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The Jinni #1
Jinn and Juice
Meet Jinn, belly dancer, and the hottest new urban fantasy heroine in town.
To escape an arranged marriage, a jinni granted Lyla her to live a thousand years as a jinni herself.
Now, her servitude is ending, but there are a few obstacles in Lyla's path to freedom. A Magi intent on binding her again, a jinni bent on vengeance, and not to mention the nightmare from her past that threatens to make her curse permanent -- and claim her very soul.
"Jinn and Juice" is the first in a new series by fantasy writer, Nicole Peeler set in a world of immortal curses, vengeful jinni and belly dancing.
To escape an arranged marriage, a jinni granted Lyla her to live a thousand years as a jinni herself.
Now, her servitude is ending, but there are a few obstacles in Lyla's path to freedom. A Magi intent on binding her again, a jinni bent on vengeance, and not to mention the nightmare from her past that threatens to make her curse permanent -- and claim her very soul.
"Jinn and Juice" is the first in a new series by fantasy writer, Nicole Peeler set in a world of immortal curses, vengeful jinni and belly dancing.
374 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 25, 2014
34 people are currently reading
1476 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Peeler
15 books1,150 followersNicole D. Peeler is an essayist and novelist, as well as an associate professor at Seton Hill University, where she directs their MFA in Writing Popular Fiction. Find out more at https://nicolepeeler.com, or sign up for her free newsletter at https://nicolepeeler.substack.com/.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
May 5, 2015
This was a case of cover loving. I saw that beautiful cover and squeed my fan-girl yell.
Then I smacked myself upside the head when I started reading this.
A pretty cover does not a great book make.
After almost making it the thousand years needed to escape her Jinn curse Leila ends up being bound by a dumb-ass. A bland, boring, spineless dumb-ass.
Ozan Sawyer binds her to help him find a missing girl who of course is in jeopardy.
Borrringgg.
The side characters gave this story a star all of their own, they were fun and there is a whole bunch of stuff going on with this story. I just wish more time had been spent on world building and less on worrying about making a love connection between the two main characters.
I didn't hate the book but I'm erasing it from my mind for being vanilla.
Then I smacked myself upside the head when I started reading this.
A pretty cover does not a great book make.
After almost making it the thousand years needed to escape her Jinn curse Leila ends up being bound by a dumb-ass. A bland, boring, spineless dumb-ass.
Ozan Sawyer binds her to help him find a missing girl who of course is in jeopardy.
Borrringgg.
The side characters gave this story a star all of their own, they were fun and there is a whole bunch of stuff going on with this story. I just wish more time had been spent on world building and less on worrying about making a love connection between the two main characters.
I didn't hate the book but I'm erasing it from my mind for being vanilla.
October 28, 2015
I enjoyed this read. It's very much what I think of as classic urban fantasy. By which I mean: lots of fun side characters, pithy remarks, witty banter, scenes full of action, and a nice thread of romance.
All in all, I felt like the places where this book was particularly successful was with the Jinn as a magical creature, with the romance (thanks for not making it a triangle!), and where Nicole is playing with the light-hearted fun side of urban fantasy. I do feel that it could have been a great stand-alone book and for me might've been stronger that way. I would've liked to see the story end about six pages before it did, with the successful defeat of the enemy and Lyla achieving her humanity. We could have even had a nice sex scene at the end to finish mattress off. I understand, however, from a business perspective that urban fantasy series are industry standard.
All in all, I felt like the places where this book was particularly successful was with the Jinn as a magical creature, with the romance (thanks for not making it a triangle!), and where Nicole is playing with the light-hearted fun side of urban fantasy. I do feel that it could have been a great stand-alone book and for me might've been stronger that way. I would've liked to see the story end about six pages before it did, with the successful defeat of the enemy and Lyla achieving her humanity. We could have even had a nice sex scene at the end to finish mattress off. I understand, however, from a business perspective that urban fantasy series are industry standard.
February 17, 2015
I love chips. I know they're unhealthy and will probably shorten my life span and that I will regret it later when I'm old and senile and cranky as frack, but I just can't help it. I love chips of all flavors - cheese, BBQ, sour cream, cheesy jalapeño - you name it. I see a bag of chips and I brighten up quickly. They're one of my guilty pleasures.
However, there are exceptions. There are times a bag of chips make me unhappy and unsatisfied. Like, you open one and realize that puffy bag of chips was actually made up of 25% fatty goodness and 75% air.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT THAT BLOODY SUCKS, DUDE.
You're probably wondering the relevance of my silly "bag-o-chips" drivel. Well, to be completely honest, there's really nothing, but the disappointment between this book and that is pretty much spot-on. Jinn and Juice made me drool over its premise - an urban fantasy with a belly dancing jinni?! Magis (shameless plugging: there is actually a manga called "Magi" and it's pretty fucking bad-ass. MUST. READ)?! Dude, something like that will rile me up faster than you can blink. Unfortunately, while the book was enjoyable at times, it definitely wasn't all THAT like I expected it would be. I don't consider it a fail as there were positive factors, but overall, meh.
Let's talk about the setting. This world is OUR world except that it's made up of two planes - Sideways and our own dimension. Sideways is where the purebreed supernatural creatures reside. Our world is where the humans and the half-breeds live. Sounds simple, yes? Basically, the reader is supposed to feel familiar with the surroundings because HELLO PITTSBURGH, but unfortunately, it never felt like that. It never felt like the world was set in Earth (with just a touch of magic) because our cast of characters never does any human activity that would actually make us feel they're in Earth, making it feel like I was reading a story with a very, very fantasy setting. All they do is go to these places that are strictly for their kind, do things that are strictly for their kind, and then all of a sudden we get these pop culture references that make my eyes twitch in annoyance because they feel SO. OUT. OF. PLACE.
Do I make sense? The way the story was written, the way the setting was set up, it never felt like it took place on Earth so it decided to just throw in some popular movies and celebrity names to make up for it, which I felt was a major cop-out. It's like "Blah blah blah blah PARANORMAL STUFF blah blah blah PARANORMAL STUFF blah blah blah DONALD TRUMP blah blah blah PARANORMAL STUFF blah blah blah TITANIC!"
And I'm like, "...what?"
Here are examples:
...when the whole book feels like it takes place on a new world altogether. Can you guys see just how much it threw me off, every time this happened?!
And that's not all my problems. The world-building is just super vague and shaky. We all have these mythological creatures from all kinds of mythologies all over the world, and we really don't get much information about them to build a solid foundation for me to take it seriously. There's a Seer from the Oracle, a kitsune from Japanese mythology, a succubus, spider wraiths, vampires, a Will-o-Wisp, a siren, etc. etc. and sometimes all we get are "they are older than humanity!" There are some explanations here and there, but they didn't feel solid or meaningful enough for me to take a grasp of the world. It's like, oh, okay, creatures from every walk of life are in here and we should just accept that as fact. Which makes me really bummed because it's a world that has potential to be complex (as in Kate Daniels kind of complex), but the lack of depth just really blew it.
If there's one thing this book is, however, it's absolutely plot-driven. If you like books that are fast-paced, then this is definitely for you, because the action and the catalyst for the main plot starts really quickly and really early. It did leave me feeling very detached to the rest of the characters, though... there is not much backstory for many of them, although I won't take this against the book because it's obviously a series, and there will be more later on, but I did wish there was more internal narration from the main character. At some point, it was all ACTION ACTION ACTION and not much character development. It's not that bad, but I guess I just prefer a balance.
I do love the heroine, though. She's feisty, she's courageous and strong-willed, she knows what she wants, and she endured a shit-ton of stuff for almost a millenia. However, like I said, her backstory was very minimal. It didn't really bring out any emotional pull in me as it was told in a very "tell-not-show" way, and it definitely made me yearn for more.
Overall, not a bad series starter, but in the end, something that I am not enthusiastic for. There is potential for a big, vast, and complex world here, but the cop-outs and the way the setting was set up were monumental disappointments. I'm still interested in reading the next book to see where it will go next, as it feels like the real story has just begun, so here's to crossing my fingers that it would be better by then!
However, there are exceptions. There are times a bag of chips make me unhappy and unsatisfied. Like, you open one and realize that puffy bag of chips was actually made up of 25% fatty goodness and 75% air.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT THAT BLOODY SUCKS, DUDE.
You're probably wondering the relevance of my silly "bag-o-chips" drivel. Well, to be completely honest, there's really nothing, but the disappointment between this book and that is pretty much spot-on. Jinn and Juice made me drool over its premise - an urban fantasy with a belly dancing jinni?! Magis (shameless plugging: there is actually a manga called "Magi" and it's pretty fucking bad-ass. MUST. READ)?! Dude, something like that will rile me up faster than you can blink. Unfortunately, while the book was enjoyable at times, it definitely wasn't all THAT like I expected it would be. I don't consider it a fail as there were positive factors, but overall, meh.
Let's talk about the setting. This world is OUR world except that it's made up of two planes - Sideways and our own dimension. Sideways is where the purebreed supernatural creatures reside. Our world is where the humans and the half-breeds live. Sounds simple, yes? Basically, the reader is supposed to feel familiar with the surroundings because HELLO PITTSBURGH, but unfortunately, it never felt like that. It never felt like the world was set in Earth (with just a touch of magic) because our cast of characters never does any human activity that would actually make us feel they're in Earth, making it feel like I was reading a story with a very, very fantasy setting. All they do is go to these places that are strictly for their kind, do things that are strictly for their kind, and then all of a sudden we get these pop culture references that make my eyes twitch in annoyance because they feel SO. OUT. OF. PLACE.
Do I make sense? The way the story was written, the way the setting was set up, it never felt like it took place on Earth so it decided to just throw in some popular movies and celebrity names to make up for it, which I felt was a major cop-out. It's like "Blah blah blah blah PARANORMAL STUFF blah blah blah PARANORMAL STUFF blah blah blah DONALD TRUMP blah blah blah PARANORMAL STUFF blah blah blah TITANIC!"
And I'm like, "...what?"
Here are examples:
"He's a jinni Donald Trump, Lyla. You know that. What do you think he wants?"
"... I don't have anything to tell anyone that's not already on Wikipedia."
"I think he was manning up for a 'We'll die together!' death scene, à la Titanic."
...when the whole book feels like it takes place on a new world altogether. Can you guys see just how much it threw me off, every time this happened?!
And that's not all my problems. The world-building is just super vague and shaky. We all have these mythological creatures from all kinds of mythologies all over the world, and we really don't get much information about them to build a solid foundation for me to take it seriously. There's a Seer from the Oracle, a kitsune from Japanese mythology, a succubus, spider wraiths, vampires, a Will-o-Wisp, a siren, etc. etc. and sometimes all we get are "they are older than humanity!" There are some explanations here and there, but they didn't feel solid or meaningful enough for me to take a grasp of the world. It's like, oh, okay, creatures from every walk of life are in here and we should just accept that as fact. Which makes me really bummed because it's a world that has potential to be complex (as in Kate Daniels kind of complex), but the lack of depth just really blew it.
If there's one thing this book is, however, it's absolutely plot-driven. If you like books that are fast-paced, then this is definitely for you, because the action and the catalyst for the main plot starts really quickly and really early. It did leave me feeling very detached to the rest of the characters, though... there is not much backstory for many of them, although I won't take this against the book because it's obviously a series, and there will be more later on, but I did wish there was more internal narration from the main character. At some point, it was all ACTION ACTION ACTION and not much character development. It's not that bad, but I guess I just prefer a balance.
