Mayhem

Mystyx #3

by Artist Arthur

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…

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural, Romance, Ghosts, Magic

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

I am the first born and only girl in my family, and six and nine years separate me and my two brothers. Needless to say, I was alone quite a bit. But being alone gave me plenty of time to indulge my imagination in the world of books. One of the first novels I read was a young adult series that traced the lives of two teenagers in high school, Sweet Valley High. Reading those novels I thought I could do better, and so my quest to write entertaining stories began.

Being an introvert, it took me a long time to feel comfortable enough to let others read my work. How long? Well, the first person to read a story I wrote was my husband. Since then, I’ve been writing professionally for almost nine years now. But it was my daughter who encouraged me to write a book for teens—just one of the reasons I love her so dearly.

I live in Maryland with my husband and three children. If you take away the opinionated teenagers, family drama, overflowing bookshelves and DVDs, my life is pretty boring. But don’t take those things away, since they’re my inspiration.

Reviews

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

After my less-than-impressed feelings about Sasha's point of view in MYSTIFY, MAYHEM was a fantastic reprieve, getting into Jake's head and finally seeing things from his brooding eyes. There's a genuine tone to his voice that I found absent in Sasha's, although it was there in Krystal's in MANIFEST. Jake's story evens the keel and shows that is was a particular voice, and not the author, that fed the lull of the second book.

There's a heavy message of bullying in MAYHEM that I couldn't help but relate to. Money and status aside, the people in power tend to favor the bullies, putting the burden of proof on the bullied, and that situation aggravated me to no end because it's true. I've been the victim of school and workplace bullying. The former is well behind me but the latter . . . while I've voiced my concerns, with supporting proof, my frustrated outbursts get chastised and I'm forced to put on a happy face and just deal with it. So I can totally relate to Jake when it comes to wanting to react. Why shouldn't he defend himself when others are bringing violence against him? Why should he get in trouble for it? Especially when there are others around to see not only the precursor to the event but who have bore witness to the years of suffering? Oh yeah. I can relate.

But Jake has to make a choice: does he succumb to the darkness and let the power that he so desperately wants take over him? Or does he fight for the light, and tuck it all back? I really liked seeing the push/pull going on in Jake's head. He's really conflicted and being in his point of view you're privy to every argument he gives himself, every decision he has to make, every psychotic teenage emotion he struggles with. And he does have some crazy ones. It doesn't help that he has an ancient being and a burgeoning power to deal with on top of puberty.

Another thing I really like about this series is that the relationships are real. His blooming one with Krystal and Sasha and Twan have an authenticity about them that I find missing in a lot of YA. In other books it's about love, love, love, love. But here, it's about a connection, having things in common and letting it grow of its own accord. There's nothing forced and nothing rings as inauthentic to me. It sits just right and I can't tout that more.

The darkness gets a face, so to speak, in MAYHEM and whatever is brewing is coming more and more to a head. Each book centers around each character dealing with this darkness in their own personal ways so while, to me anyway, it may seem that the resolution comes a little too quickly, it's all building up to a final showdown that'll be anything but. Each character needs to get over their specific hurdle and I'm glad I could be there to see Jake conquer his. I can't wait for the next installment.

[Tiffany Spencer]

JMayhem
It’s a super hot summer and Jake knows it because of more than the weather. His dad is making him take down the roof. Jake hears a voice telling him to move the boards and realizes it’s not his dad. The voice tells him to focus on his powers and move them. The boards start to levitate and stack themselves on each other fifty feet away. The voice commands Jake to come to it. There’s a hole by the fence. Jake feels around and pulls out a scrll. But it's in a undecipherable language. The voice tells him in time he’ll know what it is. It’s his destiny. Krystal calls and tells him there’s something at the cemetery she needs him to see.

Krystal shows Jake the gave of William Kramer (his great uncle). She says she feels the presence of the ghosts. Nothing appeared just a sensation. It led her there. Krystal says she thought Jake’s grandfather said he just disappeared. Jake doesn’t have an answer. Krystal wants to know if he died there and if there’s a body. Jake says he’ll ask his granddad. Krystal says there’s something there. She can feel it. On the way to Maggie’s (a restaurant), they talk about if not Jake’s uncle’s body in the grave then whose and if he tried to run from his powers. Jake doesn’t believe he inherited his powers. He believes he got them from the storm. (I’ma skip all this mooning Jake does about Krystal). While they’re eating in walk Mateo and Pace. They start to harass Krystal. The voice in Jakes's head says STRIKE THEM! Jake tells them to get away from Krystal but they taunt him. Krystal pleads with him not to. The voice repeats STRIKE HIM HARD The manager kicks them all and Jake allows Krystal's touch to calm him. Outside they see a black crow. The voice says “Next time”.

