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    Jinx's Magic
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    Jinx's Magic
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    Jinx's Magic
    Ebook329 pages4 hours

    Jinx's Magic

    By Sage Blackwood

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Jinx's Magic is the second book in Sage Blackwood's highly acclaimed fantasy-adventure series, Jinx. This humorous and smart tween trilogy set in a magical forest is perfect for fans of Angie Sage's Septimus Heap, Michael Buckley's the Sisters Grimm, and Brandon Mull's Fablehaven.

    "Readers will thrill to journey with Jinx" (Jinx, School Library Journal, starred review), a daring young wizard's apprentice, as he travels from his home in the Urwald to an unfamiliar desert land in search of ancient magic. He needs that magic badly—there are forces threatening the Urwald from all sides.

    The more he learns, however, the clearer it becomes that this quest will require more than the magic of a solitary wizard's apprentice, and soon he'll have to call upon all of the Urwald—witches, werewolves, wizards, and trees—for help.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 7, 2014
    ISBN9780062129956
    Unavailable
    Jinx's Magic
    Author

    Sage Blackwood

    Sage Blackwood was born in Chicago and grew up in New York State. She graduated from Antioch College and the University at Albany and taught ESL for many years. Her first fantasy novel, Jinx, was selected as a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, ALA Booklist, School Library Journal, and Amazon.com, and was purchased by President Obama.

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    Reviews for Jinx's Magic

