The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicles #1)

This is a brief, thought-provoking piece of science fiction. It makes readers think about the nature of humanity, the limitations of science, human rights. That definitely wasn’t the sort of novel I expected to find here, and I’m not actually sure what point Pearson was trying to make. There was a point–of that I’m sure. I couldn’t really tell which side of the scientific advancement argument the author was on. But, in any case there was a definite something missing from the book as a whole. It was thought-provoking, sure, but I’m uncertain if the questions raised were ever satisfactorily answered. A bit of an ambiguous conclusion.

I've heard some amazing things about this book, but I'm not going to lie, it didn't blow me away or anything. That's not to say it was bad either, it just wasn't one of the best books I've ever read. Okay, okay I'll stop being all weird and confusing and just get on with the review.

The format was definitely different and interesting. I enjoyed the new experience. Instead of solid, concrete chapters there were little breaks throughout chapter-like things. It made it feel even more like I was in Jenna's head going through this process of remembering with her. The process itself was great too. It took a little bit for me to get completely pulled in but I finally did and it made me feel for Jenna all the more.

Jenna was a really easy character to identify with. Not because it's likely that I would be in that situation in my lifetime but something about her just demanded attention. I found myself just wanting to root for her and tell off all the people who were making her life difficult. I enjoyed watching her journey of discovering herself as well.

My big gripe about this book was Ethan. Now there's nothing inherently wrong with him as a character but I do take issue with his and Jenna's relationship. It was barely in the story and didn't really seem of any importance to me. It seemed like this weird add-on that was only there to serve the purpose of acting as a catalyst. To make up for this unnecessary addition though, the ending was seriously awesome, in my opinion. Awesome doesn't even really seem like the right word...maybe pretty?

Final thoughts: This was a quick read that anyone could easily get into. Jenna is an easy character to connect with and makes the story all the more enjoyable. If you're looking for a quick mystery this is definitely a good option.

Although The Adoration of Jenna Fox is technically a dystopia, its main focus is more on Jenna's personal struggle with identity than on the society's problems. The futuristic society presented is a terrifyingly realistic one where medical advances have made terrible and amazing things possible. It questions what medicine may be able to do and how much we should do.

The plot advances in longer chapters of dialogue and paragraphs of description. These chapters are enjoyable and capture the reader's attention, despite Jenna's somewhat distant narration. The short chapters, generally of less than a page in duration, interspersed with the other, struck me as largely (ironic) pretentious, overdramatic and unnecessary. While the story overall does a good job of bringing ethical questions to the fore and making the reader think, these chapters hit the reader over the head with the issues. Pearson should have more faith in the reader's ability to figure some of the issues and questions out themselves.

Despite this weakness, I really did enjoy reading the book. It is quite short and likely exciting enough to hold the attention of reluctant readers. Dystopia readers will want to check this out, as will folks with an interest in ethical questions.

Reader reviewed by Beth Revis

THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX is a lovely science fiction that reads like a thriller. This is a great book for people who don't like science fiction and who are more focused on reading about characters and plot than science.

I enjoyed the way the author, Mary Pearson, uses science like JK Rowling uses magic: it's not explained, it's just there and it works. The main character's understanding of the "how" of the science is limited (and therefore, so is the readers), but nevertheless, this just meant that the science didn't get in the way of the plot. It's not important HOW everything happened--what's important in this story is WHY it happened...and how it effects all of the characters.

Another thing I felt was really well done in this book is the secondary characters. None of them were cliched sketches of high schoolers. Each secondary character was unique in and of himself, and each one seemed to have a story hidden within.

My only quibble with the story is the end. It was a bit abrupt for me--the epilogue chapter felt out of sync with the rest of the book, and I would have preferred either to be left hanging, or to have a more thorough explaination of the characters' futures. Then again, I'm rarely a fan of epilogues....

Reader reviewed by Suzanne

Wierd from the beginning. Jenna Fox wakes up from a coma with little memory of what happened before "the accidend" as her parents refer to it. As she grows up in this new neighborhood, makes friends at her special school and with the neighbor through the woods, she uncovers the nasty truth and fights for what's right.

