In the submerged streets of a dystopian Manhattan, "Mystic City" emerges as a captivating blend of romance and rebellion. Aria Rose awakens with amnesia, caught between rival families and a forbidden love with Hunter, a mystic with dangerous powers. As she unravels the secrets of her past, Aria navigates a world of political intrigue and class warfare, where love may be the only force strong enough to save them all. With its prophetic setting and thrilling twists, "Mystic City" offers a fresh take on the Romeo and Juliet tale, making it a must-read for fans of dystopian romance.

I really enjoyed this dystopian world. Having grown up in NY, I enjoyed knowing where they were talking about. The characters were well thought out and could picture them in my mind. Not all authors do that. There were a couple of times where the continuity didn't flow, but I got right back on track quickly. The cover of this book is so gorgeous, and I just looked at the sequel. Another beautiful cover! Can't wait to get my hands on it!

Mystic City was hyped as being comparable to The Hunger Games. There is a reason the book is virtually unknown. It doesn't compare.

Aria has selective memory loss. Apparently for the past several months she has been sneaking off to be with a boy, and not just any boy, but the son of her fathers rival. Now she is engaged to this guy, but can't remember a thing about him. While trying to regain her memory she ends up meeting a mystic boy named Hunter who saves her from some thugs in the depths of New York City. For some reason she is drawn to Hunter, but he is a mystic and they are the ones who are ruining the city, or so shes told. As Aria goes through the motions of her life and try's to find out what really happened to take away her memories she discovers that the world she thinks she knows is not what it seems.

I really enjoyed this. It's very Romeo & Juliet with a bit of a Mystery tossed in. The only downside to this book was that I figured out quite early the big secret. Oddly enough I still wanted to finish the book through. Very futuristic with a hint of alternative history.

I wasn't able to download the copy from netgalley, but read it when it came out.

This is such a good read. You can really tell the author is eloquent and the story well thought out. I cannot wait to read the next book.

What do you get when you take a Romeo and Juliette-esque tale, a mysterious locket, unexplained memory loss and some flashing green lights? Mystic City; a riveting story of romance, deception, political war and choosing the greater good regardless of the sacrifice.

This book sucked me in right from the start and left me feeling like my heart would literally burst out of my chest before it ended. Aria, having suffered a significant memory loss doesn't know what or who she can trust. Everyone tells her she's madly in love with Thomas, the son of her family's political enemy but she can't remember loving him and worse, she doesn't feel like they're in love. She does her best to move forward but when flashes of memories start to creep in and contradict what she's been told, she begins to question everything.

With the help of a mysterious locket and a cryptic note left inside, Aria goes in search of answers but what she finds is Hunter, a beautiful mystic boy from the Depths whose everything Aria's been warned against. Mystics are dangerous and those who still have their powers are illegals. Aria knows she should keep her distance from Hunter especially with her impending nuptials to Thomas but she can't.

As the political tensions come to a head, Aria is caught in the middle and faced with the impossible choice of saving those she loves or doing what's best for her city. Neither decision is easy and both will require great sacrifice while leaving a trail of devastating loss in it's wake.

The world building is enticing and detailed, making you feel as if you were walking through the heat and humidity right along with Aria. The romance is sweet, intense and yet completely heartbreaking at the same time. I can't imagine not being able to remember the person I loved OR being the person whose been forgotten. *cries*

I enjoyed these characters but Hunter was my favorite. He's not only good looking but he's strong, selfless and funny. Aria shows great strength in her refusal to just keep the status-quo especially once she learns the truth about the mystics and Thomas is stoic in his efforts to keep the peace between the families. Turk and Davida are the kinds of friends anyone would be lucky to have.

Take Romeo and Juliet, add in mobsters, and some X-Men like powers and you’d have Mystic City. A unique, futuristic novel that is heavy on the romance and thrills.

