "mysterious" part of the novel wasn't all that terrifying or mysterious. It was like it was trying so hard to be scary and inspire fear and it just failed horribly. Some parts of the story simply just weren't believable. I just felt that it was trying so hard to be edgy and unique and it just didn't live up to it. Perhaps further books will be necessary for me to like the story. It's so incomplete now that I have a hard time trying to convince myself to give it a chance. We will see how Mystify plays out. The cover of which is below. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but I will say that I shall still give these books a chance. I will see how Mystify goes, and then maybe I'll have a better idea as to whether or not I like the story.

[GetLitWithRae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author: Artist Arthur
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Release: August, 2010
Source: Bought
Rating: 3/5

Description: Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make the biggest difference. . . .

When fifteen-year-old Krystal Bentley moves to Lincoln, Connecticut, her mom's hometown, she assumes her biggest drama will be adjusting to the burbs after living in New York City.

But Lincoln is nothing like Krystal imagined. The weirdness begins when Ricky Watson starts confiding in her. He's cute, funny, a good listener—and everything she'd ever want—except that he was killed nearly a year ago. Krystal's ghost-whispering talents soon lead other "freaks" to her door—Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, and Jake, who moves objects with his mind. All three share a distinctive birthmark in the shape of an M and, fittingly, call themselves the Mystyx. They set out to learn what really happened to Ricky, only to realize that they aren't the only ones with mysterious powers. But if Krystal succeeds in finding out the truth about Ricky's death, will she lose him for good?

Review: After Krystal's parents divorces her mother eventually remarries then moves the family to her hometown of Lincoln, Connecticut. Krystal blames her mother for the divorce and hates that she had to move, so she makes her mother pay through her (Krystal's) behavior.

Once they're settled in, Krystal notices a cute boy following her, trying to get her attention. The only thing is the boy, Ricky, is a ghost, killed in Lincoln before she moved there. Ricky wants Krystal to help solve the mystery of his death. While trying to comprehend what's happening, Krystal meets Sasha and Jake. As they hang out more, they find that not only do they all have the same "M" birthmark on their bodies, but they also have powers: Krystal can see and talk to ghosts, Sasha can teleport, and Jake can move things with his mind. They work together to try and solve Ricky's death.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

The narrating (in Krystal's voice) is a bit...casual. It's like she's telling the story to her friend. For example, to transition, she may say something like, "Anyway..."

The story starts off slow, though it does pick up. I really wanted to support this novel because of the multicultural cast, so, despite the slow start, I kept reading. Other people may not do that. If you don't catch people at the beginning, you just may lose them.

I would have liked for the whole Greek mythology aspect to have been explored a little more.

I'm not crazy about the way that Krystal treated her mother at first. I guess it's cos of the way I was raised (the whole "honor your mother and father" thing). My parents were wrong at times, but I never disrespected them. The thought alone never crossed my mind. My parents did not play when it came to respect. I don't know. Maybe it's just me.

WHAT I LIKED

Krystal's growth. She's disrespectful to both her mother and her stepfather and off in her own world at first. She even seems a bit self-absorbed. But the experience and hanging with Sasha and Jake helps her grow.

I like the way Krystal bonded with her new friends and her potential boyfriend, Franklin. She kept to herself and originally didn't want to have anything to do with them in the beginning, but she lets them in.

There is a couple of twists in the story that I did not expect. One deals with the real reason her parents divorced.

I liked the Greek mythology aspect. A LOT of the paranormals today are dealing with vampires, werewolves, angels, demons, and fae, so this was a welcomed change.

I like the multicultural cast of characters. Krystal, Sasha, and Jake hang with each other, despite the differences in culture and social status.

This was a fun read, despite the slow start. Ms. Arthur has two other books in this series, Mystify (February, 2011) and Mayhem (August, 2011), both of which I'll be reviewing within the next month or so.

