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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
This was a very good book. I really enjoyed the read. I remember wanting to read this because it was a dystopian novel and I have a soft spot for dystopian. It also had a lot of sci-fi elements in it as well which is fine by me since that is another genre that I adore. Mary E. Pearson did not disappoint with this novel of hers.
The plot was focused mostly on the origins of Jenna Fox. There's not a lot of action and most of it is just trying to solve the puzzle as to who or what Jenna is. It also delves into a society that's ruled by bio-engineering and how it can both help and detroy life. Pearson did a fabulous job in writing out this story. Her writing style was absolutely amazing! I love how at times it seems simple and then it becomes more complex as it makes one question what is going on. This novel is thought-provoking and you do question whether you would be happy living in a world where these experiments are part of your everyday life.
The only thing I saw as a minor setback with this book was the characters. They are not very well-developed and you don't get to know much about them in the process. In fact, besides Jenna, you really don't know much about anyone. You find out a bit about Allys and how she got in the condition that she's in, but everyone else? Nothing! Ethan, her love interest, says a sentence about his past... and then that's it. That's another thing that annoyed me. This whole "relationship" Jenna and Ethan shared came out of no where. There was no base for it. No substance. Just came out of the blue. Quite annoying really. I just wished that the characters could have been explored more. Especially when it came to both Gabriel and Dane. I still don't know who they are and I read the book.
All-in-all, it was still a very good book. Like I said, the writing style is amazing, the plot was solid, the messages trying to be portrayed is thought-provoking, and I quite enjoyed it. If the characters had more depth to them, I'm pretty sure I would have LOVED this book. It's still worth the read and I definitely think dystopian and sci-fi buffs should check it out.
The plot was focused mostly on the origins of Jenna Fox. There's not a lot of action and most of it is just trying to solve the puzzle as to who or what Jenna is. It also delves into a society that's ruled by bio-engineering and how it can both help and detroy life. Pearson did a fabulous job in writing out this story. Her writing style was absolutely amazing! I love how at times it seems simple and then it becomes more complex as it makes one question what is going on. This novel is thought-provoking and you do question whether you would be happy living in a world where these experiments are part of your everyday life.
The only thing I saw as a minor setback with this book was the characters. They are not very well-developed and you don't get to know much about them in the process. In fact, besides Jenna, you really don't know much about anyone. You find out a bit about Allys and how she got in the condition that she's in, but everyone else? Nothing! Ethan, her love interest, says a sentence about his past... and then that's it. That's another thing that annoyed me. This whole "relationship" Jenna and Ethan shared came out of no where. There was no base for it. No substance. Just came out of the blue. Quite annoying really. I just wished that the characters could have been explored more. Especially when it came to both Gabriel and Dane. I still don't know who they are and I read the book.
All-in-all, it was still a very good book. Like I said, the writing style is amazing, the plot was solid, the messages trying to be portrayed is thought-provoking, and I quite enjoyed it. If the characters had more depth to them, I'm pretty sure I would have LOVED this book. It's still worth the read and I definitely think dystopian and sci-fi buffs should check it out.
What to say, what to say? I've had this on my "maybe" list for a while. It was recommended to me based on a shelf I created for inspiration for the YA novel I'm outlining. Can't remember why it wasn't a definite to read. But none of that matters.
Off the bat I was hooked with all kinds of good questions. There were interesting characters and great tension. The first half had me completely entranced. After a while I felt we could move along... The novel stalls a bit and spins its wheels. The very last chapter, or maybe epilogue, made me really mad but I'm still eager to read #2. And if #2 makes the end of #1 make sense I'll give it back the fourth star.
I loved the writing... Poetic at times. I also loved the relationship between Jenna and Lily. That was brilliant. Most, though, I loved the conflict and that it wasn't the "girl vs. society" that has become de riguer in contemporary YA fiction. Don't get me wrong, I love Hunger Games and all that but this was decidedly refreshing.
Off the bat I was hooked with all kinds of good questions. There were interesting characters and great tension. The first half had me completely entranced. After a while I felt we could move along... The novel stalls a bit and spins its wheels. The very last chapter, or maybe epilogue, made me really mad but I'm still eager to read #2. And if #2 makes the end of #1 make sense I'll give it back the fourth star.
I loved the writing... Poetic at times. I also loved the relationship between Jenna and Lily. That was brilliant. Most, though, I loved the conflict and that it wasn't the "girl vs. society" that has become de riguer in contemporary YA fiction. Don't get me wrong, I love Hunger Games and all that but this was decidedly refreshing.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
2.5/3, rounded up to 3.
This book was fine. It was an easy fluffy read. The book attempts to cover a heavy topic - ethics of what makes a human a human and percentages. I honestly didn’t think this was well done. I read it as a YA dystopian book that was a decent time. Jenna was annoying at times, but overall her character development was decent. She grew as a person and went from being reactive at the beginning of the book to someone who used her brain.
