Exclusive Sneak Peek at Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein + Giveaway (US Only)

Becoming Jinn

by Lori Goldstein

Release Date: April 21, 2015

Before we get to the exclusive excerpt, here’s a note from Lori:

Hello YABC readers! I’m thrilled to be here as part of the Summer of Jinn Blog Tour. The beach is my happy place, and reading at the beach is my definition of the perfect day. My love of the sand and the ocean makes this my favorite time of year, and that’s the main reason why I set Becoming Jinn in a New England seaside town during the summer. To celebrate my love of all things beachy, I’m taking Azra and the rest of the crew on a Summer of Jinn Blog Tour, sharing my (and her) favorite beach reads, answering fun Q&As, and sharing exclusive excerpts, like the one here. As a special bonus for YABC readers, I’m giving away one signed copy of Becoming Jinn right here! (US only). I’m also running a special promotion for readers who buy Becoming Jinn by July 30. For more on the promotion and for links to the full blog tour, visit: http://www.lorigoldsteinbooks.com/2015/06/30/beach-read/

~ Lori Goldstein (BECOMING JINN, Feiwel and Friends/MacMillan)

Summer of Jinn Blog Tour

July 2: B&N Teen Blog: My Favorite 2015 Debut Beach Reads

July 6: Fangirlish: Exclusive Chapter Reveal

July 7: Dark Faerie Tales: Q&A, Special Announcement, and Exclusive Giveaway

July 8: Adventures in YA Publishing: A BECOMING JINN Debut Lesson: The Trouble with Measuring Success

July 9: Patchwork Press: Write All Year Pep Talk: Breaking the Rules

July 10: YA Books Central: Exclusive BECOMING JINN excerpt with a signed book giveaway!

July 10: Fangirlish: 2 for 1 Friday

July 13: Comfort Books: Q&A

July 14: Bewitched Bookworms: Azra and Henry’s Favorite Beach Reads

July 15: Freshman Fifteens: The 15ers share their favorite beach reads

July 16: Children’s Book Review: All-Time Favorite Beach Reads

July 17: Katie’s Book Blog: Guest Writing Post

Be sure to check out each post and enter to win the grand prize blog tour giveaway for bookstore gift cards so you can pick out your very own beach read! (Open internationally.)

Grand prize link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZjhlMTRkY2RhYzIwZWE3OTVkNDE1ZGRkMzY1MTc2OjE=/?

About the Book

Azra has just turned sixteen, and overnight her body lengthens, her olive skin deepens, and her eyes glisten gold thanks to the brand-new silver bangle that locks around her wrist. As she always knew it would, her Jinn ancestry brings not just magical powers but the reality of a life of servitude, as her wish granting is controlled by a remote ruling class of Jinn known as the Afrit.

To the humans she lives among, she’s just the girl working at the snack bar at the beach, navigating the fryer and her first crush. But behind closed doors, she’s learning how to harness her powers and fulfill the obligations of her destiny.

Mentored by her mother and her Zar “sisters,” Azra discovers she may not be quite like the rest of her circle of female Jinn . . . and that her powers could endanger them all.

To learn more about this book and see our review, go HERE.

Are you ready to start reading?!

Excerpt from Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein

Since this is the Summer of Jinn Blog Tour, this excerpt takes place at the beach. After being cooped up inside learning how to use her new magical powers, Azra is finally allowed to go to her favorite place. This is from the start of Chapter 11.

A damp, gray mist clung to the shoreline for my entire first week behind the snack bar. Yesterday’s flip of the calendar ushered in July and, with it, the sun. Just in time. As my white shorts make painfully clear, my legs need a tan.

I leave myself ample time to bike to the beach and arrive early. The weathered wood shack that serves as the concession stand creaks as I prop my new bicycle against it. The overly complicated twenty-four-speed contraption is a birthday present from my mother’s Zar sisters. The irony of giving me an external method of transport now that I have my own internal one isn’t lost on me.

With time before my shift begins, I follow the arched wooden path over the dunes. I sweep my fingertips along the tall grass that rustles on either side, feeling the air crisp with each step. When I arrive at the last plank, I kick off my sneakers. It’s low tide. The beach spreads out before me, empty, quiet, calm. This is my favorite time of day in my favorite place.

If it were up to me, we’d open our front door to this. But the location of our home, like so much else, is not up to me. My mother says a flashy house at the beach would raise more questions than it’s worth. Draw too much attention—the worst thing for a Jinn. Funny, I gather the attention my mother garners by being drop-dead gorgeous has yet to cause a problem.

I walk the wide expanse of open beach down to the water. The frigid Massachusetts waves reach for my toes.

I can’t resist. I inch forward and let the icy ripples surround my feet.

Standing at the edge of the ocean, everything seems possible. The endlessness of the sea makes me believe in beginnings.

