Monday, May 11, 2015

ARC Review - Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein

Title: Becoming Jinn (Becoming Jinn #1)
Author: Lori Goldstein
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Release Date: April 21, 2015
Format: ARC  
Rating: 4/5 Stars




Forget everything you thought you knew about genies!

Azra has just turned sixteen, and overnight her body lengthens, her olive skin deepens, and her eyes glisten gold thanks to the brand-new silver bangle that locks around her wrist. As she always knew it would, her Jinn ancestry brings not just magical powers but the reality of a life of servitude, as her wish granting is controlled by a remote ruling class of Jinn known as the Afrit.

To the humans she lives among, she’s just the girl working at the snack bar at the beach, navigating the fryer and her first crush. But behind closed doors, she’s learning how to harness her powers and fulfill the obligations of her destiny.

Mentored by her mother and her Zar “sisters”, Azra discovers she may not be quite like the rest of her circle of female Jinn . . . and that her powers could endanger them all. As Azra uncovers the darker world of becoming Jinn, she realizes when genies and wishes are involved, there’s always a trick.
Now I wasn't sure how well I was going to like Becoming Jinn, because out in the blogging world Becoming Jinn is one of the books, I pretty much discovered was one that was loved or not. So when I got the ARC (after release date BTW), I decided to give it a shot and see what would happen. What did happen was that I was one of those in the blogging community who enjoyed it. So without to much more rambling from me, I'll get into it.

Azra being the main character and the girl who is becoming a full fledged genie, she wasn't what I was expecting her to be like. She didn't want any of this and she still doesn't want anything to do with her heritage. Now normally something like this would be a turn off for me but it worked for her. Now I know what your thinking, a girl who's a genie and doesn't want to grant wishes, what's up with that. As Mr. Gold says in OUAT "All magic comes at a price" and it's the truth within this story. The other characters were all charming in their own ways and even those who got under my skin, I found myself loving because of the role they played. Even stubborn, angsty, does things her own way Yasmin became a favorite of mine.

The romance on the other hand drove me a bit insane, because Nate and Henry and Azra. I just wish that on this end Azra would have made up her mind. It kind of seemed to me that she was starting to make up her mind and then it changed. More than once. Even with the ending, I'm still not sure how I feel because I still have no idea who. Can you say I'm one confused guy with this right here. 

Lori Goldstein really knew what she was doing because she threw me a plot twist that I would have NEVER seen coming no matter how I looked at it. Understanding that male and female Jinn aren't allowed to live with their families and the female Jinn population lives on Earth and don't know who their fathers are, did make for an interesting case. Being ruled under the Afrit made things more complicated and a much more thrilling read. I read the entire book in a day because it was a story that drew me in.

Are there things that I wished had been done differently? Sure but no matter what book it is, I'll always have that wish. Still for a book about genies, it was one that broke the stereotypes about 3 wishes, magic lamps and all that jazz and gave it a little twist, that had me loving most of it. The parts I didn't like were few and far between. Overall I have to say I can't wait for the second installment.

2 comments:

  1. I've been staring at this book for a few months (mainly because of the pretty cover) and had no idea what it was about until now! A book about genies sounds so unique... I'm officially intrigued =)

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    1. I'm glad this could help you out! I have to say I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about it when I first started the book. I have to say it turned out to be a wonderful read. Hope you enjoy!

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