Review of The Adoration of Jenna Fox

My review of The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson is based on a paperback copy of the book that I purchased for myself from Amazon. The following review is my honest opinion of the work.

*Warning, the following review may contain spoilers.*

Goodreads Summary: "Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox has just awoken from a year-long coma — so she’s been told — and she is still recovering from the terrible accident that caused it. But what happened before that? She’s been given home movies chronicling her entire life, which spark memories to surface. But are the memories really hers? And why won’t anyone in her family talk about the accident? Jenna is becoming more curious. But she is also afraid of what she might find out if she ever gets up the courage to ask her questions. What happened to Jenna Fox? And who is she really?"

This book really got to me. My eyes welled up with tears, my own rage bubbled up alongside Jenna's and I longed as she did for her to be complete. The Adoration of Jenna Fox was a complete emotional roller-coaster for me made completely of highs and lows with the occasional flat stretch to anchor me again. I was torn between the perspective of the parent's, of the grandmother, of Jenna herself; I loved this particular aspect of the story possibly the most, the fact that all sides were represented so that the reader could be educated and reach his or her own decision.

To say this book was intense would be an understatement in many regards but it's the best that I can do. Even when I thought the plot had let up I would discover that it was just making the slow climb to the top of the hill, much like the aforementioned roller-coaster, before plunging down again at a break-neck pace.

I found myself questioning along with Jenna as the plot forces a reader to but even better when she was thrown off or confused I would be too; it turns out that I had figured out early on what was the cause of Jenna's memory loss but the twists and turns that the book threw out had me doubting myself at times.

Jenna is a strong character that I loved reading about but her Nana comes in a close second for me, perhaps even tied with, for my favorite character. Quite possibly because I've always had a close relationship with my own Nana. I loved the interactions between the two of them; how they dared to question one another, to poke and prod even if the results aren't pretty...especially if the results aren't pretty.

Something else that I really appreciated about this book, something I can't say a lot about without revealing some of it's secrets, is the fact that it could happen. Some day in the future it could all be possible. The Adoration of Jenna Fox brings up a lot of good questions about who we are, what we are, and what we are in danger of becoming. For these reasons and more this book has found a permanent place on my favorites shelf, a book that I imagine I will be loaning out a great deal to anyone and everyone willing to give it a chance.

I'm giving The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson a five out of five stars review. I am so glad that Amazon offered a bargain copy of this book so that I was able to get a copy for myself and cannot wait until the sequel comes out.