Book Review | Jinx, by Meg Cabot

This book has been on my TBR for years, but I just kept forgetting about it! But with it being Halloween season, I decided it was high time to get my hands on it and start reading.

After anticipating to read this book after so many years, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. But I will say that I expected a little bit more from it.

Premise:

Jean (Jinx) has been plagued by bad luck her entire life, and when things go wrong back in her hometown, she runs off to New York City to live with her Aunt, Uncle, and her cousins— including beautiful and popular Tory who is less than thrilled to have her there. Soon, Jean begins to realize that maybe it’s not all bad luck and coincidences, but magic. That maybe… Jean is a witch.

What I Liked:

I found the storyline to be very entrancing. It drew me right it, with lots of mystery, and for the most part, I enjoyed it.
I liked Cabot’s play on magic— the balance between paranormal and ‘normal’.

What I Disliked:

Despite enjoying the story, I did expect a lot more from it— at the very least, I expected Jean to explore herself as a witch, and her powers, at least a little bit by the end.
I wasn’t expecting it to be so much of a contemporary book— there was a lot of focus on Tory and her acting out, on Jean settling into a new school, and her relationship with Zach (which was a pretty constant occurrence in the book). The magical aspect was sort of sprinkled in, and I felt like there was so much more we could have explored.
I know that Gretchen and Lindsey were Tory’s hench-coven members, but I feel like their disliking for Jean came out of nowhere, and I would have liked to have gotten to know them a little better— especially their motives for backing Tory right to the end and devoting themselves to witchcraft.

The Characters:

Zach – I instantly loved Zach. I honestly don’t know what it was, but from the very first line he was described I just KNEW I was going to like him. He was a very down to earth character, and I liked that he was confident in himself and sure of who he was, and what he believed in. I didn’t like the fact that he didn’t believe in magic, even after everything that happened with Jean.

Jean – As far as protagonists go, Jean wasn’t anything special, but she was strangely likable regardless. She was sweet, good natured, and I just really liked her a lot. However, at times, I felt like Jean could be a little clueless.

I respected that she regarded witchcraft with care, and spoke of it’s connection to nature, instead of blindly and shallowly using it the way that Tory did so recklessly. I also really appreciated that Meg described her adjustment coming from a small town to a big city— the way subways and large crowds affected her. I feel like this is neglected with a lot of writers who just assume characters can move from a small town and immediately adjust to city life.

Tory – She was a well-done character for someone who has a lot of serious issues. She was destructive, annoying, bitter and resentful, downright nasty and bratty— all the things that acting out teenagers typically are. Because I could see this, I couldn’t fully hate her, but I disliked her enough not to side with her at any point of the story. Even when she was trying to convince Jean ‘she’d changed’, I didn’t buy it for one second.

Chanel – I really liked Chanel for the most part, but she seemed almost ‘fake nice’ to me at first. She had the kind of personality that was oblivious and materialistic to a degree, but at least she was friendly.

I didn’t really care much for any of the other characters.

Final Thoughts:

It’s a decent read, just not something I’d pick up again. I’ve read better work by Meg Cabot, and this book stays true to her style, shows her talent in telling a story, but falls short of reader expectations.