The Golem and the Djinni

This is a DNF for me. I have to give up on it because there is no point in having a current read which one is finding any old reason to avoid picking up to read.

The concept seemed interesting, but after several hundred pages I am entirely uninvolved. That it has taken me over a week to read just a few hundred pages says it all. Clearly, it is not for me.

This is my second attempt, and I had the same issues as the first time around.

The Humans of New York vibe didn't work for me. I enjoyed it, but I felt that it was wrong for the story. The first time around, I stopped at the Djinni infodump. It got worse. I felt like Wecker was showing her hand, because only Major Plot characters get a backstory. I honestly felt she could have weaved it all through a little more deftly.

Because, she deftly weaves information throughout the rest of the story, in a delightful way. She tells us obviously the Djinni doesn't need to carry matches. Later, she shows, instead of tells, us why. From 1/3 of the way through, when Things start happening, it is a lovely story. You all know I'm a sucker for religion in a story, and even better they're “real” (as opposed to secondary-world ones). In fact, the biggest disappointment was the end, but I can live with it.

Ok, I can't. Spoilers for literally the last pages: WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE A ROMANCE?? UHGH.

Easy flowing writing with solid characters from the start and was interested to see how and when it is going to connect. Almost gets a bit confusing when side characters get more backstory/development in the middle third, but comes together just in time. Very good pace in the back half and some interesting evolutions of the two main subjects. Enjoyed the slightly deeper dive into the supernatural in the last acts, especially because it felt earned. It made the turns and events at the end much more impactful. Ending and tale in its totality was worth the journey.