Amy McCulloch's middle grade novel Jinxed absolutely charmed me when I read a galley late last year. When the publisher offered me a early chance to read the sequel Unleashed, via NetGalley, I jumped at the chance.

In this near-future science fiction setting, people don't simply have phones at hand, they have a baku--essentially, a computer that looks like an animal or insect, acting as their personal assistant and ready source of knowledge and connections. In the first book, bright young engineer Lacey Chu finds a battered cat baku and brings it back to life, not realizing until too late that this is a revolutionary new baku that escaped from the company she idolizes, Moncha. Of course, mischief ensues--she finds the cat, named Jinx, isn't a more robot, but sentient and full of snark, and that Moncha has a definite evil and ambitious side. That really comes to a head in the sequel, when she discovers that Moncha wants to make its users happy--at all costs.

I loved this book. It's a breezy, fast read that is full of action, realistic and complicated characters, and moral dilemmas that are addressed in non-preachy ways that will make readers of all ages stop and think. I did find Lacey's amnesia at the start of the book to be a bit too convenient a literary device, but fortunately, she works through that quickly. As ever, I adore Jinx. I want a Jinx of my own. I really appreciated how Lacey's connection with her school bully develops in surprising ways, too. These books have genuine depth while staying fun all the while.

Unleashed comes out on January 5th, 2021. Be sure to read Jinxed first so you can fully enjoy the full arc of this duology. ( )