The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Honestly, I'm almost too bored to write this review. I don't have much to say about it - good or bad. So here we go.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a science-fiction, coming of age novel set in a not-so-distant future. Jenna has recently awakened from a long coma with no memory of who she is. As she strives to remember and move forward as Jenna Fox, she realizes the key to future opens a very locked door from her past.
Writing Technique: ★★★ Perfectly acceptable. There were a few moments poetry that were nice. But overall, the writing didn't grip me in any way.
Plot/Story Development: ★★★ Um, yeah, this plot unfolds. There are revelations and twists, etc. But I'm not gonna lie, I thought the twists were gonna be a lot bigger. I was prepared to be knocked off my feet (based on the positive review of one of my favorite authors), but sadly I wasn't even swayed by the light wind of this story. It was...fine. I'll admit, I take issue with the tiny baby of a love story here. If I'm to believe...what she says at the end
Character Development: ★★★1/2 Jenna Fox was never quite enough for me as a character, maybe even as a human. Much of her inner monologue is questioning if she is "enough." I'm not sure the author ever convinced me she was. But what she learns and how that shapes her actions, particularly at the end of the story are...interesting, kind of. Nearly all of the other characters, though, are sadly one dimensional. Even knowing their histories, they never became real people. Ethan, Dane, Alice, Mr. Bender, Lily, Claire, Dad -- they do things, they feel things, they have reasons for them; but they don't really change, and some of them don't really have a point. So...that's kind of a fail.
Message/Theme: ★★★★ Now the questions presented here are much more interesting to me. I wish I package was bigger and brighter. But what the hey, take what I can get. Ideas: What makes a person a person? What is the soul? Can it be lost? Can it be kept in a box? Does the government have the right to determine when the soul, when personhood, when humanity begins and ends? Where is line between POSSIBILITY and PERMISSIBILITY (ethics)? If science and medicine CAN do something, does that mean it SHOULD? What would you do for family? What would you want your family to do for you? There's more, but this is all that really mattered to me.
Rating: PG for language and thematic elements.
Audiobook Performance: ★★1/2 Jenna Lamia is unimpressive to me as a narrator. She straight up ruined [b:Shiver|6068551|Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328839272s/6068551.jpg|6244926] by [a:Maggie Stiefvater|1330292|Maggie Stiefvater|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1359424840p2/1330292.jpg] for me, a book I believe to be nearly flawless. So I'm not sure if my apathy toward this story is not entirely her fault. I can't say she did anything exactly wrong here. But it didn't do anything for me as a listener. Perhaps one day if I have oodles of time, I'll give this book another shot, this time with my eyes. But...my TBR list is pretty long as it is.
Overall: ★★★ My opinion: This story had a lot of potential. I think with more development it could have been great. As it is, it's mediocre. Read it if you want. Don't if you want. It really didn't affect me one way or the other. At least it's short...
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment