Description
Fast-paced middle fiction fantasy featuring a curious girl discovering a big family secret. Full of intrigue, humour, warmth, action, jungle spirits, a perilous unseen realm and ghostly battles. A wonderful debut, perfect for readers who love Jaclyn Moriarty and Jessica Townsend.
I have a terrifying superpower. I, Insyirah Abdullah, can see jinn.
Insyirah's calm, orderly world falls into chaos when her proud nenek (grandmother) has a bad fall, and Insyirah and her mother must move back to Malaysia to take care of her.
Her new home holds wild and dangerous mysteries, and while finding her feet, Insyirah discovers a shocking secret: the women in her family can control jinn - powerful, ancient jungle spirits - and, one day, she will inherit one of her own. What's more, her new school is haunted by an evil spirit determined to force her out of Malaysia.
As Insyirah discovers the fascinating ways of the seen and unseen worlds, she finds that risk is everywhere. And when her family situation changes, she must gather all her resilience to overcome unexpected obstacles and make a life-changing decision.
Enchanting, action-packed and mysterious yet also warm and funny, this page-turning middle-grade fantasy announces a fabulous new talent.
Review
This is a terrific middle grade fantasy novel based in Malaysia.
When 12-year-old Insyirah’s mother decides that they must leave Sydney to return to their home country of Malaysia to look after Insyirah’s elderly Nanek (grandmother) an incredible journey begins.
It turns out that her mother took her away from Malaysia because of her family’s connection to ancient jungle spirits called jinn. Her Nanek has had one under her control for most of her life and there is a strong possibility that he will pass to Insyirah upon her Nanek’s death.
Normally an introverted person, when Insyirah begins a new school and finds two wonderful friends she begins to come out of her shell. So when she discovers first a small harmless jinn inhabiting the school’s music room, she befriends him. But she soon learns that a stronger force is after her because of her family’s connection and control over a jinn. Can she learn enough from her ailing grandmother to hope to be able to face such danger? Or was her mother right in trying to shield her?
This fantasy novel is full of ancient spirits and has themes of bravery, friendship, faith, family traditions and ultimately choosing to follow the right path in your life. It will best suit readers aged 10 to 14 years.
