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Mystic City
(Mystic City #1)
by
For fans of Matched, The Hunger Games, X-Men, and Blade Runner comes a tale of a magical city divided, a political rebellion ignited, and a love that was meant to last forever. Book One of the Mystic City Novels.
Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The ...more
Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The ...more
Hardcover, 397 pages
Published
October 9th 2012
by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
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Start your review of Mystic City (Mystic City, #1)

I’m engaged to Thomas and yet I let another boy kiss me. And I kissed him back. The worst part? He’s not even a regular boy—he’s a rebel mystic!Oh no! Of all the people suffering in the world, all the injustice going on in the Depths of futuristic Manhattan, THIS. IS. THE. WORST. THING. EVER!

That's great. That's wonderful. Good for you, sweetie. I just don't want your sort in a sci-fi/dystopian novel. Get the fuck outta here.
This book has
1. A weak, spoiled, wealthy TSTL socialite heroine who ...more

I need to stop being lured in by blurbs that mention The Hunger Games and sparkly covers (though it is one of most enchanting covers I've seen in a while.) A much more accurate blurb would be: a Romeo and Juliet retelling with magical people who are nowhere as cool as X-men. I didn't go into this book with high expectations, but I was expecting a lot more action (that wasn't made up of aimless running around) and a lot less love proclamations. In the end, I couldn't get past the extremely predic
...more

Everyone around me is applauding wildly, overjoyed by how quickly something can disappear. Am I the only one who wishes things could come back?
Meh. This could have been better and the potential was all there.
The book begins with a really impactful prologue that made my jaw drop, only to completely change direction when the story acrually started. Theo Lawrence can write if he wants to and that prologue proves it. Unfortunately for him, the weak rest of the book also proves that his writing, ...more

DNF - No rating
Boring and predictable and I have far better books to be spending my time reading.
Insta-love and love triangles... I've developed a zero tolerance policy and I can't stand for the bullshit.
I tried! But no. Just... sorry, but no. ...more
Boring and predictable and I have far better books to be spending my time reading.
Insta-love and love triangles... I've developed a zero tolerance policy and I can't stand for the bullshit.
I tried! But no. Just... sorry, but no. ...more

Jan 13, 2012
oliviasbooks
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of Awaken (Kacvinsky), Blue Bloods (de la Cruz) and maybe Gossip Girl (von Ziegesar)
I would shelve Theo Lawrence’s young adult debut Mystic City as Futuristic Romantasy, if I had to be precise. It takes place in a future, but alternative version of Manhattan. The plot relies heavily on its fantastic elements, namely on the existence of Mystics, who are people who have magic, which is used as energy, as the stuff which makes skyscrapers float high above the flooded landscape with its crumbling, moldy buildings, and as the basic ingredient of a wonder drug called Stic. And the st
...more

Amnesia. Tragedy. Tampered memories. Political ruses. Controlling and manipulative parents who treat their daughter as an asset to be traded to the most profitable buyer.
This book is... interesting? Not really in terms of the plot itself, but more the author's goals. Lawrence was attempting to create an original plot by twisting the storyline all over the place. And an alarming majority of these twists were extremely predictable, and foreshadowing was prevalent throughout the ENTIRE book.
Lack o ...more
This book is... interesting? Not really in terms of the plot itself, but more the author's goals. Lawrence was attempting to create an original plot by twisting the storyline all over the place. And an alarming majority of these twists were extremely predictable, and foreshadowing was prevalent throughout the ENTIRE book.
Lack o ...more

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: A girl tries to move on with her life after losing her memory, but moving on means being a puppet in a political race with her parents.
Opening Sentence: The party has begun without me.
The Review:
Aria knows she loves Thomas Foster. At least that’s what everyone is telling her. Loving someone with no memory of ever meeting them can be pretty tough, even if she does have flashes of memories — sneaking out late at night, meeting in the ghetto are ...more
Quick & Dirty: A girl tries to move on with her life after losing her memory, but moving on means being a puppet in a political race with her parents.
Opening Sentence: The party has begun without me.
The Review:
Aria knows she loves Thomas Foster. At least that’s what everyone is telling her. Loving someone with no memory of ever meeting them can be pretty tough, even if she does have flashes of memories — sneaking out late at night, meeting in the ghetto are ...more

