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A review by smitchy
Jinxed by Amy McCulloch
4.0
In a world almost like ours everyone has a Baku - a technological marvel; part pet and part fully equipped smartphone. They are more than just a useful gadget, they offer comfort and companionship. Bakus are the brain child of Monica Chan and in the decades since they were invented no other company has come close to re-creating them.
Monica's company MONCHA is at the cutting edge of tech and development, and the MONCHA academy Profectus is the place to be if you want to work at MONCHA.
For Lacey it is the be all and end all of her ambitions and this is the summer she find out if she has done enough to get in to Profectus. So when she gets denied the bottom falls out of her world...
Until she finds a severely damaged Baku. A Baku of a kind she has never seen before. Then a new notification from Profectus: She is accepted. Working all summer to get the Baku functional Lacey discovers that this Baku is much more than just a new design, it makes decisions without asking Lacey, it does things other Bakus could not, it has... independence... and it is named Jinx.
Meanwhile, things at Profectus are not what Lacey imagined, it is more challenging and more consuming than she expected. And the more she discovers the more she realises that MONCHA is hiding something, something that could change the way Bakus are viewed and how Lacey thinks the world works.
I loved this story the chapters are short and punchy, Lacey is relatable and best of all it promotes the idea of women in STEM, girls who love tech (and are good at it), and will make kids look at the role of both tech and corporations in their lives. Monica Chan is both a genius inventor and CEO of a multinational company as well as Lacey's hero. Lacey is totally nerdy and cool with it (and she's better than the guys because she has WORKED at it - she isn't just "naturally" gifted).
My major issue with the book is the antagonist is so obviously the "bad guy" right from the get go. It is almost cartoonish. Maybe that will change over the course of the series (we end on a cliffhanger and I am totally going to grab the next book ASAP!) but in this book there is no mystery as to who the villain is. Other than that little issue I loved this book and can't wait to recommend to both boys and girls 10+
Monica's company MONCHA is at the cutting edge of tech and development, and the MONCHA academy Profectus is the place to be if you want to work at MONCHA.
For Lacey it is the be all and end all of her ambitions and this is the summer she find out if she has done enough to get in to Profectus. So when she gets denied the bottom falls out of her world...
Until she finds a severely damaged Baku. A Baku of a kind she has never seen before. Then a new notification from Profectus: She is accepted. Working all summer to get the Baku functional Lacey discovers that this Baku is much more than just a new design, it makes decisions without asking Lacey, it does things other Bakus could not, it has... independence... and it is named Jinx.
Meanwhile, things at Profectus are not what Lacey imagined, it is more challenging and more consuming than she expected. And the more she discovers the more she realises that MONCHA is hiding something, something that could change the way Bakus are viewed and how Lacey thinks the world works.
I loved this story the chapters are short and punchy, Lacey is relatable and best of all it promotes the idea of women in STEM, girls who love tech (and are good at it), and will make kids look at the role of both tech and corporations in their lives. Monica Chan is both a genius inventor and CEO of a multinational company as well as Lacey's hero. Lacey is totally nerdy and cool with it (and she's better than the guys because she has WORKED at it - she isn't just "naturally" gifted).
My major issue with the book is the antagonist is so obviously the "bad guy" right from the get go. It is almost cartoonish. Maybe that will change over the course of the series (we end on a cliffhanger and I am totally going to grab the next book ASAP!) but in this book there is no mystery as to who the villain is. Other than that little issue I loved this book and can't wait to recommend to both boys and girls 10+