Cannonball Read 13

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Search This Site

| Log in
  1. Follow us on Facebook
  2. Follow us on Twitter
  3. Follow us on Instagram
  4. Follow us on Goodreads
  5. RSS Feeds

  • Home
  • About
    • About CBR
    • Getting Started
    • Cannon Book Club
    • Diversions
    • Fan Mail
    • Holiday Book Exchange
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
    • Participation Badges
    • AlabamaPink
  • Our Team
    • Leaderboard
    • The CBR Team
    • Recent Comments
    • CBR Interviews
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Categories
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • How You Can Donate
    • Book Sale
    • CBR Merchandise
    • Supporters and Friends of CBR
  • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Follow Us
> FAQ Home
> Genre: Comedy/Humor > Can we talk about California as the Hellmouth?

Can we talk about California as the Hellmouth?

February 10, 2018 by J 3 Comments

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is the story of a high school girl who learns that it’s not enough that she has to work her butt off to get into an Ivy and please her traditional Chinese mother. Now it turns out she has to prevent some of the worst demons of Chinese mythology from eating the people of the Bay Area. Can a girl get a break?

I can’t remember where I stumbled over the synopsis for Genie Lo, but it has been in my TBR pile for a while, probably due to the title. I wasn’t in a place for angst over a teen boy. Now I’m mad I waited so long. This book is amazing. Genie is smart, capable, insecure, funny, and while yeah, she has a little bit of boy-related drama, it’s not anywhere near the center of the story.

Genie’s story is one of self-discovery. Quentin Sun arrives out of the blue in the middle of sophomore year to tell Genie that she’s the reincarnation of redacted, an immensely powerful figure in Chinese mythology. Even worse, there’s been an outbreak of demons from Diyu, aka Hell, and the Jade Emperor is dumping clean-up responsibility on Quentin and Genie.

I loved this book. It’s humorous without being jokey. The characters are people you’d want to spend time with. Genie is a good kid who wants to please, but isn’t willing to be pushed into someone else’s idea of who she ought to be. Not before she figures it out herself. Quentin is a good friend who comes on a little strong in the beginning, but he listens and adjusts according to Genie’s feedback.

I wish I had a little more Chinese mythology under my belt in coming into this, but the book does a great job of walking unfamiliar readers through the landscape.

If you are a YA reader, if you loved any of Rick Riordan’s mythology-based series, if you like any of the fantasy series centered on a teenage girl who can kick some serious butt, add this one to your TBR pile. You won’t regret it.

Filed Under: Comedy/Humor, Fantasy, Young Adult Tagged With: F. C. Yee

Post by J · Genres: Comedy/Humor, Fantasy, Young Adult · Tags: F. C. Yee ·
Rating:
· 3 Comments

About J

CBR13 participantCBR12 participantCBR11 participantCBR10 participantCBR  9

Just a girl, sitting in front of a book, wanting it to be good. View J's reviews»

Comments

  1. Scootsa1000 says

    February 10, 2018 at 12:21 pm

    THIS SOUNDS AMAZING.

    Reply
  2. J says

    February 10, 2018 at 12:40 pm

    IT IS!!

    Reply
  3. Jenny S says

    February 10, 2018 at 2:10 pm

    I agree. This sounds like something I’d like. (You had me at “Hellmouth.”)

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.



Recent Comments

  • LanierHgts on I hated this book and I could not stop reading itAwww thanks! I read this earlier this year but just got to reviewing it now because I needed to think about it. As I was...
  • Emmalita on I hated this book and I could not stop reading itThis is a great review. "Beautifully written, but I hated it" is a real reader dilemma.
  • esmemoria on “As any magician knows, it is not the smoke and mirrors that trick people; it is that the human mind makes assumptions and misunderstands them as truths.”I don't usually like memoirs either, but this one sounds really intriguing.
  • LanierHgts on I hated this book and I could not stop reading itThanks! It took me a while to figure out how to say it. I wish I had liked it. It is so beautifully written.
  • narfna on A surprisingly earnest (and not surprisingly literal) exploration of the Bible.It is a forgettable book to have on the shelf, as you can tell by my having only read it after a very long period,...
See More Recent Comments »

Want to Help Out?

CBR has a great crew of volunteers, and we're always looking for more people to help out. If you have a specialty or are willing to learn, drop MsWas a line.

  • How You Can Donate
  • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Volunteers
  • Leaderboard
  • AlabamaPink
  • Contact

Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo
  3. Google Pay
© 2021 Cannonball Read | Log in