ONE UNLUCKY THIEF. ONE UNLIKELY GENIE. ONE VERY ODD COUPLE.My Thoughts: You guys know that I'm game for most any book out there*, right? And I'll read them without a whole lot of expectation - which is one reason why I think I enjoy so many of the books I read. I went into this one thinking it would be a fun little diversion from real life but I never expected that it would knock me off my feet. HOLY CRUD! This book hit that fine line between snarky, funny, creepy and FUN. I loved it. LOVED IT!
Gavyn Donatti is the world’s unluckiest thief. Just ask all the partners he’s lost over the years. And when he misplaces an irreplaceable item he was hired to steal for his ruthless employer, Trevor—well, his latest bungle just might be his last. But then his luck finally turns: right when Trevor’s thugs have him cornered, a djinn, otherwise known as a genie, appears to save him.
Unfortunately, this genie—who goes by the very non-magical name of “Ian”—is more Hellboy than dream girl. An overgrown and extremely surly man who seems to hate Donatti on the spot, he may call Donatti master, but he isn’t interested in granting three wishes. He informs Donatti that he is bound to help the thief fulfill his life’s purpose, and then he will be free. The problem is that neither Donatti nor Ian has any idea what exactly that purpose is.
At first Donatti’s too concerned with his own survival to look a gift genie in the mouth, but when his ex-girlfriend Jazz and her young son get drawn into the crossfire, the stakes skyrocket. And when Ian reveals that he has an agenda of his own—with both Donatti and the murderous Trevor at the center of it—Donatti will have to become the man he never knew he could be, or the entire world could pay the price. . .
Interestingly enough, I rarely read Urban Fantasies with male protagonists (is this just my preference or is there a decided lack of male protagonists out there?) but Sonya Bateman nailed Donatti. His snark level is off the charts. Even when he's being cruelly tortured he's got some spunk. I loved his interactions with Ian. I just loved them. He goes from annoyed to cautiously understanding to full-on supportive and it works so perfectly with the type of guy he is that you believe the progression.
I also loved the mythology laid out. The structuring of the Djinn clans, the use of a tether to tie the Djinn to the human world, the idea behind blood bonds... it was gorgeously laid out.
Look. I loved the book. I loved the slowly developing friendship between Donatti and Ian. While it wasn't the main focus of the story, I loved the romance between Jazz and Donatti. I just... the book worked for me. On so many levels. The snark! The fun! The magic! Loved it!
*within limits, I guess I should add. I don't tend to read non-fiction of any sort. Or war stories. Or things that'll scare me so badly I won't be able to sleep. However, I do have a high scare threshold so things that scare me are super, ginormous scary. True story.
More books by Sonya Bateman
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DYING @ "I already pledged my womb to Cassandra..."
ReplyDeleteYou just made my freaking night! I've never read a genie paranormal before! I'll give it a shot!