Jake tries to get answers from his father and grandfather. He gets anger in return from his father for going to the cemetery. It doesn’t make it any better when Pop (Pop) brings up his powers. Pop (Pop) says his uncle isn’t at the cemetery (never was). Pop (Pop) tells Jake, unlike his uncle he can handle his powers. Still, he should be careful. It turns into an argument. Henry doesn’t want to hear anymore. Pop mentions him not letting Cecelia do what she needed to do and look where that got her. He tells him don’t bring her up and lay off Jake or he’ll throw him in an old folks home. Then he storms out. Later Pop (Pop) tells him he has an important job to do and that’s why he’s stuck around. There are things he still has to tell him about the darkness. It’s a living evil. He tells him he has to choose good or he’ll grow stronger. He says if it does all hell will break loose, but he knows he’ll beat it. Jake asks where Uncle William is and Pop tells him long gone but he’ll do better. He’ll beat it.

On the first day of junior year, Jake thinks for the umpteenth time about leaving Lincoln and how his Uncle managed it. Jake and Mateo get in a fight in gym when Matheo hits Jake in the hose with a basketball. Jake realizes how good it felt. Out the window of the principal’s office, Jake sees the crow again. The voice says it understands him. He *is* Jake. As he leaves the voice tells him it’s with him and don’t ever be afraid. He leaves ignoring the Principal's plea to talk to him because he sees *everything*., Later, Jake’s father tells him he doesn’t want him getting involved with the supernatural. He fears it will take him away. His mother knew about Jake’s powers. His father always seemed to know. He says that he and his mother use to be happy at first. Then that changed. She was scared of what his powers would do. He finds out his father does believe in the power. It made his uncle insane and it’s dangerous. Jake tells him it’s too late for that. He tells him he has too to keep them all safe. Jake says he doesn’t think so. He feels like he has to do it. Henry tells him to turn away from it. Jake tells him he just doesn’t know. Henry tells him for all their sakes just walk away.

Jake awakens and he knows there’s a presence in his room, but there’s nothing there. He tells him it’s time he knows the truth. He instructs Jake to go to the window.. and jump. He says trust him. He tells about Stix (the Goddess who ruled his world) and that he’s the one Jake’s powers come from (darkness) He tells Jake that Stix created an army to fight against him. He offers to teach Jake how to use him powers but Jake tells him no and runs back to his house. The next morning Jake’s nose is healed and he feels his powers are growing again. He makes the medicine bottles march and then cuts his long hair short. As he leaves for school, there’s a confidence there that wasn’t the day before.

Pace and Mateo get in Jake’s face again the next day at school. Jake warns him to stay out of his way. Jake makes all the lockers fly open. This weirds them out and they flee. He knocks the books from their arms. Krystal scolds him not to do *this* here. It’s not what their powers are for. Jake knows she’s right but gettomg even fee;s GPPD! At lunch, Meteo and Pace pick the wrong time to screw with Jake. He’s already frustrated and about to explode at the girls because Fatima is being to (slow and too cryptic. Lindsey doesn’t want to know at all. Jake is sick of sitting around not doing nothing. The cafeteria gets darker. Jake starts to feel nauseated and like he’s about to have a breakdown. Pace puts his hand on Jakes's arm and he shoves him backwards. Matheo gets shoved backward to and then he gets a punch to the face. Jakes's power goes haywire and the windows break in the cafeteria. Krystal isn’t there but the Principal is.

Jake is suspended. Janke’s dad later has a talk with him and seems to be sorry he didn’t tell him about the bullies. He tells he has no idea what he’s fooling with. He’s watched that power destroy lives and he won’t let it destroy Jake. Jake says he knows what he’s doing. His father asks if it’s worth throwing his life away for. Jake says it’s his power and his decision. His father tells him he’ll protect him no matter what he says. Later that night, Krystal comes by. While out walking, the crow attacks Krystal. Jake is able to halt the attacks, but then he hears footsteps. There’s a voice that says Krystal is holding him back and he has to let her go. Then the darkness disappears. Krystal is just aware of the bird. At Krystal’s Jake and Krsytal kiss.

