Happy Wednesday everyone and welcome to my stop on the Tour the World in 30 Books: A Diverse Book Blog Tour! Every stop on this month long blog tour will spotlight a different diverse book. The blog tour is hosted Sammie @ The Bookwyrm’s Den in support of her local public library’s diverse book drive. The CCPL is a small, rural library in an area with a high poverty rate, where people rarely have the means to travel. To assist their patrons learn more about the wider world and armchair travel, the library running a diverse book drive through the month of September to bring world to the county instead. With a focus on MG and YA books, the CCPL aims to expose especially its young patrons to new and diverse perspectives and cultures. As a librarian at a small, rural library myself, I have to support Sammie's initiative and I wish her all the best of luck this month!
Now on to the main event of my stop!
Today, I'm spotlighting one of my all-time favorite YA urban fantasy novels, The Epic Crush of Genie Lo (The Epic Crush of Genie Lo #1) by F.C. Yee. I don't know about you, but this book deserves all the love it can get. I'm always happy to talk this one up and today I'm going to list 10 reasons I love it and why I think you should read it too. Here we go, it's quite a ride so buckle up!
1. The story is inspired by Chinese folklore and mythology - Genie's waking hours are normally consumed with getting accepted into a great college, but her priorities are rearranged when her town comes under siege by demons that are straight out of Chinese folklore. Quentin Sun, the mysterious transfer kid at her San Francisco Bay Area prep school, assures her that she has the strength to fight the monsters. Together they can take care of the monsters threatening the city because he claims he's Sun Wukong (aka the Monkey King) and that Genie is the human reincarnation of the Ruyi Jinju Bang, his magical weapon. She's going to have to dig deep to summon the supernatural strength he insists she must possess - not to mention keep up her grades if she wants to make into a top-tier college.
2. Fantastic core cast of characters - Everyone in this story brings something valuable to the table and they're all incredibly well written. Genie herself is one of my favorite YA heroines. All things considered, she's very relatable high school student. She's hard-working and ambitious; she's sarcastic, snarky, and doesn't put up with any crap. She easily carries the book. Quentin himself is also supremely entertaining, to say the least. My favorite side character is Guanyin. Yeah, she's a bodhisattva and the goddess of mercy.
3. Humor - There are a lot laugh out loud moments. The story is flat out fun and funny. Luckily, none of it ever feels forced. Genie and Quentin really have a hilarious rapport.
4. Dialogue - Given everything they talk about from the supernatural to the mundane, the dialogue comes across as very natural and it really crackles. I always appreciate banter, and Genie and Quentin have some of the best.
5. Heart - It has everything to make it a classic action-adventure fantasy, but its heart makes it stand out from the crowd. Most of that heart comes into play with Genie and her friends.
6. Action - On top of everything else, F.C. Yee writes awesome action scenes. They're very visual and I think the book absolutely -
7. Should be adapted into a tv series by Netflix - Pretty please! At least five seasons! I know if done right, it could be outstanding.
8. It lives up to the epicness of the title - 100%!
9. It's perfect for fans of the mythology of The Girl with Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson, the characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the relationship between Kagome and Inuyasha.
10. It has a sequel - It's a duology, so The Iron Will of Genie Lo (The Epic Crush of Genie Lo #2) by F.C. Yee also doubles as the finale. It was released back in January of 2020 and it's one of my favorite reads of the year so far. It has a fantastic ending, but I honestly wouldn't mind seeing more the characters again sometime in the future. By the way, the cover of the sequel follows the design of the paperback edition of book one which you can see here.
If you like, you can check out my reviews here: The Epic Crush of Genie Lo and The Iron Will of Genie Lo.
Finally, if you'd like to purchase and/ or send Sammie's library, a new or gently used diverse book, check out these book wishlists (hardcover books are preferred, but not required): Amazon, Book Depository, & Bookshop (if you order from Bookshop please send a message to sammie@thebookwyrmsden.com so the book can be removed from the wishlist to prevent duplicate purchases).