    3.5/5

    478 ratings31 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Find this review and more at On The Shelf!Tory’s secret wasn’t what I was expecting it to be, and neither was the book really, but not in a bad way. This story was a quick, enjoyable read; it would make a good book to sit and read in a day. Jean (or Jinx) is a nice character, but she was a bit too naive when it came to some things. Even if she was raised in a completely different state, she would have to be blind not to see some of the things going on. Zach was a really good character, very laid back, unlike uptight Jean, the preacher’s daughter. Tory was surprising. She would go to any length to get what she wanted and she was incredibly selfish and self-centered. Petra was one of my favorite characters. She was so nice and maternal; there for whatever you need. The narrator of the audiobook did pretty well. My favorite voice she did was Petra’s becuase of her accent and she made Tory sound like a malicious, immature child. The only voice she did that I didn’t care for much was Tory’s dad. I can’t really explain it, but it just sounded so…weird. This is the first Meg Cabot book I have read and I’m not yet sure how I feel about her writing based on this book alone. It was fast and clear, but also repetative. I still want to read her Abandon and Princess Diaries series, then I can decide what I think of her writing after reading more. Though I did enjoy the book, I wasn’t overly impressed with it. I look forward to reading more of her books. Quick, fun, good reader, a bit repetative.
    • 4/5
      I liked the mix of magic with Cabot's trademark Romance Lite. It's just fun to read.
    • 2/5
      The only luck Jean has ever had in her life is bad luck, hence her nickname Jinx. Jean has been sent to her aunt and uncle's in New York to get away from the culmination of her bad luck back home in Iowa. But Jean's bad luck sticks with her bringing conflict with her cousin Tory who is convinced that one of them is to inherit the strong magical powers that run in their family line. Now Jean must decide whether to embrace her potential magic powers to keep Tory from harming others, particularly their adorable neighbour Zach, on whom Jean has a massive crush.I'm a long time Meg Cabot fan but this novel fell short for me. While Jean was perfectly adorable and her flirtation with Zach as full of charm as Cabot is always capable of, I felt like the constant hinting around the bad thing that happened back in Iowa was dragged out too long. Also, as naive as Jean is, I had serious doubts that she'd be quite so obtuse. A quick read but not up to the standard I expect from Cabot.
    • 3/5
      Not as predictable as other Cabot novels. A quick enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      First of all I have to note that this review is for the unabridged audio book and I really do think listening to books is a bit different than reading them. In this case it is even more important to note this as I think I might have enjoyed the story a little more had I read it.Jean Honeychurch has been known as "Jinx" for most all of her life. Even at the time of her birth lightning had struck the hospital causing a major evacuation of patients. Since that time her luck hasn't improved very much. Now Jean has moved from her native Iowa to her aunt and uncle's in NYC for reasons she'd rather not discuss. Reasons that unknown to anyone else, she feels completely responsible for. Despite her resolution to leave "Jinx" behind it seems like her luck isn't going to change just with her location and soon Jean is embroiled in even more trouble thanks to her cousin Torrance. This story was okay, but for some reason didn't seem to have the same appeal to me as some of Cabot's other work. It might have had to do with Jean, who I really did find kind of annoying, with her defeatist attitude and obtuseness when it came to witchy powers, relationships and her friendship with Zach. The words, "too stupid to live" actually entered my head more than once during the last few chapters. Or, my dissatisfaction could have been because of the reader. For whatever reason I seem to like male readers much more then female ones, but this one was even worse than most. When I started listening I actually cringed through the first chapter and thought about not finishing. I did finally adapt to the narrative, but I can't say that ever grew to really enjoy it. This is probably all personal preference and I wouldn't discourage anyone from listening to the audio book just because of my own reaction. Although I think this book could have been better all the way around, it is one that I had wanted to read for a while and I am glad I finally got the chance to, if not actually read, listen to the story.
    • 3/5
      i was kind of "meh" about it. i saw the love interest coming a mile away. and to me, it was obvious what jean had done that required her to get away. but i'm not 13 anymore. still love meg cabot.
    • 3/5
      The story was fine... cute, fun, etc. I liked the main male character and the au pair quite a lot... it's just that the main character was so dumb sometimes. She made a few really ridiculous mistakes that really made you want to smack her... and really made the story feel a little more unrealistic.
    • 4/5
      Jinx always has bad luck and it doesn't stop when she goes to live with her Aunt and Uncle in order to escape the attentions of a stalker. Now she has to contend with a cousin who believes herself to be a witch and practices black magic to gain popularity and status. Jinx knows that's bad news and tries to stop her, which only makes her declare war on Jinx. This is a fun, can't put it down kind of book.
    • 4/5
      If it wasn't enough that Jean (aka Jinx) Honeychurch is an accident magnet, she was born in a thunderstorm, or that her mother is a pastor or that she's from Iowa, but she's had to leave home to go to New York because of a stalker. Her relatives are wealthy and live in a big house. They have a daughter about the same age as Jinx, Torrence (aka Tory, but she's trying to leave that nickname behind) who has fallen into some bad habits. Including black magic.Jinx has to try to make new friends, work out what the gorgeous Zack wants, and try to stop her cousin from harming her, and everyone around her, that and try to work out how to use her own powers of witchcraft.It's fun, light and a very quick read. Typical Meg Cabot fare.
    • 3/5
      Jinx has just moved in with her aunt, uncle and cousin because of an "incident" at her last school. She wants to avoid anything like that happening again, but her cousin is obsessed with being a witch and trying to get this one particular guy, who just so happens to like Jinx.
