Book Review: Jinn and Juice by Nicole Peeler

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

With Jinn and Juice, Nicole Peeler launches a new urban fantasy series — and that’s very good news for fans of her hilarious and awesome Jane True series and for fans of paranormal fictional shenanigans in general.

In Jinn and Juice, we meet Leila — burlesque belly dancer, Pittsburgh resident… and 1,000-year-old jinni (genie). Leila was a young woman cursed by her family’s jinni, the evil Kouros, to live as a jinni for one thousand years. As a jinni, Leila has super magical powers, but she’s also subject to the will and whims of whoever happens to be her Master. Jinni can be either Bound or unBound — meaning that they can be Called and then basically owned by whatever Magi happens to find them. Once Bound to a Magi, jinni must be obedient and carry out their Magi’s orders. On the plus side, though, Bound jinni have access to all sorts of tremendous powers that they can’t access unBound, so there’s that.

For Leila, this jinni business basically sucks. She does not want to be a jinni. She’d love to be human again, and can be — so long as she is unBound when her 1,000 year curse ends. If she’s Bound at that time, then she’ll be cursed for another 1,000 years. Like I said, it sucks.

Leila lives in Pittsburgh, whose steel-soaked grounds provide a weird kind of magical current that Leila can plug into, although most supernaturals find Pittsburgh magic tainted and poisonous. Surrounding Leila are a Peeler-esque cast of unusual characters, including a psychic drag queen, an oracle, a will-o-the-wisp, and a pair of icky-creepy spider wraiths. This odd community works together in a paranormal burlesque club and forms a family of sorts — and they all band together to protect Leila when she is Called and Bound by a new Magi, the kinda-hot Ozan (known as Oz).

Together, Leila and Oz and company set out to locate a missing girl and figure out what the heck is causing all sorts of magical havoc in Pittsburgh. And meanwhile, Leila finds herself drawn to Oz more and more… but is that just the power of the Master-Jinni relationship, or is there actually a there there?

Okay, explanations aside, let me tell you about Jinn and Juice. First of all, it’s fun. If you’ve never read anything by Nicole Peeler, the main thing to know is that she’s hilarious. Her writing rocks, even when the storyline turns dangerous or tragic. Serious and often deadly things do happen, but the author gives her characters amazing lines that are eminently quote-worthy:

“While French fries on salads is pretty magical, that’s not what makes Pittsburgh special,” I said…

Nowadays magic was something for Dungeons and Dragons. In books, vampires sparkled and really wanted to marry teenagers who tripped a lot. Hollywood only dreamed about jinn. And none of these creatures or powers really existed in the same universe as chaos theory, or particle accelerators, or atomic bombs… except they did.

“Hit it with the bench!” shouted Ozan, and I had to obey. I reached for what had been one of the picnic table’s benches, hefting it with ease in one of my hamlike hands. Raising it above my head, I brought it down with all my strength on the bugbear’s head.
“Hulk smash!” I shouted, just for the fun of it.

“Are we ready?” Charlie asked, eyeballing our ragtag bunch with a worried expression. We didn’t exactly look professional… in fact, we looked exactly as you’d imagine a gothic burlesque would look, if it decided to do a SWAT team number.

Second thing to know: Love and sex matter in Peeler’s books. Attraction is hot. Sparks fly. Knees go weak with desire. The sexy factor in Jinn and Juice is top notch. Which is not to say that it’s all easy: One really interesting aspect of this story is how the power dynamics affect the sexual and emotional relationships. Leila’s master can order her to have sex with him if he chooses (although, hilariously, jinni seem to have all sorts of work-arounds when dealing with not-terribly-precise commands for acts that don’t suit them); he could even order her to enjoy it, I suppose. The fact that Leila’s new master is too decent to indulge is noteworthy — and later, even when the attraction is mutual and Leila is very into it, he declines — because how can either of them be sure that it’s real and not just a result of the Magi-Jinni bond?

Fangirl aside: This reminded me of the sire bond issues during the last season of The Vampire Diaries. I’m a big geeky nerd, I know.

