Mystic Review

Mini-Post by The Belle

Title: Mystic

Author: Jason Denzel

Pages: 315

Summary: For hundreds of years, highborn nobles have competed for the chance to learn of the Myst. Powerful, revered, and often reclusive, Mystics have the unique ability to summon and manipulate the Myst: the underlying energy that lives at the heart of the universe. Once in a very great while, they take and apprentice, always from the most privileged sects of society. Such has always been the tradition — until a new High Mystic takes her seat and chooses Pomella AnDone, a restless, lowborn teenager, as a candidate.

Commoners have never been welcomed among the select few given the opportunity to rise beyond even the highest nobility. So when Pomella chooses to accept the summons and journey to the secluded forest dwelling of Kelt Apar, she knows that she will have more to contend with than the competition for the apprenticeship.

Breaking both law and tradition, Pomella undergoes three trials against the other candidates to prove her worthiness. As the trials unfold, Pomella must navigate a deadly world of intolerance and betrayal, unaware that ruthless conspirators intend to make her suffer for having the audacity to seek to unravel the secrets of the Myst.

Belle Rating: C

Target Audience: Young Adults

*Minor Spoilers Below* – may include plot details such as: important names or events.

Story Notes:

When I first picked up the book, I had high hopes that this was going to be a good one. The cover was inviting and, as you can see above, the summary looked great. But in the end, I was pretty disappointed.

It started out well. Pomella seemed like a strong individual who knew what her heart wanted. She felt deep within herself that she wanted to be a Mystic, one who could see and work with the Myst, regardless of her commoner status. In the end, she gets invited to come to Kelt Apaarr and participate in the Trials to determine who will become the High Mystic’s apprentice. At this point, I was totally on board. But once Pomella reaches Kelt Apaarr (after some minor difficulties) and meets the other candidates she becomes so gullible it’s almost painful to read. Combine that with a poor attempt at a love triangle, a vague description of what the Myst even is, and an unsatisfactory ending shot any positive feelings that I had for the book.

Writing Style:

Denzel integrated this Celtic feel into the story which I really liked. But all in all, I felt that the author attempted to put his characters through challenging experiences and made it relatively easy for them to overcome said challenges. Probably because all that happens in the story occurs within a week, if that. I’m sure if he lengthened the amount of time it took for the events to take place, he would’ve been able to add more details/information that would have made this a better story.

Weaknesses:

The summary given on the back caused me to expect more from the book. I didn’t like the main character as much as I wanted. The ‘battle’ with the bad guy wasn’t all that impressive, the High Mystic wasn’t what I expected, and I wasn’t happy with the ending. Going back on what I have stated in the writing style, adding time and details to the story and characters was greatly needed. He would have been able to create a world and people that I would remember.  

Strengths:

For one, it deals with magic. That is always a bonus in my mind. I also appreciated that the book did not end the way you think it ought to. But do I think it could have been done differently, just to make it more interesting? Oh yes.

Final Thoughts:

Is this a bad book? No. It is a decent read and I think most people would not be terribly disappointed. I just expected more from the book. I commend the author for his efforts because I can only imagine how difficult it is to write a story. But in the end, this is not a book that I will remember in a week and certainly not a book I would be dying to give to someone else to read.