Review: Djinn

Author: Sang Kromah
Started reading: July 16th 2018
Finished the book: July 28th 2018
Pages: 343
Genres: YA, Fantasy
Published: March 20th 2018
Source: Got a digital copy from the publisher
Goodreads score: 4.57
My score: 

Synopsis
Bijou Fitzroy is strange. With the unwanted gift of being an empath, she has spent her entire life as a sheltered recluse, homeschooled by her secretive and overprotective grandmother, who never allows them to stay in one place long enough for Bijou to settle and make friends. When Bijou and her grandmother move to Sykesville and she starts to attend the local high school, Bijou’s world begins to crumble. Town locals begin to disappear and the creatures from her nightmares begin to take shape in her reality. She finds herself at the center of a war she never knew was being fought all around her.

My thoughts

This book was on my "soon-to-read" list for a while. I didn't really feel connected to either the cover or the blurb, but when I started reading it went pretty fast. This book is written very well and I was able to get through it on a nice pace.

Pros

• Mysterious: The book has a lot of mystery going on. You can feel that things are going on, and that weird things don't get explanations yet. That's very good to make you keep reading. It takes a while before you get a satisfying explanation, so the mystery just keeps building and more gets added to the pile.
• Good explanation: The explanation for everything that is happening is good. I felt satisfied and a lot of things started making sense. I love the feeling that you get when you finally understand what was going on all the time.
• Easy to rush through: This book is easy to read. It doesn't feel like a 300+ pages book. Although it seems that I took a little while to read it, I still was on a vacation so only had a bit of time when traveling or in the evenings.

Cons

• Too obvious: The book is very obvious about the fact that something is going on. I think it would be nice if some of the things happening would've been a bit more subtle, instead of in your face.
• Too much names: At the end of the book I got so confused with all the new names added to the story and I lost track at some point, which is a shame because it took away some of the fun reading the ending.
• Bijou is way too sweet: She feels that people are lying and hiding stuff from her. She is a very fierce personality and is, in my eyes, strong as well. But the way she lets people treat her, doesn't really fit her and is at some point very frustrating as a reader as well. You just want to shake her and tell her to keep asking and get MAD at some point.
• Big emotions: The emotions in this book are way too big for my taste. Sometimes a character starts crying and I'm like: "Why?!". At another point a character maybe starts shouting or is very angry and in some moments it felt like it was too much and not necessary for the story.

Overall

I did not know this author and I do feel the story is well written with a nice pacing and easy to read. The explanation for all the mystery is satisfying and I do feel a lot of people who like YA/Fantasy will like this book. But.. You know...

Maybe I'm a bit too old for it....?! Did I just say that? Yup...

Other opinions on this book

"A twisty page-turner rooted in folklore with a 21st century spin. The unfolding tale keeps the reader guessing right to the end."

- Karen Eisenbrey, author of The Gospel According to St. Rage

"Hauntingly captivating. Perfect for fans of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and all things myth and fantasy. I can't wait to read the next one!"

- YA Literature, Media, and Culture Research Network

"Sang Kromah weaves a tale rich in drama and TV melodrama! This is Buffy on acid, with all the colorful characters one would expect and more. Twists and turns - a twin heartthrobs - had me hooked from the start. A saga for the ages, and the teenagers."

- Micayla Lally, author of A Work Of Art

Thanks for reading!

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