On the way home, Jake again sees the crow. It leads him to a place behind the church with a shining stone. The stone turns out to lead to a black hole. The voice says the answers that he asks are there. A reaper-ish figure rises from the water in a hood. He says his name is Carron. He tells him he’s two halves of a whole and he must choose. The choices are dark and light. He shows him a scenario of two boys. One is his grandfather. One is his uncle. The ground turns to ash. One boy reacts. One doesn’t. The sky turns dark and gray. The tall boy causes lightning and smoke to appear. Then silhouettes appear. Then the vision fades. The voice says it’s the past and it can be again. He says his uncle was the vortex. A vortex is light and dark power. Stix’s sun and moon and the dark powers he harnesses. He says the former couldn’t handle it. Now it’s his turn. He tells them they’re in the Underworld. Jake guesses he wants him to choose the dark. His destiny Carron says isn’t like the others. He says the end is near. Jake asks him what to do. He doesn’t want to choose the dark. Carron tells him it’s already chosen him.

There’s a Halloween celebration coming up. Twon says he doesn’t celebrate the devil’s day. They all look at each other. Sasha tells him it’s what you make of it. They meet at Sasha’s later and she tells them about a group called the Majestic 12 that was formed by the government to investigate UFOs. But what if they really were looking into Mystix or magicals? Then the sightings were covered up. They might even be magicals themselves. Now they wonder if Sasha’s father will tell Water Bryant what he knows. Jake leaves the meeting and is jumped in a surprise attack by Mateo and Pace. jake uses his powers to send them flying, destroys their car, he uproots two trees, and traps them in between two trees. Then he runs home. When he gets there he notices how sick Pop (Pop) looks. Pop (Pop) tells them “they’re” coming for him and he doesn’t know if he can stop them. Jake confesses the power feels like it’s too much. Pop (Pop) tells him he has to learn to control it.

At Maggie’s (a hang-out spot) Twon mentions to Jake he notices something’s going on. He won’t let up on it so Jake tells him they have powers caused by the weather. Then the girls join them and they find out about it. More or less they get over Twon knowing quickly. At the Halloween celebration, there’s a story about an older family whose ancestor was a witch that created other supernaturals. Maeto and Pace again harass Krystal. Before Jake can stop them the darkness comes for him. There’s a hail storm. Spirals of black come up from the ground. Jake’s raven is heard. Jake is liefted up into a vortex that he created. He rescues Krystal and then goes after Pace. He tosses Pace like a rag doll and starts to go after him again. Krystal tries to hold Jake back, but he starts to run out of the maze. A lady in a white dress yells out to him that he has to kill him or he’ll kill him like he did William.. It’s his mom. When he rushes toward her she disappears and everything stops.

Jake wakes up in his room. His father and Pop (Pop) tell him the truth. His mother was killed. They tell him she had the same mark he has. She could hold light in her hands. Pop (Pop) says the gift isn’t hereditary. The Goddess gave him his powers. Jakes's dad says there’s a curse and these creatures don’t care who they hurt in the battle they’ve created. As long as there’s free will there will be good and evil. None more powerful than the other. Pop (Pop) says that’s not true. The balance can be tipped and that’s what Carron is trying to do. Then they talk about what being a Vortex entails for Jake. They tell him he has to pick a side. His mother tried to use her powers to keep him from him, but he found out and killed her. Later, Jake confesses almost everything to Krystal.

After scjpp;. Jake overhears the girls discussing what Fatima said about someone needing to spy on him. Something is hunting him. Sasha doesn’t think they should interfere. Krystal and Lindsey say they won’t let anything hurt Jake. When he gets home, cops are there accusing him of vandalism, assault, stalking, and destroying a vehicle. They won’t say who. They say they want to take Jake in to question him about the kids on the missing bus. Henry won’t allow it and tells them to come back with a warrant. No secret who sent them. The cops leave but say they’ll be watching Jake. Jakes dad tells him not to go near the bullies but Jake is tired of them getting away with murder but when he stands his ground the cops are there. They all start to argue. Then Jake storms out. Pop (Pop) realizes the dark already has Jake.

