The Epic Crush of Genie Lo

Written by F.C. Yee

Narrated by Nancy Wu

American Born Chinese meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this grounded supernatural YA mash-up The struggle to get into a top-tier college consumes sixteen-year-old Genie's every waking thought. But when she discovers she's a celestial spirit who's powerful enough to bash through the gates of heaven with her fists, her perfectionist existence is shattered. Enter Quentin, a transfer student from China whose tone-deaf assertiveness beguiles Genie to the brink of madness. Quentin nurtures Genie's bodacious transformation-sometimes gently, sometimes aggressively-as her sleepy suburb in the Bay Area comes under siege from hell-spawn. This epic YA debut draws from Chinese folklore, features a larger-than-life heroine, and perfectly balances the realities of Genie's grounded high school life with the absurd supernatural world she finds herself commanding.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9781501967719

Reviews for The Epic Crush of Genie Lo

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This epic fantasy draws heavily from Chinese mythology for its heroes and villains. Genie Lo is a very ambitious high school sophomore who is determined to leave her sleepy California town for the rarefied airs of a top-notch college. However, Quentin Sun arrives and throws a real monkey wrench into her plans.In fact, he tells her that he is Sun Wukong the Monkey King and that she is his famous weapon reincarnated as a mostly-human girl. He runs into a slight problem when he learns that she has never heard of him. Chinese mythology not being on the SAT or a requirement for the college of her choice. He also has a problem because she doesn't want to be a demon fighter which will interfere with her studying.Soon though, Genie and Quentin are fighting demons and interacting with the Chinese pantheon while trying to keep Genie's friends and family safe. This was an entertaining story with a heroine who doesn't want to be one and a really annoying Sun Wukong who does manage to grow on Genie through the course of the story. The dialog between Genie and Quentin was crisp and humorous. The story was fast-paced. The information about Chinese mythology well-integrated into the plot.

[jennybeast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Awesome -- I love the originality of this idea -- I mean, finding out that you are a reincarnated weapon as a 16 year old girl is hilarious and inventive. Pulling off a story that makes sense around that idea? Great work. I also just loved that Genie is always quick to fight and encouraged to do so by Sun WuKong -- how many books will tell you to go with your strengths, when your strength is to have a quick temper and a quicker fist? Hardly any, I can tell you! Satisfying, and a great foil against the unremitting drudgery that is striving to win the admissions lotto.

[dairyqueen84 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute, action-filled, light romance featuring a smart, funny Chinese-American teen girl, Genie Lo. It was laugh-out-loud funny at times with Chinese mythology as the driver of the action because Genie is the reincarnation of the Monkey King's weapon, Ruyi Jingu Bang, and she must help Quentin (his human-form name) rid the world of demons and something more. This was a free audiobook from AudioFile. The narrator was just ok.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

teen fiction - action packed adventure with Chinese folklore gods/demons; main character is American-born Chinese with interest in computer science in less affluent part of Bay Area looking to apply to top colleges while saving her friends from demon-led destruction.

[whatsmacksaid · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Honestly cannot believe how long it took me to get my hands on a copy of this. This story is MAGNIFICENT and whoops, I tripped and suddenly own the sequel!

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

YA adult novel that tells the story of Genie Lo, an Chinese American girl trying to make good so she can get into an Ivy league college. She meets Quentin Sun one day and from that point she starts to learn things about herself and her culture. What I really ended up liking is that this is a kind of retelling of the Monkey: Journey to the West which I hope to read in 2020.Author was born in the US. This is the first book and there is a second book coming out in 2020. THE IRON WILL OF GENIE LO. (1/2020) Available for preorder

[acargile-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I kept hearing about this book and FINALLY decided to listen to it and it is very cute. I've ordered book two for the library because I think several students will really enjoy it.Genie Lo is tall, very tall, and she possesses confidence in her abilities to handle school and life, which serve her well when a new student arrives and Genie learns that the Asian tales are true. A boy shows up at school and is overly friendly with Genie. Her best friend finds this attention interesting and good for Genie although she's angling for Genie to date another guy. Genie would rather spend her time working on homework and on her college essays because she WILL get into an Ivy-League school! She doesn't have time for an annoying boy who mysteriously appears and disappears. Quentin Sun appears suddenly in Genie's life. Odd things happen around him. The first time she sees him, he's being beaten up. She tries to stop the aggressors and then finds it odd that he is unharmed after such a beating. He follows her home, so she runs home only to find him already there charming her mother. How did he get there? Then, a weird man appears another time and they proceed to fight. Oddly, with each strange encounter Genie finds a new talent. He finally explains that he is the Monkey King from Chinese folklore and demons are coming to the Bay Area to take over. They need to fight them together because she 's not what she thinks she is.It truly is a really fun novel keeping you smiling at Genie. She doesn't give Quentin an inch even though he is THE Monkey King.. Enjoy this entertaining novel and have fun with it!

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Genie Lo's world is turned upside down when Quentin shows up at her school and seems to be everywhere. He's a mysterious kid...but when he kills an escaped demon in front of her and reveals his "true self" its more than she bargains for. She is interested in being exceptional and getting away from the Bay Area. Soon her focus on her homework is put to the side as she gets involved in Quentin's quest and feel compelled to protect humanity. A sense of humor and a big side of angry grit pepper this fantasy adventure.

[ellegato · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So does anyone mind if I scream about how much I loved this book??? WELL TOO BAD GONNA DO IT ANYWAY.

I LOVED THIS BOOK.

Like omg. I loved literally almost everything about it. I read it in less than a day because I couldn't stop. IT WAS SO GOOD.