3.5 stars
Mystic City has just about everything one would enjoy in an escape. It's has a quaint Romeo and Juliet story line, a political background, a sci-fi flare and magic laced in every page. Add conspiracy, betrayal, true love and tainted memory lost and how could you go wrong?
Theo Lawrence pens a brilliant imaginative and creative world. It's set in a futuristic Manhattan and there are two kinds of people. One are the Mystics who have special powers and forces of energy. They are meant to be ...more
Mystic City has just about everything one would enjoy in an escape. It's has a quaint Romeo and Juliet story line, a political background, a sci-fi flare and magic laced in every page. Add conspiracy, betrayal, true love and tainted memory lost and how could you go wrong?
Theo Lawrence pens a brilliant imaginative and creative world. It's set in a futuristic Manhattan and there are two kinds of people. One are the Mystics who have special powers and forces of energy. They are meant to be ...more

This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
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 ...more
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 ...more

This book had such an interesting premise, and I was really looking forward to it, but overall, it was
disappointingly just okay.
Predictable - Sadly, I was able to guess what was going to happen after reading the first couple of chapters. I mean, yes, I had an idea from the summary, but this book did not have any twists or turns or any surprises with one exception - the kiss did make me think "WTH," but that was it. I guessed what was really going on, the whole romance thing, who was ...more
Predictable - Sadly, I was able to guess what was going to happen after reading the first couple of chapters. I mean, yes, I had an idea from the summary, but this book did not have any twists or turns or any surprises with one exception - the kiss did make me think "WTH," but that was it. I guessed what was really going on, the whole romance thing, who was ...more

If Romeo and Juliet and superpowers and were involved in political gang wars, yep, it would be MYSTIC CITY.
Top marks for world building. Wow. Just wow. With delicious and subtle details, the world of MYSTIC CITY goes down with a big thumbs-up from me. Techno and lavish, the author used the perfect combo of words to draw me into this crumbling version of America. I saw it. I felt it. The colours, tastes, sights, and explosions. Oh yeah, I was there.
Plus, superpowers. Any book can be improved if ...more
Top marks for world building. Wow. Just wow. With delicious and subtle details, the world of MYSTIC CITY goes down with a big thumbs-up from me. Techno and lavish, the author used the perfect combo of words to draw me into this crumbling version of America. I saw it. I felt it. The colours, tastes, sights, and explosions. Oh yeah, I was there.
Plus, superpowers. Any book can be improved if ...more

Review also posted at Young Adult Hollywood
Mystic City is a futuristic fantasy book. It follows the story of Aria Rose who doesn’t have any recollection of falling in love with her betrothed Thomas Foster, the son of their family’s sworn enemy. Their marriage will reunite the two families and end the generation feud of their clan. While Aria fills the gaps of her “missing memories”, she meets the rebel mystic Hunter from Depths.
I’ve rated Mystic City 3.8 Stars which means I enjoyed it thoroughly ...more
Mystic City is a futuristic fantasy book. It follows the story of Aria Rose who doesn’t have any recollection of falling in love with her betrothed Thomas Foster, the son of their family’s sworn enemy. Their marriage will reunite the two families and end the generation feud of their clan. While Aria fills the gaps of her “missing memories”, she meets the rebel mystic Hunter from Depths.
I’ve rated Mystic City 3.8 Stars which means I enjoyed it thoroughly ...more

This review contains spoilers, but trust me, it won't make any difference.
Not so far in the future, New York is a city of underwater streets infested with the malnourished poor - called the Depths - and towering skyscrapers graced by the wealthy elite - the Aeries. The Aeries is divided between two powerful families, the Fosters and the Roses. Aria Rose, seventeen and beautiful, wakes up one day to the news that she is engaged to Thomas Foster, son of her father's rival, and that they're to be m ...more
Not so far in the future, New York is a city of underwater streets infested with the malnourished poor - called the Depths - and towering skyscrapers graced by the wealthy elite - the Aeries. The Aeries is divided between two powerful families, the Fosters and the Roses. Aria Rose, seventeen and beautiful, wakes up one day to the news that she is engaged to Thomas Foster, son of her father's rival, and that they're to be m ...more