The plot of Jinn and Juice is fueled by action, but it’s the people that really make it a treat. Leila herself is pretty awesome (especially how she’s the biggest, baddest thing in the room, despite her seemingly petite human frame), and I love her gang of eccentric, magical friends. Oz is just the right combination of smart, sexy, and sensitive, and the growing emotions and desire between Leila and Oz give off sparks.

Fans of the Jane True series will absolutely want to give Jinn and Juice a whirl — and really, this is a great choice for any one who enjoys urban fantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Fun, magic, snark, along with dangerous, malevolent, volatile bad guys, make for quite an enjoyable and fast-paced adventure. Here’s hoping that the next installment in the series comes along soon!

Want. More. Now.

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The details:

Title: Jinn and Juice
Author: Nicole Peeler
Publisher: Orbit
Publication date: November 25, 2014
Length: 384 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Purchased

18Dec2014

Thursday Quotables: The Hanukkah edition!

Posted in Thursday Quotables by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome back to Thursday Quotables! This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week. Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines of the week will be, and you’re invited to join in!

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel
Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
(published 1989)

Getting into the holiday spirit with an old favorite!

The king of the goblins roared with fury. The earth trembled and a mighty wind arose. It ripped off the synagogue roof and blew down the walls. It splintered the great timbers and scattered them like matchsticks. Around the menorah the whirlwind howled, but the candles never flickered. They burned with clear, steady flames. The king of the goblins had no power over them. The spirit of Hanukkah had triumphed.

Wishing all who celebrate a joyous festival of lights!

What lines made you laugh, cry, or gasp this week? Do tell!

If you’d like to participate in Thursday Quotables, it’s really simple:

Write a Thursday Quotables post on your blog. Try to pick something from whatever you’re reading now. And please be sure to include a link back to Bookshelf Fantasies in your post (http://www.bookshelffantasies.com), if you’d be so kind!
Leave your link in the comments — or, if you have a quote to share but not a blog post, you can leave your quote in the comments too!
Visit other linked blogs to view their Thursday Quotables, and have fun!

16Dec2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday: At the Water’s Edge

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

There’s nothing like a Wednesday for thinking about the books we want to read! My Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday post is linking up with two fabulous book memes, Wishlist Wednesday (hosted by Pen to Paper) and Waiting on Wednesday (hosted by Breaking the Spine).

This week’s pick:

At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen
(to be released June 2, 2015 )

In her stunning new novel, Gruen returns to the kind of storytelling she excelled at in Water for Elephants: a historical timeframe in an unusual setting with a moving love story. Think Scottish Downton Abbey.

After embarrassing themselves at the social event of the year in high society Philadelphia on New Year’s Eve of 1942, Maddie and Ellis Hyde are cut off financially by Ellis’s father, a former army Colonel who is already embarrassed by his son’s inability to serve in WWII due to his being colorblind. To Maddie’s horror, Ellis decides that the only way to regain his father’s favor is to succeed in a venture his father attempted and very publicly failed at: he will hunt the famous Loch Ness monster and when he finds it he will restore his father’s name and return to his father’s good graces (and pocketbook). Joined by their friend Hank, a wealthy socialite, the three make their way to Scotland in the midst of war. Each day the two men go off to hunt the monster, while another monster, Hitler, is devastating Europe. And Maddie, now alone in a foreign country, must begin to figure out who she is and what she wants. The novel tells of Maddie’s social awakening: to the harsh realities of life, to the beauties of nature, to a connection with forces larger than herself, to female friendship, and finally, to love.

I loved Water For Elephants, and this novel set in war-time Scotland sounds wonderful.

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays? Come join me for my regular weekly feature, Thursday Quotables. You can find out more here — come play!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Do you host a book blog meme? Do you participate in a meme that you really, really love? I’m building a Book Blog Meme Directory, and need your help! If you know of a great meme to include — or if you host one yourself — please drop me a note on my Contact page and I’ll be sure to add your info!

15Dec2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Read in 2014

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books I Read in 2014. I read so many great books this past year, and I’ve already raved about quite a few of them. In no particular order, here are the best of the bunch:

Note: If you want to know more about any of the books mentioned here, click on the links to see my reviews.

