The Iron Will of Genie Lo picks up pretty close to where we left off with Epic Crush. Genie is now the Protector of California, splitting her time between high school (where she’s once again had leadership thrust upon her as captain of the volleyball team) and keeping yaoguai in check. It’s a fairly tightrope that’s rapidly fraying at both ends as she tries to figure out how to keep all the plates spinning without letting anyone down.
Genie is angry, y’all, and possibly suffering from a not-small amount of unacknowledged anxiety. She and Yunie decide to get away for one last adventure together: a college visit to Stanford. Can’t a divinely appointed guardian take a weekend off?
The tone of Iron Will is a little different than Epic Crush. As with the first book, Genie’s anger comes from a real place. The stakes are higher this time around. She’s juggling too much, and there’s only so much relief she can count on. (Quentin is here, but we get less of him than I would have liked.) Graduation looms and she’s set on going far away for college, saying goodbye to Yunie, how will her parents afford to send her to school, who will watch over the demons while she’s gone… the nonsense coming out of Heaven is the last thing she needs on top of all the other bits.
I loved this next step in Genie’s adventures. The humor is still there alongside the pathos. We get some fun new characters from Heaven. I truly have only two complaints: not enough Quentin (but it’s Genie’s story, I get it) and I’m a little sad that Yee is ending Genie’s story here. The ending is a fantastic ending, one that makes sense for all the characters. Maybe not the ending I would have wanted, but one that Genie deserves.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in order to facilitate this review. The Iron Will of Genie Lo will be released on January 21, 2020. Pre-order today!