4.5 Stars
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book through NetGalley and I am so glad I requested this title. When I was looking through the available titles from Random House, I was immediately drawn to Mystic City because of the cover art. It is such a gorgeous cover that I immediately wanted to know what the book was about.
Mystic City is the first book in a dystopianesque trilogy set in future Manhattan. The world has been severely affected by global warming and most of Manhattan is ...more
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book through NetGalley and I am so glad I requested this title. When I was looking through the available titles from Random House, I was immediately drawn to Mystic City because of the cover art. It is such a gorgeous cover that I immediately wanted to know what the book was about.
Mystic City is the first book in a dystopianesque trilogy set in future Manhattan. The world has been severely affected by global warming and most of Manhattan is ...more

I hate it when I get sucked in by a pretty cover.
This book hit all of my eye-rolling buttons: Love triangle with a clear winner and loser pretending to be all dramatic, Satan-spawn evil bad guys, ridiculously-good-yet-inexplicably-hated-and-repressed good guys, ruggedly handsome love interest who, no joke, plays guitar and has a propensity for saving damsels when they're attacked by thugs in the slums (because that's how that works, right? Girl goes into bad part of town and is immediately attac ...more
This book hit all of my eye-rolling buttons: Love triangle with a clear winner and loser pretending to be all dramatic, Satan-spawn evil bad guys, ridiculously-good-yet-inexplicably-hated-and-repressed good guys, ruggedly handsome love interest who, no joke, plays guitar and has a propensity for saving damsels when they're attacked by thugs in the slums (because that's how that works, right? Girl goes into bad part of town and is immediately attac ...more

May 10, 2012
Kagama-the Literaturevixen
marked it as to-read
Was super excited until the other guy was mentioned and that always means a love triangle. Now im less excited.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to fall in love. The love you see on TV or read about in books, where you find your missing half-- the person you were meant to be with forever-- and suddenly you're complete. That's the sort of love my parents say I share with Thomas. Why, then, when he touches me, does it merely feel like a touch?
I thought true love would sear me.
--Mystic City, p. 15
The Gist: Aria Rose has been told she's been having a secret romance with Thomas, the son of the ...more

Aria Rose is the daughter of one of the ruling families in Mystic City engaged to Thomas, the son of the rival ruling family. With an upcoming election, their marriage is the perfect way to unite the humans against mystics, humans with magical powers who are drained of their powers. The only problem with the engagement, is that Aria has overdosed on Sic, a mystic-infused drug causing her to forget her entire relationship with Thomas.
As Aria pieces her memory together, she meets Hunter, a handsom ...more
As Aria pieces her memory together, she meets Hunter, a handsom ...more

I really wish I'd liked the book more. It wasn't a bad book, but it simply wasn't convincing enough. I loved the idea of a dystopical world, almost destroyed by the global warming, humanity, its fears and intolerance.
I loved that people feared and hated mystics and I wanted to love and adore the rebels. But there were so little told about them! We, readers, need some instructions. I know that the author tried, but I needed a bit more world-building and history and a bit less Romeo&Juliet crap. I ...more
I loved that people feared and hated mystics and I wanted to love and adore the rebels. But there were so little told about them! We, readers, need some instructions. I know that the author tried, but I needed a bit more world-building and history and a bit less Romeo&Juliet crap. I ...more

Jul 25, 2016
Candace Robinson
added it
Pretty predictable but entertaining nonetheless. I just didn't like how long Aria was without her memories and not seeing more of how Aria initially met Hunter, so that was weird and made it feel like a second book vs. first book. I did like the characters, and the fact that Mystics seemed X-men like. Full review on my blog https://literarydust.wordpress.com/20...
...more

