Book Review: Mayhem by Artist Arthur

Title: Mayhemn (Mystyx #3)
Author: Artist Arthur
Publisher: Kimani Tru
Release Date: 07/19/2011
ISBN: 0373229933






This book in the series really seemed to strike a chord with me. Maybe it's that I've become a huge fan of this series or perhaps it's because I was bullied in school, albeit not to the extent that Jake was. Maybe it's all of the above, but let me tell you- this was easily the strongest book in the series so far. (No pun on Jake's abilities intended.)

A lot can change in a few months. Jake Palmer is living proof of that. In a short time, the once-shy loner has discovered his incredible supernatural abilities and forged a tight bond with his fellow Mystyx. What’s more—he’s fallen for his best friend, Krystal. And fallen hard.

Still, some things remain the same—like the jocks who keep bullying him. Even though they have no idea how powerful Jake has become. And while he tries to follow Krystal’s advice, he may not be able to keep his cool much longer. But there are bigger problems ahead, because the darkness that’s been hovering nearby is about to descend on the town of Lincoln, Connecticut. And when it does, the Mystyx will learn who to trust, who to fear and just how much is at stake…

You don't have to have been bullied to appreciate how Arthur approaches it. She doesn't get preachy, nor does she make Jake out to be some frail creature that never reacts or only acts ineffectively. Jake gives as good as he gets. Aside from the obvious addition of supernatural powers & evil forces, this was a pretty honest portrayal of what bullying is & was like for so many of us out there. This part of the book was extremely easy to get into & Jake's emotions were also easy to relate to. I think everyone's been a Jake at some point in their lives.

Now as far as the series as a whole goes, this is literally the turning point in the series for just about everything. We finally get more answers to the questions & although I can't divulge them without spoiling anything for you, this really was fun to read. I just couldn't put it down! We've got about two more books in the series & things are really building up to an explosive finale. I'm more excited to read the finish than ever! (Plus there's awesome Jake/Krystal goodness in this book!)

One thing I do want to note is that while there is cussing in this book, it was censored in my copy via asterisks. This might just be because it's a galley, but it could end up being censored in the final product. I actually don't have a problem with this & the main reason I'm mentioning it is because I know that there's a lot of people who don't like reading curse words in their YA books.

With all of the various teen series getting made into TV shows, I'm really mystified (lol) that this hasn't been picked up by someone. This book series really is a winner!

4/5 stars

(ARC provided by Netgalley)