I do love the heroine, though. She's feisty, she's courageous and strong-willed, she knows what she wants, and she endured a shit-ton of stuff for almost a millenia. However, like I said, her backstory was very minimal. It didn't really bring out any emotional pull in me as it was told in a very "tell-not-show" way, and it definitely made me yearn for more.
Overall, not a bad series starter, but in the end, something that I am not enthusiastic for. There is potential for a big, vast, and complex world here, but the cop-outs and the way the setting was set up were monumental disappointments. I'm still interested in reading the next book to see where it will go next, as it feels like the real story has just begun, so here's to crossing my fingers that it would be better by then!
May 25, 2015
Reviewing by: Rabid Reads.
I spent months waffling on this title; the reviews weren’t great, the paperback edition got bumped to an April release date (5 months after the eBook), and although Nicole Peeler’s JANE TRUE series apparently started off strong, the last few installments left readers dropping like flies. Now, I haven’t checked out her other novels, but the three previous points were enough to make me leery of JINN AND JUICE’S pretty cover, and catchy name. The story was fast paced, and the author went all out with her mythology, however there were LOTS of characters and the romance crossed a line that was kinda iffy.
Lyla’s POV was disappointing considering she’s supposedly nearly a millennia old. I found that she was rather immature as far as protagonists go given her massive life span, and she also lacked drive. She had a “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” outlook that consisted of belly dancing at a burlesque club, and hiding in Pittsburgh with the other misfit toys. Peeler does explain Lyla’s reasoning; she doesn’t want to get Bound again, and the other jinni have it in for her, but still… she was too green for someone so old, and powerful. I felt like her potential was wasted.
I had zero quibbles with the world. Peeler really dug deep when it came to setting the tone of this series with her definitions of Purebloods & Immunda, Deep Magic, Bound vs. unBound, and multiple plot threads. There was at least a baker’s dozen of different supes in this book which came with advantages, and downsides. In the positive column, you were never bored, but alternatively, very little was elaborated on besides the jinni & Magi, and there were SO many characters that it was difficult to identify potential secondaries from background noise. The only names I remembered were Lyla & Oz.
The romance seemed to be the main bone of contention with readers, and I have to agree. I fully anticipated the Master / Slave relationship; however the feelings that developed between them progressed entirely too fast given their dynamics. Oz strolls into town and Binds Lyla one week before her thousand years of servitude are up because he’s convinced that his mission outweighs her freedom. He feels bad about it, and ultimately keeps his promises when all is said, and done, but is there really such a thing as a good oppressor?? It was all a little too dysfunctional for me.
JINN AND JUICE tried overly hard to be funny, and not enough to be badass. ~3.5 Stars
I spent months waffling on this title; the reviews weren’t great, the paperback edition got bumped to an April release date (5 months after the eBook), and although Nicole Peeler’s JANE TRUE series apparently started off strong, the last few installments left readers dropping like flies. Now, I haven’t checked out her other novels, but the three previous points were enough to make me leery of JINN AND JUICE’S pretty cover, and catchy name. The story was fast paced, and the author went all out with her mythology, however there were LOTS of characters and the romance crossed a line that was kinda iffy.
Lyla’s POV was disappointing considering she’s supposedly nearly a millennia old. I found that she was rather immature as far as protagonists go given her massive life span, and she also lacked drive. She had a “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” outlook that consisted of belly dancing at a burlesque club, and hiding in Pittsburgh with the other misfit toys. Peeler does explain Lyla’s reasoning; she doesn’t want to get Bound again, and the other jinni have it in for her, but still… she was too green for someone so old, and powerful. I felt like her potential was wasted.
I had zero quibbles with the world. Peeler really dug deep when it came to setting the tone of this series with her definitions of Purebloods & Immunda, Deep Magic, Bound vs. unBound, and multiple plot threads. There was at least a baker’s dozen of different supes in this book which came with advantages, and downsides. In the positive column, you were never bored, but alternatively, very little was elaborated on besides the jinni & Magi, and there were SO many characters that it was difficult to identify potential secondaries from background noise. The only names I remembered were Lyla & Oz.
The romance seemed to be the main bone of contention with readers, and I have to agree. I fully anticipated the Master / Slave relationship; however the feelings that developed between them progressed entirely too fast given their dynamics. Oz strolls into town and Binds Lyla one week before her thousand years of servitude are up because he’s convinced that his mission outweighs her freedom. He feels bad about it, and ultimately keeps his promises when all is said, and done, but is there really such a thing as a good oppressor?? It was all a little too dysfunctional for me.
JINN AND JUICE tried overly hard to be funny, and not enough to be badass. ~3.5 Stars
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September 11, 2017 There is a new series!
DO WANT.
DO WANT.
March 26, 2015
2.5/5
I'm not going to lie, I was lured into reading Jinn and Juice because the cover was so attractive. Plus, I'm always looking for more jinn books, so I thought, why not? Jinn and Juice had both its strengths and its weaknesses and ultimately, I was left feeling a teensy bit disappointed and I don't think I will be picking up the sequel. I initially enjoyed the setting and the characters in the book, especially Leila's friends. But the more the story progressed, the more I began to lose interest. I was especially unhappy with the characterization of Oz, Leila's master. He was just so ... bland and he had the potential to be a sexy and charming character, but he ended up being more of a doormat. I was also not pleased with the romance, even though it had a forbidden romance, one of my favorite romance tropes. It screamed insta-love and I just wasn't a fan of how rushed everything was. I also didn't sense much chemistry between Oz and Leila, which ended up making the romance rather flat and without any sparks. What I did enjoy was the fast pace of the plot. It was a rather action-packed book and I enjoyed many of the revelations made. In the end though, I don't think Jinn and Juice was the book for me. I had far higher expectations.
April 21, 2015
4.0 - 4.5 stars.
This is my first Nicole Peeler book and it certainly won't be the last. I now can't wait to try her other series.
Jinn & Juice is the story of Lyla, a half-human, half jinn who is almost at the finish line of a thousand year curse. That is, if she is not bound to a magi at the end of the curse. She gets bound to the Magi Oz, who is definitely not your regular Master. Oz needs Lyla's help in order to find a girl who was taken from the refugee camps. Lyla has no choice but to agree to help but she does so on her terms.
There is so much to like about this book. First of all, I loved the cast of characters. What a diverse bunch. We had a jinni, an oracle, a psychic, a troll, a will o' wisp, a siren, and so many other interesting characters not usually seen in urban fantasy books. Lyla was so easy to like - she has a nice sense of empathy considering that she was jinn. And Oz...definitely book boyfriend material. It was like he was very uncomfortable in his role as a Master. The supporting cast was a lot of fun and the villain was just deliciously evil.
The setting was very different. How many books take place in Pittsburgh? Like, would you even think of Pittsburgh as a hub of supernatural activity? I enjoyed how the author explained how Pittsburgh with all of its steel mills kept most of the pure magic supernaturals away. Only the Immunda were able to live there in relative safety.
I enjoyed learning about Lyla's background way back when she was made into a jinn. Fascinating.
Jinn & Juice - magical, captivating, enthralling. Can't wait for the next book in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for a review copy of this book.
This is my first Nicole Peeler book and it certainly won't be the last. I now can't wait to try her other series.
Jinn & Juice is the story of Lyla, a half-human, half jinn who is almost at the finish line of a thousand year curse. That is, if she is not bound to a magi at the end of the curse. She gets bound to the Magi Oz, who is definitely not your regular Master. Oz needs Lyla's help in order to find a girl who was taken from the refugee camps. Lyla has no choice but to agree to help but she does so on her terms.
There is so much to like about this book. First of all, I loved the cast of characters. What a diverse bunch. We had a jinni, an oracle, a psychic, a troll, a will o' wisp, a siren, and so many other interesting characters not usually seen in urban fantasy books. Lyla was so easy to like - she has a nice sense of empathy considering that she was jinn. And Oz...definitely book boyfriend material. It was like he was very uncomfortable in his role as a Master. The supporting cast was a lot of fun and the villain was just deliciously evil.
The setting was very different. How many books take place in Pittsburgh? Like, would you even think of Pittsburgh as a hub of supernatural activity? I enjoyed how the author explained how Pittsburgh with all of its steel mills kept most of the pure magic supernaturals away. Only the Immunda were able to live there in relative safety.
I enjoyed learning about Lyla's background way back when she was made into a jinn. Fascinating.
Jinn & Juice - magical, captivating, enthralling. Can't wait for the next book in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for a review copy of this book.
April 17, 2015
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
Following an author from one series to another, especially in the same genre, can sometimes be a bit of a risk. After all, it's not the same characters that you already fell in love with, not the same world, and who knows? You may not like the new characters and world building, or they might be so similar you get the two confused. Luckily, JINN AND JUICE is a great start to a new series, original and fun, that really shows Peeler knows what she's doing.
I was concerned that Leila wouldn't live up to Jane True. On the contrary, they were so different I wouldn't even want to compare them! Leila had a strong, clear voice that was her own, and was a great central character to build the story around. While I wasn't super keen on the romantic storyline between Leila and Oz, considering Oz had Leila "bound" as his jinn, I liked Oz too. He was a gentleman, and not a normal UF hero. He would be more likely to hold the door open for somebody than to kick the door open. I liked his gentleness and naivety to the supernatural world, it made him easier to sympathize with.
The secondary characters were really fun as well, and they did a good job of keeping the story going. They were all creative and unique in their own ways, and their diversity was nice. Plus, the world that Peeler created was a very interesting one, and I can't wait to learn more about the jinn, the magic, and all the other supernatural aspects. My only complaint was that the villain was a little hard to believe due to age and actions. There was a lot of what seemed to be temper-tantrum throwing that made it hard to believe this person could mastermind the situation that Leila found herself in.
All in all, JINN AND JUICE was a great start to the Jinni series. I can't wait to see what Peeler has in store next, as there was a bit of a cliffhanger, and I can only imagine the adventures that will come.
Sexual content: Kissing
Following an author from one series to another, especially in the same genre, can sometimes be a bit of a risk. After all, it's not the same characters that you already fell in love with, not the same world, and who knows? You may not like the new characters and world building, or they might be so similar you get the two confused. Luckily, JINN AND JUICE is a great start to a new series, original and fun, that really shows Peeler knows what she's doing.
I was concerned that Leila wouldn't live up to Jane True. On the contrary, they were so different I wouldn't even want to compare them! Leila had a strong, clear voice that was her own, and was a great central character to build the story around. While I wasn't super keen on the romantic storyline between Leila and Oz, considering Oz had Leila "bound" as his jinn, I liked Oz too. He was a gentleman, and not a normal UF hero. He would be more likely to hold the door open for somebody than to kick the door open. I liked his gentleness and naivety to the supernatural world, it made him easier to sympathize with.
The secondary characters were really fun as well, and they did a good job of keeping the story going. They were all creative and unique in their own ways, and their diversity was nice. Plus, the world that Peeler created was a very interesting one, and I can't wait to learn more about the jinn, the magic, and all the other supernatural aspects. My only complaint was that the villain was a little hard to believe due to age and actions. There was a lot of what seemed to be temper-tantrum throwing that made it hard to believe this person could mastermind the situation that Leila found herself in.
