Jinx

A deviously dark fantasy mystery. Jinx has a timeless feel rooted in blissful teen naivety, which shatters at the climax and forces bold, theatrical Jan and her laidback best friend Shelley to adjust their world view and trust. The story starts out innocent, but it doesn’t stay that way. The beginning has an achingly nostalgic feel: best friends searching for summer fun, exploring coves and boardwalks… then finding themselves in a mess they never dreamed of. The magic’s origin is left largely up to the reader. We don’t know what or who actually created the box and what the intention was, which makes the sea witch legend chillingly creepy. I’m already scared of the ocean, so I don’t need more nightmares about dark ancient magic it stirs up. It’s been a while since I’ve read this author but this is just as dark and mysterious as I remember her writing to be. It’s also hard to forget the beautiful illustrations in her books. They remind me how much I’d like to see illustrations in other novels, young adult or otherwise. The way the characters are drawn supplement the descriptions and the different elements come together sublimely. Gimme more!

Bonus, this is a debut. I get giddy reading debuts and this one was special because of the afterword. On the whole, a grand read. I may not be the target audience age, but hey, I enjoy me some teen young adult books, especially darker ones. There weren’t many parts I got impatient at. The wake of the boat incident could have been a little shorter, but eh, that’s persnickety. Given what it leads to, let’s just say it was well worth the wait… and next time I set off any firecrackers, I’ll stay a mile away from gasoline.