September 1: Sammie @ The Bookwyrm’s Den - Introduction, Paola Santiago and the River of Tears
Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads - Dating Makes Perfect
September 2: Lauren @ Always Me - The Epic Crush of Genie Lo
September 3: Toya @ The Reading Chemist - Felix Ever After
September 4: Michelle @ Carry A Big Book - Sharks in the Time of Saviors
September 5: Shenwei @ READING (AS)(I)AN (AM)ERICA - The Astonishing Color of After
September 6: Maria @ A Daughter of Parchment and Paper - Patron Saints of Nothing
September 7: Bri @ Bri’s Book Nook - True Friends (Carmen Browne)
September 8: Bec @ bec&books - Lobizona
Jorie @ Jorie Loves A Story - diverse TTT
September 9: Sienna @ Daydreaming Book Lover - Loveless
September 10: Kerri @ Kerri McBookNerd - Raybearer
September 11: Noly @ The Artsy Reader - The Name Jar
September 12: Jacob @ The Writer’s Alley - Forest of Souls
September 13: Keri @ Are You My Book - The Tea Dragon Society
September 14: Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight - The Space Between Worlds
September 15: Melissa @ Ramblings of a Jedi Librarian - Girl in Translation
September 16: Livy @ Shelves of Starlight - Clap When You Land
September 17: Crystal @ Lost in Storyland - American Born Chinese
September 18: Lili @ Lili’s Blissful Pages - A Wish in the Dark
September 19: Leslie @ Books Are The New Black - The Poppy War
September 20: Noura @ The Perks of Being Noura - Love From A to Z
September 21: Crini @ Crini’s - A Pale Light in the Black
September 22: Rachelle @ Rae’s Reads and Reviews - Dear Haiti, Love Alaine
September 23: Dini @ DiniPandaReads - Wicked As You Wish
September 24: Madeline @ Mad’s Books - Spin the Dawn
September 25: Tessa @ Narratess - Brace Yourself
September 26: Kimberly @ My Bookish Bliss - Truly Madly Royally
September 27: Rena @ Bookflirting 101 - Anna K: A Love Story
September 28: Susan @ Novel Lives - Burn the Dark
September 29: Arina @ The Bookwyrm’s Guide to the Galaxy - A Song of Wraiths and Ruin
September 30: Maya @ Awesome Reads - Jackpot
As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below! Don't forget to follow the blog tour this month at the above stops!
I love this post! I haven't read this book yet, but you've definitely sold me. Buffy meets Inuyasha/Kagomi relationship with Girl With the Ghost Eyes mythology? Yeeeah, I definitely need to read this one! Thanks so much for participating in the tour. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting this all together, Sammie! I'm glad I convinced you. :)
DeleteAs I was reading your review, The Girl with Ghost Eyes kept popping into my head, and when you mentioned it, I knew I had to read this😁
ReplyDeleteI bet you'll love it, Tammy!
Deletewonderful post. i recognize the name, because i won iron will on your site. i have my beautiful copy, waiting its turn to be read. thanks so much lauren
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Thanks! I'm glad it's arrived! Happy reading, Sherry!
DeleteI love this post! I added this one to my tbr.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Happy reading!
DeleteGenie Lo was so funny - loved it. And thanks for the drive info - I do have some new YA books that need a home! I'll check the wish list!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Thanks, Jen!
DeleteHallo, Hallo Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI am finally making my route through the tour for all the lovely stops I've missed whilst taking care of life's crises as they arose this month. I am thankful to have a moment to take some downtime enjoying discovering new music via Spotify and tucking into blog posts & comments both on the tour and on my blog.
I love Chinese folklore & mythology myself!! I've been getting into more of these kinds of stories for the past few years ever since Louise @ Foxes Fairytales has been hosting @Mythothon.
I love your enthused reaction to this novel/series as it is quite catching! I'll have to see if my library has a copy and check it out for myself. Thanks for such a wonderful overall of the story and the components therein that gave you such a wicked reading experience!
Cool! I hope they have it!
DeleteOMG, Chinese mythology. ❤❤❤ Also I love good chemistry between main characters and based on everything you said about Quentin and Genie, they seem to be a great duo. ❤
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorites! :)
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