Jinn and Juice by Nicole Peeler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Every so often I just want an urban fantasy that’s fluffy and fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously. JINN AND JUICE fits that description. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of grit in here (it takes place in Pittsburgh, after all), but the main character isn’t afraid to make fun of things, including herself. The supporting characters are interesting and diverse, if sometimes a little predictable in their actions.
This was a fast read, made possible by the frequent action scenes. Leila, our (almost) thousand-year-old jinn narrator, has just a week left before she can become human again–but only if she isn’t Bound by a Magi at the time. So of course she ends up becoming Bound by a newbie Magi on a quest to save a girl he knows from the refugee camp. He promises to release Leila before the deadline, but there’s all sorts of magic badness afoot…
I appreciated how the setting in Pittsburgh actually had a role to play in the story. There was a lot of cultural mixing here, with kitsunes and drag queens and trolls and mythology that most people probably aren’t that familiar with. The Magi Oz isn’t an alpha male like so many other UF heroes, which is a refreshing change (but rest assured he isn’t a pushover). There is, of course, a master/slave relationship which is a little uncomfortable, but Leila isn’t shy of making the best of any deal she goes into, whether Sideways (wouldn’t your own pocket of magic be handy?) or in the bed.
The betrayal prior to the end was somewhat telegraphed, and the big bad sometimes seemed like he was having a temper tantrum (though our venerable narrator was also a little immature, so maybe it’s a “I’ve lived so long I don’t have to act like an adult” bit?), but this book made me laugh, and I appreciated the diversity of characters, so I’ll be looking for the sequel. And yes, it is a beautiful cover.
Received as a free digital ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.