Genie and Quentin are now together after the events of the last book, but they can't seem to stop fighting with each other. Genie knows exactly how bad that can end up, because it's the same pattern her parents have been in for years.

While she wants to break the habit, however, life keeps on getting in the way. Once more, Genie is just freaking angry about it.

There's a report of an army coming from another world that might end up overtaking earth. However, until it actually reaches earth, Genie isn't really empowered to do anything about it.

This novel continues the themes of the last one that the people in charge are sometime inept and, at other times, really just not good people.

Inevitably, Genie and Quentin end up in battle again, trying to save earth, this time having to do so alongside the actual bad guy of the previous novel. This is the last book in the series and I'm kinda glad of that because it didn't really leave a lot of growth for the characters or anything left unsaid in terms of plot.

I usually like books with angry girls a lot more than I liked this one. I think that it's possible that the writing style was just a little bit too simplistic for me. It had the same problem as the last one in this series o

DNF
At this time, I'm no longer interested in this title. Thank you for the opportunity to read the book and I apologize for the inconvenience.

A worthy successor to the first book! I don't usually laugh out loud when reading, but once again, F.C. Yee has succeeded in eliciting that rarest of reactions. Genie is an absolute delight.

Honestly considering how much I enjoyed The Epic Crush of Genie Lo, you’d think I’d get around to reading The Iron Will of Genie Lo much quicker than I actually did. (I definitely took my very sweet time.)

Unfortunately unlike the first novel, I didn’t love The Iron Will of Genie Lo as much as I hoped I would. Personally I felt the pacing was a little slower, but as someone who is a mood reader who read way too many books at a time, I also think I just wasn’t in the right mood but the time I picked up the book.

While the pacing personally felt slower for me, I think a lot of it was made up through the development in the story and characters, because this is a huge step from the first novel. Genie Lo is finally a senior in high school, worrying about not only her schoolwork and making it into a good college that would make her parents proud without breaking the bank (relatable), but she’s also trying to navigate her new role as the Ruyi Jingu Bang and protecting California from demons.

But like most people, she also begins to question what she really wants to do with her life and just kind of undergoes an existential crisis, especially when she receives an offer that could solve most of her problems but ends up putting some tension between her and Quentin (the Monkey King).

There’s a lot of growth that Genie and the characters undergo in the sequel as they all work to stop a new, bigger threat to not only humans but also Heaven as well (enough a mandate is called to challenge taking over for the Jade Emperor, who has pretty much gone a little MIA). I loved seeing her relationship with Guanyin and Yunie and how each of them challenge Genie for the better (and vice versa). Guanyin tries to keep Genie from being too reckless with her anger (no matter how valid) while Genie encourages the Goddess of Mercy to challenge the mandate to rule Heaven; Genie tries to keep Yunie from being involved with the new part of her life, but somehow her best friend just ends up entangled throughout the book anyway no matter how hard Genie tries for that to not happen.

Overall, The Iron Will of Genie Lo was a solid sequel and end to the duology, and despite my one issue, I definitely didn’t dislike the sequel. In its own way, I actually enjoyed the sequel a lot and would highly recommend giving the series a try for anyone who is interested.

I read The Epic Crush of Genie Lo a few months back and I love it and I have had an arc of The Iron Will of Genie Lo for a while but due to university and reading slumps I haven’t picked it up but I decided I wanted to read it before the end of 2020. The opening chapter of Iron Will begins with Genie telling her best friend, Yunie about the events of the first book and demonstrating her newfound abilities in order to get Yunie to believe her and then we jump forward to the present. After the events of the first book, Genie and Quentin have been charged by the Jade Emperor for keeping the demon population in check which means spending endless hours hearing and granting their requests but many still oppose Genie passing judgement on them until she unleashes her full powers. Genie learns two things in quick succession, one is that she is being watched and assessed on how well she is fulfilling the Mandate from the Jade Emperor and if she isn’t doing well enough she can be replaced, and the second is that there is another demon threat being whispered about, even larger than Red Boy from the first novel. The opening of Iron Will was interesting and reintroduces to the characters we love, especially Quentin but nothing really interesting happens but I have a feeling it might start happening the moment Genie leaves for her trip with Yunie.

