Review: "Becoming Jinn & Circle of Jinn"

 Becoming Jinn & Circle of Jinn by Lori Goldstein
3.5 out of 5 stars

I first heard about this series when I met Lori at the Daring Reads YA Panel back in the spring. I've never read any of her books but this one sounded really interesting and unique. She gave out little pamphlets that had a short section of the first book and it hooked me, so I added it to my list and bought it at the NTTBF in April. Then of course, I had to buy the second one because hello, cliffhanger! I really enjoyed them both, overall. There were a few minor quibbles here and there but nothing big. Honestly, I thought this was going to be a bigger series but it looks like it's just a duo for now. I'm actually kind of disappointed, I would have liked more in this world. Also, the covers are just gorgeous! You don't see very many purple books.

(pic by me & heavily edited lol)

Okay, anyway. The story starts off with Azra on her sixteenth birthday, coming to terms that she is now an adult Jinn. In other words, a genie. And she is not taking it well. She doesn't want to be a genie or grant wishes or even keep the super hot makeover she automatically got, along with her Jinn bracelet/bangle/shackle. She just wants to be normal. Which is so not going to happen now.

I've always liked genies. I Dream of Jeannie was one of my favorite shows to watch as a kid (as reruns, I'm not that old lol). And there were quite a few genie-related shows in the 90s: Jambi on Pee Wee's Playhouse, Kazaam with Shaq (my sister loved that movie), and of course Aladdin. I haven't been able to watch Aladdin since Robin Williams died. :( I love the music though and listen to it quite often. My junior high choir had to learn Friend Like Me and I still know 75% of it by heart lol.

So Azra doesn't want to do the whole genie thing but she doesn't have a choice. She also doesn't want to have anything to do with her Zar, which is like her sisterhood, a group of teenage girls that are or will be Jinn eventually too. These should be her closest friends and family but she's shunned them for years now so doesn't have any of that support to help her deal with this big change. And wow, is it a big change. I mean, she can do magic now and apparate anywhere in the world. But she also has to learn how to grant wishes for people that the Afrit (head cheese Jinn) choose for her. She can't just grant anyone a wish, as much as she would like to. Especially cute friend boy across the street Henry. Human Henry, who is not supposed to find out about her secret but of course does, immediately.

I liked Henry, a lot. But of course, there had to be another guy that Azra was hot for and thus, a love triangle was born. Boo. I didn't hate it but it just wasn't necessary. I loved Azra's interactions with her Zar sisters and her mother. You may notice I haven't mentioned a dad or any male relatives. Well, in the Jinn culture, the women stay in the "human world", granting wishes, while the men stay below or hidden in the Jinn world. Kind of a nice switch really. This comes up more in the second book so I won't spoil it too much.

So we've got a rebellious teenager, magic wishes, and a love triangle. What more do we need? A little conflict? Oh sure. Azra is one of those exceptional teenage girls in the likes of Katniss, Tris, and others. And she is "destined" to do "something" lol. The second book leads up to a big battle that unfortunately, didn't seem that big to me. That's part of the reason I thought this would be a longer series; I was completely not expecting it all to get wrapped up that quickly. And maybe it's not. She left it kind of open so she could possibly come back to it later. Overall, I enjoyed these books but was left wanting a little bit more in the end.

Double Review: "Belzhar" and "The Bell Jar"

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

originally 4 stars, now 2.5-3

I first heard about and met Meg Wolitzer at a Half Price Books author event and after hearing her talk about this book, I had to go pick it up. It was such an interesting concept and I'm a sucker for boarding school stories, so I was pretty excited about it. You could almost call this a retelling of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, which is why I decided to read the classic after this and am reviewing them together now.

The basic story is about a girl, Jam, who goes through a horrible, life-changing event and is sent to a boarding school for troubled youth. First of all, yes, her name is Jam. I kind of liked it but I know it irritated some people (my middle sister for one, who I gave this to after I finished it). Jam's boyfriend, the fiendishly handsome and British Reeve, dies suddenly and Jam can't cope with it. It's been a year and her parents have done everything they can think of so the school is their last hope. Of course, Jam is resistant to any help at first until she is enrolled in a special writing class with a few other hand-chosen people. All of these students have suffered extra horrible losses and problems in their lives and their teacher feels they need extra help.

