Mystic by Jason Denzel

Pomella AnDone is a commoner in a world where nobility have all of the power and answer only to the Mystics. The Mystics have the ability to sense and manipulate the Myst, the energy that lives at the heart of the universe. The odds of ever rising from your station are zilch to none, as tradition and honor are the most important things of her world.

But Pomella has always been viewed as an odd one in her village, as she’s always seen silver animals in the forest that no one else can see and has an obsession with the Myst. Therefore, when the Green Man appeared to offer Pomella an invitation to compete to be the new High Mystic’s apprentice, she has no choice but to go, despite the fact that the local Baron’s daughter has threatened if she leaves the Baron’s land she’ll become Unnamed. As an Unnamed, she would be viewed as a worthless criminal not welcomed anywhere, even with her family. If she were to stay, she would live a meaningless life tending to her garden, wishing for what this precise opportunity offered, while verifying to her village that they cannot move up in station.

With her little knowledge of the Myst, how is she to compete against nobility that has been training for this opportunity their whole lives? Does she even stand a chance?

Denzel's magical world of the Myst is quite like most bildungsroman magical stories, but in a refreshing way. He makes you want to read about the character's experiences and follow their story. Though this story is classified as adult fiction, it reads more as a young adult novel. Mystic is the first book of Pomella's journey through the Myst; the second installment of the "Mystic" series is slated to be out in 2018.