1) I Shall Be Near To You by Erin Lindsay McCabe

IShallBeNear

2) The Martian by Andy Weir

3) Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon

4) The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

5) Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

6) Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

7) We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

8) The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey

9) Archetype and Prototype by M. D. Waters

10) Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

What were you favorite books from 2014? Share your links, and I’ll come check out your top 10!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider following Bookshelf Fantasies! And don’t forget to check out our regular weekly feature, Thursday Quotables. Happy reading!

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15Dec2014

The Monday Agenda 12/15/2014

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus everything else I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.*

*I’m thinking of changing the theme/title of these Monday posts. Please take my poll — see below!

How did I do with last week’s reading agenda?

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion: Done! My review is here.

The Perfect Mother by Nina Darnton: I’d have to classify this one as an “it was fine” book. I read it; I wanted to see it through to the end; I finished it. But I never got particularly involved with the characters, I found the writing style inconsistent, and I didn’t feel any sense of suspense while reading it. And when I sat down to write a review, I just couldn’t find enough of interest to actually say. So, yeah: Fine.

Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson: Loved it! I’m by no means an expert on the Marvel universe, but this is one comic series that I’ll want to stick with.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand: One word response? Magnificent. You can read my reaction here.

Fresh Catch:

New this week:

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

I’m changing my approach for this section of my Monday Agenda posts. Up to now, I’ve been listing the 2 – 4 books that I’ve been intending to read next. The problem is, it often feels like unwanted pressure to keep on track. One of my new goals is to read according to my mood, not according to a list or schedule. With that in mind, I’m going to start focusing on one book at a time — so my reading agenda for the week will show what’s current, but not what’s on tap for later in the week. Here we go…

Currently in my hands:

I’ve just started Jinn and Juice, the first book in a new urban fantasy series by Nicole Peeler.

Now playing via audiobook:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer: After hearing so much about this series (from so many fans!), I decided to finally give it a try.

Reading with my kiddo:

Talking to Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles #4) by Patricia C. Wrede: My son and I are enjoying the final installment in this series, although I’m not crazy yet about the new main character and wish we’d spend more time with characters from the previous installments. But we’ve only read about a quarter of the book so far, so there’s still hope!

Book club reading:

Classic read: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. (One chapter per week)

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week, from now through the end of 2015!

Landline by Rainbow Rowell: Outlander Book Club’s book-of-the-month for December.

Want to join any of the group reads? Let me know and I’ll provide the links!

POLL: Share your thoughts!

I’m not sure that I love the “agenda” concept any more, since I want to shift my focus a bit. As I mentioned above, I’m trying to do more of my reading to suit my mood, book by book, rather than planning the next several books in advance. I think these posts will become more of an update/review, rather than setting a course for the coming week. With that in mind, what do you think of my title options?

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

Happy reading!

14Dec2014

Mood Rings & Mood Reading

Posted in The Reading Life by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Remember these from ye olden days?

Mood rings! Gah, we were obsessed with these (briefly) in my middle school days. Every girl had to have one — and we took them seriously. Blue means you’re happy! Orange was… angry, I think? Red was supposedly in love. I don’t even remember any more, except that we loved them, we teased each other over what our rings said about our moods, and then the fad faded away, as such things do.

What does this have to do with reading?

Well, I’m having one of THOSE kind of days, stuck in the reading doldrums. Perhaps it’s a result of the reading week I’ve just had. I read a highly anticipated sequel that was mostly a disappointment, and then read another book that really fell flat for me. And now I look around at all the stacks of books waiting to be read, and I just don’t know what to read next.

Nothing is particularly calling my name. Choices abound. On the tops of my piles are a history book, some YA contemporary, a few random ARCs, and a classic or two. I want to read them all… but I don’t know what I want to read right now.

I need a reading mood ring!

Wouldn’t that be awesome? Instead of starting a book and reading a few pages, then sighing and looking for something else, wouldn’t it be great to have a magical mood ring that could identify exactly what the perfect next choice would be?

Blue ring? Pick up some epic fantasy, like Mistborn or The Lies of Locke Lamora!

Red? How about something with battles and blood, like a war epic or a history book or historical fiction? Maybe even some war-themed sci-fi, like Old Man’s War by John Scalzi?

