Published: 8th August 2017
Source: Purchased
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
My Rating:
She annihilates standardized tests and the bad guys.
Genie Lo is one among droves of Ivy-hopeful overachievers in her sleepy Bay Area suburb. You know, the type who wins. When she’s not crushing it at volleyball or hitting the books, Genie is typically working on how to crack the elusive Harvard entry code.
But when her hometown comes under siege from hellspawn straight out of Chinese folklore, her priorities are dramatically rearranged. Enter Quentin Sun, a mysterious new kid in class who becomes Genie’s self-appointed guide to battling demons. While Genie knows Quentin only as an attractive transfer student with an oddly formal command of the English language, in another reality he is Sun Wukong, the mythological Monkey King incarnate—right down to the furry tale and penchant for peaches.
Suddenly, acing the SATs is the least of Genie’s worries. The fates of her friends, family, and the entire Bay Area all depend on her summoning an inner power that Quentin assures her is strong enough to level the very gates of Heaven. But every second Genie spends tapping into the secret of her true nature is a second in which the lives of her loved ones hang in the balance.
All the bloggers whose opinions I really trust were raving about this one when it first came out. I hadn’t heard a word about it and then suddenly I seemed to see it everywhere. I had such high expectations heading into it, to the point that I actually put off buying it in case of disappointment. I freely admit I made a mistake and should have snapped this up as soon as it went on sale because it was amazing! Like addictive and amazing and exactly what I wanted to read without me even knowing it.
I can in no way relate to Genie Lo. I am a midget who was never driven at school because school and tests came so easily to me (not me being vain, they were just never stressful, not until uni anyway but by that point, I think I was over education, that’s another story, though, guys!). I never had to push myself because I could cruise on by with a minimal amount of effort. Nothing should have made me relate to her so much as a character but something did. Maybe it was her humour. Maybe it was the ball of rage she was. I don't know, but that girl spoke to me and I loved this entire book because of her. She was awkward and crazy and brilliant and exactly like any sixteen year old she was impulsive, dramatic and prone to wallowing in self-pity whilst avoiding the bigger picture. She daydreamed and lost focus on things and generally was a mess. I loved her for it because she was a mess with goals and anyone can appreciate life gets messy... it gets even messier when you're stuck fighting demons too.
Genie wasn't the only character to love, though. Quentin was hilarious and I wanted to put him in my pocket and protect him from the mean old gods. He got a raw deal, definite short end of the stick with some of his life. He was awesome and stupid and utterly reckless and he was all the better for it. It was so much fun watching him grow in the human world and develop beyond his impulsive past into an impulsive future with Genie by his side (I hope, I definitely ship them big time). And when Quentin and Genie were together there was sparks flying and banter galore. The laugh out loud moments were great and I am so up for another book of them making me laugh and causing chaos as they go.
I admit, I saw some of the plot twists a mile away, but I didn't even care because I was just along for the ride. The book could have been so blindingly obvious with no surprises at all and I'd have probably enjoyed it because the writing was brilliant. It was a balance of humour and action and it totally worked for me being fast paced enough to keep me hooked for an entire evening. I just wish the next book was out already!
Have you read this? What did you think? And what was the last book you read which matched the hype?
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