Toxic Heart (Mystic City, Book 2)

by Theo Lawrence

Hardcover, 2014

Status

Available

Call number

F Law

Call number

F Law

Barcode

5801

Publication

Delacorte Press (2014), 368 pages

Description

Fantasy. Romance. Science Fiction & Fantasy. Young Adult Fiction. HTML:The second MYSTIC CITY novel . . . it's Romeo & Juliet in a dystopic Manhattan. A city in flames. A trust betrayed. A perfect love destroyed. Has Aria lost Hunter, her one true love? Ever since rebellion broke out in Mystic City, pitting the ruling elite against the magic-wielding mystics, Aria has barely seen her boyfriend. Not surprising, since Hunter is the leader of the mystic uprising, and he'll do whatever it takes to win freedom for his peopleâ??even if that means using Aria. But Aria is no one's pawn. She believes she can bring the two warring sides together, save the city, and win back the Hunter she fell in love with. Before she can play peacemaker, though, Aria will need to find the missing heart of a dead mystic. The heart gives untold powers to whoever possesses it, but finding it means seeking out a fierce enemy whose deepest desire is for Aria to be goneâ??forever.   "Recommended for dystopian fans."â??School Library Jou… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member krau0098
I loved Mystic City and was eager to read Toxic Heart. Unfortunately this was a disappointing book in so many ways. Just about everything I loved about this series is gone in this book.

I listened to this on audiobook and it was a horrible audiobook. The narrator has a lift in her voice at the end
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of each sentence which leaves every sentence sounding vaguely like a question. It’s really really annoying and detracts from the story. Some of the voices are completely wrong for the way the character is described in the book. For example Elissa’s voice is described as cold and commanding, but the narrator made her sound more like a sultry porn star. Aria’s voice is very breathy and ditsy...not at all how I picture Aria. I strongly recommend against listening to this on audiobook.

Aria has gone into hiding at a rebel base while Hunter stays in Manhattan to organize the Rebels. After certain events happen, Aria finds herself back in Manhattan but she still barely ever sees Hunter because he is so busy. Still Aria finds herself a symbol for the rebellion and is determined to do all she can to orchestrate peace between the Aeries and the Rebels. Added to this is the strange mystery of what actually happened to the Mystic Heart of her former nursemaid.

Aria is just plain stupid in this book. She constantly lies, makes rash stupid decisions, and is just generally slow on the uptake. I do not like her as a heroine. Point in case..she wanders out on her own when she knows people are trying to kill her...she also imbibes a questionable substance on her way to a vitally important meeting. Just one dumb thing after another.

The dialogue is childish and awkward and filled with wonderfully witty comebacks (being sarcastic here). For example when Aria is confronting one of her biggest enemies her wittiest comeback is “Well, you’re a liar”. Um, is this a bunch of five year olds fighting? It is just sooo awkward.

Hunter has turned into a power hunger jerk focused only on revenge, his epic love for Aria is missing. He is also missing, Hunter is in the story very little. His place is taken by Turk who is assigned to protect Aria. Turk is best thing about this book he is daring and fun, yet caring and thoughtful. Turk and Aria spend a ton of time together. Turk ends up being the most supportive of Aria and the most sensible of the characters in this story by far.

Aria’s brother Kyle remains a major villain in the story, he really isn’t given much depth. He yells “I hate you” a lot at Aria (again super mature dialogue here) and is just generally a generic bad dude that you are not supposed to like. The other big villain is Elissa (the turncoat Mystic from the first book) who shows up in a glittery gold catsuit of all things (no idea why...this was just bizarre).

The plot is improbable and mainly focuses on the Rebels and Rose and Fosters families all using Manhattan as their battlefield. Aria's only good idea is a Peace Summit, which they all strangely agree to despite their vendettas towards each other. This whole plot was clumsily executed and awkward.

Overall I did not like this story, not one bit. Some of my dislike is probably added to by the absolutely awful narration of the audiobook. The rest of my dislike is fueled by immature dialogue, a “dumb as rocks” heroine, and an improbable plot. You know usually I try not to write scathing reviews...but I was just sooooo disappointed by the book. I will no longer be reading this series. Not recommended.
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LibraryThing member ReadersCandyb
This series is quickly becoming one my favorites... Mystic City was awesome and Toxic Heart was just as good!

It was filled with tons of twists and turns... Everything I expected to read was not there. The plot went a different direction and the romance turned. Hunter quickly became unlikeable and
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Turk started to leave his mark on my heart. He was so caring and kind and well bada$$. I know some will be turned off by the whole love triangle thing, but to me it wasn't even a competition. On one hand you have a crazy kind of control freak and on the other you have a compassionate, yet awkward bad boy. Both guys care about Aria, but one's feelings are manual while the other's are automatic. The romance between Aria and Turk grows solely on subtle hints and caring gestures, while Hunter and hers is based on lies and politics. It's not easy for Aria to let go and expose what she truly wants, but when she does it's perfection. Every romance junkie will adore it. That I'm sure of.

Now on to the paranormal, dystopian, fictional world. If you like to be transported to another place while reading then you will love the scenery in this book. The words paint vivid paintings of a dark and grungy underworld with a bright and futuristic world above. The scenes are so detailed that it's almost as if you're watching a movie. The fight scenes play out in your mind and you get an itch in your palm when the mystic energy is released. I just loved getting wrapped up in the fictional world and feeling as though I was a character in the book. It was an all consuming feel that really added to the whole reading experience.

That ending though! Can you say cliffhanger?.... We get half an ending, but there were enough loose ends to make me need the next book like yesterday. I'm not sure where the characters will go next, but I do know that I will be along for the ride.

This Author deserves to be shouted from the tops of buildings. He is an excellent writer and an awesome story teller.
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Rating

(17 ratings; 3.3)

Pages

368
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