As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Genie and Yunie are preparing to go away on their trip but I am getting a little bored as we are almost 15% in and nothing has happened so I am hoping it will pick up soon or I am going to have to DNF it. Things take a far more dramatic turn when Genie’s mother’s health decline due to a heart condition that not even Guanyin can heal. In the aftermath, Genie is seriously conflicted and struggling to deal with the overwhelming emotions which she takes out on Quentin, but it drives a major wedge between them, and the pair don’t speak again before Genie leaves for her trip with Yunie. On the first day of their break/college tour, Genie is in a really sullen mood, but she isn’t going to let her problems spoil one of the last experiences she is going to have with her best friend and tries to make the best of it. However, seeing how college people live isn’t what she imagined it to be at all and proves to be really overwhelming for her which is made even worse when she remembers that she can’t even indulge in normal teenage things like parties since she burns off the alcohol faster than her body can actually process the effect. In a mood, she tries to cool off only to be confronted by the Dragon General who tells her that his army failed to stop the demonic threat and it is making its way towards Heaven, but Earth lies directly in its path. Guanyin decides to call a conference with the powers of Heaven, but the Jade Emperor has barricaded himself in the Palace leading to others called for an election on the new Emperor of Heaven and many people are nominated. As Genie holds a mandate from the Emperor she votes for Guanyin and while she is initially angry about this, she does understand Genie’s logic, but any heartfelt moment is gate crashed by a demon appearing.

As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, I am getting a bit of whiplash with this book as it initially set up Iron Will to be far more serious than Epic Crush which I wasn’t really onboard for and it is maintaining this while recycling the format from the first book making them seem really similar so I am hoping for something fresh and different to happen in the second half to really set the two novels apart. As we closer to the halfway mark things are starting to pick up slowly as the four candidates for the new Emperor of Heaven are heading through the rift to see if they can find the demon that defeated the Dragon General but honestly I am bored and I think I am going to DNF this book for now. I may return to it in the future and give it another go but honestly, I am finding myself more and more dissatisfied with YA books whether that is due to my age or my reading preferences changing I don’t know. I would still highly recommend the first book which I read in a single sitting because it was so gripping but the pacing has changed a lot in the second book and I am not gelling with it and the characters that I loved so much in the first book are quite different in this instalment.

The Iron Will of Genie Lo is no doubt in the same high-paced, sarcastic realm as it's predecessor. However, overall this wasn't a story that connected with me as much.

In many ways this felt like an unneeded sequel. This is could likely be due to a change in reading style in myself, since reading The Epic Crush of Genie Lo. Either way, this book lacked a lot of the engagement and captivation that I experienced in the first book.

It took quite a while for Yee to fully engage in the primary plot for this book, meaning the pacing of the first half of the story felt quite slow and dragged out. Especially compared to what I have been used to with Yee's writing. Everything kicks off with a dramatic bang and the pacing amplifies incredibly in the second half. But I was left feeling as though I was experiencing a repeat of the previous book in many ways.

Overall, these elements left the book feeling like the lesser sibling of the first. This is still a fantastic book, however, in terms of representation, mythological retelling, and a damn good time.

Having waited almost two years since reading the first book, The Epic Crush of Genie Lo, I went into this with much excitement and high hopes for a sequel even better than its predecessor. While I had some issues and things that niggled at my enjoyment, on the whole I can say I enjoyed reading The Iron Will of Genie Lo. I felt as though the first half was a bit of a slog as the plot didn’t really kick into gear until the second half, however the characters made this so enjoyable. This series is criminally underrated, which I hope changes in the near future as it gets more exposed.

FEEDBACK
So this book pretty much takes place right after the events of the first novel. The Jade Emperor has given Genie the task of controlling all of the demons in the Bay Area because she refused to kill them. But when she decides to take the weekend off to go to a college “tour” with Yunie… well things get pretty messy. I am honestly still surprised that this whole book pretty much took place in barely a weekend. It had everything the first book had but more. It was fast paced, funny, and just overall such a delight. Did it rip my heart out at some points (cough cough the end), yes it did. But Yee’s writing is so much fun to read and I devoured this book. I kept finding anytime I could to squeeze in reading because I just didn’t want to stop. While I did the audio for the first book, I physically read the second one (but I know the audio was probably just as amazing as the first book). There were more intense scenes in this book as Yunie, Quentin, and Guanyin have to fight a huge demonic presence threatening not just Earth, but all of the dimensions, including Heaven. One of the reasons why I think I liked this book more was because it really dived deeper into the mythology and introduced new elements that couldn’t have been done in the first book. Also, since Genie has developed more into her powers there were other issues that fit perfect with where Genie was in life. Everything Yee did in this book, once again, was perfect.