Their teacher requires them to read Plath's book, along with her other work, and keep a personal journal for the semester. She provides these journals and the group soon realizes there is something extra special about them. As they progress, the group gets closer and begins to talk about their individual traumas and heal. All except Jam. She bonds with the group, yes, but still refuses to talk about the day Reeve died. We get plenty of flashbacks showing their relationship but that's it. I felt for her, I really did, the pain she was feeling was real and intense. But. However. And then. A thing happens and the story changes and I felt betrayed as a reader. (I'm trying to be as general as possible here to avoid spoilers for those who still want to read it.)

Have you ever had that feeling of betrayal while reading a book? I felt it a bit in Harry Potter when we find out Snape's true story but I was happy for that reveal. I was not happy about this one. And it completely changed how I viewed this book. My sister felt the same way. So take that with a grain of salt if you still plan on reading this one.

“We're talking about the novel, right? But maybe we're not. 

We're talking about ourselves. And I guess that's what can start to 

happen when you talk about a book.”

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
3.5 stars

This is a classic that I'm finding hard to review. Actually, I'm finding it hard to call it a classic, but it is, don't you think? Does it belong with To Kill a Mockingbird and The Grapes of Wrath? Would it be considered a modern classic, even though it's set in the 1950s and seems incredibly outdated reading it now? Semantics aside, I am glad I read it and think it's a story that many people can relate to and will benefit from reading.

Considered an autobiography of sorts for Plath, this book tells the story of Esther Greenwood and the summer she has a mental breakdown. I felt very still and very empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo. Esther is in New York, working for a fashion magazine on a scholarship/contest she won. She tries her hardest to fit in with all the other fashionable girls, but deep down she knows she's a fraud from a small midwestern town. This eats at her soul until she starts to crack.

We see Esther falling apart, eventually attempting suicide, and being sent to a mental hospital, where she undergoes electroshock therapy. Her story is told honestly and with little embellishment, because it's not needed. It's horrifying enough on its own, with just the facts. Yes, this is a hard story to read but it's worth it.

eta: I originally had this review scheduled for Wednesday, but I didn't get it written in time. I wish I had because it was the perfect day with the news of the movie coming out!

Double Review: "Lost Lake" & "Promises to Keep"

Last time I was at the library, I checked out 3 adult books, as opposed to the massive amounts of young adult I usually get. I feel a little weird calling it "adult" sometimes, do you? Like it should be censored or something lol. Anyway, I picked up two old favorite authors and one new to me. I've read the first two so far and thought it'd be good to do a double review day for them. Mostly because I'm lazy, but also because they share a similar theme of over-coming hard times and having the strength to move on. Have you read any good/great adult books lately? I'd love to hear about them...sometimes I do feel like I read waaay too much YA.

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
3.5 out of 5 stars

I've read all four of SAA's previous books and adored them, so I was really looking forward to her first new book in four years. She was battling a big health crisis in that time (happily recovered now) and you can feel a tinge of that in this book, along with the magical hope that is a trademark of her books. I really want to go reread one of her other books now, maybe I will as a reward when I finish Jane Eyre (I'm having an awful time with that one, unfortunately.)

Lost Lake alternates between two main stories: that of Eby Pim, an elderly woman who is ready to close down the lakeside paradise she and her late husband built up so many years ago; and Kate Pheris, a young woman who is finally waking up after losing her husband a year before. When Kate's daughter, Devin, finds a postcard from Great-Aunt Eby, they decide to make a spontaneous road-trip to see her and the old lake. Eight year old Devin is an adorable and precocious child who likes to wear crazy mismatched clothes and sees things that others don't, such as the alligator at the lake who wants to help her save the camp.

There is an all-star cast of secondary characters, any of whom I'd love to read a full story about: Lisette, a small beautiful French woman who cannot speak but still has a way with words; Jack, the man who has loved her for 30 years but can't seem to tell her; Bulahdeen & Selma, best friends but complete opposites; and Wes, the boy who helped Kate have the best summer of her childhood. Oh, and the alligator...he's a big part of the story too.

I loved the flashbacks to Eby's honeymoon in Paris and Amsterdam and the glimpses we get of the older folks' lives too, especially Bulahdeen. "You can't change where you came from, but you can change where you go from here. Just like a book. If you don't like the ending, you make up a new one."


Promises to Keep by Jane Green
3 out of 5 stars

This is hard to review. I picked it up because of the Goodreads summary, which is blatantly wrong (and I plan on trying to get it fixed soon.) I was expecting a light-hearted typical Jane Green book and this was so not it. If you've read any of her earlier books: Jemima J, Mr Maybe, etc...you'll know what I'm talking about. Well, apparently Jane is sick of writing the fluffy, twenty-something, chick-lit books and wants to write serious books for "grown-ups" now. Kind of disappointing.

