The Iron Will of Genie Lo

by F C Yee

[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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