Book Review: Manifest (Mystyx #1)

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.