**I received an ARC from Netgalley. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**
The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee
Release Date: August 8, 2017
My Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 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.
The Epic Crush of Genie Lo was, simply put, one of the best books in 2017. I had heard a lot about this book, so I decided to see if the hype was worth it. And it was! 100% definitely worth the hype.
Genie Lo is a Chinese-American girl who's only focused on one thing: getting into a good college. Then Quentin Sun walks into her class and changes her life. He tells her that all the people and demons from Chinese folklore are real. And they have to fight the demons together because she has a secret power that she never knew about. So, you know, Genie reacts like any rational person would.
She punches him.
I'm paraphrasing, of course, but that's pretty much the gist of the book. Genie is a tall, angry girl, and I love her so much. She just wants to live her life, and Quentin has to come ruin it. It's understandable why she reacts the way she does throughout the book. I totally related to Genie (although I'm not a tol :/), especially with her focus on school.
And the mythology! I'm not Chinese, so I didn't know a lot of it, but it's all explained so well. I'm assuming you all know Percy Jackson and the Olympians? Yeah, this book is just as good, and I don't make that comparison lightly. Genie hears and summarizes all the mythology in her own biting tone. Her humor and her witty comebacks made me actually laugh out loud at times. I was smiling throughout the entire book, and I think I highlighted nearly a third of it, which is a lot considering I usually don't highlight anything.
I don't want to spoil anything, so just trust me when I say you need this book, especially if you're a fan of PJO. We need more books like this, with Asian mythology and humor and Asian protagonists. I'm a little sad that I read this as an ARC actually because I cannot wait a full year for the sequel :(. So seriously, pick this book up on August 18th. You won't regret it.
No comments
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.