Book Review: Manifest by Artist Arthur
Krystal is a teenager with a lot on her mind. Her parents are divorced, and her mother and new stepfather (who she really dislikes) have moved from New York City to Lincoln, Connecticut. To top all that off, she is seeing ghosts. Specifically, she sees the ghost of a cute boy named Ricky who died in Lincoln more than a year ago. Ricky wants her to find out who killed him – so he can move on. At school, she meets two other kids who have mystical talents – Sasha, who can teleport, and Jake, who can move objects with his mind. They discover that they have one thing in common – an M shaped birthmark on their bodies. As the three try to solve the mystery of Ricky’s death, they find out more about their powers and the dangerous killer who has killed not only Ricky, but other young girls.
This novel was a quick, easy read with a cast of racially diverse characters and lots of current music references (most of which were lost on me but teens would probably get). Arthur has a good grasp of teen-speak and current teen trends. Hooray for modern technology – texting, iPod, computer IM-ing and cell phone use abounds! Sexting too, because the killer sends nude photos of the dead girls to Krystal.
Krystal’s anger over her mother’s divorce and resentment at leaving New York make her seem rather bratty at times. To her credit, she realizes as she’s doing it that she is hurting her mother’s feelings – but that doesn’t stop her. The social segregation at the school seemed rather forced at times – when Sasha’s rich teen friends take a bat to Jake’s wrong-side-of-the tracks house, for instance. Most kids would have just used toilet paper, or eggs.
A solid YA effort and first in a series – the kids realized they may not be the only “Mystyx” kids around. As they find others like them and have more adventures, I’m sure this book will gather a solid teen fan base.
I give this book 3 STACKS
See you in the STACKS
Nancy, who would not pick talking to ghosts for my superpower – too creepy.
Me thinks I need to read this one. I’ve seen good reviews everywhere!