Reader reviewed by Kelsey

Jenna went through a horrible accident which practically took her life away. With her father being  a scientist, he used the latest medical concepts to save her life. With only saving ten percent of her brain, her father had to program everything. Jenna doens't know anything about it, until one day, she cut herself. Can she figure out the real truth from her parents?

Reading this book, I really didn't like it because i'm not into scientfic like readings. BUt i have to say this book changed my mind a little, it makes you wonder how far medical research will becoem.

Great read!

Reader reviewed by GirlwiththeBraids

Many years into the future, biotechnology is illegal and if it stays that way, Jenna wont know what to do. One day Jenna Fox wakes up and doesnt know who she is. Someone says she is her mother, someone says he is her father. All Jenna has to look at is old home movies. Slowly, Jenna starts to figure out about her past and knows that she cant get it back; she cant fix her mistakes. She wants to begin anew and be a different Jenna but & she cant. Is someone holding her back? The voices in her head say Hurry. Hurry, Jenna. Why does she have to hurry?

The Adoration of Jenna Fox was & different. It was very emotional and I almost cried at times, but it was odd. The ideas that are brought up in the book are totally unique and everything connects with one another: the settings, the characters, and the emotions are all part of the story. Author Mary E. Pearson transported me to a different century entirely, one that doesnt even exist yet. Many feelings are repeated within the book, which I think was definitely needed to get the point across. All together, this book was unique, interesting, odd, and wacky but I still dont know if I like it. One thing is for sure, though. You wont forget it.

Reader reviewed by Adriana M.

This read was definitly engrossing and different. Jenna Fox just woke from a coma after a horrible accident. She has no memory of who she was, but she also has no memory of certain words or of how to tell by someone's facial expressions whether they are angry, sad, or confused. She can however recite Walden word for word. Slowly the story reveals that Jenna, her mother, and grandmother are actually hiding out in California because Jenna's parents used Biogel, something that basically creates artificial life, to recreate most of Jenna's new body and mind. There are rules for using Biogel (which was developed by Jenna's father who stayed behind in Boston), and they have gone way over what is the standard. As Jenna begins to learn all of these facts, she also has to deal with slowly recuperating her memories (memories that even go way back to her infancy), and coming to terms with the extremes that her parents have gone to save her. Overall I really enjoyed this book. I think it brings up many issues having to do with biological advances, medicine, and ethics in science. But it also deals with more emotional issues like other YA novels do. There are elements of love, family, and even suspense. Very well written and paced.

Reader reviewed by stephanie

Okay, when I first read about this book, I was like, ok, this sounds interesting, I'll go get it. At first I thought that Jenna-after-the-accident wasn't really Jenna but someone else. That her "parents" replaced her with someone else so they could keep their beloved and perfect Jenna. In a way, that was true. They did replace her with something. Something that was only 10% human. When Jenna first woke up from the coma, that lasted over a year, she couldn't remember anything. As time passed, she realized what happened and she started to recall things that normal humans wouldn't recall. Specific things that had happened when she was only a baby. Things that surprised her parents, her grandmother, and most of all, herself. She didn't know why she was supposed to be alive. The accident that happened was supposed to kill her along with her two best friends. So how did she live? Why is her family keeping her a secret? What exactly happened to her two best friends? What exactly happened to her and what did her parents give to have her back? The book is written beautifully and I highly recommend this book to those who liked Double Helix by Nancy Werlin.

Reader reviewed by mearley

Set in a not too distant future, The Adoration of Jenna Fox examines issues of medical ethics, identity, family dynamics, and the existence of a soul. Jenna Fox is severely injured in a car accident. It looks as if she will not survive until her father, founder of Fox BioSystems, illegally downloads her mind into a computer and reconstructs her body with BioGel and other artificial materials. Jenna awakes from her "coma" in an apparent state of amnesia.

The brilliance of this book is how the reader gradually realizes what happened to Jenna, just as Jenna is figuring it out for herself. As the pieces fall into place, the shocking picture becomes clear, and we agonize with Jenna and her family as they need to make crucial decisions.

For such a deep book, this was surprisingly quick read. The future created by Mary E. Pearson is frighteningly believable. This book makes readers think without telling them what to think.

Thanks to yabookscentral.com for the book. I was not disappointed!

Reprinted here with author's permission.