Actual Rating: 1.75 stars
Mystic City is a book that I have been waiting for since it appeared on Netgalley/Edelweiss. There were two reasons, as there usually are in my stories. One is because I was under the impression that the main character was black and the cover model was too (they aren't sadly). The second reason is that the book simply sounds good!
Sadly however, it failed to live up to my expectations - by a lot.
Its downfalls are centered around one main cause. Characters. The characters ...more
Mystic City is a book that I have been waiting for since it appeared on Netgalley/Edelweiss. There were two reasons, as there usually are in my stories. One is because I was under the impression that the main character was black and the cover model was too (they aren't sadly). The second reason is that the book simply sounds good!
Sadly however, it failed to live up to my expectations - by a lot.
Its downfalls are centered around one main cause. Characters. The characters ...more

**FINAL RATING: 2.00 STARS**
CATCHALL
So, despite all the mixed reviews I saw this book getting, I was reasonably certain that I'd love it. I was so, so wrong. Obviously I need to stop being shallow and being drawn in by tempting blurbs and shiny, shiny covers that look like tiny pieces of heaven. I even read the first fifty pages in the bookstore and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, that was pretty much the best part of the book. Unfortunately, it was downhill from there.
THE HEROINE
ARIA
A ...more
CATCHALL
So, despite all the mixed reviews I saw this book getting, I was reasonably certain that I'd love it. I was so, so wrong. Obviously I need to stop being shallow and being drawn in by tempting blurbs and shiny, shiny covers that look like tiny pieces of heaven. I even read the first fifty pages in the bookstore and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, that was pretty much the best part of the book. Unfortunately, it was downhill from there.
THE HEROINE
ARIA
A ...more

I was drawn to the gorgeous cover of Mystic City and the synopsis with its promise of a dystopian world. Theo Lawrence has a new fan. I absolutely immersed myself into the world he has created and cannot wait for the next installment in this series. From his phenomenal world building, writing style and likeable characters Lawrence completely drew me in to this fantasy world laced with paranormal elements, hatred, oppression and rebellion.
The tale begins when we meet Ari Rose. She is the youngest ...more
The tale begins when we meet Ari Rose. She is the youngest ...more

Isn’t that cover absolutely gorgeous? Gosh, I’m so in love with it. It’s even more beautiful in person! Too bad the story doesn’t live up to it.
Why did no one tell me this was a retelling of Romeo and Juliet? OHMAHGAWD! The characters even call each other Romeo and Juliet in their love letters to each other! I don’t know about you but I never saw that story as the sweeping romance it’s constantly purported to be. I take it as a cautionary tale showing the dangers of an all-consuming infatuation ...more
Why did no one tell me this was a retelling of Romeo and Juliet? OHMAHGAWD! The characters even call each other Romeo and Juliet in their love letters to each other! I don’t know about you but I never saw that story as the sweeping romance it’s constantly purported to be. I take it as a cautionary tale showing the dangers of an all-consuming infatuation ...more

Ugh. Where to start ? This book is quite ridiculous. Seriously. It is a rather good distraction for summer, but nothing more. It's crazy how everything is so predictable. The main protagonist is plain and such a stereotype, there is no character development and that bothered me a lot. The author uses in Mystic City devices that are all overly used in literature (especially in YA/dystopias) and there is no surprise whatsoever.
The main idea of the story is rather interesting though: a sort of floo ...more
The main idea of the story is rather interesting though: a sort of floo ...more

This story had a lot of potential, but it got lost on the way.
LIKES:
It had a very interesting premise. Two "mafia" type families. Mysterious memory loss. Star-crossed lovers. Futuristic New York City. What's not to love, right?!
DISLIKES:
The setting was not properly worked out. It was set sometime in the future when global warming has taken over and people with mystical powers have made themselves known. Everyone can pay for items through their fingerprints, not needing to carry money. But tex ...more
LIKES:
It had a very interesting premise. Two "mafia" type families. Mysterious memory loss. Star-crossed lovers. Futuristic New York City. What's not to love, right?!
DISLIKES:
The setting was not properly worked out. It was set sometime in the future when global warming has taken over and people with mystical powers have made themselves known. Everyone can pay for items through their fingerprints, not needing to carry money. But tex ...more