Oh, these characters. Genie, again, gives us such an amazing performance. In this first book, Genie was so sure of what she wanted to do with her life but in this book we really get to see her struggling with herself. She isn’t sure what she wants anymore or where life is going to take her but she’s trying to figure it out. And, without being a reincarnated weapon, everyone at that age goes through the same thing. I’m really glad that Yee brought in this element because it made Genie that much relatable. Quentin was his goofy self again but this time we got to see more vulnerable parts of him which I liked. It gave him even more personality and the relationship with Genie was rocky at some points but again, this is what make it feel real. Since more of the mythology was added in this book, Quentin’s old self got to shine through a little also which made for some great scenes. The additional characters were so much fun to read and go on this adventure with.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, The Iron Will of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee was phenomenal. The growing plot with the additional mythology really made this book amazing. I loved the pace that was set and the challenges that was presented before Genie and the gods. Genie’s character even had more development and she will be one of my favorite characters for a long time. The struggles, on Earth and Heaven, that the team had to face really helped build these characters up even more. I’m really hoping that at one point Yee returns and maybe gives us the story of the in between the last chapter and epilogue? This duology is one that I highly recommend for anyone. It was such a fun read and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Like the first book, The Epic Crush of Genie Lo, this book follows the Monkey King legend and multiple characters from similar Chinese folklore and legends. It’s a great book, but I don’t think it has the same charm that the first one did.

The Iron Will of Genie Lo is a sequel, but also the end of a duology which perfectly encapsulates what it’s like to be given a lot of responsibility on top of the life you must live. Genie is a star student, has extra curriculars and is on her way to getting into a great college. In both books, she struggles with the added pressure of being a legendary sword come to life and needing to save California and the World.

Genie is genuinely a high school student, and the book isn’t all fantasy. We go to a college open day with Genie and Yunie and watch as they do normal teen activities, such as college parties. On top of this, Genie is trying to decide where she wants to go to college, if she should even go, and typical teenage dating problems. Seeing these things side by side, both makes those issues small in comparison, but it’s also great to highlight that Genie still worries about all these things. This is a good message for teens who may read this, that it’s okay to be worried about all these decisions you have to make (but it won’t be the end of the world).

Alongside Genie we had best friend Yunie and boyfriend/Monkey King Quentin to help her out. The relationship with Quentin was extremely well written, even when they were badly communicating. Whilst this can sometimes get annoying – it felt like exactly how a teenager would act and fits well into the story. Yunie is a brilliant secondary character and she got some extra page time in this book. I loved how she was given a mini sub-plot which slotted right in with the main storyline.

Alongside our human characters we also have the Gods. Guanyin makes a return as someone to guide Genie in her role. She also has a compelling story arc which created a lot of suspense, because you just weren’t sure how this would end. We also have a re-introduction of Erlang Shen from the first book, which was comical due to Genie’s reaction. We also get introduced to even more heavenly beings who have their own well-written personalities based on folklore.

Overall, the plot was really fun. It threw me some curveballs that I just was not expecting. The antagonist of the story was really well done – I loved how we found out their motivations, but also how it was kind of understandable why they were doing it. We also get a little time jump at the end and find out the perfect ending for the duology.

Positives of Iron Will of Genie Lo
Good characters
Easy to read plot, with good morals
Negatives of Iron Will of Genie Lo
Second book syndrome

Genie Lo is finding that being the Divine Guardian of the Kingdom of California is more work than expected, especially since she doesn’t even want the job. So is being the captain of the volleyball team, making time for her best friend Yunie, and spending time with her boyfriend, Quentin, the Monkey King. Genie is overwhelmed and when her mother gets sick, she reaches the end of her rope. She doesn’t know who she is, what she wants, or where she wants to go.

She goes on a previously planned weekend trip to Yunie’s cousin at a local university. It is not at all what she expected.

If I had to say what the biggest difference was between the high school scene and college, it would have been the amount of facial hair on the guys. I mean, this was like a lumberjack meetup being held on a crab fishing boat.

And…
By the time I reached the end of the hall I was fairly convinced that the only way college students could communicate was by taking turns explaining reality to each other.