[Mishel Forte · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating: 3.25/5 stars

Krystal is understandably filled with teenage angst. For starters, her mother divorced her father with no explanation and then remarried to a butthead with control issues. She's forced to move to nowhere, Connecticut and attend a new school. Oh, and she hears and sees dead people. Even though she hasn't heard one for quite a while, hitting fifteen has brought the ghosts back. Ricky has been murdered and he's relentless in his pursuit of Krystal's help. Of course, Krystal is afraid. But as time goes by she notices how cute, funny, and nice Ricky is. Too bad he's dead...

Ghosts aren't the only issue in Krystal's life. Along with her family problems, two kids at school have taken quite an interest in her and her mysterious birthmark; a birthmark they all seem to share. Krystal soon discovers that she isn't the only "freak" in Lincoln. They all share some powerful and supernatural abilities that may help solve Ricky's murder. It also may shed some light on why the teens have never really felt normal.

Although it’s been a couple of months since she first moved to Lincoln, she has no friends or acquaintances for that matter. She basically ignores or pushes all interactions with people away. Her days are really just get up, go to school, don’t talk to anyone, eat lunch while listening to music, go home, go to room, eat with family (maybe), go back to room, and sleep. Fuuuun. So despite being a brat about life I still found myself somewhat empathetic towards her. She wasn’t a favorite character of mine but one that I certainly cared about at times. Especially towards the end, when reality smacked her in the face, she got her act somewhat together. It was nice to see her attitude change and things start to go more smoothly for her because I did feel bad for her at times. She was given the poop end of the stick in some aspects.

I didn’t like that she was so infatuated with Ricky. I mean I didn’t mind the fact that she was, I just didn’t see the cause of her swooning over the kid. Her interactions with him were hardly crush-worthy and the boy’s dead for another matter, not that I frown upon relationships with ghosts. I thought their relationship could have been worked on more because I assumed going into the book that it would be this tragic romantic thing between the two…and it really wasn’t. Ricky wasn’t a bad character or anything; he was just more of a background character in my eyes.

Sasha and Jake, the other Mystyx members, are interesting. It was funny to see Sasha’s personality change…funny and weird. She was nice one minute, pissed the next; aggressive and friendly, the girl is a roller coaster. Jake is mysterious. Not a lot of light was shed on him but that only makes me want to know more about him. I like his protective streak. He seems sweet but guarded. I’m interested in seeing both of their stories in the upcoming books.

The entire Mystyx supernatural idea was interesting. The fact that storms/weather and Krystal’s new hometown have a lot to do with the trio’s power was a cool touch. I’m intrigued to know more about their powers because they seem to grow and/or evolve as time goes by. I like the fact that each of the members has a colored theme: Krystal is blue, Sasha is pink, and Jake is green. Their powers make their matching birthmarks glow a distinctive color and I’m a nerd and like that sort of thing.

So overall, Manifest was pretty okay. I enjoyed it enough to want to continue on with Sasha’s story.

[Dwayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed @ Girls Without a Bookshelf.

Manifest is the first book in the Mystyx series, and it introduces the readers to Krystal Bentley whose story takes us through a whirlpool of mysteries, suspense and a drop of romance.

What I liked best about Manifest is the ease in which Krystal, delivers the narration. I believe Manifest is aimed at the younger teen, and this is heavily reflected in her conversational narrative. At fifteen, Krystal is the epitome of the typical teen (powers aside and all). Although stubborn, rebellious and an introvert, Krystal does not drag the reader down her spiral of depression. She was actually an endearing character; reading her story was like peering into a friend's diary, so comfortable was I with her. Krystal is like a rebellious friend you would not necessarily admire, but one you would grow to understand. She's temperamental, misunderstood and often conflicted. I adore her.

In fact, realistic characterisation is a strength of this novel. Aside from Krystal, Ricky is also a wonderful character to spend time with. I especially like his advices to Krystal - it does not only show his depth, but also they also precisely hone in on Krystal's faults. Without being condescending, Ricky 'balances' her out and is exactly what she needs. Secondary characters - namely Sasha and Jake - were also well-described. I want to focus on Jake in particular because I have my theories about him having a bigger role in the next books. I also want to mention the diversity of all these characters - Manifest is really a microcosm of the general society and I give it a lot of browny points for that!