There’s another fight at school between Jake, Mateo, and Pace. This time Jake twists Meto’s wrist He crashes Pace into the lockers. He tosses Mateo into the locker. Jake also fights down each jock that comes to help in their defense. Again Krystal pleads with him to stop. Jakes's dad tries to say he’s going to file a complaint but he’s brushed off and called a liar. Jake is expelled. There’s a blackout later. Pop (Pop) collapses. He doesn’t make it. Jake knows it’s the shadows he saw on the wall just before. After the funeral, Jake touches Pops casket and tells him he’ll be better than his uncle. His casket is scorching hot. The birds appear again and surround the girls. Then the ground breaks open and zombie corpses start to climb out of the coffins. The ravens turn into the silhouettes. Sasha tells him he has to choose. Jake lets out a roar when he hears Fatima’s name. Sasha and Fatimatell Jake he’s using him and trying to get his power. Then he’ll kill him. With Krystal, Fatima, and his mother by his side, Jake chooses the light and everything stops.

The situation with Mateo and Pace is taken care of. Henry says he’ll file a complaint for bullying and the gym teacher (Striland) says he’ll back him up because he’s seen some of what happened when the cops question Jake. When they meet up, Sasha says she thinks Carron is in Alaska with her father and Mr. Bryant. Jake disagrees and says he’s still *there* watching them. Sasha decides its time to check out the forest where the bus was. Jake finds inscriptions on a tree that are the same as the scroll he found. There are symbols for beginning and end. They receive a page that there’s a hurricane coming. There’s an order to evacuate. So, they all end up at (the school library? The library?) While they’re trying to go out the back exit, Mateo and starts to jump Jake. Pace wants no part of it. Smoke starts coming out of Meteo and The smoke burns Pace in the chest and he disintegrates. Jake slams Mateo into the door. Jake uses his power to push him back and choke him. The waves wrap him in black smoke until they disappear. Strickman sees and tells them he sees things they way they really are (like he once told Jake). Sasha can see that Strickman isn’t human. He has fins or scales. He says he’s from the Majestic. Father was from the deep sea. Mother was a water nymph. He’s a God. He explained that Carron used the inner rage in both boys to control them with shadows. Then the building starts to shake. They wait the time out in the library until the storm passes.


My Thoughts
There was a REALLY decent story in this if you could get past the parts that made it drag. Again keep the focus on the SUPERNATURAL story. That’s why in my review I left all the mooning and frustration and hookups between Jake and Krystal. Also the obsessing over Franklin. Even the end prologue I didn’t get into because it was a dream about Krystal going to Franklin in the underworld and Jake witnessing it.

Yet, another thing that made it drag was if you tell what happened between Styx and harron once you don’t have to keep telling it in different conversations. And then to be frankly honest I don’t even know what happened with Stylx and Charron fully and this is the third book. So either its being told and it just doesn’t stick in my head or it’s unclear.

It also felt like it repeated a WHOLE bunch with the fights between Jake, Mateo, and Pace. Did these guys have a death wish or what? CLEARLY, they weren’t right in the head if they saw what Jake could do. They should have seen for themselves when they came around trying to vandalize his house and he messed with their car alarm. That would have been the end of it for me. But they just keep coming back and coming back until I was thinking JJake maybe you need to do an “Ender Wiggins” and beat them so bad that you make SURE they don’t come back. But then I guess the police really *would* have reason and would have locked him up and that would have been the end of this series. Which maybe wouldn’t be a bad thing..

Then I could not help but wonder. Although Jake is clearly white on the cover, does he have some black in his blood. Parts of this (the cop's treatment) kinda just made em wonder. I also thought it was interesting that the government might be covering up knowledge of the Mystics. I wouldn’t be surprised because I learned recently from my uncle that all kinds of things are covered up here and in a secret location below ground. It kinda blew my mind the things I heard. So not surprised there’s a group compromised of Mystics and the government is involved possibl and I wonder…

Rating: 6 Slightly better. I think we all knew what choice Jake would make but it was interesting to see the voice's pull over him. I've been writing something similar and maybe come to think of it that's why I this one was more interesting than the others.