Genie leaves the party and is outside when Ao Guang, Guardian of the Eastern Sea shows up in the swimming pool next to the dorm. Now it appears that she has no other options but to travel interdimensionally to another plane and face the invisible monster, Yin Mo who has just defeated the great general and his army. On the way, she has to travel with a former enemy and to prove that her friend, the goddess Guanyin is worthy to take the place of the Jade King and rule the Divine Heaven.

This sequel has some great lines and scene-stealing minor characters. Genie and Quentin are going through some relationship adjustments as they mature. Genie is growing as a person and realizing that there is not one path and that her limits might be self-imposed. Recommended for readers who enjoy humor with their fractured-mythology stories.

Content warnings: death, violence, alcohol/partying

I adored The Epic Crush of Genie Lo in 2017. So I was obviously sad when the sequel kept getting pushed. But it’s here now and I’m so happy that I have finally read it. This was the perfect duology for me and will be one of my favourite series for a long time.

Genie Lo is trying to balance life as a high school student as well as being a reincarnation of a legendary sword who has to protect her home town. As the Jade Emperor of Heaven has decided to play hooky the higher-ups in Heaven have decided to hold a contest to figure out who should take over. The winner of the contest is the person who manages to quell the big evil force. And of course, Genie has to get involved.

The tone of this book stayed true to the tone of the first, it’s just a lot of fun. The stakes are higher and Genie’s life is different as she’s older, but it still keeps that signature F. C. Yee humour. And whilst things always do look intense the style is kept light, so you’re not scared about what’s going to happen to your favourite characters but excited to see how Genie will get them out of the mess.

You know that feeling when you finish a book and you’re like “I wonder what the lives of these characters are like after the end”? That’s what this felt like at times. But not in a bad way. Genie and Quentin are understanding how to be a couple now that they’re together and it was nice seeing them trying to figure that out. This was a real stand out for me as I’m often asking that question myself.

I was also a big fan of Genie’s deliberation over where she wanted to go for college/what she wanted to do with her life. Does she want to follow the plan she’s always had or does she want to do something wild?

Sisterhood is an important factor in this book. Genie has Yunie and Guanyin and both of them she considers to be like sisters. They play an integral role in her decision making and I’m always happy to see this in a young adult novel with a girl with superpowers, as those often fall victim to mean girl tropes.

This was the perfect conclusion for me. Everything tied together in such a satisfying way and I loved to see Genie’s growth as she’s one of my absolute favourite characters.

The Iron Will of Genie Lo lives ups to its predecessor and packs more than a few punches. Genie has leveled up in her powers, but with great power comes great responsibility, and inevitably trouble emerges. Her growth continues as she starts to take more initiative instead of simply reacting and her relationships with the people she cares about evolve (albeit not without some conflict). The humor is still as sharp as ever and the supporting characters, new and old, play their roles well in furthering the story and Genie's character arc. I appreciated the exploration of uncertainty because even with competence on your side, life has so many uncontrollable variables, and expecting a teen to have everything completely figured out and under control is simply unrealistic. This book gave me the adventure I needed, and I'm sad that the series is now over, but it will always hold a special place in my heart.

It's been many years since I read <i>Journey to the West</i> so I didn't remember exactly what the Monkey King (aka Genie's boyfriend Quentin) could do, nor did I remember much about the Jade Emperor. It didn't matter. Just like it didn't really matter that I hadn't read the first book. There are enough context clues given to help readers figure out what's going on, which is always great. Genie's voice is such a modern voice, with the right mix of sarcasm and maturity a high school senior should have. That many of the Chinese mythological beings also had that mix was a little disappointing, though. The quest to rid the world of an Extremely Evil Thing takes Genie, Quentin and a few others into parallel planes of existence and Yee does a great job of not just imagining a world that could be earth but isn't, but giving us a new experience of what a world could be.

The ending was nearly perfect, but disappointing in that it was not just the ending for the book but for this series (is two books a series?).

eARC provided by publisher.

In 2017, The Epic Crush of Genie Lo was one of my favorite reads. I remember being so excited when I found out there would be a sequel. And let me tell you, the sequel did not disappoint. It was honestly one of the best sequels I have read. There’s action, back-and-forth character banter, and so much character growth; the characters (and the story) stay true to what the first book brought to the table.

