You know how much I love Meg Cabot. She's one of my guaranteed authors (authors whose books I buy without thinking, considering, reading reviews, etc.). Her latest book (well, I say latest - she's so prolific, she might well have written another since I started writing this review) is Jinx, a stand-alone paranormal (ish) YA and it's not out (in the UK) until 7 September.
Jean Honeychurch has been nicknamed Jinx since lightning struck the hospital on the night she was born. Bad luck doesn't just follow her, it seeks her out and throws up on her shoes. The beginning of the book sees Jean arriving in Manhattan, where her parents have dispatched her to live with her aunt, uncle and cousins for a few months. Something's happened back in Iowa and Jean's family decided it was best to get her out of the way until things have calmed down.
What neither they nor Jean anticipated was that her formerly sweet cousin Tory is now a witch in both senses of the word. She's appalling to Jean, has two almost-as-awful sidekicks in Lindsey and Gretchen and is dating (well, they're "friends with benefits") the school drug dealer, Shawn. Luckily her circle also includes suprisingly sweet Chanelle and surprisingly hot neighbour, Zack.
When, on her very first day in town, Jean saves Zack's life, Tory cottons on to Jean's secret. Only she's far from sympathetic. Not only does she think that she, and not Jean, is the latest in a line of family witches, she's in love with Zack and is willing to do anything to get Jean out of her way. But Jinx will learn that ignoring her apparent gift will only make things worse and in order to deal with her wayward cousin she needs to accept herself as she is.
I had thought that Jinx was going to be a bit edgier than Meg Cabot's previous books, but apart from occasional references to sex and drugs, it was a typical Cabot book. By which I mean it was fun, funny, charming and totally involving. I loved Jean, I really loved Zack and I really, really hated Tory. I'm so impressed at Meg Cabot's seemingly inexhaustible supply of ideas and Jinx is another great one. The only disappointment is that I've now got to wait ... ooh, weeks* ... for her next book.
Rating: 5/5
Like this? Try Marked by PC Cast and Kristin Cast
* The third Heather Wells mystery, Size Doesn't Matter, is out in December. And actually I haven't read Size 14 Is Not Fat Either yet.