All in all, JINN AND JUICE was a great start to the Jinni series. I can't wait to see what Peeler has in store next, as there was a bit of a cliffhanger, and I can only imagine the adventures that will come.
Sexual content: Kissing
March 29, 2015
Rating: 2 stars
I wanted to like this more. I truly, truly did. I wanted to like this so much that I'll read the next one in hopes that my issues with this book were first book syndrome. I liked the concept and I liked most of the characters. The issues I had with the book damped my enjoyment of them, though.
The Issues:
- History: The history in this book is really bad. The author gets some facts right but mostly they're all wrong. There was the Sultranate of Rum but it hadn't been conquered by Mongols until the 1200s. Then there's Charlie as an oracle. The author tries to get around stating that Charlie was a Delphi Oracle by using 'like' but come on. That's laziness. If he's younger than Lyla then he'd be in a Christian country of some sort and they don't do that. But then the author mentions that he saved a bunch of books from the Library of Alexandria and that happened 1400 years ago or so, which would put us back in Roman times... Except there were no male oracles...
It's just a jumbled mess. I know that's nitpicky but it was annoying.
-The Love: I hated Oz. He was so incredibly boring. There was no depth to him at all. He's like a Prince Charming kind of character -- and just as flat and boring as all. The only way the author could've vindicated him was to have made him evil but nope...
It was so sappy and stupid that I wanted to bang my head against the wall. It was just SO BORING. It was like 'oh God! They're talking about their feelings AGAIN!' I've read a whole ton of Romance books. I think I have a fairly high tolerance for sap but this couple sent even me over the edge.
-Shallowness: Like the history thing, the plot and actions of everything here are very shallow. For a woman who's live a thousand years, she never, ever thinks about that time. It has no influence on her, save the turning into a Jinni thing. It's like she has nightmares and thinks about being turned into a Jinni and that's all. We have Charlie who's been alive over 800 years and nothing from that end either.
I agree with another review that the pop culture references are everywhere and, personally, they make this lack of depth worse. It truly highlights it because it's in everything. If this current century is so well known to you then why not any other century?
This song has the same emotional depth as the book, if that helps more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFZ2c...
-The Curse: It just wasn't an effective motivation for the story line. I realize it was supposed to be that but it failed pretty hard. I think it was, again, the lack of depth in the story. We hear her whining about being a Jinni and that's all we get or know, so we don't really feel anything. We didn't know her as a human and we're given absolutely ZERO references to the pain and torment she's been through in her life. Being a Jinni isn't going to kill her so it's like whatever. She's capable. She'd survive another thousand years.
-Plot Points and shit: They were done really badly. A lot of the points (the smaller stuff) made it fairly easy to guess what was coming up. Like we get an explanation that blood can be used to summon something. Then Oz gets some blood on his shirt and a person Lyla knows offers to throw it away. Why? You just said that blood is power, and low and behold, it does become a problem later on but it's just so obvious.
-Jinni: Perhaps the worst is this Jinni thing. It's apparently Lyla but not Lyla. Huh? It's amazing how this Jinni can protect her master in some cases but in others she needs him to order her? What? How is it that the Jinni needs an order to heal him but the Jinni didn't need an order a chapter or two ago? It works very much like a deus ex machina in her pocket. Speaking of pockets...
-Sideways: WTF? No, really! WTF? Is this not the hugest deus ex machina you've ever seen? She can just randomly grab any weapon she needs in any situation at any time. It's BS and incredibly lazy. It's like 'oh? There's trouble? Why don't you just pull a tank from out of your pocket?'
-Overall Plot: This was very straightforward with perhaps one twist and so it was ... boring to an extent. I kept waiting for more depth or some try-fail cycle or some betrayal but nothing like that happens. The way the sappiness of this book is written made my inner story teller say 'this is way too obvious! There's going to be some twist in here soon.' and then there wasn't. Oz was still the perfect boyfriend. Everyone survived. The one twist really wasn't a twist. /YAWN
-Her Creator: This was sort of stupid and didn't make much sense but after everything else it just became other whatever/deus ex machina. And his motives? LOL! His motives! That's right. This book is one of those kinds of books. As in genuine, serious plot. At the end, when he's explaining the motives/reasons a bit, I couldn't help but think of
I wanted to like this more. I truly, truly did. I wanted to like this so much that I'll read the next one in hopes that my issues with this book were first book syndrome. I liked the concept and I liked most of the characters. The issues I had with the book damped my enjoyment of them, though.
The Issues:
- History: The history in this book is really bad. The author gets some facts right but mostly they're all wrong. There was the Sultranate of Rum but it hadn't been conquered by Mongols until the 1200s. Then there's Charlie as an oracle. The author tries to get around stating that Charlie was a Delphi Oracle by using 'like' but come on. That's laziness. If he's younger than Lyla then he'd be in a Christian country of some sort and they don't do that. But then the author mentions that he saved a bunch of books from the Library of Alexandria and that happened 1400 years ago or so, which would put us back in Roman times... Except there were no male oracles...
It's just a jumbled mess. I know that's nitpicky but it was annoying.
-The Love: I hated Oz. He was so incredibly boring. There was no depth to him at all. He's like a Prince Charming kind of character -- and just as flat and boring as all. The only way the author could've vindicated him was to have made him evil but nope...
It was so sappy and stupid that I wanted to bang my head against the wall. It was just SO BORING. It was like 'oh God! They're talking about their feelings AGAIN!' I've read a whole ton of Romance books. I think I have a fairly high tolerance for sap but this couple sent even me over the edge.
-Shallowness: Like the history thing, the plot and actions of everything here are very shallow. For a woman who's live a thousand years, she never, ever thinks about that time. It has no influence on her, save the turning into a Jinni thing. It's like she has nightmares and thinks about being turned into a Jinni and that's all. We have Charlie who's been alive over 800 years and nothing from that end either.
I agree with another review that the pop culture references are everywhere and, personally, they make this lack of depth worse. It truly highlights it because it's in everything. If this current century is so well known to you then why not any other century?
This song has the same emotional depth as the book, if that helps more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFZ2c...
-The Curse: It just wasn't an effective motivation for the story line. I realize it was supposed to be that but it failed pretty hard. I think it was, again, the lack of depth in the story. We hear her whining about being a Jinni and that's all we get or know, so we don't really feel anything. We didn't know her as a human and we're given absolutely ZERO references to the pain and torment she's been through in her life. Being a Jinni isn't going to kill her so it's like whatever. She's capable. She'd survive another thousand years.
-Plot Points and shit: They were done really badly. A lot of the points (the smaller stuff) made it fairly easy to guess what was coming up. Like we get an explanation that blood can be used to summon something. Then Oz gets some blood on his shirt and a person Lyla knows offers to throw it away. Why? You just said that blood is power, and low and behold, it does become a problem later on but it's just so obvious.
-Jinni: Perhaps the worst is this Jinni thing. It's apparently Lyla but not Lyla. Huh? It's amazing how this Jinni can protect her master in some cases but in others she needs him to order her? What? How is it that the Jinni needs an order to heal him but the Jinni didn't need an order a chapter or two ago? It works very much like a deus ex machina in her pocket. Speaking of pockets...
-Sideways: WTF? No, really! WTF? Is this not the hugest deus ex machina you've ever seen? She can just randomly grab any weapon she needs in any situation at any time. It's BS and incredibly lazy. It's like 'oh? There's trouble? Why don't you just pull a tank from out of your pocket?'
-Overall Plot: This was very straightforward with perhaps one twist and so it was ... boring to an extent. I kept waiting for more depth or some try-fail cycle or some betrayal but nothing like that happens. The way the sappiness of this book is written made my inner story teller say 'this is way too obvious! There's going to be some twist in here soon.' and then there wasn't. Oz was still the perfect boyfriend. Everyone survived. The one twist really wasn't a twist. /YAWN
-Her Creator: This was sort of stupid and didn't make much sense but after everything else it just became other whatever/deus ex machina. And his motives? LOL! His motives! That's right. This book is one of those kinds of books. As in genuine, serious plot. At the end, when he's explaining the motives/reasons a bit, I couldn't help but think of
April 6, 2015
Jinn and Juice introduces a new paranormal romance/urban fantasy series from Nicole Peeler.
It's less than a week until Lyla will finally be free of the curse that condemned her to a thousand years of servitude when Ozan, a Magi needing her help to find a missing girl, binds her to his will. A Jinn, Lyla has little choice but to obey her new Master and can only hope he will stick to their agreement to release her when their mission is complete, but Lyla will have face to her worst nightmare before her most heartfelt wish cam be granted.
Lyla was the teenage daughter of a an ancient Persian king, desperate to avoid being married off, when she was cursed by the genie she sought help from. Now she is a Jinn and a belly dancer/burlesque performer at a Pittsburgh club, biding her time until the curse expires.
Lyla's inner circle have her back and are a fun and interesting group, including a gay Delphi Oracle, a Will-o-the-Wisp, a half troll and a psychic drag queen.
The romance between Lyla and Oz doesn't offer any real surprises but it is enjoyable. Lyla resents Oz at first and certainly doesn't trust him, but eventually comes to realise he is a genuine and honourable guy.
There is plenty of humour, some of it a little crude and obvious but fun and snarky nevertheless. The action is fast paced as Lyla hunts for her new Master's missing friend, which leads to a deadly confrontation with an age old enemy.
Set in modern day Pittsburgh, I liked the way in which Peeler uses the landscape and 'stains' the magic with steel. 'Sideways' is the magical world that overlaps our own and embraces a variety of creatures and beasties.
I enjoyed Jinn and Juice, it was a quick, escapist read for a lazy afternoon.
dnf
August 31, 2016I just can't.
Not my cup of tea.
Master and servant romance doesn't do it for me.
Not my cup of tea.
Master and servant romance doesn't do it for me.
June 19, 2015
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: A woman cursed to be a jinni for 1,000 years is finally close to the end of her sentence. Then a Magi has to show up and ruin everything. A fun tale full of humor and action, this book definitely should not be missed!
Opening Sentence: The chubby little human was doing his damndest to hump my leg, but the palm I’d placed on his forehead kept him at arm’s length.
The Review:
It’s been a very long thousand years for Lyla. Born human but cursed to be a jinni, she’s waited for this day for a very long time. The rules of her curse state that if she is unBound exactly one thousand years after being cursed, she will become human again. Well, she is only a week away. Her freedom is so close she can actually taste it. Then, Oz shows up. Oz, a Magi, has the power to Bind Lyla, and that is exactly what he does. He needs help finding the daughter of friends of his, and he won’t release Lyla until the daughter is found. Lyla has no choice but to follow his every command and hope that he’s telling the truth when he says he will release her once her task is complete. It soon becomes obvious, however, that this is no simple rescue mission. Things are starting to go terribly wrong in Pittsburgh, and it’s becoming more and more clear that this girl is at the heart of it. Will Lyla and Oz be able to find this girl before Lyla’s time is up?
I’m still in the middle of Nicole Peeler’s Jane True series, about which I have mixed feelings (hated the first 2 books, but the third was entertaining), so I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to react to this new series. Thankfully, I needn’t have worried. I was pretty much hooked from page one and had a hard time putting the book down. It’s full of humor, but the humor doesn’t feel forced, which makes it very enjoyable.
It did take me a little bit to warm up to Lyla, mainly because it is so obvious that Oz is a good guy, so the way she treats him at first made me not like her, even though her attitude is justified based on her prior experience with Magi. Once I let my initial feelings go, I really began to like her. She has the makings of a very tough heroine, and I’m curious to see where she goes from here.