Green? I’m thinking hints of magic, like a fairy tale retelling (Bitter Greens, perhaps) or some new urban fantasy, like Nicole Peeler’s Jinn and Juice.

Yellow? Hmm, I don’t know, perhaps some contemporary dramatic novels?

Purple? I’d go with YA, anything current and fun and bestselling, of course.

Think of the possibilities! How about a Magic 8 ball that picks a genre for you? Or maybe a cootie catcher with eight different book titles inside?

For now, though, I’m kind of stuck. I have no magical devices or cheesy 70s artifacts to pick my next book for me! I guess I’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way… and just dive in, start a few books, and hope something clicks in a big way.

If not, I’ll be wandering the streets looking for a palm-reader to help me figure it all out.

Should I read some Stephen King today?

11Dec2014

Book Review: The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

First things first: The Rosie Effect is a sequel, continuing the story begun in The Rosie Project. And really, if you haven’t read the first book, there’s no point in reading this one.

The Rosie Effect picks up soon after the end of The Rosie Project, following Rosie and Don to Manhattan as they begin their lives as a married couple, with the complications you’d expect from this unusual pair. No sooner have they started settling into their lives — Don as a visiting professor at Columbia Medical School, Rosie finishing up her PhD thesis and entering med school — than a bombshell of a surprise comes along: Rosie is pregnant. And Don is thrown for a loop.

Rosie and Don take very different approaches to pregnancy, of course. Don, ever the man of science, embarks on a plan to maximize Rosie’s health — and Rosie does not take kindly to Don’s constant input on everything from appropriate pregnancy nutrition to stress levels to exercise needs. The marriage is on the rocks, and it doesn’t seem like there’s much hope.

Meanwhile, Don finds himself in exactly the sort of absurd situations you’d expect. Upon getting advice from a friend that he should spend some time observing children in order to prepare for fatherhood, Don does exactly that… and ends up getting arrested after hanging out in a children’s playground taking videos of the kids playing.

Ultimately, the plot of The Rosie Effect boils down to a headline from a 1980s women’s magazine: Can this marriage be saved?

My reaction to this book is mixed. While there are certainly many amusing scenarios (let’s not forget the Bluefin Tuna Incident!), I’m not at all convinced that a sequel to The Rosie Project was necessary. In The Rosie Effect, it’s really just a lot of more of the same. Don is peculiar, highly intelligent, and emotionally stilted. He does some pretty amazing things, but always from a place of cluelessness. There’s a cast of supporting characters who are funny, unusual, and perfect complements to Don’s oddball nature. Rosie herself seems to be a bit absent in this book; while she’s always around and is on Don’s mind constantly, I wouldn’t have had much sense of her personality or desires without having read the first book.

Basically, everything that I found delightful and charming about the first book is repeated here in the second — and that’s the problem. The Rosie Project was new and different; The Rosie Effect is just a continuation. Without the newness, it’s treading familiar ground, and I simply wasn’t nearly as amused as I was the first time I encountered Don Tillman in all his glory.

The Rosie Effect is a quick read, but I actually think I could have done without it. It definitely picks up by the end, but there’s only so many time similar antics can play out before they become tedious. The Rosie Project was one of my favorite books of 2013, but in my opinion, should have been left as a stand-alone story. Sadly, this unnecessary sequel was mostly a disappointment to me. Still, the author is clearly quite talented, and I hope he’ll tell a new tale in whatever he publishes next.

_________________________________________

The details:

Title: The Rosie Effect
Author: Graeme Simsion
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication date: US publication date: December 30, 2014
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy via NetGalley

11Dec2014

Audiobook Review: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

I just finished listening to the audiobook of Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and it blew me away. I haven’t been this mesmerized by any book — much less a non-fiction book — in a long time.

In this true story, we follow the amazing life of Louis Zamperini – childhood troublemaker, Olympic runner, WWII bombadier, and POW camp survivor. Louis’s story is so incredible that if it were fiction, I’d have complained, “Come on. How much can one person go through? This is beyond belief.”

