The Fiction Enthusiast: ARC Review: Manifest by Artist Arthur

Title: Manifest (Mystyx #1)
Author: Artist Arthur
Available: Now
Publisher: Harlequin
Number of pages: 256
Reading Level: Young Adult

3 out of 5 Stars

Description from Goodreads:

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 killednearly 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?

My thoughts:

Krystal’s parents have divorced, and her mom moved her to a small town in Connecticut while her dad remains in the city. She also remarried a guy that Krystal doesn’t really like. As if that isn’t enough she has a dead guy following her around. His name is Ricky, and he needs her help solving his murder. Seeing dead people isn’t a new thing for Krystal, but usually she is able to ignore them. Ricky’s persistence makes that impossible. During the course of the book she teams up with two other kids from her high school who just happen to share a unique birthmark Krystal sports on her neck. They will need to use their special powers to help solve the mysteries lurking in Lincoln High.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the racial diversity that it offered. I also think the idea was a good one, but the plot’s execution could have been smoother. I had trouble wrapping my head around all the deaths that took place in this small town, and why no one seemed to talk about it. I know so much world building must go into the first book of a new series, and squeezing it all into just a little over 250 pages has to be a laborious task. I’ll still give the next book a chance because I liked the characters, and am intrigued by the connection they share. I look forward to getting to know the other Mystyx and Krystal better in the next book of this new series. I’m also interested in seeing how things progress between Krystal and her parents. There was quite a bit of tension, and intense revelations when it came to why their marriage ended.

I feel this series has potential. Fans of books with paranormal themes especially involving ghosts will enjoy this one.

Artist Arthur on the web:

Website