Real-life issues is well-portrayed in this debut novel too. Krystal's depression is a vivid reminder of the effects of divorce, especially of a child is kept in the dark and left to cope on her own; she sees class divisions and discrimination around her; she learns to see beyond the surface and open herself to friends, to ignore the status quo and accept what life has to offer. Although Manifest is a supernatural novel, it has a surprisingly strong grip on reality and current social issues, which is an obvious plus to any book.

However, what really did not work for me was the suspense and mystery. I found that it lacked outline and was fragmented in parts. I often disregarded subplots that just were disjointed and not perfectly connecting. Eventually of course, the plot makes sense and I did begin to appreciate the course the it took a little more. It just did not grip me as much as I would have wanted. I kept waiting for that 'shock' factor that would make me flip back and wonder how I could have overlooked at clues, and that just was not there.

Regardless, with its ending in perfect position for the beginning of the second book, I believe this series will only get better. Book 2 should smoothen the creases left by the plot as well as answer the questions left by Manifest.

Overall, it's quite a good debut novel. It is however, better suited for younger teens. They'll not only get mystery and romance too, but can also learn a thing or two from the depth of this book.

[Savannah (Books With Bite) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me just say, what a ride!. The plot was something totally out of the ordinary and I devoured it. Krystal is your not so average girl with many problems. With her parents recently divorced and her mother newly re-married, moving to a new town making new friends was not was Krystal wanted. She was angry at the world, always walking around with a bad attitude.

Right after her 15th birthday, Krystal begins to hear a dead person voice. She constantly ignores him hoping that he will go away. It doesn't. Instead it builds, it manifests until she can no longer hear him but see him as well. Ricky needs her help. He was murdered and can not move on until he finds peace. Krystal also discovers a new set a friends that have the same birthmark as her. They find her trying to talk to her but she thinks that they are crazy. Ricky finally convinces her to go to them, and then she discovers that she isn't the only who can do stuff. She meets Sasha and Jake. Both with the same mark. Both with powers.

Together these three call themselves the Misfits, figuring what they are and why they are like this. Some relics from Jake's family history help figure out something, but they are still left with many questions. On top of all that, Krystal is dealing with new boy drama, a dark shadow that comes after her, and some pervert who is taking pictures of girls and posting them on the web. They also turned out dead.

Can these three Misfits figure out who the stalking pervert is in time to prevent another death? Will the shadow get them?

This book was intense. It was an absolutely amazing read. I loved how the story dealt with the divorce of Krystal parent's. I myself coming from divorce parents, it is hard on children. When Krystal's mother refused to tell her the reason for the divorce, she got upset and angry with her blaming her mother. It was causing a strain in her relationship with her mother and her new stepfather. They were always fighting. It wasn't until Krystal's father revealed the reason that she finally understood.

The book also touched the racial issue. I understand that stuff still happens and it should be addressed. Its not right to be rude just because of color, race, or religion. I also loved how these three Misfits of all different back rounds, were able to get along and work together to help Ricky out. All three of them made a great team solving the murder, preventing one, and helping save another student.

Artist Arthur did a magnificent job writing this. It was such a great story I couldn't out it down. And the end, to find out who the pervert was, had me gasping! It was something I had not seen in a while. Artist did a great job grasping the teen speak. I loved how real the characters seemed dealing with real life issues. This was simple easy to read, easy to relate to She also did a great job pulling together all the mystery and suspense This is her YA debut novel. I think she did a superb job writing this story with the twist of paranormal was just the right touch. Be sure to pick this book up!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

