Jinnspeak
by M. S. Farzan
GENRE: Young adult urban fantasy/magic realism
BLURB:
Zahra’s algebra midterm is in one month, but more importantly, the Winter Formal is only two weeks away. Fitting into high school is hard enough for the Pakistani American teenager, particularly when a fire spirit begins appearing in her dreams, speaking to her in a language she doesn’t understand. Meanwhile, a secret cult at her school begins to carry out a nefarious plot, with only the Magic Club – and its newest member, Zahra – standing in its way. A popular multiplayer online roleplaying game may hold the secret to saving Golden Mountain High School, but only if Zahra can decipher her perplexing new talent – Jinnspeak.
My Review:
I love diverse books, and this novella definitely is one. Zahra is Muslim, she has a male friend named DJ who is gay, and there are people from several cultures that are included throughout this story. This made the writing not only relatable, but it also made the story unique in its own way. The book is only 60 ebook pages, but the type is rather small so it could have been 80 pages with full-size type/on a Kindle. This doesn’t mean that it is a half-length story though. The characters are all unique with their own personalities, the plot is intriguing, and the world-building is pretty fleshed out for a 60-page novella.
My only complaint was that the story seemed to get a little confused in the middle, but then everything refocused itself and the novel ended fairly strongly. The small confusion was easily overlooked when considering all of the other wonderful things that the story had to offer.
I won’t spoil too much, but this book is definitely worth your time. It is a fun and engaging afternoon read, I suggest that you check it out!
I would recommend this book to lovers of diverse YA fiction.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Excerpt:
That night, Zahra dreamed.
It wasn’t one of those trances where people and places seem to be just strange enough to have the possibility of being real. Nor was it a fragmented dreamscape where each object and every character stands as a symbol for thoughts being played out in the subconscious. It was vivid, cohesive, and unlike anything she had experienced.
She was standing in a large grass field, lit only by a full, red moon overhead and frigid as a midwinter night. She shivered, but not with cold, as her body was hot, as though she had been running. Her breath turned to frost in front of her, and the only sound was the air rushing in and out of her lungs.
Zahra turned to take in her surroundings, but there was only dimly lit grass for as far as her eyes could see. She looked up at the moon, which cast the field in an eerie scarlet incandescence. Her heart beat loudly in her chest, sounding like a drum in her ears.
She turned again, and was startled to see a figure standing before her, in what had previously been an empty expanse of grass. The form was a rough outline of a human body, mirroring her own in size and stature, but wreathed completely in crimson fire. It made no motion or sound, and two almond-shaped eyes peered out at her from within the flames.
S. Farzan was born in London, UK and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has a B.A. in Integrative Biology, M.A. in Religious Leadership for Social Change, and Ph.D. in Cultural and Historical Studies of Religions. He has written and worked for high-profile video game companies and editorial websites such as Electronic Arts, Perfect World Entertainment, and MMORPG.com, and has trained in and taught Japanese martial arts for over ten years. He also enjoys soccer, baseball, and games of all kinds.
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Jinnspeak-Novella-M-S-Farzan-ebook/dp/B079LQT2Y9/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sominator
M. S. Farzan will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Great review, sounds like my kind of book!
I hope that you like it if you choose to read it!
This sounds super fun!! I was hooked by the blurb… too back its not a full length book ❤️
Thanks for hosting!
I enjoyed getting to know your book and thanks for the chance to win 🙂
Congrats on the tour and I appreciate the book description, excerpt and the great giveaway as well. Love the tours, I get to find books and share with my sisters and now my twin daughters who all love to read. We have found some amazing books for everyone. So, thank you!
No problem, thanks for the support! I am going to be doing some middle grade/elementary school tours in the month of June and July so if you are looking for more kids’ books, keep an eye out!
Thanks for hosting the giveaway. Congrats on the book tour.
Thanks so much for hosting! 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway! Good luck on your tour.
Do you have any ideas for your next book?
I’m not sure of the question, you mean the next book that I am going to put on tour?