Mere seconds pass before I cry out, unable to withstand the torture any longer. My toes sting as I race toward a patch of sun and bury my feet. The cool sand lurking underneath does little to alleviate my chill, but still . . . it was worth it.

Returning down the same wooden path, I run into the clique of beautiful bods—the lifeguards. A morning beach run is a requirement of their job. Of the three female lifeguards, only Chelsea does the run in a two-piece bathing suit. Emblazoned with “guard” across the chest in capital letters, the red, sporty bikini is even more intimidating than her orange-and-black cheerleading uniform. And that has a tiger paw plastered across the front.

A couple of the guys nod slightly as they pass me. Though we all recognize one another, the rules in play in the halls of the high school extend to the dunes of the beach. If you wave to me during homeroom, you wave to me here. If you nod to me during the change of classes, you nod to me here. If you ignore me during gym, like Chelsea does, you ignore me here.

If you make me unable to speak in the cafeteria, you make me unable to speak here. Like Nate. Nathan Reese, the cute lifeguard, star lacrosse player, soon-to-be senior. He’s heading straight for the path I’m hurrying down. I reach the end and duck through the side door of the concession shack.

I shouldn’t really worry about running into him and being rendered mute. So far, “hi,” “here you go,” and “thanks” form the core of our conversations. Nate does his part to save the world by bringing his own reusable water bottle to work, and I’ve spent the past week being his water girl, refilling the stainless steel bottle from the sink in my little shack two, sometimes three, times a day. Yesterday, when he tilted the bottle toward me and winked before returning to his perch on the lifeguard stand, I was especially grateful the transactions don’t require much verbalization.

About the Author

Lori Goldstein, author of BECOMING JINN, was raised in a small town on the New Jersey shore and now makes her home outside of Boston. She has a BA in journalism and worked as a writer, editor, and graphic designer before becoming a full-time author. She currently lives and writes outside of Boston. Lori is the author of the young adult contemporary fantasy series Becoming Jinn (Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, April 21, 2015, Spring 2016). You can visit her online at www.lorigoldsteinbooks.com.

Giveaway Details

One winner will receive a signed hardcover of BECOMING JINN + swag (bookmark, magnet, wristband).

Entering is simple, just fill out the entry form below. Winners will be announced on this site and in our monthly newsletter (sign up now!) within 30 days after the giveaway ends.

During each giveaway, we ask entrants a question pertaining to the book. Here is the question they’ll be answering in the comments below for extra entries:

What do you think about the excerpt?

Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tags: becoming jinn, Excerpt, Exclusives, lori goldstein

17 thoughts on “Exclusive Sneak Peek at Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein + Giveaway (US Only)”

Nicole Karam says:

July 10, 2015 at 3:05 pm

This excerpt is really interesting, so is the entire book.
Linda Knowles says:

July 12, 2015 at 9:24 pm

My kids and I would love to read this!
Cindy says:

July 14, 2015 at 3:24 pm

I love the detail in the excerpt! It sounds like a book I will definitely like. I’ve heard so many good things about this book and keep seeing it pop up everywhere, so thank you for the giveaway!
Sara Stevens says:

July 15, 2015 at 5:01 pm

This book sounds good!!
Agustina Gonzalez says:

July 22, 2015 at 6:41 am

This excerpt is really interesting!
Skylee says:

July 26, 2015 at 4:40 am

I’ve been looking for new stuff outside my normal favourite genres to read and this sounds super good!
Alica says:

July 27, 2015 at 7:07 pm

Yay for Jinns!
Kalani says:

July 28, 2015 at 9:04 pm

I LOVE it!
Danielle D. says:

July 29, 2015 at 1:49 am

The excerpt sounds great! It makes me want to read this even more!
BookFanatic says:

July 31, 2015 at 1:56 am

I love how its so detailed and beautifully written. If the excerpt is this good, I can’t wait to see what the entire book will be like!
mary mcalin says:

August 2, 2015 at 12:37 pm

The excerpt makes this book sound like one that I want to read.
BookPsycho says:

August 3, 2015 at 1:04 am

the excerpt is so intriguing i didnt want it to stop. i really want to be able actually read the whole book omg
Catherine Devlin says:

August 3, 2015 at 3:11 am

I am captivated by the idea of a girl who appears to be having the most normal summer, but secretly has so much intrigue surrounding her life. Also I live in Massachusetts, and I can relate to the “fridgid waves” 🙂
M'kaela Rogers says:

August 4, 2015 at 8:33 am

This books seems very interesting, look forward to reading in the future.
Savebythebooks says:

August 6, 2015 at 5:43 am

Hope I win
[email protected] says:

August 6, 2015 at 2:04 pm

Thanks for the excerpt! 🙂 and Thanks for organising the giveaway! 🙂
M'kaela Rogers says:

August 9, 2015 at 2:47 am

This seems sooo good!