 |
| TITLE: Becoming Jinn (Becoming Jinn #1) AUTHOR: Lori Goldstein PUBLISHER: Feiwel and Friends PUB DATE: Apr 21 2015 |
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.
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.
- Source: Goodreads
Rating:
Becoming Jinn by its cover doesn’t scream much attention, although the simplicity of the design tells a lot with just that one silver bracelet. The summary on the other hand, gives off a very interesting story to look forward to. The book itself? A very long introduction.
Becoming Jinn tells the story of Azra, a genie-in-training who wishes nothing more than to be a normal person, and by person I mean human. But no one can escape the life of a Jinn.
Azra is a very likable character. Her compassion for the people she loves is commendable. But her impulsiveness makes her all the more relatable.
While I love a good introductory narrative, I find this a little too uneventful and way too much explanatory. It was informative at its best since it gives answers to the most drilling questions about its lore you could think of, but it would have been nice to be balanced with a more definite dilemma at hand, and a more heart stopping situation for our heroine, since most of it was just wrapped up in the mystery of the Jinn world.
I can’t say that nothing really happened either, although it wasn’t as thrilling as I expected, the story did move forward and it progressed to events leading to deeper questioning of Azra’s Jinn ancestry.
With my experience, Becoming Jinn feels like a series that will be providing its readers with an invigorating storyline. The background story alone is already gripping and worth knowing. In spite of it being on the slow side, I am still looking forward to reading more of this Jinn world, and see its potential to grow.
*Thank you, Macmillan, Feiwel and Friends, and NetGalley for granting my request to view Becoming Jinn.