One complaint I have is that, while Oz is supposed to be the leading man, he felt more like a side character. I never really got a good feel for him, other than knowing that he was a good guy. I’m hoping there will be more added to his character in future books because there is definitely potential there. It just didn’t come to fruition in this book.
Lyla’s friends really make up the heart of this book. I easily felt the most connected to them, I think because it so apparent from the very start how much they care about her, and their actions throughout the book only served to further deepen my affection for them. I especially loved Rachel. Her personality just leaped off the page. I would love to get a chapter or short story from her point of view.
All in all, this was a very entertaining first book in a series. There were times that exposition bogged the story down a bit, but it really didn’t affect my enjoyment too terribly. I would say everyone should definitely give this one a try, even if they didn’t love the Jane True series. You might just find yourself pleasantly surprised, as I was.
Notable Scene:
Recognizing a true, Initiated Magi, my crazy inner she-bear emerged, gibbering about never being taken alive. If I had any thought at all it was that my sense of self-preservation would give me an edge. I was fighting for my life, after all, while this guy was just a jerk trying to Bind a jinni.
Unfortunately he didn’t fight like a jerk; he fought like a cornered wolverine. He fought as if he were the one who’d be enslaved if he lost this match. He fought like his life depended on it. Which, considering I was intent on killing him, I guess it did.
He fought better than me.
I was hitting him, hard, but I’d lost my talons shifting to a bigger size. Being unBound meant I was far less powerful, even with my unusual access to all of Pittsburgh’s corrupted magic swirling at my feet. And now that I was unarmed, he wasn’t hitting back, just using his big body to deflect the majority of my blows. Until I overextended a kick.
His own booted foot lashed out, knocking my leg out from under me. I was on the ground again and this time he didn’t underestimate my abilities.
He pinned me down with all his weight, his knees pressing painfully into my thighs and his chest blanketing mine, his hands holding down my wrists. His face was inches from mine, but his features were entirely obscured by the bright glow of his Flaring eyes.
Not me, my brain howled. Not when I’m so close to being free. I started to shift again in a last, desperate attempt. But before I could change, he’d spoken.
It was the second part of the spell that was the real bitch. And I was too late to stop him.
“Te vash anuk a si,”he chanted over and over. I Call you.His pronunciation grew more confident with every repetition. The harsh sibilance of the language of the jinn reached toward me, wrapping around my soul. I cried out, but the spell blanketed me, muting my powers. I stopped mid-shift, my power whoomping out, leaving me beneath him in my own small form.
My wide brown eyes stared up at him, begging him silently to stop, not to say the last bit. The bit that made me his; that made me do his bidding; that made me a slave until he either let me go or died.
He spoke the words.
FTC Advisory: Orbit provided me with a copy of Jinn and Juice. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: A woman cursed to be a jinni for 1,000 years is finally close to the end of her sentence. Then a Magi has to show up and ruin everything. A fun tale full of humor and action, this book definitely should not be missed!
Opening Sentence: The chubby little human was doing his damndest to hump my leg, but the palm I’d placed on his forehead kept him at arm’s length.
The Review:
It’s been a very long thousand years for Lyla. Born human but cursed to be a jinni, she’s waited for this day for a very long time. The rules of her curse state that if she is unBound exactly one thousand years after being cursed, she will become human again. Well, she is only a week away. Her freedom is so close she can actually taste it. Then, Oz shows up. Oz, a Magi, has the power to Bind Lyla, and that is exactly what he does. He needs help finding the daughter of friends of his, and he won’t release Lyla until the daughter is found. Lyla has no choice but to follow his every command and hope that he’s telling the truth when he says he will release her once her task is complete. It soon becomes obvious, however, that this is no simple rescue mission. Things are starting to go terribly wrong in Pittsburgh, and it’s becoming more and more clear that this girl is at the heart of it. Will Lyla and Oz be able to find this girl before Lyla’s time is up?
I’m still in the middle of Nicole Peeler’s Jane True series, about which I have mixed feelings (hated the first 2 books, but the third was entertaining), so I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to react to this new series. Thankfully, I needn’t have worried. I was pretty much hooked from page one and had a hard time putting the book down. It’s full of humor, but the humor doesn’t feel forced, which makes it very enjoyable.
It did take me a little bit to warm up to Lyla, mainly because it is so obvious that Oz is a good guy, so the way she treats him at first made me not like her, even though her attitude is justified based on her prior experience with Magi. Once I let my initial feelings go, I really began to like her. She has the makings of a very tough heroine, and I’m curious to see where she goes from here.
One complaint I have is that, while Oz is supposed to be the leading man, he felt more like a side character. I never really got a good feel for him, other than knowing that he was a good guy. I’m hoping there will be more added to his character in future books because there is definitely potential there. It just didn’t come to fruition in this book.
Lyla’s friends really make up the heart of this book. I easily felt the most connected to them, I think because it so apparent from the very start how much they care about her, and their actions throughout the book only served to further deepen my affection for them. I especially loved Rachel. Her personality just leaped off the page. I would love to get a chapter or short story from her point of view.
All in all, this was a very entertaining first book in a series. There were times that exposition bogged the story down a bit, but it really didn’t affect my enjoyment too terribly. I would say everyone should definitely give this one a try, even if they didn’t love the Jane True series. You might just find yourself pleasantly surprised, as I was.
Notable Scene:
Recognizing a true, Initiated Magi, my crazy inner she-bear emerged, gibbering about never being taken alive. If I had any thought at all it was that my sense of self-preservation would give me an edge. I was fighting for my life, after all, while this guy was just a jerk trying to Bind a jinni.
Unfortunately he didn’t fight like a jerk; he fought like a cornered wolverine. He fought as if he were the one who’d be enslaved if he lost this match. He fought like his life depended on it. Which, considering I was intent on killing him, I guess it did.
He fought better than me.
I was hitting him, hard, but I’d lost my talons shifting to a bigger size. Being unBound meant I was far less powerful, even with my unusual access to all of Pittsburgh’s corrupted magic swirling at my feet. And now that I was unarmed, he wasn’t hitting back, just using his big body to deflect the majority of my blows. Until I overextended a kick.
His own booted foot lashed out, knocking my leg out from under me. I was on the ground again and this time he didn’t underestimate my abilities.
He pinned me down with all his weight, his knees pressing painfully into my thighs and his chest blanketing mine, his hands holding down my wrists. His face was inches from mine, but his features were entirely obscured by the bright glow of his Flaring eyes.
Not me, my brain howled. Not when I’m so close to being free. I started to shift again in a last, desperate attempt. But before I could change, he’d spoken.
It was the second part of the spell that was the real bitch. And I was too late to stop him.
“Te vash anuk a si,”he chanted over and over. I Call you.His pronunciation grew more confident with every repetition. The harsh sibilance of the language of the jinn reached toward me, wrapping around my soul. I cried out, but the spell blanketed me, muting my powers. I stopped mid-shift, my power whoomping out, leaving me beneath him in my own small form.
My wide brown eyes stared up at him, begging him silently to stop, not to say the last bit. The bit that made me his; that made me do his bidding; that made me a slave until he either let me go or died.
He spoke the words.
FTC Advisory: Orbit provided me with a copy of Jinn and Juice. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
could-not-finish
July 17, 2017I like this author but I didn't care for this book. I kept waiting for me to change my mind but I didn't. I would end up reading other books feeling guilty that I didn't finish this one. Life's too short for guilt :) No rating because I didn't read it.
April 4, 2015
***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato
I adore Jinn stories. Jinn are my favorite PNR creatures ever so whenever I hear about a book coming out that features them, I get superrr excited. Just like I was about this one. Sadly though, it didn’t amaze me the way I wanted it to.
There are so many things about it that I love and so many others that just didn’t work for me and this book just makes me want to throw my hands up in the air with frustration.
I am going to start off by saying this, Oz was a horrible love interest. He was so incredibly bland. And don’t get me wrong, I adore sweet guys, I am totally on team good guy but Oz did not mark it. He was bland. Boring. He had no personality. Good guys are awesome and being good doesn’t mean you have no personality, but just because you’re good doesn’t mean you have one so… yeah. Oz definitely fell into the category of love interests who were just pretty much there. Oz has his purposes, sure, I mean he is Lyla’s master but that didn’t mean I thought he was a suitable love interest. In fact, the actions of his character are contradictory. He binds Lyla without her permission and then says it’s for the greater good. He is ‘supposed’ to be a nice guy but if he was so perfectly good and speshul HE COULD HAVE ASKED. But nope. Obviously some things just don’t work that way. Not that everything needs to go my way but I would have been able to get behind his actions with more ease if he wasn’t characterized as this good guy who can basically do no wrong (except binding Lyla without her permission).
The romance was also pretty much a nightmare. Nick and I were talking about this and she made a casual comment about how she had more chemistry with her pillow than the two characters had and she is totally right. Trying to compare their chemistry with the chemistry I have with my pillow would not be fair because my pillow and I have a very intense relationship, the kind these two cannot ever hope to have. *shakes head* It bothers me because when you read urban fantasy, you kind of expect the romances to have chemistry, it may not be all about the romance and I am 100% fine with that; what I am not fine with is the main couple having no chemistry. And moreover, their romance making no sense. THIS HAPPENS OVER THE COURSE OF A WEEK and the L word is used. WHAT IS THIS? Bah humbug. Rashika is so disappointed it’s annoying.
My rant aside, I can finally move on to the awesome bits, because believe me, this book does have a lot going for it.
For example, it has the best cast of best friends ever. They support her but at the same time, they rememeber to call her out on their shit. They tell her when they don’t agree with her, which is so important in friendships but when Lyla knows that what she is doing is the ‘right’ thing, her friends are willing to support her, regardless of the fact that they don’t necessarily think it’s the best idea.
Isn’t that what friendship is about? If I had Lyla’s friends as friends, I would never have to worry about someone trying to stab my back because they would have it.
Lyla is also a fun main character. Sometimes I got annoyed with her because whenever Oz came into the picture she would basically do things that made me question her. She is such a fun and feisty character and so easy to cheer for. I loved her wit and I just loved being in her head, even when she was swooning over a guy for no reason (that’s how I felt at least).
This book is fantastically paced and even if it was kind of long, I was flipping through the (digital) pages very quickly (considering that I was travelling and don’t usually like reading while on the move).
The world is built so fantastic too and I absolutely loved how this book included a completely different take on the idea of a true name. The world is so artistically developed and while it has many elements of typical urban fantasy novels, the author also managed to make certain ideas her own and I loved that!
This is a totally brain candy read and while many aspects of it disappointed me, I would not say I regret reading it. It was fun and had a wonderful cast of characters (except for Oz. Go away Oz, I don’t like you. Although don’t actually go away because then that would suck.) and fun world building and a well rounded plot. I may not have liked the ending and may have been more than a little frustrated by it but I won’t hesitate to continue to series so if you’re curious, I’d still say that you should give it a shot.
I adore Jinn stories. Jinn are my favorite PNR creatures ever so whenever I hear about a book coming out that features them, I get superrr excited. Just like I was about this one. Sadly though, it didn’t amaze me the way I wanted it to.
There are so many things about it that I love and so many others that just didn’t work for me and this book just makes me want to throw my hands up in the air with frustration.