[CorLostForWords · Rating 4 out of 5]

Source: Received from Netgalley and Teen Book Scene. Many thanks goes to Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: 4/5


Jake is one of the Mystyx, and he is still finding out the full extent of what that means for him. His powers are manifesting in unpredictable ways and his mood is volatile. It doesn't help that the darkness is beckoning, and trying to seduce him to fight on the behalf of evil. With several students bullying him at school, life is starting to become unbearable for Jake. Especially since he can't use his powers to defend himself for fear of being found out.
This is quite easily the strongest book in the series yet and it is my favourite by far. I connected with Jake almost instantaneously. He's a credible character going through a tough time, and he's suffering at the hands of some bullies. I know what that's like, and can commiserate with all of the feelings he was expressing. He is questioning himself and his powers, as well as his connection to both the dark and good in the world.
We are starting to get some more answers, even though there are still quite a few questions left unanswered. I found that the incidents that happened in the second book were followed up more in this installment in the series. The reader may have a better appreciation for book two if they were to read book three immediately afterwards as I found that the events in the second book were resolved in the third book, or had more light shed on them.
This installment in the series brings more characters to light. Krystal, Sasha, Jake and Lindsay are joined by Antoine, and some previously known characters bring about surprising twists. I dare say that this book has made the rest of the series a must read for me. Things are really starting to heat up and I can't wait to read the next installment as I really want to know what is going on with certain characters. With the twists that Arthur has employed in Mayhem, I am really looking forward to reading what she comes up with next.
All in all, this is a read that I think is the turning point for the Mystyx series. Leading up to Mayhem we haven't gotten a lot of answers, and things have been a little frustrating because of that, for both the readers and the characters. With Mayhem we get some answers and find worlds opened up to us in unexpected ways, so much so that the reader will be clamoring for the next book to find out what is going to happen next.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heading: Owning Whom I Am

Mayhem by Artist Arthur, the third book in the engrossing Mystyx series focuses on the male member of the team, Jack Kramer, and will delight longtime fans and new readers alike. Jake is shy and does not have friends outside of the Mystyx, which is fine with him as his goal is to study hard so he can get into a good college, and leave his hometown, Lincoln. Jake has a lot of anger within him as life has not always been fair to him. His mother died when he was young and no one will tell him why his father would rather spend more time away from home than with him, he is looked down upon by others as he is a “tracker,” a person who lives in the low-income area, and the jocks at school pick on him. But, then things begin to quickly change, and Jake becomes more unsettled. His super powers are growing, the bullying against him escalates, and he can no longer deny his affection for Krystal (another Mystyx). Evil forces pick up on these changes and tempt him to fuel his power and anger to get revenge, and help tip the balance in their favor. But the choice will be up to Jake to either take up with the side of evil, or will the love of the Mystyx keep him on the side of good?

Bullying among young people has become more blatant and has received national attention in recent years. In Artist Arthur’s capable hands, the subject matter is explored with the seriousness and sincerity it deserves, showing how it affects all parties. The geography of friendship among the Mystyx members is supportive and comforting, and showcases the positive aspects of being part of a group, especially in a town where secrets are as thick as the fog. Once again as in the previous books, the real-life situations are well done without being preachy or naïve, and capture the voice and actions of teenagers. The magical transformations are spell-binding and insightful into the supernatural happenings in the town. The style of storytelling becomes an important as the story itself and makes for a guaranteed page-turner.

I recommend this book to teenagers and adults who like coming-of-age and paranormal stories. Mayhem and the other books in the Mystyx series should be included in public and school libraries. Mayhew is a good book to begin the dialogue between teenagers and adults on bullying. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

This book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

Reviewed by Beverly
APOOO Literary Book Reviews

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.)

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)

[Savannah (Books With Bite) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have followed this series but the very beginning and it has been a great read! I loved reading about each character, seeing them from their point of view and of course, watching them grow into their powers. What I adore about Ms. Arthur is the elements she uses in her books. There not just supernatural powers, but real stuff that people deal with everyday. Take bullying for example. It is now getting out there and more people are stepping up, trying to help the victims out. But what happens when you bully a kid too much? I think we all know the answer to that question.

Jake has always been a quiet guy and has taken in everything. He never said a word and let it boil all inside. He lets his anger grow and when his powers start to go the the bad side, we the reader see it all explode. I just loved Jake. He is so selfless in who he is, he didn't want to bother anyone with the bullying. He thought that he can do it on his own, but could not. I loved that this book has a great view of what bullying does to people. It's not cool and it only creates more problems. Jake, already facing more trouble, had to learn to not only control his powers, but learn to control his anger. Anger that he had every right to have.

