I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Circle of Jinn by Lori Goldstein
Series: Becoming Jinn #2
Published by Feiwel & Friends on May 17, 2016
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Being Jinn is Azra’s new reality. As she grants wishes under the watchful eye of the Afrit council, she remains torn between her two worlds—human and Jinn. Soon, secrets spill. Zars are broken. Humans become pawns. And rumors of an uprising become real as the Afrit’s reach extends beyond the underground world of Janna.

Straddling the line becomes impossible. Aware of her unique abilities, Azra must not just face but embrace her destiny. But when the role she must play and those she must protect expand to include a circle of Jinn greater than her own, Azra will be forced to risk everything. A risk that means there’s everything to lose, and at the same time, everything to gain—for herself and her entire Jinn race.

In this dramatic sequel to Becoming Jinn, Azra’s story comes to a heartfelt and thrilling conclusion.

I finished this book over a month ago and I still haven’t been able to review it. I really enjoyed it, so I’m not sure why except that I’ve been in a bit of a blogging slump this year. Better late than never though, right? Still, its been awhile since I read this, so I’m a little fuzzy on the book’s details, but I remember enough to give you guys a general sense of the story. I’ll also keep this short and sweet, so I don’t ramble!

I truly enjoyed this book. I’m sad it’s the conclusion, as I was under the impression this was a trilogy, but I think Lori Goldstein did a wonderful job of wrapping things up. She also did a great job recounting what happened in book one while avoiding info-dumps. I didn’t feel totally lost, which was awesome (I’m sure it also helps that I read book one pretty recently!).

I loved the character growth in this book. Azra has definitely come a long way since book one when she didn’t even WANT to be a Jinn. She really embraced who she is and her destiny and I really liked the way her story ended. Yasmin, too, has grown a lot since the first book. I also loved the new characters we were introduced to – mainly Zak and Matin. I loved who they were, their backstories and their personalities. Matin, especially, was hilarious! I’m still not sure how I feel about the Henry and Nate situation… I love both guys, so it’s hard to decide if I’m happy with the way things went or not.

This book was intense with a lot of twists, turns and revelations. The ending was insane and epic! I don’t think it could have ended any other way! I couldn’t read this book fast enough and I didn’t want to put it down! Though I’m sad the series has come to an end, I’m so glad I read it – I loved it and I’m really satisfied with the way it ended and the way everything wrapped up for each character. I also adore Lori and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein
Series: Becoming Jinn #1
Published by Feiwel & Friends on April 21, 2015
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Forget everything you thought you knew about genies!

Azra has just turned sixteen, and overnight her body lengthens, her olive skin deepens, and her eyes glisten gold thanks to the brand-new silver bangle that locks around her wrist. As she always knew it would, her Jinn ancestry brings not just magical powers but the reality of a life of servitude, as her wish granting is controlled by a remote ruling class of Jinn known as the Afrit.

To the humans she lives among, she’s just the girl working at the snack bar at the beach, navigating the fryer and her first crush. But behind closed doors, she’s learning how to harness her powers and fulfill the obligations of her destiny.

Mentored by her mother and her Zar “sisters”, Azra discovers she may not be quite like the rest of her circle of female Jinn . . . and that her powers could endanger them all. As Azra uncovers the darker world of becoming Jinn, she realizes when genies and wishes are involved, there’s always a trick.

I loved Becoming Jinn! I finished it in TWO days because I couldn’t put it down! I’m so sorry I didn’t read it sooner! The world of the Jinn, the magic and the rules – the way there are serious consequences to wish granting – are all intriguing. The characters are awesome and the life lessons are relatable. Lori Goldstein is a great writer and she really sucked me into her story. I had some minor issues with it, but overall, it was a wonderful read!

Azra is a bit tough to like in the beginning. Though I loved having an MC who refusec to sit back and accept their “destiny” (Because, really, not EVERYONE wants to be a vampire slayer, a chosen one, or the only one who can save the world); however, at times her attitude was awful and she could be really mean and dismissive to those who were close to her (her mom, her Zar “aunts” and her Zar “sisters”). I was really torn between feeling bad for her, for this destiny that was forced on her, this destiny that she doesn’t want and really just hating her attitude. I definitely think she grows a LOT by the end of the book. I was incredibly intrigued by the revelations about her and her family and I can’t wait to see what it means for her in the sequel.

I really couldn’t stand Yasmin for the majority of the book. She was so terrible to Azra – but then again, Azra wasn’t exactly nice to her or the other Zar sisters, either. But the more I read, the more I felt for Yasmin and her situation, especially by the very end. I understood where she was coming from and why she did the things she did. I really liked Laila, though, from beginning to end. She was one of my favorite characters! I felt very bad for her at one point and I hope she and Azra can reconcile!

As for the other three Zar sisters, – Hana, Mina and Farrah – well, they kind of faded into the background. I couldn’t really tell them apart from each other and I don’t really have much to say about them. The same can be said for the mothers: While I have many thoughts on Kalyssa, Samara and Raina (the mothers of Azra, Laila and Yasmin, in that order), I don’t really have much to say about the other three. They sort of faded into the background and weren’t as integral to the story. As for Kalyssa, Samara and Raina, they were so frustrating! I hated how cryptic and secretive they were. If they’d just TOLD their daughters the truth, maybe things would have turned out differently.

I really liked both Henry and Nate. Henry definitely had some odd moments, though, where he seemed a bit immature. I definitely felt for him and his family situation though. I definitely got the friend vibe from him and I hope he and Azra remain friends because I really enjoyed their friendship (And YA could use more female/male friendships). I liked Nate and Azra together, though, and I really hope things can work out for them! Poor Nate dealt with a LOT in this book and I’m (morbidly) curious to see what happens next for him.

Also, I really can’t stand the Afrit. Like, not at all! And we haven’t even officially met them. but they make me REALLY angry!!!! :(

Something really interesting about this book: Though it was about Jinn, it had a major contemporary feel to it. I really, really liked that because it made it more relatable. It’s not a book about a Jinn who also happens to be a teenage girl – it’s about a teenage girl who also happens to be a Jinn. It’s Azra trying to live her normal life while dealing with this huge family obligation – something many teens can relate to.

The ending was really crazy, with a ton of revelations and intriguing things. It was also sad and heartbreaking. But it sets things up nicely for the next book – which I just read the synopsis for and it’s also the conclusion!!! For some reason, I thought this was a trilogy and it’s actually a duology and that makes me sad panda :( But that also means the next book will be epic and intense and I can’t wait!!!

Overall, this book was really an amazing read. Though I had some minor issues with certain characters, as well as some pacing issues near the end, I really enjoyed the majority of it. I’m really happy with the character development and growth and, as I mentioned, the world and the Jinn magic and rules were really epic! If you love stories about Jinn, Genies and magic, I definitely recommend this one! And if you aren’t a huge fan of Jinn/Genie stories (which I wasn’t, really), then I also definitely recommend this book because, as I said, it really has a contemporary feel to it and the lessons learned are really relatable! Lori Goldstein is a great writer and I can’t wait to see what she does next!