After watching the book trailer and reading the synopsis I was really interested in Manifest's premise, while I usually read Paranormal Romance books instead of just Paranormal ones, I was really curious with the whole teens getting strange powers due to freaky occurrences thing going on in Manifest. In the beginning of this book we meet Krystal, a girl who has a complicated relationship with her mother and her stepfather, who I thought was a complete idiot most of the time but in the end I kind of started to like him especially when compared to her father. But family issues aren't everything that is wrong with Krystal's life, now she also sees the ghost of a teen boy, Ricky, who asks her to help him find out who killed him so he can cross-over. At first Krystal thinks she's going crazy but then she's approached at school by a boy and girl, Jake and Sasha, who share the same birthmark she has and like her ability to see and talk to ghosts, they also possess some special abilities. Krystal doesn't know how to deal with this new aspect of her life and still manage to survive her family crisis and help Ricky when she thinks she may have a crush on him, and off course that a crush on a ghost can't be a good thing especially when he has a girlfriend who also happens to be a ghost but just won't tell who killed her and Krystal doesn't understand why but then she finds out that both Ricky and his girlfriend?s deaths may have something to do with someone that is taking photos of naked girls and harassing Krystal. Manifest was an enjoyable read, I liked the main character but she really annoyed me in the beginning because she was kind of in denial about seeing ghosts and having freaky powers and it also took forever until she gave Jake and Sasha a chance to be her friends. I really didn't know where the story was going with the whole Krystal having confusing feelings towards Ricky thing, because well...he was a ghost and he was MIA most of the book, but then she got a boyfriend, Franklin, who I didn?t like very much and kept having this feeling that he wasn't as nice as everyone thought,but I guess I'll have to read the next book in the series to find out. While I liked Krystal and Sasha, the Mystix girls, my favorite character in this book was definitely Jake. He is kind of a loner but really protective of the people he cares about, the way he took care of is grandpa was really sweet and in the end it looked like Krystal was starting to notice him in a different way, Jake not is grandpa xD, so I was left wondering if something will happen between those two in the sequel. Overall this was an interesting read, kind of slow-paced at some moments but still entertaining and I?ll be definitely reading the sequel =)

[Chioma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Manifest, the first book in the Mystyx series, was an interesting introduction to a new series as well as a an exciting “who done it'” mystery that just keeps building and building until you have a whole list of who could be the killer.

First off let me say that I had high hopes for this book. And those hopes rested mostly on the characters that I thought would have something that made them stand out from the usually generic personalities of YA characters. Some passed those expectations and some didn’t. First off, Krystal is not your everyday character, and I liked that. Sure some may say she has a little bit of an attitude, but to expect her to be thinking about rainbows and the schools “hottest guy” every second is unrealistic. Her life has taken a turn for the unfavorable, so of course a little attitude is going to come off now and then, and going through life thinking you are a delusion ghost seeing crazy can’t help either. And as far as the other characters go…ehh. Meaning that I didn’t really find anything altogether that unique or memorable about them They all seemed to be fillers just so the plot could go a little smoother. Ricky at times proved to be a breath of fresh air, but his character too seemed a little in the background.

The plot in this book was one that grabbed my attention. It begins with Krystal meeting Ricky, the ghost in her bedroom, and then, after much negotiating, trying to figure out who killed him and clear the name of his friends. She finally succumbs to helping to try and figure out his killer when other complications come to surface. Like Ricky’s also dead girlfriend who doesn’t want to tell anyone what happened to her, even though it could probably help figure out who killed Ricky. And then Krystal starts talking to two kids from school, Sasha and Jake, and finds out that they are bear the same birthmark and have similar powers, and as they all group together to try to figure out Ricky’s killer, they learn very interesting things about their powers and their origins.

Figuring out who killed Ricky was a highlight because the plot kept on building and building. It wasn’t a mystery book where you just try to figure out who killed him from the beginning and that’s it, there are so many pieces to the puzzle that you have to try to put together and make a connection with before you can even barely narrow your suspects list. The mystery in this just got better and better

In the end, it is a book that I did enjoy. I would have loved to see Krystal’s romance blossom and be a bigger part of the story, but hey, that’s what a sequel is for!

