In The Epic Crush of Genie Lo, we met Eugenia Lo: straight A, college bound, reincarnation of the Ryui Jingu Bang, legendary staff of the Monkey King. Quentin, the cute boy flirting with her in class, was the Monkey King himself. After a very rocky start, the two joined forces to save the universe.

They also started dating.

Listen, the Monkey King really, really loved that staff.

In The Iron Will of Genie Lo, the second book of the duology, Genie is still trying to juggle academics and demon hunting responsibilities with the addition of new duties as the Shoushushen, Heaven-appointed Guardian of California responsible for the lives and safety of all the yaoguai residents in the state. She’s struggling to live up to the expectations of her mentor, Guanyin; trying to be a good girlfriend to Quentin; maintaining her relationship with her best friend, Yunie; and taking care of her mother, who’s just been diagnosed with serious hypertension.

And then, the Great White Planet shows up to enlist Genie, Guanyin, and Quentin to stop a war in the Heavens.

I really enjoyed Iron Will, possibly even more than Epic Crush. Genie in Iron Will is a little older, a little more savvy, and even more full of sass. She takes the gods, monsters, and demons in stride but wrestles with real-world issues like paying for college, disappointing her parents, and worrying about what will happen to her relationship with the boy she loves when she leaves town. The story’s grounding in the practical makes it easy for the reader to connect with Genie, and therefore easier to follow her on the more out-there parts of her adventures.

This series is a fantastic example of what urban fantasy can be when the fantastic is well married to the mundane – and also that the subgenre doesn’t have to be grim to be rich and satisfying.

And although diversity is increasing in YA fiction, and in kid lit in general, a well-rounded Asian American heroine who isn’t a trope, who explodes out of the roles often assigned to her predecessors with personality, desires, her own history, and her own future, is always a welcome addition to the pantheon. Genie may love Quentin, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to serve him as the Ryui Jingu Bang served the Monkey King – and to Quentin’s credit, he thinks their dynamic as humans is pretty fantastic. Likewise, Genie may want to please Guanyin, but she isn’t going to compromise her principals to do so. She’ll work with a sworn enemy if it means saving the cosmos, but she isn’t going to be happy about it. Genie is Genie and no one else; her heritage is an integral part of her story but not the whole story.

Genie’s saga is one of few YA novels that’s steeped in Chinese mythology, which makes it a must read for anyone who wants to learn more about that source material. Not to say that Yee simply translates; he adapts for a modern audience and a modern storyline while remaining true to the essence of ancient characters and stories. And you can use his cues as jumping-off points for your own explorations.

I really can’t recommend this series highly enough for the YA readers in your life, be they actually of the target demographic or simply book lovers who enjoy a great story.

The Iron Will of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee (Amulet) releases in January of 2020. So get on The Epic Crush now and you’ll finish just in time.