The Iron Will of Genie Lo

by F C Yee

The fate of the heavens is at stake in this hilarious and highly-anticipated sequel to the The Epic Crush of Genie Lo

Genie Lo thought she was busy protecting the Bay Area from demons. But now, as a Heaven- appointed Guardian, even the well-being of demons is her responsibility—and their numbers are multiplying. Guanyin and Quentin are doing their best to help; but what they really need is for the Jade Emperor to get off his butt and deal with the crisis. While he’s AWOL, Genie nominates Guanyin to fill in his shoes, unaware that the role will go to the god who can defeat a mysterious threat to the supernatural order. Along with a few other contenders for the throne, including a former enemy, Genie and her friends embark on a Heavenly quest to an in-between world. But when faced with true danger, the group realizes that what will save the universe this time is sacrifice, not strength.

• ISBN13: 9781419731457
• Publish Date: 21 January 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 8 February 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Abrams
• Imprint: Amulet Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://abramsandchronicle.co.uk/book/9781419731457-the-iron-will-of-genie-lo/

Reviews

[Kat @ Novels & Waffles]

Although this book was a humorous and snarky sequel to The Epic Crush of Genie Lo, it somehow failed to live up to my expectations. The stakes were raised, the action was more intense, and yet, I didn't find it as entertaining as its predecessor.

THINGS I LIKED:
✔ Genie is still a BA. She is just as snarky as I remember her.
✔ Out favorite GODDESS (literally) Guanyin gets some major page time!
✔ A focus on sisterhood and fierce female friendships (Guanyin and Yunie play an even more important part in this storyline which is just *chef's kiss*)
✔ The ending was tender and sweet

THINGS I LIKED...LESS:
✖️I'm a sucker for origin stories. I love seeing how a person who suddenly is gifted with supernatural powers tries and fails and then ultimately succeeds in figuring out how to use them. That's one of the things I enjoyed so much about The Epic Crush. In The Iron Will, Genie has really grown into her abilities, and while that makes a lot of sense, it was definitely less interesting and humorous for me to read about.

✖️Perhaps I just wasn't in the right mood for this book when I read it, but the humor seemed to fall flat this time around. Which is hugely disappointing because in The Epic Crush, I found myself laughing out loud at F.C. Yee's witty and snarky writing style.

✖️Genie and Quentin's relationship took a back seat in this book, and while I appreciate that the romance didn't distract or eclipse the storyline, I think that there was less chemistry between the two. They just felt sort of .... awkward together.

✖️The ending, while sweet, was also so vague. They were like, "Yeah, so some stuff happened." YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HANGING LIKE THAT. I NEED TO HEAR MORE DETAILS ABOUT GROWN-UP GENIE!!

⚠️Trigger + Content Warnings ⚠️: Death, blood, violence, underage drinking

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[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

This was bittersweet for me, as it was an ending, but I will say, it was a fantastic send off for a character, who had wiggled her way into my heart.

I fell in love with Genie in her previous book, The Epic Crush of Genie Lo. There was just something about her humor and her wit, and the way she saw and interpreted the world. I loved her ambition and her drive, and she spoke my native language, sarcasm, fluently. She was strong and fierce, and the way she sought to uphold her duty was admirable.

But, this was Genie's senior year, and her future was calling. The problem was, that she was not sure what her future held. Money, her mother's health, and her obligation as Protector of California all weighed on her, as she tried to figure out what path she should take. Would she travel out of state to college, stay local, or skip college all together? She had no idea, and that uncertainty played a big role in this installment of the series. All of this AND she had to travel to another cosmic plane in order to battle demons, while avoiding addressing relationship issues with Quinten.

Sounds like a lot, right? But, Yee handled it all so well. The same charm, humor, and action that made me love the first book were still present in this sequel. In addition, I was overjoyed that there was more Yunie and more girl power, because both elements really elevated the story for me.

Though, I did envision many additional books in this series, I am eternally grateful for what Yee gave us. The ending was stupendous! Excuse me, as I deal with these happy tears, but that's what thinking about the ending does to me.

Overall: A fantastic wrap-up for a series, which had me laughing and cheering.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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