    • 4/5
      Jinx is hard to put down once started. It's very fun and entertaining, with action and a bit of romance.
    • 4/5
      Jean has always been know as Jinx since they day she was born, when a lightening bolt hit the hospital. Now she has been sent from her middle class Iowa family to live with weathly relatives in Manhattan. The change is a culture shock, and problems immediately ensue when her cousin, Torrence becomes jealous of Jinx's "powers". See there is a family legend that one girl will inherit the powers of the family witch who had died at the stake centuries before. Torrence thought it was her legacy until Jinx appears and starts to demonstrate her abilities. Jinx and Torrence both believe in magic but while Jinx thinks it is a bad thing, Torrence is all about it, right down to the Goth dress.I am a bit perplexed by this book. Is there really magic going on, or is it all coincidence? I agree that the end is sort of odd. I hope there is a sequel because there was some nice character development and more questions raised than answered.
    • 4/5
      Sixteen-year-old Jean "Jinx" Honeychurch, the descendant of a witch, must leave Iowa to live with relatives in Manhattan after the first spell she casts goes awry, but she will have to improve her skills to stop her cousin from practicing black magic that endangers them and the boy they both like.
    • 4/5
      A very interesting book about a girl with the worst luck in the world that lives in a small town in Iowa but she moves to her Aunts and Uncles house in New York City. Her cousin who has changed a lot is convinced that she is a witch. She casts spells and stuff like that. This book was alright but the ending was a way too unlikely and really weird for my taste
    • 3/5
      Summary from inside flap of book: The only thing Jean Honeychurch hates more than her boring name (not Jean Marie, or Jeanette, just… jean) is her all-too-appropriate nickname, Jinx. Misfortune seems to follow her everywhere she goes—which is why she’s thrilled to be moving in with her aunt and uncle in New York City. Maybe when she’s halfway across the country, Jinx can finally outrun her bad luck. Or at least escape the havoc she’s caused back in her small hometown. But trouble has definitely followed Jinx to New York. And it’s causing big problems for her cousin Tory, who is not happy to have the family black sheep around. Beautiful, glamorous Tory is hiding a dangerous secret—one that she’s sure Jinx is going to reveal. Jinx is beginning to realize it isn’t just bad luck she’s been running from. It’s something far more sinister… and the curse Jinx has lived under since the day she was born might just be the only thing that can save her life.My review: I hate to admit it, but this is the first Meg Cabot book that I have read. I own many of her books, but I have never read them. I enjoyed Jinx. It’s not overly complicated or highly original, but I still liked it. The inside flap makes you think there will be something devious and “sinister” hidden in the plot, but really it’s nothing more than a jaded, spoiled, rich teenage girl pretending to play “witch-believe” with several equally snotty friends. The only thing sinister would be the personality of Tory, Jinx’s NY cousin. Talk about a character! If I had met this girl in high school, I could only imagine how awful my memories would be. Wow. Tory is by far the best description of a woman scorned I have read in YA fiction—witch craft aside, of course. On a human level, Tory is despicable. Back stabbing, deceitful, envious. The whole nine yards. She is pure evil in the disguise of outward beauty. Her friends were equally disgusting, although they weren’t mentioned much in the book. I got the impression they were meant to be more like groupies than supporting characters. For all of the negative vibes you got from Tory, Jinx gives you the exact opposite. She is the image of mid-west innocence; after all she is a preacher’s daughter. The quaintness of her character, combined with her gorgeous natural curly red hair make her an easy target for Tory’s wrath. Plus, it doesn’t help that Tory’s secret love is head-over-heels for Jinx. The characters were decent. You certainly felt sorry for Jinx during all of her mishaps, and you couldn’t help but dislike Tory. Unfortunately, that’s where the charm ends. The plot is pretty predictable. It’s a classic case, really: Pretty girl doesn’t realize she’s pretty. Pretty girl falls into the trap of equally pretty girl with disgusting personality. Pretty girl unknowingly wins heart of handsome boy. Love triangle ensues. Mean girl gets what she deserves while pretty girl realizes she has self worth and falls for handsome boy. The end. Yep, that’s pretty much it. Granted there were a few twists along the way, but nothing overly exciting. I did like that Zach (said handsome boy) seemed like a complete charmer. He had some personality traits that made him very likable. There were a few scenes in the book that had potential to be suspenseful, but it seemed like the majority of the story only skimmed the surface and never fully dove into a deeper plot. For a younger reader I’m sure it would be satisfying, but I like a little more depth in my reading material. Of course, I probably shouldn’t have expected anything more than what I got considering I bought this book for my classroom library. Overall, it was a fun, quick read. I enjoyed it. I’m sure if I was a middle school girl I would be enthralled with this novel. I would probably even imagine Zach Efron’s face for Zach in the book… if I were a middle school girl. But, alas, I’m not. (I really couldn’t imagine anyone that I felt would fit the characters when reading the book.) I gave the book 3 stars because it was decent. There were some funny parts that made me chuckle, and the descriptions were well written. My visualization abilities were working in overdrive throughout most of the book. However, it wasn’t exactly “mature” content like the jacket flap implied.
    • 4/5
      Just finished this book. I really enjoyed it. I liked the main character Jean and The whole concept of the book. A good read. : )
    • 5/5
      Jean "Jinx" Honeychurch is a sixteen-year-old girl from Iowa. Believing she was born with bad luck, she goes to stay with her Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted in Manhattan, New York, to escape the most recent bout of it. However, the truth is that Jean had cast a love spell on her crush which turned out wrongly and caused him to become stalker-ish.