The setting for Mystic City is a futuristic Manhattan. The inclusion of people who have powers, referred to as mystics, was also a nice twist. These powers are different for each mystic, but manifest in the form of an energy source that is used to power the entire city. The setting up the world, and this power was well done, and executed rather well. I could picture the setting quite easily. Both the rich splendour of Aeries and the gritty, dark Depths come to life.

I was immediately shocked at how readily these characters resorted to violence. Aria’s powerful, influential father rose to the top by using force. He regularly uses violence to get what he wants, and corruption is plentiful among those he surrounds himself with . The “mafia” aspect to the story was the most gripping. I was immediately drawn in by these two families who want to unite against what they see as a common threat. The back stabbing, double crossing, and undercover antics all provided the novel with a sense of urgency that kept me turning the pages.

Aria spends most of the novel confused and in the dark. A large part of her memories are missing and she is desperate to remember. The unraveling of her secrets is a large part of the story. I can see not everyone liking Aria. I, however, felt she was mostly believable. She’s very much reacting to the situation she’s been dealt. She’s confused, doesn't remember anything, and doesn't know who might be hiding things from her. She’s understandably upset and tying to just figure it all out. Her desperation at wanting to remember is tangible.

The aspect that may bother others in Aria’s character is how long it takes her to piece everything together. Long after I had pieced the twists together I was waiting for the main character to catch up. The pacing felt a little off as a result, and some parts felt drawn out longer than needed.

The romance was lacking for me, mainly because I didn't feel the chemistry between the characters. I did love that it was not presented as an instant love type of situation, but rather something very different. It made the risks seem more logical and real.

A unique premise that is made all the more real by it’s fully realized setting. The mafia aspect provides thrills, and while the romance wasn't for me, it was still engaging enough to hold my interest. Mystic City is a promising start to a new series.

Who doesn’t love a good, modern Romeo and Juliet with a healthy dose of magic, mafia and brainwashing? Aria Rose has lost a few months of her memory. She accepts what her parents tell her about what happened, that she had been sneaking around and falling in love with the son of a rival family. She accepts their engagement, even if she can’t remember him and the love they share. After all, how hard would it be to fall madly in love again? Very hard apparently. Especially when a mystic (magic user) captivates Aria and seems familiar in ways she can’t understand …

Hunter, the mystic, is one of those “book boyfriends” I wouldn’t mind having. Though he’s mostly a mystery for a good chunk of the book, he is easy to sympathize with. Same with Aria. With her memory loss, she’s a bit more aware and questioning the things happening. It makes her more than just a simple society girl trying to keep her image up, partying with friends, and staying up to date with current trends. Especially after meeting Hunter and other mystics, Aria learns not to just accept the lies that her family tells, and develops into an admirably strong heroine. She’s by no means perfect. But she’ll do.

There were definitely aspects of this book that could be easily predicted. But it was in the smaller details, the characterizations and the relationships that I was swept away.

This is a solid ParaRom with a solid heroine, a good dose of mystery, and the mafia. (As a Godfather fan, there’s this giant soft spot in my heart for mafia related tales.) A good debut from Lawrence, I can only hope the second book is just as good.

This is a book that I received as a galley and didn’t get a chance to read before it expired. I got it from the library (finally!) and enjoyed reading it. Also, I love the cover! I’m not a big cover person but I think this one is really interesting. As far as the story goes, it was well-written and I’m looking forward to the next one.

I loved the futuristic imagery and the nod to Romeo and Juliet. However, I didn’t understand how a family could be so dysfunctional. How could they be so manipulative of other people? That mystified me and made me sad but it really made the plot intriguing. As far as the mystery of the book goes, I had everything figured out before the main character. I was glad she did find people who were trying to help her, but not knowing who to trust kept me on my toes. It didn’t take her so long to figure things out that I felt she was stupid, but I definitely wanted things to move a bit faster, probably because I wanted to see what happened next.

I’d love to see this made into a movie. It would be so cool to see the author’s futuristic New York City come to life.