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Review: Jinn and Juice by Nicole Peeler

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Jinn and Juice by Nicole Peeler // VBC ReviewJinn and Juice (Jinn and Juice #1)
Nicole Peeler
Published: November 25, 2014 (Orbit)
Purchase: Amazon
Review source: purchased

Reviewed by: Margaret

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Lyla was cursed to live as a jinn for a thousand years. If she’s unBound, she’ll become human again when the curse expires. She’s been hiding out in Pittsburgh, hoping to stay under the supernatural radar. Rivers in the human world correspond to ley lines in the magical one, so the area was once full of magical beings. But iron poisons magic, so the large concentration of steel has polluted the lines, making them unusable.

The city has now become a haven for Immunda, supernatural creatures that feed from humans (like vampires, for example) rather than taking magic directly from a ley line, who are less powerful than their magical counterparts. Since Lyla was originally human, she’s more at home among the Immunda, though her jinni powers also allow her to tap into the polluted lines.

A week before the curse expires, she’s discovered and Bound by a Magi. Oz is unlike any other Master Lyla’s had though. He needs her help to find a missing girl and promises to release Lyla as soon as they find her. But their quest keeps getting interrupted by monsters escaping from Sideways—the magical realm. Since a jinn is more powerful when Bound, Lyla is the only one in town strong enough to fight them. I loved the originality of these creatures, like the Bugbear, a monster that looks like a fuzzy brown version of The Tick. (I kind of want to give the book an extra star just for the Tick reference!)

The supporting cast is also full of really original characters. Lyla’s best friend Charlie is an oracle and amateur taxidermist who runs the burlesque club where Lyla performs as a belly dancer. Her roommate Yulia, a will-o-the-wisp, also works there, along with Bertha the troll and some other unique creatures. I loved their sassy banter and all the double entendre you’d expect from supernatural strippers.

And the club! It’s called Purgatory, but the cliché is deliberate. The walls are tented in red and black stripes and decorated in Charlie’s handiwork, like a sequined sloth on a flying trapeze and the deer head hanging over the bar whose teeth double as a bottle opener. It’s all so trashy, it’s fabulous!

I also really enjoyed the chemistry between Lyla and Oz. He’s not really a typical hero—he’s a tattooed, flannel-clad anthropologist. And he seems to be a genuinely nice guy, much to Lyla’s consternation. He’s only recently discovered his Magi heritage so he learns about the supernatural along with the reader, which is a nice change from the norm where the narrator is the one who’s new to the world.

Oz and Lyla’s search eventually leads them Sideways. I had so much fun on their journey. I loved exploring the alternate Pittsburgh with its magical ruins. The world in Jinn and Juice is interesting and the magic is a little bit different than anything Ive read before. The plot also had a nice little twist at the end.

Jinn and Juice is supposed to be the first in a series and I can’t wait to see what all these characters do next. And I kind of want to visit Pittsburgh. Lyla says they put french fries on everything—even salad!

Sexual content: kissing

7 Responses to “Review: Jinn and Juice by Nicole Peeler”

  1. Okay, you had me with the The Tick reference. 🙂 Looks intriguing. Great review.

  2. Amy says:

    I just heard about Jinn and Juice a couple of weeks ago and it immediately caught my attention because it’s from Nicole Peeler. Your review solidifies the fact that I need to read this! 🙂

  3. I was originally planning on making this my first Nicole Peeler book, but then I got declined for an ARC on Edelweiss (the first time in like a year!), and I’m the type of person that holds grudges. LOL I might still purchase it. We’ll see.

    Carmel @ Rabid Reads

    • Margaret says:

      I also really enjoyed her Jane True series. It’s similar in tone, but has completely different types of magic and Fae creatures.

  4. Margaret says:

    It’s still only $2.99 to buy it since it’s only out in e-book. I bet it will go up when the PB releases in the spring.

  5. Lanie says:

    I’m from Pittsburgh, we do put fries on everything;) We’re the steel city with fries on top.

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