Jinxed Guest Post and Review by Amy McCulloch | Blog Tour
Hello friends, today I have the pleasure of being a part of the Jinxed blog tour. Jinxed is an enthralling Young Adult Science Fiction novel which is a must read for both those interested in STEM and those just wanting a fantastical futuristic read! I think it’s great for young people to be able to read a book which shows that it’s not only okay, but fun, to be interested in science and technology.
I asked Amy a question for my guest post today and also have a mini review of the novel. I hope you enjoy!
Jinxed by Amy McCulloch, Amy Alward Published by Simon & Schuster on August 9th 2018
Pages: 323
Goodreads
Lacey Chu has big dreams of becoming a companioneer for MONCHA, the largest tech firm in North America and the company behind the "baku" - a customisable smart pet that functions as a phone but makes the perfect companion too. When Lacey finds out she hasn't been accepted into Profectus - the elite academy for cutting edge tech - it seems her dreams are over. Worst of all, rather than getting to choose one of the advanced bakus, she’s stuck with a rubbish insect one.
Then, one night, Lacey comes across the remains of an advanced baku. Once it might’ve been in the shape of a cat but it’s now mangled and broken, no sign of electronic life behind its eyes. Days of work later and the baku opens its eyes. Lacey calls him Jinx – and Jinx opens up a world for her that she never even knew existed, including entry to the hallowed halls of Profecus. Slowly but surely, Jinx becomes more than just a baku to Lacey – he becomes her perfect companion. But what is Jinx, really? His abilities far surpass anything written into his code or built into his motherboard. He seems to be more than just a robotic pet. He seems ... real.
I really loved this story. It had some elements of mystery slotted in there, making you try to guess what was happening throughout. The world building is pretty epic, I really enjoyed finding out about this world that’s actually not too far away from ours. Like imagine Steve Jobs was obsessed with animals… that’s pretty much what Moncha is, Apple but with Bakus instead of iProducts!
I kid, it’s not quite that simple, but I love thinking about it this way. Novels that make me think, hey, this could totally have happened/happen in the future, and it’s terrifying yet wonderful at the same time.
A lot of Jinxed takes place in a school, with a difference! The students have to compete against each other, which raises the stakes for Lacey amongst all the other things she’s dealing with. The ending of Jinxed is a whirlwind and definitely leaves you wanting more!
I can’t wait to find out more about Jinx and what the future holds for them!
Baku’s are like smartphones, except they’re animal forms and keep you company. So instead of asking Amy which Baku she would want, I wanted to ask her something a little bit different.
If you were a baku, what would you be and why?
What a cool question! I’ve often thought about which baku I would choose (especially if I had unlimited funds in a world where different ‘levels’ of bakus are priced accordingly), and my answer to that would be a tiger, of course! I have a special connection with tigers, since my Chinese horoscope is the Year of the Tiger. Not only that, but when I travelled in Myanmar, I realized that my Burmese horoscope (they have a different animal depending on the day of the week you were born) is also a tiger! I think my life would be improved immeasurably if instead of my iPhone 7 sat next to me in the coffee shop as I write, I had a robotic tiger at my feet instead. Talk about intimidating. Or just think of all the space I would get on the Tube as I read an e-book off the back of my tiger – it might be the perfect introvert baku!
However, if I were a baku myself, I think I would be something a bit different. Something a little less intimidating. Maybe… a sand fox! These are little creatures who live in the mountains and plains of Tibet and Nepal, near the Himalayas, which is one of my favourite places on earth. They are small enough to be nimble (as a baku, I’d want to be able to roam and be light enough to jump on tables and other surfaces – a tiger would be a lot more unwieldy) and they also have big bushy tails, which I think could hide lots of cool code and different functions. As a baku, I’d want to have an excellent navigation system so I wouldn’t get lost (important for all the hiking I like to do) and a great camera for taking selfies.
Although being a bird-type baku (such as Aero, the eagle owned by the love interest in Jinxed, Tobias Washington) would be cool too. Being able to fly (a bit like a drone) and take cool aerial footage would be amazing. But I imagine that a flying baku would be more prone to damage and breakages, so I think I’d want to be something a little more reliable.
And, of course, most of all, I’d like to be a baku that could make their own decision and be a little bit of a pain to my owner – just like Jinx. After all, what’s the fun in being a robot in a science fiction novel if you can’t mess with all the humans…
Jinxed is Amy McCulloch’s sixth novel and the first in a planned duology. She is also the author of The Potion Diaries series (as Amy Alward) and The Oathbreaker’s Shadow. Feel free to say hi to her on twitter @amymcculloch or on instagram @amymccullochbooks!
I hope you enjoyed this guest post! Thank you to Hashtag Reads for sending me a copy of Jinxed to review and inviting me on this blog tour!
What are your favourite books that include STEM in them?
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7 Comments
This book sounds SO AMAZING! I really want to read it! *_*
I love Amy’s answer! This sounds like a really interesting book. Great post, Jenn! 🙂
Hallo, Hallo Jenn,
I love finding Science Fiction based on Science Fact – for all ages of bookish interest! Esp as I have happily noted an increase in STEM topics in Contemporary releases which is something I love to celebrate myself! 🙂 This is definitely the kind of story I’d like to seek out! Esp as a #currentread of mine is “The Robot in the Next Cubicle” which is about staying ahead of the curve when it comes to a society bent on automation but forgets we have a lot we still can give to the workforce. I celebrated the Pub Day on Twitter with a #bookphoto – as I hadn’t realised it was considered the 4th Industrial Rev, therefore, I’m going to see if I can source this at my library! I’d love to read this after I finish the NF as it would be a brill segue!
*make that it is NOW a purchase REQ at my library! (smiles)
I love how the author internalised the Q – she really put her heart & soul into her response! 🙂 I love how she foresee a bit of street cred having a tiger but how it might be more practical to be the sand fox! I love the visuals she created in her descriptive reply, too! You can totally visualise her inspirations!
The sweet bit is this is a *duology!* I heart duologies!!
So glad I stopped by and here’s hoping my library picks up the request!
I’ll keep you posted!!
ref: #Blogging4Books
This sounds so cool! 😍
😀
a tiger would suit you perfectly tbh 😉
I know what you mean about picturing the books you read as a possible reality and trying to see how it might happen if it did happen! I do that too, especially when it comes to sci-fi. It sounds like this tale was plenty twisted and mysterious, and that the world building was good – which is one my favourite aspects of reading. Great review!
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