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[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very creepy, but very good. It held my interest throughout the whole book. I read it in one sitting. I LOVE Krystal. Well, except her nasty attitude, although I couldn’t fault her for that. It didn’t bother me all that much, maybe because despite her being rude/disrespectful to the adults in her life, she really wasn’t all that bad. Her inner thoughts, to which we are privy, aren’t as mean or nasty as her behavior toward authority figures. Plus, if I had dead people following me around, HAUNTING me, I’d think my life sucked, too. Franklin seems sweet, but I wonder about him. Is he a wolf in sheep’s clothing? I can’t put my finger on it, but something just didn’t seem right. Hopefully I’m wrong about that, but it’s just a gut feeling – I’m very curious to see what his role is through the rest of the series. Maybe part of my issue with him is I think it’s obvious that Jake has feelings for Krystal, and I really like Jake. I think he’s a better match for Krystal.

I wasn’t as surprised by the big revelation of who was behind the whole ordeal central to this book’s plot. There were some obvious hints, one of which is just unmistakable. (I won’t reveal what it is, in the interest of avoiding spoilers!) Let’s just say I knew who it was about halfway through the book, maybe a little later. Now, I wasn’t 100 percent sure of my conclusion, but by the time it was revealed, I wasn’t the least bit surprised. I wouldn’t call the book predictable, as it definitely wasn’t. But, the whodunnit part, I think, was not that much of a mystery. That, however, isn’t a major problem, as it doesn’t seem to be the main focus. The main focus seems to be Krystal and her adjustment to her new life, a HUGE portion of which is learning more about her special abilities. Krystal’s growth from beginning to end of the novel was great to see. She learned to appreciate what she has, and that things aren’t always as they seem.

Cliffhanger endings usually bother me, but not so much with this one. And, really, I don’t know that cliffhanger is the right word, as the main plot is resolved. But, being told that something bad is coming – for everyone – well, that definitely is a bit of a cliffhanger. What is coming? When? What can they do about it? Because of the resolution we get prior to this point, I didn’t find myself annoyed by the way the book ended. It left me eager to read the next book in the series, which I hope is scheduled for release soon!

The bottom line: It was very good, but very creepy! If you spook easily (like me), you might not want to read it before going to bed. I can see myself reading this again, and will DEFINITELY be seeing this series through to the end!

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Manifest is the first in what will be a four book paranormal series. It tells the story of Krystal Bentley who has recently moved with her mum to Lincoln, Connecticut. Krystal is not happy about the move. She is angry with her mother for divorcing her father and ripping her away from the life she loved. She doesn't understand the reasons behind her mother's decision. Krystal is enrolled at Settlemans High and does her best to avoid making any friends or even speaking to another human being. She is hellbent on wallowing in her own misery. She also happens to be hiding a secret. She hears voices. She can communicate with the dead which is just another thing on her list to feel down right self-pitying about. Particularly when Ricky Watson, gorgeous, arrogant and ever so slightly dead, demands that she help him find a way to pass over to the afterlife.


Krystal is a reluctant heroine. She doesn't want her abiltity. She doesn't want to share her problems with anybody. But then, two other students at Settlemans decide that she will do just that. Sasha - a girl from the rich group of students - and Jake - from the Tracker and significantly poorer social group - are determined to get Krystal to open up to them. They spotted her very distinctive birth mark and early on in the novel reveal that they also share the mark. Grudingly, Krystal lets them into her life.


The plot for this novel doesn't feel particularly original. Teens with supernatural powers are hardly anything new on the scene and yet this is exactly the type of story I love. No surprises that I spent most of my childhood wishing that I would wake up and have a special power. Having said that, I have to say that I felt this book lacked any finesse. I often felt frustrated by the author's obsession with describing every single item of clothing a character was wearing. There was, for me, too much "tell" and not nearly enough "show". It all felt very simplistic.


I did like the fact that Krystal was a flawed character. She has a real and palpable temper which I found highly believable and refreshing. Teens do argue with their parents; they feel resentful and hard done by and so this added an extra layer to the book.


Manifest is an easy read which I did enjoy. It is the sort of book that I would save for when I can't really focus on a heavier novel. It is very accesible and well-paced. Read this if you are in the mood for a paranormal mystery which will make you believe in super powers.