In the sequel, Genie is not just dealing with the demons – protecting them and finding them a home. She’s also struggling with the idea of her senior year and what comes after: college. Genie knows her parents can’t afford the college she wants to go to, and that insight causes another strain with her parents, especially after the health scare with her mom. And then there’s the part where Genie and Quentin are at a stale part of their relationship and neither really knows how to move forward. All in all, Genie doesn’t really have it easy this year.

One of the reasons I loved this book and its predecessor is the witty and sarcastic banter between the characters, especially Genie and Quentin. It makes the story humorous and makes the characters feel real. Genie and Quentin have such a genuine and loving relationship and, ultimately, have each other’s backs through everything. In this book, they’re now dating, which easily becomes another struggle for Genie. She’s figuring out how to navigate their relationship and how exactly it will fit in her life; she wants Quentin in her life, but with almost every conversation between them ending in an argument, she doesn’t know how to get through the rough patches.

So, needless to say, Genie has a lot on her plate. And her plate starts to overflow when she tries to change the system the gods and goddesses have been following for centuries. Which pegs the ultimate question: will Genie be able to handle everything she’s gotten herself into? What I loved about this is that it really did make Genie feel like a real character. This book showcases her strengths and weaknesses and doesn’t hesitate to illustrate when Genie reaches her breaking point. She dealt with stress and defeat and her anxiety of the future, and I could relate to that on a high level because that’s exactly what it felt like for me when I was finishing high school. It was great to see that portrayal and it was executed in such a phenomenal way.

The writing and flow of this story is wonderful and just as captivating as the first book. There was never too much action, nor was there information overload, which I really appreciated. F.C. Yee has a way of bringing a story together with characters that fit so well and feel so real. He will continue to be an instant-buy author for me, and I cannot wait to see what his next work brings.

Overall, The Iron Will of Genie Lo is a wonderful sequel to the first book, one that is equally as good as its predecessor. Those who loved the first book will not be disappointed, and may, like me, end up liking the sequel more.

I was really happy to get a copy of this from NetGalley as I'd loved the first book in the series. I enjoyed Genie's journey in this one. As the child of divorced parents struggling to make ends meet she begins to realise that her dreams of going to an Ivy League college will place a terrible burden on her family. Being the child of immigrants she feels she's always under pressure to be the perfect daughter and student. She jumps at the chance to go away to on a girls weekend with her friend - ostensibly to have a look at a college campus but really to cut loose and go to a few parties. This leads to a falling out with boyfriend and the Monkey king Quentin. Somehow she manages to work out college plans, family loyalties, boyfriend problems and save the world from big monsters all at the same time. The banter between Genie and Quentin is still as fresh and fun as before.

I was initially a little nervous setting out on this book, I wasn't totally sure if I could recall what had happened in book one, but in typical me fashion it was almost the end of the month and there was no time for a re-read - so I just jumped right in. 

Thankfully there is a bit of a time jump between the events of book one and this book. It's not so drastic that you could pick this book up without reading The Epic Crush of Genie Lo and have no problems, but it does mean this book feels more like the start of a new season of a TV show as opposed to the start of a new episode - is that a good analogy?

This book certainly has a similar energy to the first book, I don't know if it's because Genie is slightly older, thinking more about how she'll fit into the real world once she finishes high school, but there's something a little bit mid-series Buffy about it all. There's the fun dialogue and the back and forth between various characters, along with epic battles with creatures great and small, with a heavy dose of 'real world' emotion and difficulty alongside. 

At the start of the book the author mentions that this book is more about managing the things that life throws at us (in this case sometimes literally) as opposed to just being a story about a hero being heroic. It was an interesting take on a story and I appreciated them taking that risk, as I'm sure it would have been easier to plough on ahead with a punchy story. I think for the most part it pays off and makes this feel different to other YA stories. That being said, not having that focus that a simpler narrative would give did make the book feel a little less cohesive and harder to follow. As ever that could just be me but I thought it worth mentioning. 

Genie remains a wonderful character, and I liked that this book delved more into her 'real world' background and even brought in ideas of financial privilege in a way that I really appreciated, it's not something I initially expected from this book so I was pleased to read it. 

I think, overall, this is a great duology and I'd recommend it to people looking for books involving mythology, especially in an effort to de-westernise your reading. I think that this book doesn't quite pack the same impact as the first book did, possibly it just doesn't feel as though it quite commits to anything as hard as it could? That being said, I do now intend to, at some stage, go back and re-read from book one, and I hope to read more from F C Yee in the future. 