I am going to start off by saying this, Oz was a horrible love interest. He was so incredibly bland. And don’t get me wrong, I adore sweet guys, I am totally on team good guy but Oz did not mark it. He was bland. Boring. He had no personality. Good guys are awesome and being good doesn’t mean you have no personality, but just because you’re good doesn’t mean you have one so… yeah. Oz definitely fell into the category of love interests who were just pretty much there. Oz has his purposes, sure, I mean he is Lyla’s master but that didn’t mean I thought he was a suitable love interest. In fact, the actions of his character are contradictory. He binds Lyla without her permission and then says it’s for the greater good. He is ‘supposed’ to be a nice guy but if he was so perfectly good and speshul HE COULD HAVE ASKED. But nope. Obviously some things just don’t work that way. Not that everything needs to go my way but I would have been able to get behind his actions with more ease if he wasn’t characterized as this good guy who can basically do no wrong (except binding Lyla without her permission).
The romance was also pretty much a nightmare. Nick and I were talking about this and she made a casual comment about how she had more chemistry with her pillow than the two characters had and she is totally right. Trying to compare their chemistry with the chemistry I have with my pillow would not be fair because my pillow and I have a very intense relationship, the kind these two cannot ever hope to have. *shakes head* It bothers me because when you read urban fantasy, you kind of expect the romances to have chemistry, it may not be all about the romance and I am 100% fine with that; what I am not fine with is the main couple having no chemistry. And moreover, their romance making no sense. THIS HAPPENS OVER THE COURSE OF A WEEK and the L word is used. WHAT IS THIS? Bah humbug. Rashika is so disappointed it’s annoying.
My rant aside, I can finally move on to the awesome bits, because believe me, this book does have a lot going for it.
For example, it has the best cast of best friends ever. They support her but at the same time, they rememeber to call her out on their shit. They tell her when they don’t agree with her, which is so important in friendships but when Lyla knows that what she is doing is the ‘right’ thing, her friends are willing to support her, regardless of the fact that they don’t necessarily think it’s the best idea.
Isn’t that what friendship is about? If I had Lyla’s friends as friends, I would never have to worry about someone trying to stab my back because they would have it.
Lyla is also a fun main character. Sometimes I got annoyed with her because whenever Oz came into the picture she would basically do things that made me question her. She is such a fun and feisty character and so easy to cheer for. I loved her wit and I just loved being in her head, even when she was swooning over a guy for no reason (that’s how I felt at least).
This book is fantastically paced and even if it was kind of long, I was flipping through the (digital) pages very quickly (considering that I was travelling and don’t usually like reading while on the move).
The world is built so fantastic too and I absolutely loved how this book included a completely different take on the idea of a true name. The world is so artistically developed and while it has many elements of typical urban fantasy novels, the author also managed to make certain ideas her own and I loved that!
This is a totally brain candy read and while many aspects of it disappointed me, I would not say I regret reading it. It was fun and had a wonderful cast of characters (except for Oz. Go away Oz, I don’t like you. Although don’t actually go away because then that would suck.) and fun world building and a well rounded plot. I may not have liked the ending and may have been more than a little frustrated by it but I won’t hesitate to continue to series so if you’re curious, I’d still say that you should give it a shot.
February 25, 2015
As soon as I saw the cover I was instantly attracted to Jinn and Juice. It had glamorous, Vegas feel with humorous vibe (thanks to the tagline). I’m always looking forward to read new urban fantasy authors and I could not wait to find out what Nicole Peeler had in store for me.
"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."
Jinn and Juice is set in Pittsburgh, where Leila is a belly dancer in a burlesque club called Purgatory. And it’s not an ordinary club – Purgatory caters to special clientele, only paranormal beings are customers. Purgatory is a colorful place where it’s not unusual to see “a pooka snorting a line of faux-brosia off the bared tits of a weredeer”.
Add to this the fact that Pittsburgh’s steel industry taints magic so no pure-blood paranormal creatures can use it – that promises a diverse cast of unique characters. And, oh boy, Nicole Peeler sure does deliver!
Except for Leila, who is a jinni, we have oracles, trolls, will-o’-wisps, spider-wraiths, etc. They all form a strange group of weird friends and reminded me of a big dysfunctional family.
The problem, when we have a such a strong group of secondary characters, is that that they took my attention (and affection) from main characters. Leila was ok, expect for her potty-mouth, but I was too distracted with will-o’-wisp’s shenanigans or charmed by Rachel’s sassy comments.
“Girl, everybody is a zygote compared to you,” Rachel said, tutting at me in her own mirror. “You are like a gabillion years old. If you use age as an excuse not to get any, you will have to go down on Methuselah.”
“I am not going down on Methuselah. That shit’s gotta be bitter by now.”
As for Leila’s master, Oz, he was something rare in urban fantasy novels: truly kind and gentle male. But his silence and thoughtfulness only somehow made him pale comparing to others. And his questions to Leila about everything (and her explanations) were sometimes boring.
IN THE END…
Although that moment when I fall in love with main characters never happened, I was truly charmed by secondary cast and impressed by descriptions of parallel paranormal world Nicole Peeler invented. I will continue reading The Jinni series and who knows, maybe Leila and Oz will also grow on me in time.
Recommended for everyone looking for interesting urban fantasy series with big diverse paranormal cast of characters (if you don’t mind that there will be a lot of swearing).
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
"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."
Jinn and Juice is set in Pittsburgh, where Leila is a belly dancer in a burlesque club called Purgatory. And it’s not an ordinary club – Purgatory caters to special clientele, only paranormal beings are customers. Purgatory is a colorful place where it’s not unusual to see “a pooka snorting a line of faux-brosia off the bared tits of a weredeer”.
Add to this the fact that Pittsburgh’s steel industry taints magic so no pure-blood paranormal creatures can use it – that promises a diverse cast of unique characters. And, oh boy, Nicole Peeler sure does deliver!
Except for Leila, who is a jinni, we have oracles, trolls, will-o’-wisps, spider-wraiths, etc. They all form a strange group of weird friends and reminded me of a big dysfunctional family.
The problem, when we have a such a strong group of secondary characters, is that that they took my attention (and affection) from main characters. Leila was ok, expect for her potty-mouth, but I was too distracted with will-o’-wisp’s shenanigans or charmed by Rachel’s sassy comments.
“Girl, everybody is a zygote compared to you,” Rachel said, tutting at me in her own mirror. “You are like a gabillion years old. If you use age as an excuse not to get any, you will have to go down on Methuselah.”
“I am not going down on Methuselah. That shit’s gotta be bitter by now.”
As for Leila’s master, Oz, he was something rare in urban fantasy novels: truly kind and gentle male. But his silence and thoughtfulness only somehow made him pale comparing to others. And his questions to Leila about everything (and her explanations) were sometimes boring.
IN THE END…
Although that moment when I fall in love with main characters never happened, I was truly charmed by secondary cast and impressed by descriptions of parallel paranormal world Nicole Peeler invented. I will continue reading The Jinni series and who knows, maybe Leila and Oz will also grow on me in time.
Recommended for everyone looking for interesting urban fantasy series with big diverse paranormal cast of characters (if you don’t mind that there will be a lot of swearing).
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
May 9, 2015
Poor Leila, cursed to be a Jinni, to serve her masters as they see fit. But when the book starts she is free and hoping to stay so since her curse will be ending soon *fingers crossed*.
But what kind of book would that be? A boring one. So insert a Magi that needs help and that needs a Jinni. He finds her, he binds her, she is pissed! But then who would not be. She is his slave.
But ;) of course these two are slowly gonna think, huh, he/she is hot. There is romance after all in this book. And the Magi is really nice, and Leila is hot. But slowly. Nothing is really happening in this book. They have time. There are more books.
Ok so I told you about the hint of coming romance. Now let's talk about the danger. First, find a kidnapped teen. Second, what is going on? Why are people gunning for them? A race against the clock. Tick tock, in more than one way.
I liked the jinni mythology, that was great, honestly I could have read only that. I like interesting world building and I have not seen a lot of Jinnis around.
Interesting start, I'd like to see more
But what kind of book would that be? A boring one. So insert a Magi that needs help and that needs a Jinni. He finds her, he binds her, she is pissed! But then who would not be. She is his slave.
But ;) of course these two are slowly gonna think, huh, he/she is hot. There is romance after all in this book. And the Magi is really nice, and Leila is hot. But slowly. Nothing is really happening in this book. They have time. There are more books.
Ok so I told you about the hint of coming romance. Now let's talk about the danger. First, find a kidnapped teen. Second, what is going on? Why are people gunning for them? A race against the clock. Tick tock, in more than one way.
I liked the jinni mythology, that was great, honestly I could have read only that. I like interesting world building and I have not seen a lot of Jinnis around.
Interesting start, I'd like to see more
August 14, 2015
Great new UF series - first novel I really really liked this.
Lyla is a great protag - she is a bit sarcastic, strong, but also smart and capable.
Oz, her "Master" is a little paler, a little too good to be true, but he doesn't hurt the story.
What I liked most: the colourful secondary characters. Lyla's crew. Her friends and basically family.
I also found the concept of her slavery in a Bound situation (when a jinni is bound by a ritual to do a Master's bidding) interesting and it was well and quite sensitively done.
I can't wait for the next installment!
Lyla is a great protag - she is a bit sarcastic, strong, but also smart and capable.
Oz, her "Master" is a little paler, a little too good to be true, but he doesn't hurt the story.
What I liked most: the colourful secondary characters. Lyla's crew. Her friends and basically family.
I also found the concept of her slavery in a Bound situation (when a jinni is bound by a ritual to do a Master's bidding) interesting and it was well and quite sensitively done.
I can't wait for the next installment!
February 10, 2015
Diverse characters. Exotic myth & creatures. Dashing & debonaire hero. Resourceful & cunning heroine. Gimlet more Jinni!
March 18, 2015
Three stars: A book with interesting and varied characters, but it is held back by a slow pace and it is lacking a bit of something.
Leila adjusts her impressive snake headdress as she prepares to head on stage for her burlesque number. Leila is a belly dancer and a jinni. For the last one thousand years, she has lived and served numerous masters, and now she is only days away from finally breaking the curse that will end her life as a jinni. All she has to do is stay low and keep away from any Magi. Unfortunately for Leila while dancing on stage, she is spotted by a Magi. Before she knows it, Leila is bound again, and it looks like she won't be breaking her curse anytime soon. Will Leila spend another thousand years as a jinni?
What I Liked:
*I haven't read many jinni books, so I was eager to dive in and read Jinn and Juice. I was not disappointed in the jinn and the rest of the paranormal creatures. If you are wanting a book with jinn, this is a good one to try. I especially liked the way Ms. Peeler developed the mythology and history of the jinn. Don't expect this to be a story about rubbing a lamp and getting three wishes. The jinn are so much complicated than that.
*For me, the secondary characters stole the show. Leila spent years and years serving others and living a solitary life before finding her way to Pittsburgh where she made some interesting and loyal friends. Leila's group of friends consist of a troll, a will o' wisp, a seer, a drag queen and two spider lithe named Trip and Trap. I loved the varied cast of paranormal, and I enjoyed that they were one big happy family.
*Leila, the jinni, is an intriguing protagonist. She was a human cursed to be a jinni by a powerful jinni. Leila has been an outcast jinni for the last thousand years, and now she is looking to break her curse. She is intelligent, determined and resourceful. I liked getting to know her and learning her history. She was completely different from what I expected as far as jinn go.