[MaryB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Final Grade: 90/B
256 pages
YA Paranormal
Available now
Review copy provided by Harlequin
Recommend to students: Yes

REVIEW: Poor Krystal, uprooted from NYC and dragged away from her beloved father to go live in some small Connecticut town. Then, to make matters worse, she's stuck with an annoying (but cute) dead guy who keeps hounding her to help him resolve unfinished business so he can move on. But she doesn't want to leave the comforts of her room, much less track down a killer.

I liked Krystal and bits of my students in her (lots of my kids are military and move a lot and/or come from divorced homes). She's pissed off at the world, especially her mother (who left her father and won't tell Krystal why, claiming it's for grown folk to know) and stepfather (who's about had it with her attitude). She doesn't want to talk to anyone, much less make friends. And she certainly doesn't want ghosts annoying her. I found myself rooting for Krystal, hoping that she'd go out with the cute guy who kept flirting with her, that she'd help the dead guy, and that she'd tell the police or someone about the disturbing texts she was getting.

Enter Jake and Sasha, two complete opposites who have the same mysterious "M" tattoo on their bodies and have unusual powers as well. They're bound and determined to make friends with Krystal, despite her protests. When they find out what Ricky wants, they convince Krystal to take action. They're both interesting characters, with decent backstories that I want to learn more about. Sasha was a bit annoying at times since she was so moody. (She may actually be bipolar since she could be manic one day then depressed the next but it never said for sure.) But they were great catalysts for Krystal, forcing her out of her room-cave and into the world.

There were just a couple things that didn't quite work for me. One, there was a lot of slang sprinkled throughout the book which were jarring at times; they didn't always go with the flow of the dialogue. Two, the class differences and the cliques seemed cliche, way overly-dramatic. But I don't know, that may be the way things are in Connecticut.

Overall, it was a well-constructed story, with lots of flavor and twists (the black fog that appeared was strangely reminiscent of the black demon fog in Supernatural). I appreciated the fact that, though this is the first book in a series, there was a full story arc which included an ending. No cliffhanger, just a few loose ends. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Oh, and check out the cover--no white-washing!! Yahoo!

[Kelly Peres · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must say some books surprise me. This book is definitely one of them. I was kind of nervous when I agreed to review this book. The reason is I have never heard of the author (sorry Ms. Arthur). I have to say what a hit this book was. For Artist's first teen novel she did an awesome job the story line did have a slow start, but once it did get going I just couldn't put this book down. The concept of the book was new and exciting, even if I love my vampires and other paranormal character the Mystyx's are Paranormals I would love to add to my list of loves.

This books is based around Krystal a girl who has been put through a lot, you would think it would get better... You guessed it just gets worse. Krystal's a teen who's parents were recently divorced (she blames this on her mother) they moved from New York back to her moms small home town of Lincoln. Oh wait it gets better Krystal's mom re-married a man named Gerald, a man Krystal really dislikes. Ever since the divorce Krystal takes everything out on her mom Janet she barely talks to her and when she does shes a brat, she is on first name basis with her mom talk about disrespectful. You think thats bad out of nowhere ghosts start approaching her, especially a very cute one named Ricky. This is when the story gets juicy Krystal then meets other teens that also have weird things happening to them. The three of them embark on a mysterious hunt to help Ricky solve his death. One thing I really disliked about Krystal was that she was so terribly rude to her mother. I come from a very European family so if I was ever this rude to my mother all hell would break lose, no matter what she could have possibly have done. I have to say I don't know what Krystal could possibly be feeling, but my roommate and best friend has also gone through very similar situation and they did not act at all like Krystal did. Once you start seeing the softer side to Krystal I liked her, and sometimes was able to relate to her. Sasha and Jake are total opposites but fun and very easy to like.

Well back on track this book was an awesome roller coaster ride which I did not regret getting on. This book was a fast read but was detailed enough for its pace. Artist brought a new look into paranormals and I think she's here to stay. This books ending had you wanting more, but not necessarily a cliffhanger. One thing I must say before I end this long review is that the ending was definitely very unpredictable, but I totally loved it.