My rating: 3/5 stars

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher, all opinions are my own. 

The Iron Will of Genie Lo Publishes January 14th!

Sequels can be tricky, but The Iron Will of Genie Lo delivered. In fact, it might be better. This book opened the narrative arcs to include more persons of interest in a way that helped build the world and the characters inside it. Unlike its predecessor, this book took a more introspective approach. This shift allowed more relatability to the characters and a stranger pull for the readership, imo.

This story reified Genie's humanness. Her relationship, her college experiences, and her deepening friendships added an element to the story that allowed me to connect to her and the world she lives in better and sutured me into her life. This story is funny, bittersweet and emotional. If you want substance, fun and feeling, then pick up this book - or the first, if you haven't started the series yet!

thanks to NetGalley for the free eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Life has been busy for Genie Lo, the reincarnated Ruyi Jingu Bang--the weapon of Sun Wukong (the Monkey King)--as she and Quentin (the Monkey King in question--and boyfriend) have gone from battling demons to governing over them. As the Shouhushen of the Kingdom of California on Earth, Genie has a lot on her plate. She needs a vacation. And she's looking forward to her long weekend away with her best friend, Yunie, to visit a college. Things do not go according to plan. Which, for over-achiever Genie, is unacceptable. But she has no choice when the Jade Emperor seemingly disappears and a Mandate Challenge presents an opportunity for a new ruler of Heaven. Genie has the perfect idea for who belongs on that throne. Question is, will Heaven and Earth survive long enough to have a new ruler?

The phenomenal sequel--and conclusion--to "The Epic Crush of Genie Lo", Yee blends humor, teenage antics (ancient and modern) with Chinese mythology in a spectacular fashion. Driven, rough-around-the-edges Genie is the perfect protagonist, and we see more of her character growth as she still figures out what her new life means--especially as it continues to impact her human life.

The stakes are higher. The bad guys are scarier. The plot is twistier. And Genie Lo?

Heaven will know her by her iron will.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo was one of my favorite reads of 2017, and I was eagerly awaiting the sequel! You know I hit that request button as soon as it went up on Edelweiss/Netgalley. It was very hard to follow up the brilliance and masterpiece that is The Epic Crush of Genie Lo, but this book certainly did. However, The Iron Will of Genie Lo was more introspective, compared to the action-packed pace of its predecessor. It was still amazing though, just in a different way.

This book was truly a reminder that Genie is still only human and trying to live her life while acting as a Guardian. She’s touring colleges and worrying about her future as Guardian on top of typical teenage angst. I really liked seeing this side of the story; both Genie’s school life and supernatural life are equally important to her, but there are limits to how much she can balance them.

So yeah, this book was much more character-driven and introspective than plot-heavy. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of action. It’s just more balanced with Genie’s hopes and fears, her dreams and aspirations.

Also, Genie and Quentin have a lot of relationship drama, and their fights are hilarious. I love them! One of the best parts of the book. They talk through their problems in such a healthy way as well (after the initial avoidance of their feelings).

I loved seeing more of her friendship with her best friend; we didn’t get to see enough of them in the last book because Genie was trying to keep her life secret. Yunnie is an important part of her life, so it felt right to incorporate her more. I also really loved reading about Genie’s friendship with Guanyin developing more.

I’m sad that this was the end of our journey with all these characters, but it seemed natural to end here since I know that the plot and the character arcs can only go so far. The Iron Will of Genie Lo was a bittersweet ending, but one that feels right. The characters have grown so much, Genie particularly, and I’m glad to have gone on this journey with them.

I LOVE Genie. I’ll happily read any story featuring Genie. However, this book felt a little scattered, jumping from place to place and conflict to conflict without what feels like essential important anchor (which was laid out so skillfully and hilariously in book 1): setting the scene of Genie as a somewhat unwilling, unlikely, yet exceptional and wonderfully oddball, brave but vulnerable and completely irresistible heroine, a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I felt like we needed more time in Genie’s point of view and her life as a teenager to set up this dynamic before launching into the adventure.

Although Quentin was present, it’s not possible for me to get enough of him as a character, and I missed the in-depth Quentin-Genie time we got in Epic Crush. I did love Genie’s significant but perfectly imperfect maturation into her powers—and Yunie’s key role!!!!!!

When is this going to be a movie already?

I received an advance copy of this book through Abrams Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.