*This is a Urban Fantasy novel driven by the plot. I appreciated that there was plenty of action, lots of developments and that it for the most part refrains from a romance. There is the beginning of a romance, but nothing that overtakes the plot. I liked the uniqueness of the world, the characters and the story.
*I enjoyed watching the relationship unfold and change between Leila and Oz. It starts out with the two at odds, and then over time, they begin to work together and become friends with the potential for something more. Oz was a solid, stand up good guy, and I liked watching Leila learn to trust him and count on him as a friend.
*The ending is fast and furious and it comes to a satisfactory close. There isn't a cliffhanger, but there are new story lines laid out for the next book.
And The Not So Much:
*I quickly became engaged after the first chapter, and I was expecting this to be a great read, but for some reason, it began to fade and drag in the middle. I thought the pace slowed significantly, and I found I wasn't as locked into the story as I hoped. I ended it thinking it was a good read, but it lacked something overall. I guess I was hoping for so much more.
*The world building is good and I thought the author did a good job of explaining the paranormal plane of Sideways. The book is set in Pittsburgh, but I never felt like the author did a good job of developing the Pittsburgh part. This was where the world building faltered for me.
*I was expecting this book to be full of snark and humor. Ms Peeler's Jane True series is known for its humor. I was disappointed in the lack of humor in this one. There were a few lines that made me smile, but nothing that made me snicker or laugh out loud. I found the lack of humor disappointing.
*Early on, a story line involving a missing friend, a kitsune, is introduced. Later, the fate of the friend is learned, and then nothing further happens. I was expecting a bit more from this character and that story line, but it went nowhere.
*I wish a bit more history on Leila's past and some of her former masters was shared. She has a great deal of animosity toward the Mage, and I wanted to know more about her misfortune while bound to other masters so I could better understand what her life as a jinni was like and why she hated the Mage as much as she does.
Overall Jinn and Juice had the potential to be a great read, it has interesting characters, well developed mythology, good world building, and an action packed story line, but it falters a bit with too much information and a slow middle. I liked it, but at this point, I am not certain as to whether or not I will continue as it lacked a bit of something for me.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
Leila adjusts her impressive snake headdress as she prepares to head on stage for her burlesque number. Leila is a belly dancer and a jinni. For the last one thousand years, she has lived and served numerous masters, and now she is only days away from finally breaking the curse that will end her life as a jinni. All she has to do is stay low and keep away from any Magi. Unfortunately for Leila while dancing on stage, she is spotted by a Magi. Before she knows it, Leila is bound again, and it looks like she won't be breaking her curse anytime soon. Will Leila spend another thousand years as a jinni?
What I Liked:
*I haven't read many jinni books, so I was eager to dive in and read Jinn and Juice. I was not disappointed in the jinn and the rest of the paranormal creatures. If you are wanting a book with jinn, this is a good one to try. I especially liked the way Ms. Peeler developed the mythology and history of the jinn. Don't expect this to be a story about rubbing a lamp and getting three wishes. The jinn are so much complicated than that.
*For me, the secondary characters stole the show. Leila spent years and years serving others and living a solitary life before finding her way to Pittsburgh where she made some interesting and loyal friends. Leila's group of friends consist of a troll, a will o' wisp, a seer, a drag queen and two spider lithe named Trip and Trap. I loved the varied cast of paranormal, and I enjoyed that they were one big happy family.
*Leila, the jinni, is an intriguing protagonist. She was a human cursed to be a jinni by a powerful jinni. Leila has been an outcast jinni for the last thousand years, and now she is looking to break her curse. She is intelligent, determined and resourceful. I liked getting to know her and learning her history. She was completely different from what I expected as far as jinn go.
*This is a Urban Fantasy novel driven by the plot. I appreciated that there was plenty of action, lots of developments and that it for the most part refrains from a romance. There is the beginning of a romance, but nothing that overtakes the plot. I liked the uniqueness of the world, the characters and the story.
*I enjoyed watching the relationship unfold and change between Leila and Oz. It starts out with the two at odds, and then over time, they begin to work together and become friends with the potential for something more. Oz was a solid, stand up good guy, and I liked watching Leila learn to trust him and count on him as a friend.
*The ending is fast and furious and it comes to a satisfactory close. There isn't a cliffhanger, but there are new story lines laid out for the next book.
And The Not So Much:
*I quickly became engaged after the first chapter, and I was expecting this to be a great read, but for some reason, it began to fade and drag in the middle. I thought the pace slowed significantly, and I found I wasn't as locked into the story as I hoped. I ended it thinking it was a good read, but it lacked something overall. I guess I was hoping for so much more.
*The world building is good and I thought the author did a good job of explaining the paranormal plane of Sideways. The book is set in Pittsburgh, but I never felt like the author did a good job of developing the Pittsburgh part. This was where the world building faltered for me.
*I was expecting this book to be full of snark and humor. Ms Peeler's Jane True series is known for its humor. I was disappointed in the lack of humor in this one. There were a few lines that made me smile, but nothing that made me snicker or laugh out loud. I found the lack of humor disappointing.
*Early on, a story line involving a missing friend, a kitsune, is introduced. Later, the fate of the friend is learned, and then nothing further happens. I was expecting a bit more from this character and that story line, but it went nowhere.
*I wish a bit more history on Leila's past and some of her former masters was shared. She has a great deal of animosity toward the Mage, and I wanted to know more about her misfortune while bound to other masters so I could better understand what her life as a jinni was like and why she hated the Mage as much as she does.
Overall Jinn and Juice had the potential to be a great read, it has interesting characters, well developed mythology, good world building, and an action packed story line, but it falters a bit with too much information and a slow middle. I liked it, but at this point, I am not certain as to whether or not I will continue as it lacked a bit of something for me.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
July 6, 2015
Nicole Peeler’s urban fantasy novel JINN AND JUICE introduces us to a quirky cast and an unusual supernatural type: a jinni!
The supes aren’t the only unusual elements of this one – JINN AND JUICE also features an urban setting that I’ve never read about in UF: Pittsburgh. Since I’ve never been there and have no plans to go, it was fun to get a sense of what the city’s like. One of my favourite parts of UF is how atmospheric it can be, really capturing the various neighborhoods and locations of a given city. But I can’t help but think it would be fun to read a UF novel that wasn’t set in either North America or England. Maybe it’s because authors usually seem to write UF set in cities they’re familiar with (Nicole Peeler’s author bio states that she lives in Pittsburgh). But that’s more of a sub-genre gripe in general, not one specifically directed at JINN AND JUICE.
Nicole Peeler’s version of Pittsburgh may look familiar to Americans, but of course it’s more than it seems. There’s the human world as we know it, but right next door is Sideways, the fey world where many supernatural creatures choose to live. Sideways is another plane, one where magic flourishes without the interference of steel. While all magical beings – including humans with magic – can “go Sideways,” only the Pure Bloods are welcome. The mixed blood and oddball supes, known as Immunda, are ridiculed and preyed upon when they go Sideways so most choose to live in the human world.
It’s at a supernatural burlesque club that we first meet our protagonist Lyla, a belly dancing jinni who’s rumored to be almost as old as Methuselah. She’s spent a millennium alternately being Bound and unBound by the Magi, magical humans who believe it is their birthright to command the jinn. For if a Magi commands something, the jinni must obey…and Lyla’s never been a fan of obedience.
Having spent the last century unBound, Lyla is understandably enraged when a fledgling Magi named Oz manages to command her. While Oz purports to have good intentions, a jinni can never trust a Magi. Thankfully Lyla’s got her crew to back her up and try to get her unBound again – and let me just say how awesome they all are. I especially loved how positively queer relationships were portrayed among them, and how much fun they have together even while fighting for their lives. #squadgoals
Oz is an adorable love interest, definitely a more reasonable personality type than the macho alpha male types who seem to crop up a lot in UF (although I do love those types, now and then). While Oz’s more sensitive vibe may not be to everyone’s tastes, I thought it was a wise choice on Peeler’s part since a controlling alpha male who had also basically enslaved the protagonist is a lot less viable as a likeable romantic lead. That said, Oz isn’t just a useless character who sits on the sidelines being emotional. He’s got some skills in the boxing ring that help Lyla & co. go up against some big bad beasties that keep him from being one-dimensional.
If you’re not offended by pretty raunchy humour then you’ll likely find JINN AND JUICE hilarious. But if you find yourself rolling your eyes at sexual innuendo and crass slang…well, you should probably steer clear. While this one was a little light on plot it was heavy on world building and bursting with lovable characters. A promising UF series debut, and I will be reading the sequel when it releases.
The supes aren’t the only unusual elements of this one – JINN AND JUICE also features an urban setting that I’ve never read about in UF: Pittsburgh. Since I’ve never been there and have no plans to go, it was fun to get a sense of what the city’s like. One of my favourite parts of UF is how atmospheric it can be, really capturing the various neighborhoods and locations of a given city. But I can’t help but think it would be fun to read a UF novel that wasn’t set in either North America or England. Maybe it’s because authors usually seem to write UF set in cities they’re familiar with (Nicole Peeler’s author bio states that she lives in Pittsburgh). But that’s more of a sub-genre gripe in general, not one specifically directed at JINN AND JUICE.
Nicole Peeler’s version of Pittsburgh may look familiar to Americans, but of course it’s more than it seems. There’s the human world as we know it, but right next door is Sideways, the fey world where many supernatural creatures choose to live. Sideways is another plane, one where magic flourishes without the interference of steel. While all magical beings – including humans with magic – can “go Sideways,” only the Pure Bloods are welcome. The mixed blood and oddball supes, known as Immunda, are ridiculed and preyed upon when they go Sideways so most choose to live in the human world.
It’s at a supernatural burlesque club that we first meet our protagonist Lyla, a belly dancing jinni who’s rumored to be almost as old as Methuselah. She’s spent a millennium alternately being Bound and unBound by the Magi, magical humans who believe it is their birthright to command the jinn. For if a Magi commands something, the jinni must obey…and Lyla’s never been a fan of obedience.
Having spent the last century unBound, Lyla is understandably enraged when a fledgling Magi named Oz manages to command her. While Oz purports to have good intentions, a jinni can never trust a Magi. Thankfully Lyla’s got her crew to back her up and try to get her unBound again – and let me just say how awesome they all are. I especially loved how positively queer relationships were portrayed among them, and how much fun they have together even while fighting for their lives. #squadgoals
Oz is an adorable love interest, definitely a more reasonable personality type than the macho alpha male types who seem to crop up a lot in UF (although I do love those types, now and then). While Oz’s more sensitive vibe may not be to everyone’s tastes, I thought it was a wise choice on Peeler’s part since a controlling alpha male who had also basically enslaved the protagonist is a lot less viable as a likeable romantic lead. That said, Oz isn’t just a useless character who sits on the sidelines being emotional. He’s got some skills in the boxing ring that help Lyla & co. go up against some big bad beasties that keep him from being one-dimensional.
If you’re not offended by pretty raunchy humour then you’ll likely find JINN AND JUICE hilarious. But if you find yourself rolling your eyes at sexual innuendo and crass slang…well, you should probably steer clear. While this one was a little light on plot it was heavy on world building and bursting with lovable characters. A promising UF series debut, and I will be reading the sequel when it releases.
