Review: The Iron Will of Genie Lo

The Iron Will of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The protagonist here is a young Asian American woman, and while I'm sure that it will have immense appeal to people who share one or more of those characteristics, I share none of them, and I thought it was terrific.

It's firmly grounded not only in Chinese mythology but in Chinese identity, in a way that's self-reflective without being self-indulgent, precious, or brittle, and that does an excellent job of conveying to an outsider the emotional dynamics involved. I particularly liked the part where Genie explained her (dysfunctional) family in a way that made it clear that, whatever their faults, they were hers and she loved them passionately. Also, the part where she explained to the clueless privileged Silicon Valley boy how people like her didn't get multiple chances to fail like he did. And the part where she gave Guanyin, the Chinese goddess of compassion, a sister power pep talk.

But also the parts where she bested multiple legendary beings through cleverness, determination, and just being an outright badass, all of which are very on-brand for a series based in the story of the Monkey King.

For me, just the right blend of action and depth, with characters who are flawed but full of heart; a suspenseful battle against a powerful existential threat; and a young woman coming to terms with life in an inspiring way.

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