Spoilers below
For those who don’t want to read the book:
16 year old Jenna was hanging out with Locke and Kara. Jenna didn’t have her license so Kara drove her car to a party the three crashed. A fight broke out and the three jumped in her car, Kara driving again, and sped off. Kara took a turn too quickly and the car went off a cliff. All 3 died. Jenna’s parent scanned all 3 brains and saved them essentially to a server. They were able to make a body for Jenna and upLoaded her memories. Jenna later wants to free her friends by deleting them. The conflict of this book is Jenna not wanting to be an “illegal” being because only 10% of her was saved. She grows to realize she wants to be alive. There's a fast forward at the end where we learn that she's been alive 260 years and is no longer illegal. She spent 70 years with Ethan and got a child that's a mix of their DNA.
This book was fine. It was an easy fluffy read. The book attempts to cover a heavy topic - ethics of what makes a human a human and percentages. I honestly didn’t think this was well done. I read it as a YA dystopian book that was a decent time. Jenna was annoying at times, but overall her character development was decent. She grew as a person and went from being reactive at the beginning of the book to someone who used her brain.
Spoilers below
Spoiler
For those who don’t want to read the book:
16 year old Jenna was hanging out with Locke and Kara. Jenna didn’t have her license so Kara drove her car to a party the three crashed. A fight broke out and the three jumped in her car, Kara driving again, and sped off. Kara took a turn too quickly and the car went off a cliff. All 3 died. Jenna’s parent scanned all 3 brains and saved them essentially to a server. They were able to make a body for Jenna and upLoaded her memories. Jenna later wants to free her friends by deleting them. The conflict of this book is Jenna not wanting to be an “illegal” being because only 10% of her was saved. She grows to realize she wants to be alive. There's a fast forward at the end where we learn that she's been alive 260 years and is no longer illegal. She spent 70 years with Ethan and got a child that's a mix of their DNA.
Really interesting, I liked Jenna very much. I can't wait to see what happens in the second book. I was surprised at how interesting this book was. I know I missed some stuff listening to it instead of reading but still a great read/listen!
Another novel about how far technology should go and what it truly means to be human. I had a pretty good idea of the plot going in, but the fast pace held my attention!
This was my second time reading- first time was in 9th grade. I remember a little bit about the book and thought it was good back then. Now as an adult, I’m not a huge fan. Definitely good for YA but felt majority of the book was repetition and complaining. The first time reading is better for the shock factor.
Not at all what I was expecting, but very thought-provoking.
What would you do to save a human life? And, better yet and perhaps more importantly, what defines a human life? In Mary E. Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox these are the two underlying issues of the book. On top of that though, is the dilemma every teen faces. Jenna is trying to figure out who she is.
It's hard to rave about this book without giving too much away. Even with what I've said already I'm scared that I'll have ruined the book for someone. The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a beautiful mystery. Pearson has crafted it very well. I "read" the book in audio format, usually listening to it when I walked home from work. Instead of pausing it and finishing it the next day I went and sat on my bed for the last few hours of the novel, the mystery was just that engaging!
The narration of the book is very lyrical. In fact, had I not bought hardcover of the book (yes! that's right, after having the book in audio I went out and bought a hard copy just so I could have it on my shelves) I never would have known that some of the book is actually written in poetry.
Jenna's character is very enduring because she faces many of the same problems that teens do. A main point in the book is her desire for freedom, even teens not in Jenna's circumstances deal with this. All the characters were very real, they could easily jump off the page. Lily, Allys, Ethan, Jenna's mother and father. All well done. This book has been optioned for a movie and I really hope that it doesn't fall apart because it could be something very beautiful.
Aside from the fact that this is one of the very few novels that really kept me on my toes and constantly guessing and re-guessing what was going on, I really liked how the mystery and science of the novel was still based on the issue every teen is dealing with. Jenna wants to know who she really is, and it's because of this that the book resonates so well.
I know this review doesn't say much. It's because the book is so chock full of mystery and suspense that there is very little I can really say about the book without ruining it for you, since the mystery makes the book I simply can't let that happen.
It's hard to rave about this book without giving too much away. Even with what I've said already I'm scared that I'll have ruined the book for someone. The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a beautiful mystery. Pearson has crafted it very well. I "read" the book in audio format, usually listening to it when I walked home from work. Instead of pausing it and finishing it the next day I went and sat on my bed for the last few hours of the novel, the mystery was just that engaging!
The narration of the book is very lyrical. In fact, had I not bought hardcover of the book (yes! that's right, after having the book in audio I went out and bought a hard copy just so I could have it on my shelves) I never would have known that some of the book is actually written in poetry.
Jenna's character is very enduring because she faces many of the same problems that teens do. A main point in the book is her desire for freedom, even teens not in Jenna's circumstances deal with this. All the characters were very real, they could easily jump off the page. Lily, Allys, Ethan, Jenna's mother and father. All well done. This book has been optioned for a movie and I really hope that it doesn't fall apart because it could be something very beautiful.
Aside from the fact that this is one of the very few novels that really kept me on my toes and constantly guessing and re-guessing what was going on, I really liked how the mystery and science of the novel was still based on the issue every teen is dealing with. Jenna wants to know who she really is, and it's because of this that the book resonates so well.
I know this review doesn't say much. It's because the book is so chock full of mystery and suspense that there is very little I can really say about the book without ruining it for you, since the mystery makes the book I simply can't let that happen.