First off: the characters were so amazing. They were complex, well-rounded, and realistic. Their motivations made sense, their anger and jealousy and regret and joy MADE SENSE. Genie's voice especially is SO REAL and SO GOOD like, she sounds like she could be a 100% real human being and that's not an easy thing to pull off. Genie's relationships with the people around here are complex too, and they make sense, and they're interesting and sad and funny and loving and all sorts of things at once. Her parents are actual presences in this book (rare in YA unfortunately) and not only do they...exist...Genie's view of them shifts and changes based on her experiences. LIKE A REAL PERSON. Quentin is also SO COOL like he comes across initially as the typical cocky bad-boy but he's layered and he's called out for his gross behavior when necessary and he listens and learns and respects the people around him. The only character I wished we got a bit more insight into was Yunie, but hopefully she'll get more page time in the next book!

Second: HOLY GOOD PLOTTING AND PACING BATMAN!

One of my most oft-repeated critiques of YA books is about pacing. The pacing is always slightly...off, in a lot of books, which can impact the overall success of the plot. BUT THIS BOOK OMG. The pacing is LEGIT ON POINT. It starts fairly in media res but then it steps back a bit, rounds out its world, then heads right back into the action. It has well-defined peaks and valleys as far as plot, quiet character moments and big fight sequences happening in a rhythm that makes it eminently readable. I wish we could have seen more demon-fighting scenes but I ALSO understand how and why too many of them could drag the story down. Yee has paced this book so well it's like...I can't stop flailing about it.

Third: I LOVE THE MYTHOLOGY

THIS IS WORLDBUILDING DONE RIGHT.

It makes sense! Like it questions its own internal logic while at the same time keeping that logic consistent. The creatures and gods and demons all exist in a way that MAKES SENSE.

Fourth: THE ENDING.

Books in a series can have issues with endings because you're setting up other books of course, which means the current book can always read somewhat...unfinished. But this book doesn't do that; this book closes up its own storyline really well while setting up storylines for future books at the same time. You don't feel cheated; there are character arcs and lessons learned and goals accomplished but there are also lots of reasons to DESPERATELY NEED the next book.

My one criticism is I wish Genie and Yunie's relationship had been given a bit more attention, a bit more development. I wish they'd had more scenes together to emphasize their closeness. It would've been wonderful to see them interact more but hopefully we'll get that in upcoming books.

ANYWAY IN CLOSING READ THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY

[reallifereading · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Journey to the West made-in-China TV series was quite a big part of my childhood in 1980s Singapore.The acting was very overly dramatic as Chinese TV series in that period (maybe it still is today – I haven’t watched any new ones), the make-up and special effects horrendous (although probably quite good for its time), and probably just really cheesy. But as a kid, I lapped it all up. I can’t be entirely sure but this may have been a Sunday showing. And on Sunday evenings we could be found at my paternal grandparents’ house, where the cousins and aunts and uncles all gathered. The adults would eat at the big dinner table, the kids would grab our dishes and eat on the front patio. Then we would all watch TV. My grandparents didn’t speak much English, in fact my grandmother didn’t really speak Mandarin and instead spoke a Chinese dialect called Hokkien, which I didn’t really speak. But I think we all would sit down together to watch Journey to the West and all the other Chinese TV shows that would be screened on Sunday evenings.And that’s where I learnt about Sun Wukong (the monkey king), Zhu Bajie (part-human part-pig), Tang Sanzang (the monk), and Sha Wujing (an exiled Imperial Guard) as they traveled to obtain… ok I have no idea what the journey is about, I just remember that they always got into some trouble with yaoguai (demons) and there would be fighting and whatnot.So it was an absolute delight for me when I learnt that this legend was incorporated into this YA book.Eugenia “Genie” Lo is just one hell of a feisty character:“What you get from me is jack and squat, regardless of whether or not you understand. Ming bai le ma, dickhead?”She’s a 16-year-old Chinese-American who learns that she’s the reincarnation of the Ruyi Jingu Bang, the magical staff wielded by Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.Yes somehow a staff has become a human. Crazy, fun, but so is this book.And it turns out that Quentin, the new kid in school, is Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.That however means nothing to Genie.“You’re Chinese and you don’t know me?” he sputtered. “That’s like an American child not knowing Batman!”“You’re Chinese Batman?”“No! I’m stronger than Batman, and more important, like — like. Tian na, how do you not know who I am?”I love how Yee has blended this Chinese legend with American high school life. It’s charming, just hilarious, and such a rolling good time of a read. Also there are demons.

[billiebook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yes. More. Now. Please.

[cherylgrimm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I quite enjoyed this. Not only was it a good read, but I learned a lot about Chinese Mythology. When Sun Wukong (The Monkey King) comes down to earth because his Ruyi Jingu Bang (staff) has been reincarnated as an extremely tall Chinese teenager and her karma is setting off an aura that lures in the many escaped yaogui (demons), only she is unaware of everything and disbelieving when she is told. But soon reality sets in and the battle is on. Snippets of mythology appear often, as the story of Sun Wukong plays a tremendous part in their battle strategy. I've added a few new words to my vocabulary and another book to my "keep it" library. I'll have to get another copy to share in my Little Free Library and Random Acts of Literature. It needs shared!

[ayanami_faerudo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Notes:-This may sound weird but this book was cute and adorable.-I first heard of Journey to the West when I watched the anime Gensōmaden Saiyūki. I liked that anime; and it was far from being cute and adorable. I also had such a crush on Genjo Sanzo. He was as far from Xuanzang as he could get, personality-wise.-I don't have an issue with the stereotypical depiction of an Asian mom. I'm giving the author the benefit of the doubt here since might've experienced the same or runs in the same societal circles and expectations.-I liked Genie. She was a no-nonsense, solid type of girl who just would get to the thick grit of things. -Will there be a sequel?