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MANIFEST by Artist Arthur

MANIFEST

From the Mystyx series, volume 1

by Artist Arthur

Pub Date: Aug. 1st, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-373-83196-8
Publisher: Kimani Tru

New Yorker Krystal, 15, moves to her mother’s hometown of Lincoln, Conn., after her parents divorce. She befriends Ricky, who is a great potential boyfriend save for the fact that he’s been dead for a year. Ricky asks Krystal to help him solve his murder with her ghost-whispering skills. At school, Krystal befriends Jake and Sasha, who bear M-shaped birthmarks identical to Krystal’s and have supernatural abilities of their own. The three discover they’re part of a long legacy of Lincoln residents with superpowers, and they band together in an attempt to find a cyberstalker. In tracking the sender of the threatening text messages, Krystal discovers the true identity of Ricky’s killer. This smart, well-paced paranormal mystery resolves one plot while opening the door for a continuing Mystyx series. Krystal is likable but sometimes a little too self-aware for complete credibility; still, this is an auspicious opener. Krystal and her fellow Mystyx are all people of color, adding a dimension of diversity too rarely seen in the genre. (Paranormal mystery. YA)