I was really looking forward to reading Mystic City, especially when the description referenced Blade Runner, but unfortunately this book fell flat. I liked the idea behind it and everything, but couldn't help but compare the whole memory wipe scenario to another book I read called Renegade by J.A. Souders that did it better. And back to that Blade Runner reference, I didn't really see anything in this book that resembled Blade Runner.
I think my biggest problem with the book was how infuriating ...more
I think my biggest problem with the book was how infuriating ...more

Oh damn, that was bad.
Seriously. This book takes immaturity on a whole new level.
1. Seemed like a cheap spin-off of Hunger Games with a terrible write style.
2. It had some Gossip Girl elements as well.
3. I think the author just decided to throw all the successful series and books of the last years into a mixer and then hoped for a bit of success as well.
I won't write a summary. I won't even write a proper review, let me just say that after I read how the protagonist innerly whined:
"But I ...more
Seriously. This book takes immaturity on a whole new level.
1. Seemed like a cheap spin-off of Hunger Games with a terrible write style.
2. It had some Gossip Girl elements as well.
3. I think the author just decided to throw all the successful series and books of the last years into a mixer and then hoped for a bit of success as well.

I won't write a summary. I won't even write a proper review, let me just say that after I read how the protagonist innerly whined:
"But I ...more

I enjoyed this book, although I did think that Aria came across as a little dense at times! Somebody would say something, and I would think what a massive slip it was that they said that, and Aria would barely be bothered by it at all!
I do want to read the sequels to this, but I'm pretty put-off by the fact that it seems like the third book is only available as an audiobook, and I don't really do audiobooks ☹ ...more
I do want to read the sequels to this, but I'm pretty put-off by the fact that it seems like the third book is only available as an audiobook, and I don't really do audiobooks ☹ ...more

More like a 3.5.
This was a terrifically light read with great world-building (which accounts for it being a page-turner for me) & stock characters.
I space out my YA reads because I need distance to avoid the sameness I start to see if I read them in close succession. So, I had been waiting a while to get to this one & it's lovely cover. It wasn't a bad story but the character development was fairly soft. Usually, I find characters to be the more interesting thing in stories & find world-building ...more
This was a terrifically light read with great world-building (which accounts for it being a page-turner for me) & stock characters.
I space out my YA reads because I need distance to avoid the sameness I start to see if I read them in close succession. So, I had been waiting a while to get to this one & it's lovely cover. It wasn't a bad story but the character development was fairly soft. Usually, I find characters to be the more interesting thing in stories & find world-building ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA fantasy/paranormal romance with a dystopian world with a caste system. [s] | 3 | 26 | May 27, 2018 10:18PM | |
Mystic Book Club : Over All Thoughts | 9 | 21 | Sep 26, 2015 02:40PM | |
What did you think of this book? | 8 | 50 | Jan 05, 2015 04:00PM | |
Mystic Book Club : Mystic City's Beautiful Cover | 8 | 25 | Aug 12, 2013 07:12AM |
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“I always knew this story would break my heart”
—
76 likes
“Your mother stands against everything my parents believe in," I say. "But I'm not my parents."
"Aria," Hunter whispers into my ear.
"Yes?"
"Just kiss me."
We press our lips together gentle, and it's like I am alive, on fire, like I can do anything in the world. I know this because he's a mystic, but there's something more familiar, something safe and sexy and irresistible about the way his lips feel, his tongue brushing lightly against mine. Our passion is like what's described in my love letters: it's like coming home, finally, when I never even knew I'd been away.”
—
32 likes
More quotes…
"Aria," Hunter whispers into my ear.
"Yes?"
"Just kiss me."
We press our lips together gentle, and it's like I am alive, on fire, like I can do anything in the world. I know this because he's a mystic, but there's something more familiar, something safe and sexy and irresistible about the way his lips feel, his tongue brushing lightly against mine. Our passion is like what's described in my love letters: it's like coming home, finally, when I never even knew I'd been away.”