The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is one of the most criminally underrated YA books of the past few years, so it stands to reason that this book will become criminally underrated too. Do not let it. Just sit down and read this series right now because, if you haven’t, you’re missing out. If you like Rick Riordan’s books, and any of the books in his imprint, this will be right up your alley.

Okay, that’s done. Onto the actual review.

The Iron Will of Genie Lo starts off a few months after book 1 ends. Granted, I couldn’t remember how book 1 actually ended, but it’s not all that hard to pick up. So, Genie has a Heavenly Mandate putting her in charge of keeping demons on earth in check, but meanwhile the Jade Emperor has gone missing, there’s a huge threat coming, and she has a college trip to get through. Sounds simple right?

The best part of this book was Genie. I know, I know, I have a Type when it comes to characters and Genie fits it perfectly. I loved her in book 1 and I loved her even more here. And of course the surrounding cast is great too (Quentin and Yunie are obviously next on the list of favourites, followed by Guanyin).

Unlike in book 1, the plot is a little calmer, less chaotic, for the most part. I mean, that’s to be expected given how it’s not like Genie’s finding out she’s a reincarnated weapon all over again. So yeah, there’s not much happening for a good chunk of the book, but that doesn’t matter because the characters carry it along so well. And then when things do happen, they really happen.

But one thing I would say is that the ending feels a little unsatisfying almost? Like, there could be more to it, though it’s kind of clear from the time-skip that that was supposed to be some sort of resolution. Which was fine, but at the same time it does feel a little… light maybe? I don’t know how to describe it best.

That aside though, this was an excellent sequel (and I really hope not the last we see of Genie).

The Iron Will of Genie Lo picks up pretty close to where we left off with Epic Crush. Genie is now the Protector of California, splitting her time between high school (where she's once again had leadership thrust upon her as captain of the volleyball team) and keeping yaoguai in check. It's a fairly tightrope that's rapidly fraying at both ends as she tries to figure out how to keep all the plates spinning without letting anyone down.

Genie is angry, y'all, and possibly suffering from a not-small amount of unacknowledged anxiety. She and Yunie decide to get away for one last adventure together: a college visit to Stanford. Can't a divinely appointed guardian take a weekend off?

The tone of Iron Will is a little different than Epic Crush. As with the first book, Genie's anger comes from a real place. The stakes are higher this time around. She's juggling too much, and there's only so much relief she can count on. (Quentin is here, but we get less of him than I would have liked.) Graduation looms and she's set on going far away for college, saying goodbye to Yunie, how will her parents afford to send her to school, who will watch over the demons while she's gone... the nonsense coming out of Heaven is the last thing she needs on top of all the other bits.

I loved this next step in Genie's adventures. The humor is still there alongside the pathos. We get some fun new characters from Heaven. I truly have only two complaints: not enough Quentin (but it's Genie's story, I get it) and I'm a little sad that Yee is ending Genie's story here. The ending is a fantastic ending, one that makes sense for all the characters. Maybe not the ending I would have wanted, but one that Genie deserves.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in order to facilitate this review. The Iron Will of Genie Lo will be released on January 21, 2020. Pre-order today!

What I really liked about this sequel to The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is the simple fact that she’s shown as human with college worries, true friendship and a family that she loves. What I struggled with was her relationship with Quentin as because as much as I wanted to like him there were times I was left rolling my eyes. Perhaps I expected too much from this book with its nod to Asian legends of Sun Wukong but honestly this Monkey King is far too juvenile and boisterous for my liking. Genie is still trying to keep control of the hellspawn that want to escape and cause mayhem and she actually learns even more about her powers here but sadly for this reader it just lacked something although if you want a fun and totally preposterous view of Asian folklore then this book will open your eyes !
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

The Iron Will of Genie Lo wraps you up in adventure, magic, and a world that just has to be experienced. This sequel does not disappoint. If you are new to F C Yee's series prepare to marvel in a world within a world.

I completely and utterly fell in love with The Epic Crush Of Genie Lo when it came out and gave it what I believed to be a well deserved 5 stars so you can imagine how excited I was when I heard that F. C. Yee was going to be writing a sequel and the thought of a series really got my blood pumping. Epic Crush was an outstanding and fresh contemporary take on the ancient Monkey King legend and I could definitely see all the potential the book had to become a brilliant ongoing series if it carried on in the same vein going forward. I can honestly say that while Iron Will did everything I hoped it would I am more than a little sad that the author has decided to end the series as a duology. Iron Will was every bit as good as Epic Crush but I did find that it didn't feel quite a fresh or quite as humorous as the first adventure, hence this book only getting the 4 stars rather that the 5 stars I had been expecting myself to give it.

The Iron Will Of Genie Lo is a brilliant and worthy sequel to The Epic Crush Of Gene Lo in my opinion and I would gladly recommend it anyone and everyone. It's a fun duology that is totally worth reading if the ancient Asian legends of Sun Wukong interests you.

Lots of potential here, but the second book in the series is clearly not the way to enter the world of Genie Lo. Readers are dumped directly into the story with no background, leaving them confused long enough to never really become attached to or interested in the characters or the world.

Thank you for the advanced copy ! I started reading but realized there was a first novel so I am in the middle of that one currently! I wanted to update and say that the bit that I did read was fantastic and I will update this review as I finish the novel!

A DELIGHT. Did I love it as much as The Epic Crush of Genie Lo? No, not quite -- it's hard to hit that level of magic in a sequel, where you're trying to expand a universe instead of just introducing it. But Genie's voice is still pitch-perfect, her worries about college and her family oh-so-relatable, and her determination to cut through all the bullshit and promote the best candidate for the job refreshing. I didn't love the drama introduced by unsettling her relationship with Quentin, but I do get that it's unrealistic for a magical weapon reincarnated into the body of a teenage girl to have smooth boyfriend sailing forever and ever! I just think she and Quentin are really cute. I'm bummed that there won't be any more books in this series, to be honest -- I would have loved to see the adult urban fantasy capers of Genie and Quentin! -- but I'm happy with where the story ended.