      Her cousin, Tory, is convinced that Jean must join her coven of pretend "witches". Jean denies being a witch, and refuses to join. This angers Tory, causing her to seek revenge. Tory is also jealous of Jean's relationship with Zack, a good-looking boy who lives next door. However, it is revealed that Jean might actually be the witch with special powers. Things start to turn bad, with Tory and her coven kidnapping Jean for a ritual, but in the end, the real witch wins. Jean realises that maybe she isn't that unlucky after all, and the book ends with her starting a romance with Zack, who reveals he has always liked her back.
    • 2/5
      To avoid an unpleasant ex-boyfriend, Jean moves from her small town to stay with her aunt and uncle in NYC. There, she's surprised at the dark changes her cousin Tory has undergone, but not surprised to learn that she's just as unlucky as ever. To protect herself from Tory's malign influence, Jinx slowly delves into her magical heritage, all the while unsure whether magic is real or not. The conflict was interesting; the romance was not. Jinx has a smart, common-sense approach to everything else in the novel, but she's completely blind when it comes to Zack. It wasn't a believable level of denial; it was clearly just to give the romance a little zing. That downgraded this book from a three star rating to a two.
    • 3/5
      I love Meg Cabot. I want to be Meg Cabot (or, at least, her BFF. We'd make awesome BFFs. We could go get slushie drinks and chat about books and writing. It'd be fabulous.). She's an incredibly prolific writer who knows her audience like the back of her hand. Her books are all enjoyable reads and JINX is no exception.I picked this book up from the bargain shelf at Books-A-Million (Boy-howdy I love this shelf. Pair it with my teacher discount and I can walk out of there with a huge pile of books for my classroom that my kids are interested in reading. Yahoo.) and decided to make sure I read it myself. It was a quick and easy read, with fun (and nasty) characters that were easy to get behind and root for--and against.Poor Jinx (Jean) is sure she's cursed: she's a terrible klutz, always crashing into things and breaking stuff. Her first day in NYC and her aunt and uncle have forgotten her at the airport, no one is home at their house to greet her except for the nanny, and, when her cousin finally gets home, Jinx is completely embarrassed in front of her cousin's friends AND a super-cute guy (how else would you feel if your cousin announced to everyone you had to leave home because you were being stalked?).Tory, Jinx's cousin, is a great bad girl. She's evilly snarky, mean, back-biting...I just wanted to smack the black eyeliner right off her face (exactly the way I think you should feel about a bad girl!).Zack is a really sweet guy--the perfect foil for Jinx. Too bad she thinks he's in love with Petra, the nanny. But he shows her the town and she's happy to just be friends with him. He's actually a bit too sweet for my tastes. I like a little more bad boy to temper that sweetness.There were parts of the book when I was worried Jinx wouldn't get a stronger backbone and stand up for herself. However, she performs admirably when she has to (though I was reminded a bit of that movie THE CRAFT. Remember that one? With the group of witches and the crazy chick? Yeah, that.). All in all, JINX is a fun read. Go Meg, my new BFF!
    • 5/5
      The book Jinx is about a girl whose real name is Jean. Her family calls her Jinx because if anything bad is going to happen, it will most definitely happen to Jinx. To get rid of her ex boyfriend, Jean moves to New York with her aunt and uncle. Jean was looking forward to spending time with her cousin Tori, until she sees how much Tori has changed. What Jean doesn't realize is that Tori hates Jean so much, she tries to take away her "witch" powers which could have killed her.I love Meg Cabot's books. This book was great to read. I love the suspense in it and the humor. What I do wish Meg Cabot would do is try to write in 3rd person. I would love to see how the book turns out.
    • 5/5
      A fantasy that includes suspense, mystery, humor, romance, etc. A very fun and interesting classic by Meg Cabot about a girl, a cousin, a stalker, a new life, and a witch.
    • 4/5
      Jinx feels like she has had more than her share of bad luck all her life. When she goes to live with her aunt and uncle in New York City after an incident in her hometown in Iowa, Jinx's cousin is determined to have her join her witch coven believing deeply in a family legend that they are descended from a great witch. A blooming romance with the boy next door and cousin jealously help to move the action along in this fun romance.
    • 5/5
      Where has Meg Cabot been all of my reading years? This is my first book by her and I could not put it down. I did very little house work yesterday because I kept thinking about this book. It starts off with Jean (Jinx) moving in with her Aunt and Uncle because of something that happened back Iowa where she lives. Jean is happy to be moving in with her Aunt and Uncle for a while. She hasn't seen her cousin Tory in a long time, she was thinking things would pick up where they left them years ago. But when she gets to her Aunt and Uncle's house Tory, now known as Torrence, has changed. Gone is her blonde hair and pretty clothes, instead they are replaced by dark hair and black clothes. Jean soon finds out that Tory knows about her being a witch and Tory wants her to join her coven. But when Jean declines it makes Tory mad and sets her on a mission to destroy Jean. But it gets worse when Jean falls for Tory's secret crush, Zach. This book was an amazing read. I have always liked reading about the Salem Witch Trials. So this book had witches, romance, and teen fun. Highly recommend this book!
