Review: Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

Goodreads Summary:

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 union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.

Publication Date: October 9, 2012

This was an interesting entry in the YA dystopian genre that I thoroughly enjoyed. It reminded me of the Leonardo DiCaprio/Claire Danes movie version of Romeo and Juliet. The Fosters and Roses of Mystic City I envisioned as stand-ins for the Montagues and Capulets.

Aria is one of those narrators that grows on you the more you read. At first, I was thinking she may be one of those useless heroines who do absolutely nothing meaningful throughout the book. I was very wrong and she really came into her own as she began to see flashes of her life before her memory loss. I loved her drive to be a good person despite her privileged upbringing.

I loved the mystery aspect of the book. It really kept me guessing at what had happened to Aria. The book has plenty of action too and the scenes with the Mystics certainly had my heart racing.

Hunter had all of the makings of a captivating YA love interest. He’s mysterious, dangerous and protective of Aria. I liked him more in the beginning than later in the book. His sappy side didn’t seem to fit and it made me roll my eyes a few times at the romance.

The secondary characters were scene stealers. I especially liked Davida, she was true and loyal to Aria. Hunter’s best friend Turk was also an interesting character that I would’ve liked to see more of.

The world building was a little confusing to me. It didn’t seem consistent and I couldn’t quite wrap my head around this dystopian version of Manhattan. Don’t get me wrong, it sounded cool, but I would’ve liked more details to get a better picture in my head.

Overall, a really great book and I can’t wait to read the sequels.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book for review!