On Jinx’s tenth birthday, the same day as Halloween, she meets her mother for the first time. What her father never told her is that her mother is Lilith, Queen of Demons, and that Jinx is a witch. On her first night as a witch, someone puts a sleeping spell on her town, and she and her familiar have to find how who.

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Why this book?: It sounded fun, plus Jinx and her familiar are both lesbians!

I would like to thank the author Alice Rozen for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jinx, named after the main character, is a read that is perfect for Halloween. Not only does it take place on the day, but it also exhibits some classic themes of the holiday. The book follows Jinx after she finally meets her mother, Lilith (yes, the demon), for the first time. Through her mother, she learns that she’s a witch, and is gifted a familiar named Philia who can change from dog to human. Sounds like the most Halloween-y book that I’ve ever read.

This was such an amusing read, and I had a lot of fun while reading it. The plot was interesting yet simple, which was nice considering that this is a middle grade novel. I sometimes forget how reading middle grade will change the writing style and plot, but I found that it didn’t lessen the story at all. I was still entertained, and I was curious as to how it would continue on. Puck (Robin Goodfellow, lol!) was included, as well as fairies and a jabberwocky. This story was so inventive, as well as inclusive for the younger generation realizing their sexuality.

The characters were all unique and adorable. I thoroughly enjoyed Philia’s and Jinx’s relationship, especially how it developed from an obligation to more. It was completely believable how their relationship developed as well: it wasn’t rushed, despite the book happening over about a day. Jinx’s relationship with her father was also really cute, especially because, for some reason, single dads is something I’ve rarely seen in books.

The only probably I’ve had was an off-hand comment about a character being an “honorary girl”. The person was described as a girl, a character called her a girl, but then there was the “no one was surprised  (was also confirmed by the author) but was still referred to as he/him/his. While I was bothered by this, the author apologized and promised to do better. For this, I took off a full star, which would have otherwise been a 4 1/2 star read.

Final Rating: ★★★½☆☆

Overall?

Jinx was a really enjoyable short read, that I think is perfect for Halloween! While there was a problem with the trans rep, I trust the author when they said they’d do better. I look forward to possibly reading the next in the series (The Pirate Princess) and seeing how Jinx and Philia’s relationship develops!

Would I Recommend?

Totally! Of course, if the “honorary girl” bothers you enough to stop you from reading, then that’s understandable. While it did bother me, like I said, I trust the author. I want to see where this story goes, and how it improves, and I’m pretty optimistic that it will improve.

Trigger warning for non-graphic violence (decapitation) and transmisic comment.

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Additional Information:

Published: November 7th, 2013

Publisher: Alice Rozen

Page Count: 176

Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy/Middle Grade

Synopsis: via Goodreads

It’s Jinx MacAbre’s favourite time of the year – Halloween! It also happens to be her tenth birthday, and she’s in for a few surprises. The fair folk are plotting to unleash an ancient army of fairy ghosts upon the world, and Jinx is the key to their success. Unfortunately for them she happens to be a witch, and she’s not about to make things easy for them. With the aid of her demon familiar and a book of spells, Jinx MacAbre intends to show her enemies that the scariest thing about Halloween … is her.