Sisters must work together to banish the djinn ravaging their small Virginia town.On their 18th birthdays, the lives of Iranian and Argentinian American twins Bianca and Leila Mazanderani are drastically changed when their neighbors' barn mysteriously burns down. A terrifying djinn appears, announcing to the girls that "the promise of your ancestors is your burden to bear." To top it all off, Leila suddenly possesses superpowers, and a voice inside her head starts trying to control her. Bianca and Leila will have to reconcile their differences in order to uncover the mystery of their family's debt-before the monsters pouring into their town completely take over. Abtahi engages readers with a host of interesting dichotomies throughout, from the twins' opposing views on their cultural backgrounds (Bianca embraces their heritage, while Leila tries to fully assimilate) to their plans for the future (Bianca longs to leave their small town as soon as possible, but Leila hopes to stay close and marry her high school boyfriend, Foster). Their sisterly reconnection amid the extraordinary threat to their lives is wholesome, and their individual developments are satisfyingly honest: Bianca finds purpose in her hometown and discovers romance in an unexpected place, while Leila explores new feelings and grows in her love of her whole self.A multicultural fantasy that's packed with action and heart. (Fantasy. 14-18)

Gr 9 Up— In this New Visions Award–winning book, Abtahi uses fantasy tropes to explore coming-of-age in a multicultural family. Bianca and Leila Mazanderani have grown up together, identical twins in an Argentine-Iranian home, but they couldn't be more different, or so it seems to them. Bianca likes punk culture, while Leila tends toward prairie-chic. Bianca wants to be like their mam&5;—a career woman—while Leila wants to be like their baba—a stay-at-home parent who specializes in sourdough and pickles. Everything changes on the twins' 18th birthday when djinn show up in their small college town, demanding payback for a long-ago wish. Now the twins have to learn to work together and find their path in life before the world burns down around them. Abtahi weaves Persian mythology with many of the usual challenges of young adulthood—determining one's sexuality, redefining parent-child relationships, and identifying a career path. This book recalls shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer , though it incorporates the food, stories, and language of Latin America and the Middle East into the genre of demons-in-small-town-America. VERDICT Recommended for readers of fantasy, this novel incorporates diverse perspectives, including exploration of LGBTQIA+ and immigrant identities.— Talea Anderson