What really got me hooked, is the fight that Jake fought. He fought bullying for so long, that he turn around and used his powers to get back. This battle was not only emotional, psychical, but also very spiritual. Fighting anger that has been instilled in your heart for so long is hard. Jake had to learn to let things go, to forgive or else it would take over him.

The plot line of the story is very different from the first two books, but still a great read. I can't express to you how much I loved this book and how I loved getting to know Jake more. If you have not pick up this series, you should. It not only has some great supernatural things going on, but a great story mixed with real life issues.

[Shannon Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I have to admit that, like an idiot, I came into this series right in the middle here. I haven't read the previous two books. In a way, this put me at a big disadvantage, because there was, of course, history there that I didn't know about. The characters already know each other and you know there have been things that have happened to them, but despite all of this, I found that I didn't have too much trouble picking it up in the middle, learning pretty quickly what was going on and being able to enjoy the book and the progression of the story that was happening to Jake.

I'm a big fan of books that are written from the male perspective. Being female, of course, it's always intriguing to hear the inner workings of the male mind, and Artist Arthur did a great job telling this story from Jake's perspective. You got to see his inner geek, but at the same time, a lot of interesting things were happening to him in that sense that he was fighting an inner battle of good vs. evil as his powers begin to really manifest. He has both sides in him, including evil, and watching him battle that darker side was great because this quiet, shy character began to have a little bad boy emerge. It gave him a lot of different levels that were really interesting to read.

I do plan now to go back and reread this book after reading the first two. This one invested me, so I feel like I need to get the history as well. Although, like I said, the author did a great job juggling the history but also making this a book that could sort of stand on its own if it had to.

A very intesesting, enjoyable series! I'm a fan now.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through two books I have been getting to know Jake and have been looking forward to a book devoted to him and I was not disappointed in my wait. I have loved the Mystyx series from the first book and getting to know each person in each book. So far we have met Krystal and Sasha so it made sense that Jake would come next. I really like that the Jake in Mayhem becomes a different Jake than he has been in the earlier books. I loved getting to know Jake even more in this book.

The excitement level is also ratcheted up a notch in this book as the series is reaching it's mid-point. There is a lot of excitement in Mayhem and it made the book very interesting and hard to put down. I don't want to give anything away, but this is a very good book that has a lot of action, adventure and choices that have to be made. There is also romance and excitement between the characters. The book is just excitement all-around and I cannot wait until the next installment in this series. I have enjoyed this from book one and look forward through to the end of the series as well - Ms. Arthur knows how to write a fun and exciting series that captivates the reader.

One additional thing I would like to add is the fact that bullying is addressed in this book and I think Ms. Arthur does a great job addressing this very timely topic in this book with Jake's being bullied and how he has to handle it. Great job for tackling this in the book!

[Emily McCord · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jake was definitely a sympathetic character, but I found this book a little weird, even given my fondness for YA sueprnatural lit. It could be because I am not familiar with the rest of the Mystyx storyline, so maybe it's just me, but I found the backstory a little confusing and not compelling. Jake's immediate problems with bullies and a girlfriend, compounded by his struggles with his powers, were more relatable. Overall, it wasn't bad, but it didn't make me want to seek out the rest of the Mystyx either.

[Alecia Hefner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mayhem

This book was just as good as the others. It was nice to get to know jakes character. I am looking forward to getting to see what happens next

[Azhia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was amazing !! I loved it so much i cannot wait for the next one !! Hopefully its Lindsey's book i need to know more about her & Tawn too ! I aslo wanna know more about the parents parts in the mystyx. Also what's Sahsa's dad really up too..

[Betsy :D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I REALLY ENJOYED JAKE'S STORY !!! I'm happy he and Krystal got together; I felt that the 1st book hinted that Jake liked her and I wasn't so sure so I glad I was right!!!! :) I can't wait to read what happens next!!! :D

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: A Mystyx Novel

[Mechele · Rating 4 out of 5]

read my review at readforyourfuture.blogspot.com:)

[Read for your future! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please read Mechele's here:
http://readforyourfuture.blogspot.com...

[Larshauneia · Rating 5 out of 5]

jake is fine and hot