Mystify

Author: Artist Arthur

Pages: 245

Published: KimaniTru, 2011

Genre: Paranormal

Cover Score: C

Overall Grade: n/a

Growing up with parents who are more interested in the Lincoln, Connecticut social scene than their own daughter, Sasha Carrington has always felt like an outsider. That is, until she meets Jake and Krystal--her fellow Mystyx who, like her, possess supernatural capabilities that they use to battle a mysterious dark force that is headed towards Lincoln. Not only is Sasha trying to grapple with her new powers and where they come from, she's also dealing with social pressures from her parents, as well as unexplainable feelings for Antoine Watson, a boy who she shouldn't like, but can't help feeling drawn to. The dark side is getting stronger, and as Sasha's powers grow, she must come face-to-face with decisions that affect her friends, family, and, ultimately, her destiny.

My thoughts: I really, really don't like giving bad reviews, but I just couldn't finish Mystify. At about 100 pages in, I had to put it down. I was really disappointed by the second book of the otherwise promising Mystyx series. After really enjoying the first book in this new ghostly paranormal trilogy, Manifest, I was surprised that Mystify and I didn't click. It had all the ingredients for success: forbidden romance, a modern and realistic protagonist, and a unique paranormal twist that even included mythology, which I love.

I just felt like I couldn't relate to Sasha's character, like she wasn't a real person. Her generic narrative felt very forced and formulaic, and after a while, the storyline became too wordy and slow to keep me interested. I know there is a suspenseful, fast-paced plot hiding underneath all of Sasha's internal monologues and lengthy descriptions of everything and everyone, but I just could not locate it. As well, the powers of the Mystyx and exactly what they do and what dark force they are trying to stop was unclear to me, which muddied the storyline and gave it no clear destination.

Who knows? Maybe I'll give Mystify another try later on down the road, but for now, I can't say that I'll be able to complete this series.

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