The world of giants, genies and fairy tales gets flipped on its head in the most wondrous, unexpected ways and gives the word familiar an entirely new look.

Lena is a giant even if she's only five and a half feet tall. So far, she's been able to hide this from the giants, but if they find out the truth, they won't accept her. And humans don't trust her. When her secret comes out, she escapes to the Cursed City, where the search for her truth begins.

On the other hand, there's Jin, a genie, who hates humans and has a huge chip on his shoulder. He needs to learn humility to gain complete access to his powers, but he's a far way from learning that lesson. But at the moment, he's bound to the Golden King, anyway, and just wishes he would finally use his last two wishes so he could be free.

Both of these characters take charge of this book as the story is told by alternating between their points of view. This works well and never grows confusing, especially since the characters are so different. Lena is sweet and kind, while Jin is just a self-interested disaster. The two clash harshly, and that makes both so much more fun to get to know and like (although in Jin's case, it takes a bit for him to wear in).

The world is well-built, but then, it does carry the very familiar setting of fairy tales and other well-known stories. More than a couple well-known figures pop up, although these aren't exactly the way readers will have thought to have known them. It is fun to see how each one's been changed...and often in very surprising ways. Plus, there are a few reference to the author's early books, so well-read fans will smile at these nods and hints.

It's also a fast-paced read the entire way through and leaves with the desire to read book two...and that without a cliff-hanger ending. Fantasy fans and those who love to see new twists on old characters will enjoy diving into this world. I received a DRC and enjoyed the dive into the fairy tale realm. ( )