February 10, 2015
Full review up now at www.onceuponabookblog.com/blog/2015/1... <3
Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/onceuponabookblog <3
Nicole Peeler and I have always seen eye to eye. Her Jane True series is a firm favourite of Kristal and myself. Not only does she nail the Urban Fantasy genre every single time, but her characters are everything I love and more. I kid you not, this lady can do no wrong! So how excited was I for her new book, Jinn & Juice. A new world and new characters, the possibilities were endless. Are you getting the gist of how excited I was? Well my excitement was well placed. This book delivered and then some!
The story is about Lyla, cursed to be a jinni in some wicked bargain a loooong time ago, her curse will be lifted if she can keep from being bound by a Magi (pesky humans who can bind and use jinni) Of course life is NEVER this simple and Lyla ends up bound... This is where things really get interesting. Oz, the Magi who has bound her really isn't anything like the others of his kind that Lyla has encountered. For a start he's kind, and he's not selfish, and he needs her help to help someone else. From here the story twists and turns and I guarantee you wont see the ending coming.
When it comes to anything Nicole Peeler I like my heroines hilarious, snarky, kick-ass and generally pretty damn awesome. Lyla ticks these boxes easily, she is one sassy lady! Every step of the way she is nothing but authentically herself. You find out very quickly that even though as a jinni she must follow her masters orders, she still has her ways to skirt certain issues. Let me tell you, you'll never look at a cantaloupe the same again!
Which brings me to the potential recipient of the cantaloupe treatment, Oz. At first he seemed barely a cardboard cut-out compared to Lyla's loud and rambunctious personality. But bit by bit he won me over, he may not have smacked me over the head with other worldly pizazz, but he did add the very important carefully constructed human element that the story needed. In fact, he really was the ying to Lyla's yang. You could tell from the start that this guy was Mr nice, and there is nothing wrong with that!
As always, Nicole Peeler's world building was on point. Everything was meticulously laid out, from the steel poisoned magic running under Pittsburgh, right through to the magical realm, Sideways. I loved Lyla's back story and not once did I feel like I'd learnt everything about her or this world, which personally I am all for. I don't want to be done learning new facts about this universe and these characters, everything I've learnt so far has me wanting to know more. I was thankful that time was taken to explain all of the detail, but not once did the story feel bogged down by it. The weird and wonderful supporting characters obviously had a lot of care and thought put into them, creepy (Trip & Trap) AND kooky (pretty much everyone else) they really topped off an already fantastic read. I have to make special mention of Yulia, I never have been so amazed and petrified simultaneously by a supernatural creature, but this wisp had me (she also had me googling all things wisp related)....
This book is the start of what I am sure will be an awesome series.
I can't wait.
Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/onceuponabookblog <3
Nicole Peeler and I have always seen eye to eye. Her Jane True series is a firm favourite of Kristal and myself. Not only does she nail the Urban Fantasy genre every single time, but her characters are everything I love and more. I kid you not, this lady can do no wrong! So how excited was I for her new book, Jinn & Juice. A new world and new characters, the possibilities were endless. Are you getting the gist of how excited I was? Well my excitement was well placed. This book delivered and then some!
The story is about Lyla, cursed to be a jinni in some wicked bargain a loooong time ago, her curse will be lifted if she can keep from being bound by a Magi (pesky humans who can bind and use jinni) Of course life is NEVER this simple and Lyla ends up bound... This is where things really get interesting. Oz, the Magi who has bound her really isn't anything like the others of his kind that Lyla has encountered. For a start he's kind, and he's not selfish, and he needs her help to help someone else. From here the story twists and turns and I guarantee you wont see the ending coming.
When it comes to anything Nicole Peeler I like my heroines hilarious, snarky, kick-ass and generally pretty damn awesome. Lyla ticks these boxes easily, she is one sassy lady! Every step of the way she is nothing but authentically herself. You find out very quickly that even though as a jinni she must follow her masters orders, she still has her ways to skirt certain issues. Let me tell you, you'll never look at a cantaloupe the same again!
Which brings me to the potential recipient of the cantaloupe treatment, Oz. At first he seemed barely a cardboard cut-out compared to Lyla's loud and rambunctious personality. But bit by bit he won me over, he may not have smacked me over the head with other worldly pizazz, but he did add the very important carefully constructed human element that the story needed. In fact, he really was the ying to Lyla's yang. You could tell from the start that this guy was Mr nice, and there is nothing wrong with that!
As always, Nicole Peeler's world building was on point. Everything was meticulously laid out, from the steel poisoned magic running under Pittsburgh, right through to the magical realm, Sideways. I loved Lyla's back story and not once did I feel like I'd learnt everything about her or this world, which personally I am all for. I don't want to be done learning new facts about this universe and these characters, everything I've learnt so far has me wanting to know more. I was thankful that time was taken to explain all of the detail, but not once did the story feel bogged down by it. The weird and wonderful supporting characters obviously had a lot of care and thought put into them, creepy (Trip & Trap) AND kooky (pretty much everyone else) they really topped off an already fantastic read. I have to make special mention of Yulia, I never have been so amazed and petrified simultaneously by a supernatural creature, but this wisp had me (she also had me googling all things wisp related)....
This book is the start of what I am sure will be an awesome series.
I can't wait.
December 2, 2014
Okay...it's obvious. I'm a huge fan of all things genie/jinni/jinn/djinn, or whatever you want to call the amazing creatures born of fire and smoke. Love them! But when I first saw Jinn and Juice, by Nicole Peeler, I'll be honest, I was torn. I was ecstatic (as a reader) and worried (as an author). Was there room for my genie book and Nicole's on the already crowded bookshelves? Duh! Of course! Not to mention, Nicole is one of my writing idols. I look up to her and admire her always-increasing talent as a writer. I'm honored she finds the whole genie subject as fascinating as I do. And did I mention I'm downright tickled by her highly original portrayal of our fiery friends? Well, I am. Now that I've got all that out of the way, what did I really think about Jinn and Juice?
10 stars! Wow! Amazing! A stunning supernatural smorgasbord! No lie! Creatures that us paranormal readers are familiar with and others that typically don't spend a whole lot of time in the spotlight; they're all alive (or dead) in Jinn and Juice. The main character, Lyla, a jinni, is deliciously divine. I'm not going to give away her back story, but I will say it is unique with a capital 'U'. I adored her! She is not a whiner or complainer. She's a realist in the midst of magical mayhem, where she has become the center of everyone and EVERYTHING'S attention, and not necessarily in a good way.
Nicole did a superb job of making me fall in love with Lyla and the other characters, and it happened fast. Super fast! A few pages in, and I was already hooked and thoroughly enjoying their relationship dynamics. I have a major 'friend crush' on her inner circle. The dialogue between her little group is quick, smart, sassy, and funny. They were 100% behind their jinni friend, ready to stand at her side through every horrible, terrible situation that arose. And there are more than a few horrible, terrible situations. Then we've got the sexy, tatted, 'I'm actually a nice guy," Magi, Master - Oz. Book boyfriend all the way! He may be nice, but he's no wimp. And Rachel and Charlie...? I need more of those two. What a couple!
I could go on and on AND on about the relationships and how they all worked so well in this story, but I'll let you read about them yourself. I'm not a spoiler kinda girl. I will also say the world building and historical background Nicole created for her characters is fascinating and then some. Love the concept of 'dirty magic.' Beware of Pittsburgh!
My only complaint, and it's just me. I wanted more sexy time between Lyla and her Master/Magi, Oz. I loved the build up and the fact it wasn't instalove, but I wanted some lovin'! Damn Oz and his decency! I can't wait to see how their relationship develops as the series continues.
Finally, I can't end the review without a shout out to the bad guys (and gals). Yes, there is betrayal, creepy crawly meanies, and a whole lot of genies who underestimate Lyla, making it an exciting read all the way to the last page.
The icing on the cake...THE COVER! Spectacular. It made me want to devour the book the same way I would a piece of red velvet cake. If you know me, that's saying a lot! I devoured Jinn and Juice; now I'm ready to eat the whole damn cake. Bring on the second slice, Nicole! In the meantime, I'll be stalking your sites.
10 stars! Wow! Amazing! A stunning supernatural smorgasbord! No lie! Creatures that us paranormal readers are familiar with and others that typically don't spend a whole lot of time in the spotlight; they're all alive (or dead) in Jinn and Juice. The main character, Lyla, a jinni, is deliciously divine. I'm not going to give away her back story, but I will say it is unique with a capital 'U'. I adored her! She is not a whiner or complainer. She's a realist in the midst of magical mayhem, where she has become the center of everyone and EVERYTHING'S attention, and not necessarily in a good way.
Nicole did a superb job of making me fall in love with Lyla and the other characters, and it happened fast. Super fast! A few pages in, and I was already hooked and thoroughly enjoying their relationship dynamics. I have a major 'friend crush' on her inner circle. The dialogue between her little group is quick, smart, sassy, and funny. They were 100% behind their jinni friend, ready to stand at her side through every horrible, terrible situation that arose. And there are more than a few horrible, terrible situations. Then we've got the sexy, tatted, 'I'm actually a nice guy," Magi, Master - Oz. Book boyfriend all the way! He may be nice, but he's no wimp. And Rachel and Charlie...? I need more of those two. What a couple!
I could go on and on AND on about the relationships and how they all worked so well in this story, but I'll let you read about them yourself. I'm not a spoiler kinda girl. I will also say the world building and historical background Nicole created for her characters is fascinating and then some. Love the concept of 'dirty magic.' Beware of Pittsburgh!
My only complaint, and it's just me. I wanted more sexy time between Lyla and her Master/Magi, Oz. I loved the build up and the fact it wasn't instalove, but I wanted some lovin'! Damn Oz and his decency! I can't wait to see how their relationship develops as the series continues.
Finally, I can't end the review without a shout out to the bad guys (and gals). Yes, there is betrayal, creepy crawly meanies, and a whole lot of genies who underestimate Lyla, making it an exciting read all the way to the last page.
The icing on the cake...THE COVER! Spectacular. It made me want to devour the book the same way I would a piece of red velvet cake. If you know me, that's saying a lot! I devoured Jinn and Juice; now I'm ready to eat the whole damn cake. Bring on the second slice, Nicole! In the meantime, I'll be stalking your sites.
April 22, 2015
Pittsburgh's been pretty trendy lately. We turn up on all these best-of lists, everybody wants to move here, yada-yada. But Pittsburgh is more than the flavor of the month. In fact, those of us who grew up here, and make our homes here, know it's downright magical.
Enter Nicole Peeler, who pulled off a trifecta of amazing: an urban fantasy novel set in Pittsburgh that doesn't suck or condescend. Given that she lives here, too, I shouldn't be surprised. Still. So much could have gone wrong, yet turned out exactly the opposite.
How does she get it right? Let me count the ways:
1. Actually integrating local places into the story, as opposed to just name-dropping them. Frick Park is especially well-used here, with Point State Park serving as a terrific backup locale. Note to author: please consider writing a children's book called "There's A Bugbear in Regent Square."
2. A plausible system of magic. I can't say too much about this without giving away plot points, but the way the rules are set up here matches the Pittsburgh vibe perfectly.
3. Non-cookie-cutter supernatural creatures! This cast of supernatural misfits is one of the best I've seen in an urban fantasy novel in a long time. Her take on vampirism is fun and fresh. There are no hunky shapeshifters. People of color get to be magical, in a non-stereotypical way (one tiny wibble: more Aki, please! Because kitsune, damn!). And, obviously, making your main character a jinni isn't territory most UF authors have traveled.