    • 4/5
      Moving from a small town in Iowa to New York City was the best way Jean Honeychurch and her family could think of to handle the problem she was having with a boy. The problem wasn’t just the boy, Jean had been having bad luck all of her life starting with the day she was born. She even received the nickname of Jinx from her family at a young age, because of her constant string of mishaps. Meeting her cousins friends and finding out that some of them believed themselves to be witches and those witches, including her cousin Tory, believing that she was a witch and wanting her to join their coven, left Jinx scarred that the true reason for her troubles was about to come out. What a fun story. Quick and fast paced, although it was predictable. The characters were great - a bunch of high school students, their dates, crushes and worries, popularity contests and all. I really liked Zach and Petra (one of the boys and the families au pair) they seemed to be great supporting characters for Jean. There is a point in the story were Jean is described as a good influence against the drugs, alcohol, smoking and witch craft but as Jean thinks about it - “God, no wonder she hated me so much! I hated me, hearing myself described in such a way.” Fun for young teens up. After finally trying a Meg Cabot book, maybe I will give one of her series a try.
    • 3/5
      This book was a page turner seeing the life of Jean who's appropriately nicknamed "Jinx" because of her perpetual bad luck. Throughout the book, she starts to discover that her bad luck is caused by her fear and learns to overcome her fear and empower herself; making life better than it has ever been before.
    • 3/5
      Jean “Jinx” moves in with her aunt and uncle after an incident back home. Upon arrival, she learns her cousin Tory (now refers to be called Torrance) thinks she is a witch. Tory reminds Jean that their great-great-great-grandmother was also a practicing witch and stated that one of her descendants will also be a witch. Naturally Tory believes it’s her, until Jean saves Zach’s, Tory’s neighbor and crush, life.Having read most of Ms. Cabot’s young adult novels last year, I was looking forward to reading Jinx. Unfortunately, this book didn’t grab me as her previous novels did. The mystery behind Jean’s move to live with her aunt is obvious as is the reason her family calls her Jinx.What really stood out to me was how similar the characters are with the characters from The Princess Diaries series. For instance, Jean reminded me of Princess Mia; Zach was a good guy like Michael; Tory was mean like Lana. At one point, I actually started seeing the Princess Diaries characters instead of these main characters. From this, I thought the plot seemed “a bit familiar” and too formula-based.Jean, the protagonist, came across as boring and naive. I often found myself wanting to shake her and say “Can’t you see what’s going on here?” It was so frustrating to see Tory repeatedly take advantage of her and for Jean to remain passive so she wouldn’t hurt Tory’s feelings.Although Jinx is not a favorite of mine by Ms. Cabot, I still plan to read my way through her young adult collection.
    • 5/5
      Although the undertones of magic filled the story, it was your typical story of a girl who has everything she wants but doesn't know it. She thinks she's Jinxed, but her cousin knows better and tries to destroy her new life because of it. This book was one you could easily get wrapped up into - a good mixture of teenage drama, witchcraft, and blooming love.
    • 2/5
      Jinx has a problem back home in Iowa, so she is sent to NYC to live with her cousin Tory's family in NYC. This book pays serious homage to the movie the Craft(1999). It's about girls who practice magic and don't pay enough attention to the consequences; then one goes to far. There is romance and magic, and if you haven't watched the Craft, you might be surprised. Otherwise Jinx is just a little too good and Tory is a little bit too bad. *Spoiler alert* I do have a major problem with Jinx believing that she brought having stalker on herself. I understand that they are trying to send a message about using black magic, but I just don't feel like it's a good thing to say.
    • 4/5
      A terrific follow-up to the first one, and surprisingly epic in scope for something I initially saw as a Diana Wynne Jones-ish fun kid's fantasy. And rather than three separate stories, it's clear that each volume is part of one long tale--there are satisfying mini-resolutions at the end of each book, but much is left hanging for the subsequent one(s).

      I'm assuming you've read the first (if not, read it--it's great!), and the second is just as good, with a deepening of the characterizations and an expanding of the mise-en-scène.

      (Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!)
    • 5/5
      In this story, Jinx must learn more about his own magic, which is tied to the power of the Urwald, and he must figure out if he is controlling it, or it if is controlling him. He also travels to Samara, where the Urwald is just a legend, and learns a new way of looking at magic while making new friends and helping an old friend who is in terrible danger.In my review of Jinx, I compared this author's writing to that of Diana Wynne Jones, a comparison I do not make lightly. This second book is just as charming and funny and delightful. It is the second book in a series, and the ending is rather abrupt -- but that's the only complaint I have, and it's really only a complaint because I want to read the next book right now! Anyone who enjoys juvenile fantasy should take a look at this series.