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Review

3 stars

This is a re-release of a book published by Samantha Young in 2011, previously called Smokeless Fire (A Fire Spirits Novel). It’s now the first in the Seven Kings of Jinn series, a YA paranormal story with a hint of romance, and as one of the very few Samantha Young books I hadn’t read, I was excited to dive in.

Ari is a high school senior who is about to graduate with no idea what she wants to do with her future. Her father has grand plans for her to attend college, but she’s not so sure, and all of the uncertainty is weighing on her. She’s also desperately trying to help her childhood best friend and crush, Charlie, who is completely spiralling after the death of his younger brother two years earlier, and she’s sure that she can help him turn his life around. It’s a lot for a teen girl to deal with, but things get even more complicated when she is suddenly and unexpectedly whisked off to another realm and told that she is one of the Jinn.

Jinn are kind of like genies – supernatural beings with a whole plethora of magical abilities. There’s different kinds of Jinn, and it turns out that Ari is not only one of them, but she’s the daughter of one of the powerful Kings of Jinn, placing her right in the middle of a whole heap of drama. She is assigned a Jinn bodyguard to keep her safe, the sexy, sarcastic and broody Jai, and just in time, because she soon finds herself caught in the centre of a brewing supernatural war. Luckily, she has two boys in her life determined to protect her and help her deal with it all.

“You can’t discover who you are … if you don’t accept what you are.”

This book is a combination of teen drama, supernatural drama, a bit of action and hints of a romance. Ari is a strong heroine, and I really liked her, Charlie made my heart ache, but his and Ari’s relationship is really sweet. Jai is awesome, with his own family drama, and the dynamic between him and Ari is great. There is potential for a great romance, and though the developing love triangle is a bit of a concern, I’m hopefully that it won’t be too angsty.

The underlying mythology of the book is complicated, and one I’m unfamiliar with, so it took me a bit to wrap my head around it all. There’s a lot of characters, a lot of magic, and a lot of politics to learn, and it took until quite late in the book for me to get a really firm grasp on the world and everything going on within it. But I like the setup, I’m invested, and I’m interested to see where things go from here.

3 stars.

A Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

Seven Kings of Jinn

 

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