4. Peeler's characters also talk like people who ACTUALLY LIVE HERE, with NO stereotypical "Yinzer" crap thrown in. I know these people. I LOVE these people. They talk to each other the way my friends and I talk to each other, and support each other in the same way. These characters are Pittsburghers, through and through, and I want to cosplay each and every one of them (though I'm gonna need some help with the spider twins).
5. HOW MUCH FUN IS THIS PLOT???? I mean, okay, you sort of start to see where it's going in some ways, but the major reveal was well-hidden right up to the point where it wasn't. Lovely little bait and switch there, well-played. And getting there? SO much fun. Fresh, original, NOT something you've seen 50 times before.
6. The romance plot is handled deftly as well. The obstacles that keep Oz and Lyla from each other are believable, as is the way they fall for each other - slowly and gradually. There's a lot of banter/snark in their dialogue, but not so much that it screams, "Look how clever we are being!" And Oz is just a plain old sweetie-pie. Adork-able, even. He wears his Magi powers uneasily, relying on them less often than he relies on his kind heart and scholarly intellect. And when the plot starts to get sexy, it's deliciously, not ridiculously, so.
In short, Peeler did everything right here. The story ends with the set-up for a sequel and there had DAMN WELL BETTER BE OR I WILL HOLD MY BREATH UNTIL I TURN BLUE! Five stars, and a huge hug for the author, if ever our paths should cross.
Enter Nicole Peeler, who pulled off a trifecta of amazing: an urban fantasy novel set in Pittsburgh that doesn't suck or condescend. Given that she lives here, too, I shouldn't be surprised. Still. So much could have gone wrong, yet turned out exactly the opposite.
How does she get it right? Let me count the ways:
1. Actually integrating local places into the story, as opposed to just name-dropping them. Frick Park is especially well-used here, with Point State Park serving as a terrific backup locale. Note to author: please consider writing a children's book called "There's A Bugbear in Regent Square."
2. A plausible system of magic. I can't say too much about this without giving away plot points, but the way the rules are set up here matches the Pittsburgh vibe perfectly.
3. Non-cookie-cutter supernatural creatures! This cast of supernatural misfits is one of the best I've seen in an urban fantasy novel in a long time. Her take on vampirism is fun and fresh. There are no hunky shapeshifters. People of color get to be magical, in a non-stereotypical way (one tiny wibble: more Aki, please! Because kitsune, damn!). And, obviously, making your main character a jinni isn't territory most UF authors have traveled.
4. Peeler's characters also talk like people who ACTUALLY LIVE HERE, with NO stereotypical "Yinzer" crap thrown in. I know these people. I LOVE these people. They talk to each other the way my friends and I talk to each other, and support each other in the same way. These characters are Pittsburghers, through and through, and I want to cosplay each and every one of them (though I'm gonna need some help with the spider twins).
5. HOW MUCH FUN IS THIS PLOT???? I mean, okay, you sort of start to see where it's going in some ways, but the major reveal was well-hidden right up to the point where it wasn't. Lovely little bait and switch there, well-played. And getting there? SO much fun. Fresh, original, NOT something you've seen 50 times before.
6. The romance plot is handled deftly as well. The obstacles that keep Oz and Lyla from each other are believable, as is the way they fall for each other - slowly and gradually. There's a lot of banter/snark in their dialogue, but not so much that it screams, "Look how clever we are being!" And Oz is just a plain old sweetie-pie. Adork-able, even. He wears his Magi powers uneasily, relying on them less often than he relies on his kind heart and scholarly intellect. And when the plot starts to get sexy, it's deliciously, not ridiculously, so.
In short, Peeler did everything right here. The story ends with the set-up for a sequel and there had DAMN WELL BETTER BE OR I WILL HOLD MY BREATH UNTIL I TURN BLUE! Five stars, and a huge hug for the author, if ever our paths should cross.
April 30, 2015
A fun urban fantasy!
If you enjoyed Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead, then Jinn and Juice might just be for you. They both feature well developed modern fantasy worlds filled with fast-talking, wise-cracking mystical creatures just trying to make it in our world, and there are quite a few other similarities.
Lyla is a thousand year old jinni who works as a burlesque dancer in a supernatural bar. Her friends are a cast of characters featuring some new and unusual creatures (at least for me). We get a will-o-the wisp, a kitsune (fox shifter), a pair of spider wraiths (still not sure what those even are), and a psychic drag queen (the obligatory black gay man who allows you to kill two diversity birds with one stone, but still irks me because it's also a not-so-sly way to create a "non-threatening" black male character, but I digress).
Though I couldn't always picture the characters inhabiting this world, I did appreciate that we weren't dealing with the same old vampires and werewolves. The story unfolds nicely when Oz, a magi - the only humans who can bind a jinni to their will - comes on the scene.
Now, I've seen reviews that were decidedly anti-Oz, but I don't fall into this camp. Once again, a comparison to the love interest in Succubus Blues is apt. Oz is not your alpha hero, but he's got all the qualities of a stand-up guy. Maybe he's *too* good, and definitely too good to be true, but I don't have a problem with an earnest and intelligent beta hero, especially when he's covered in tattoos.
The story itself was interesting, but not sitting on the edge of my seat gripping (Richelle Mead is a master at this so it's not fair to compare). I think my biggest issue is that this is the start to a series and I'm not interested in any more of these if the main romantic barrier between Oz and Lyla isn't resolved in the next book. Then again, that's why I moved away from urban fantasy to romance, so maybe I'm just not quite the target audience.
Still, I enjoyed this a lot. Great writing, excellent and lively secondary characters and a really intriguing world.
If you enjoyed Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead, then Jinn and Juice might just be for you. They both feature well developed modern fantasy worlds filled with fast-talking, wise-cracking mystical creatures just trying to make it in our world, and there are quite a few other similarities.
Lyla is a thousand year old jinni who works as a burlesque dancer in a supernatural bar. Her friends are a cast of characters featuring some new and unusual creatures (at least for me). We get a will-o-the wisp, a kitsune (fox shifter), a pair of spider wraiths (still not sure what those even are), and a psychic drag queen (the obligatory black gay man who allows you to kill two diversity birds with one stone, but still irks me because it's also a not-so-sly way to create a "non-threatening" black male character, but I digress).
Though I couldn't always picture the characters inhabiting this world, I did appreciate that we weren't dealing with the same old vampires and werewolves. The story unfolds nicely when Oz, a magi - the only humans who can bind a jinni to their will - comes on the scene.
Now, I've seen reviews that were decidedly anti-Oz, but I don't fall into this camp. Once again, a comparison to the love interest in Succubus Blues is apt. Oz is not your alpha hero, but he's got all the qualities of a stand-up guy. Maybe he's *too* good, and definitely too good to be true, but I don't have a problem with an earnest and intelligent beta hero, especially when he's covered in tattoos.
The story itself was interesting, but not sitting on the edge of my seat gripping (Richelle Mead is a master at this so it's not fair to compare). I think my biggest issue is that this is the start to a series and I'm not interested in any more of these if the main romantic barrier between Oz and Lyla isn't resolved in the next book. Then again, that's why I moved away from urban fantasy to romance, so maybe I'm just not quite the target audience.
Still, I enjoyed this a lot. Great writing, excellent and lively secondary characters and a really intriguing world.
April 7, 2015
A great pace, interesting and eccentric characters, and a bit of romance is what you will find in JINN AND JUICE.
Leila spends her time belly dancing at Purgatory. She has remained a free jinn for a long while, her curse is almost up and she looks forward to being human again. She was feisty, loyal and easy to like. The romance was OK at best. Oz is a Magi and Leila is his bound Jinn so right off the bat they are in a master/slave relationship. Granted Oz is not your typical Magi and doesn't treat her like crap, but he needs Leila so he isn't willing to free her even though her curse could be permanent if he doesn't. They slowly build up a romance and respect for each other, but things are always in the way and they aren't willing to go full in. Maybe book two will find them officially a couple.
JINN AND JUICE has a great cast of secondary characters and I really loved all of Leila's friends and their loyalty towards her. The world of The Jinni could be a little more built than it was. You do get some explanations of pasts and you definitely have a good idea of everything that is involved in the world, but it didn't feel like we got everything.
JINN AND JUICE has a great cover and a great author wrote it, so it was a given that I would read it when I had the chance. My chance came, I read it and although I did enjoy JINN AND JUICE I didn't fall in love with it. I'm not saying I won't read more when future books come out, but they won't be on my must read list either.
* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Leila spends her time belly dancing at Purgatory. She has remained a free jinn for a long while, her curse is almost up and she looks forward to being human again. She was feisty, loyal and easy to like. The romance was OK at best. Oz is a Magi and Leila is his bound Jinn so right off the bat they are in a master/slave relationship. Granted Oz is not your typical Magi and doesn't treat her like crap, but he needs Leila so he isn't willing to free her even though her curse could be permanent if he doesn't. They slowly build up a romance and respect for each other, but things are always in the way and they aren't willing to go full in. Maybe book two will find them officially a couple.
JINN AND JUICE has a great cast of secondary characters and I really loved all of Leila's friends and their loyalty towards her. The world of The Jinni could be a little more built than it was. You do get some explanations of pasts and you definitely have a good idea of everything that is involved in the world, but it didn't feel like we got everything.
JINN AND JUICE has a great cover and a great author wrote it, so it was a given that I would read it when I had the chance. My chance came, I read it and although I did enjoy JINN AND JUICE I didn't fall in love with it. I'm not saying I won't read more when future books come out, but they won't be on my must read list either.
* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 2, 2015
This book was really fun. As much as I love Jane from Tempest Rising (and I really do love that series), I felt like Peeler hit her stride in some ways with Lyla. She was an adult hero, confident and mature, and it seemed to give Peeler a better way to express what she wanted to about her character, it let the character's strength and even her doubts feel more genuine and consistent. The group of friends were terrific too, and it was just a really enjoyable book. I hope she puts another one out soon, I'm looking forward to it.
unfinished
June 27, 2015One chapter in, I knew it wasn't going to be my thing. It may be I'm just not in the mood, but the exposition dumpy setup was a little too telegraphing and packed a few too many stereotypes in for my enjoyment. And yeah, I only gave it a chapter so "telegraphed" is probably the wrong word because I don't actually know that things will go the way I assume. Still, all the signals are there and if they aren't telegraphing, they're a miscue. At any rate, I feel perfectly comfortable letting this one go but not so comfortable that I can assign a rating. I'm good with that.
June 19, 2015
3.5 stars. Cute, silly, paranormal story. Fun since it is about many paranormal types but centered around a Jinn (which has a whole new set of creature issues I haven't read about before, creative world-building) One thing that bugged me a bit was that one character needed another character's help to accomplish something they were desperate to do, but yet it felt like they were running around doing other things for days before starting. So my sense of the timing must have been off or something. Anyway, very cute.
Read
December 11, 2014I'm not finishing this book. I love the general idea of the story an what it entails, but the characters annoy me too much. I'm also not a big fan of the whole performance angle that's involved with this story.
November 5, 2018
Honestly, I could not get into this book at all . It bored me, the plot sucked, the characters were just "blah" .... Either I was falling asleep while listening to this on audio, or I found myself zoning out. I made it to the end and still - nothing improved.
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