This book started out decent, two sisters, one 30 and one 39, living great lives in and around New York City. The 30 yr old, Steffi, is a perpetual dater of up & coming wannabe rock stars, a chef at a booming vegan restaurant, and is constantly ready for change. Callie is 39 and very happily married with 2 wonderful kids, a lovely home in the suburbs, and a booming photography career. Then there's Lila, the 42 yr old BFF, who gave up on having a happily ever after years ago because she's too fat, too Jewish, too blah blah blah. And of course, as soon as she gives up and becomes happy with just herself, she finds a man.

Sounds like a normal chick-lit book right? The first half really is, telling about the 3 women's lives and relationships with various men (for Steffi, at least) and it's decent. But you start to get this sense of foreboding, when Callie says, for the millionth time, how perfect her life is. Something is going to happen and it's going to be bad, right? This is about when I posted on FB that I needed to put my book in the freezer and read something lighter for a while lol.

I'm going to try to be really non-specific here, okay? The last half of the book gets serious and while it's still a good read and all, it wasn't what I was looking for. The 3 women and their loved ones have to deal with this serious thing and it's hard to read. Green does to try to have an uplifting message in the end, but it feels kind of flat to me. "[She] sees pain, and grief, sadness and loss. And yet...and yet...there is love, and laughter, and life." So, if you're looking to have a good cry, this is a perfect read. If not, maybe try one of her earlier books.

Review: "Landline"

Landline by Rainbow Rowell
4 out of 5 stars

Rainbow Rowell is magical. Seriously, she is a magical awkward unicorn (and I mean that in the best possible way). I think I've said this before, but 2014 is for sure the year of Rainbow. I've read all 4 of her books since February and can't wait to pick up My True Love Gave to Me for the holidays. That anthology is going to make my winter faaaabulous!! :) Oooh, I just had a thought...I'm off the whole week of & after Christmas til New Year's. Maybe I should save it til then and read one story a day? If I can wait that long lol.

Okay, back to Landline! Georgie McCool (best name ever) is a TV sitcom writer and married to Neal, a stay-at-home dad of 2 little girls. Noomi might be my favorite character, just because she thinks she's a cat. >.< Georgie and Neal's marriage has been kind of rocky for a long time and they have been avoiding the problems, focusing instead on the kids. When Georgie gets a big job opportunity at Christmas-time that conflicts with their trip to Neal's hometown in Omaha, it becomes a catalyst for change. Whether it's good or bad change is up to them though.

Georgie stays home to work and ends up spending a lot of time at her mom's house in her old room. Due to a faulty cell phone battery, she pulls out her old yellow rotary phone from the depths of the closet and calls Neal on that. But something is off. And that's where the magic begins. Literally.

This is Rowell's second adult book and just as good as her young adult books. I don't know how she does it. The story of two adults in a not-so-great relationship is told well and with sincerity. We feel for Georgie when her dream gig might finally be happening but her partner isn't so excited about it. Neal's frustration with her long hours and unpredictable schedule is understanding. And yet, their love for each other still shines throughout the story, told in flashbacks to when they first met at school and present day.

I'm not sure how many people have heard of the "twist" in the story (even though it's sort of in the Goodreads summary), so I thought it'd be a good idea to put the spoiler owl up.

I loved the magic phone. Who hasn't dreamed of being able to talk to your past self or go back in time to a certain point to fix some huge mistake? I have a big soft spot for stories like that, Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux is one of my favorites. I didn't really care that the phone was never fully explained, how or why it became magic, what she did with it afterwards, etc...It didn't matter to me. Maybe it was all in her head, but as the great Dumbledore says, "Of course it is happening inside your head, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

The ending was great, in a way, but I wanted more. That's just me being selfish though. Same with Eleanor & Park. I would love to see a companion/alternate book where Seth finds the magic phone and starts talking to 1994 Georgie and convinces her to pick him instead of Neal. I liked Seth and I think he and Georgie would have been good together in a way and it would have been interesting to see where their story went. I loved her sister, Heather, and the story with the pizza person. That was adorable. Oh, who am I kidding? The whole book was adorable! Go read it again! And if you haven't read it yet, what the heck are you doing down here in the spoilers?? ;)