Louis’s war-era ordeal began when his B-24 bomber crashed during a search flight for a missing plane in the Pacific. Louis then spent 47 days adrift on a life raft with no food or rations except what he and his companions could somehow catch or collect. Rescue finally came from a Japanese ship, and Louis then spent the next two years in a series of Japanese POW camps, suffering horrible brutality and inhumane, degrading conditions.

And yet, this remarkable man survived, spirit intact. He managed to hang on through one long period of deprivation and physical hardship after another, maintaining his hope and courage, supported by memories of his family’s love as well as the friendship of the other prisoners by his side.

I am so glad that I finally read (heard) this book. The narration is no-frills, but quite good. I was afraid that a non-fiction audiobook would be too dry to hold my interest, since my attention does tend to wander quite easily when I listen to books. No worries needed, in the case of Unbroken. I was as fascinated by this book as I’ve ever been by any suspense novel, and found myself both breathless with anticipation and moved to tears at times.

With the movie release scheduled for Christmas day, Unbroken is getting a renewed burst of media coverage — although as far as I can tell, it’s been on the the bestseller list continuously since it was published. (According to the New York Times, it’s been on the list for 181 weeks!). If you’re thinking of seeing the movie but haven’t read the book, I’d say read it first. I loved all the little details of Louis’s life, the quotes from letters, diaries, and newspaper articles, the interviews with family members and friends, and the historical context in which his story takes place.

Unbroken is a rich and moving story, and I just can’t recommend it highly enough. Whether in print or via audio, it should not be missed.

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The details:

Title: Unbroken
Author: Laura Hillenbrand
Publisher: Random House
Publication date: First published 2010
Length: 406 pages
Genre: Non-fiction/History
Source: Purchased

Audiobook info:
Narrated by Edward Herrmann
Length: 14 hours

10Dec2014

Thursday Quotables: The Rosie Effect

Posted in Thursday Quotables by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome back to Thursday Quotables! This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week. Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines of the week will be, and you’re invited to join in!

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
(US publication date December 30, 2014)

Don and Rosie are back!

Orange juice was not scheduled for Fridays. Although Rosie and I had abandoned the Standardized Meal System, resulting in an improvement in “spontaneity” at the expense of shopping time, food inventory, and wastage, we had agreed that each week should include three alcohol-free days. Without formal scheduling, this target proved difficult to achieve, as I had predicted.

In this sequel to The Rosie Project, the quirky love story keeps rolling along:

“To the world’s most perfect woman.” It was lucky my father was not present. Perfect is an absolute that cannot be modified, like unique or pregnant. My love for Rosie was so powerful that it had caused my brain to make a grammatical error.

What lines made you laugh, cry, or gasp this week? Do tell!

If you’d like to participate in Thursday Quotables, it’s really simple:

Write a Thursday Quotables post on your blog. Try to pick something from whatever you’re reading now. And please be sure to include a link back to Bookshelf Fantasies in your post (http://www.bookshelffantasies.com), if you’d be so kind!
Leave your link in the comments — or, if you have a quote to share but not a blog post, you can leave your quote in the comments too!
Visit other linked blogs to view their Thursday Quotables, and have fun!

10Dec2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday: The Secrets We Keep

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

This week’s pick:

The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver
(to be released April 28, 2015 )

A girl takes over her twin sister’s identity in this emotionally charged page-turner about the complicated bond between sisters.

Ella and Maddy Lawton are identical twins. Ella has spent her high school years living in popular Maddy’s shadows, but she has never been envious of Maddy. In fact, she’s chosen the quiet, safe confines of her sketchbook over the constant battle for attention that has defined Maddy’s world.

When—after a heated argument—Maddy and Ella get into a tragic accident that leaves her sister dead, Ella wakes up in the hospital surrounded by loved ones who believe she is Maddy. Feeling responsible for Maddy’s death and everyone’s grief, Ella makes a split-second decision to pretend to be Maddy. Soon, Ella realizes that Maddy’s life was full of secrets. Caught in a web of lies, Ella is faced with two options—confess her deception or live her sister’s life.

Twins, stolen identities, and deception? I’m in!

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays? Come join me for my regular weekly feature, Thursday Quotables. You can find out more here — come play!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