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

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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

by Mary E. Pearson (Goodreads Author)

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 · rating details · 20,024 ratings · 3,008 reviews

Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn't remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers?

This fascinating novel represents a stunning new di...more

Hardcover, 266 pages

Published April 29th 2008 by Henry Holt and Co.

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

YA Dystopia Novels

37th out of 473 books — 4,362 voters

2009 Printz Contenders

10th out of 49 books — 1,421 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 06, 2012 Lora rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of YA science fiction

Shelves: lib-audiobooks, sci-fi

"The accident was over a year ago. I've been awake for two weeks. Over a year has vanished. I've gone from sixteen to seventeen. A second woman has been elected president. A twelfth planet has been named in the solar system. The last wild polar bear has died. Headline news that couldn't stir me. I slept through it all."

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox can't remember who she is. For the last year and a half she's been in a perpetual state of vegetation, and upon waking she can remember nothing from...more "The accident was over a year ago. I've been awake for two weeks. Over a year has vanished. I've gone from sixteen to seventeen. A second woman has been elected president. A twelfth planet has been named in the solar system. The last wild polar bear has died. Headline news that couldn't stir me. I slept through it all."

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox can't remember who she is. For the last year and a half she's been in a perpetual state of vegetation, and upon waking she can remember nothing from her former life. The memory of her family, friends, and even simple words like "curious" has vanished. But even as bits and pieces of her memory begin to resurface, with the help of home videos and much encouragement from her parents, Jenna can't keep from feeling like something is wrong; with her, what her parents are telling her, and with this life she's being told is her own.
Set in the not-so-distant future, The Adoration of Jenna Fox will entertain and shock its readers with suspense, romance, and evolutionary science.

This is one of those books that is very hard to discuss without being spoilery, but I will endeavor to do so.

For Jenna Fox, there a lot of things that don't add up. Like how a video of her from seven years ago showing a scar on her chin doesn't compute with the unmarred flesh there now, how her parents keep evading her questions, and how she can't remember anything about the accident that lead to her coma.
And her parents' irrational limitations are suffocating. Even when Jenna starts to get her footing, she's not allowed to leave the house, not allowed to go to school. . . . How is Jenna supposed to get back her life when her parents won't let her? They keep telling her it's for the best, but Jenna knows something off.

I kept trying to guess at what direction Pearson was taking this story, and how science would fit into it all. I didn't even come close. The eventual revelation of why Jenna can't remember her life before the coma and why she feels so misplaced is as shocking as it is intriguing.
The romance element is light, but very effective. It takes back burner to the main plot (as it should IMO), but it plays an essential role in the story. Jenna feels lost and confused, and Ethan helps her feel centered and less afraid.

If you think you don't like science fiction, you should try this book. Sci-fi is not even my third choice when browsing genres at the library, but I can honestly say that this book has awakened a strong interest in the genre for me. And on that note, if you read this review and happen to have any sci-fi recommendations, or you know of any books similar to this, be they YA or adult, please send them my way.

Note: Although my opinion on this book still stands, I have changed my rating for it, because the two sequels to this book aren't to my liking. Originally rated 4 stars, now is 3.5 with a round down of 3.(less)

21 likes · like · see review

Oct 02, 2008 paula rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, if-you-liked-twilight

Interesting. The adoration of Jenna Fox is many things. It is:

* a young adult speculative fiction novel for girls who don't like science fiction

# a coming-of-age novel for people who eschew the touchy-feely (me!)

# a medical thriller, fully as suspenseful as early Robin Cook

# a meditation on choices nearly as profound as Walden, which it frequently quotes

And I think it is, very subtly, a pro-life statement.

Now, I, like the reviewers at SLJ, Publishers Weekly, The Horn Book, etc., and my colleagu...more

42 likes · like · see review

Mar 19, 2011 Ariana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, series

I love to read good books.
This is one of them.

I was a bit suspicious about it after seeing that the reviews were not that great, so I was a bit afraid to read it.. I love surprises too.

If you want a lot of action, this is not a book for you.
If you want something really funny, this is not a book for you.
If you want a 'teen-love story' this is not a book for you.
If you want something about future and technology and stuff like that.. well, you got it, this is not for you either.

This is a book...more

9 likes · like · see review

May 23, 2008 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Susan by: Martha

Shelves: cafe-book, cap-choices, ya-fiction, sci-fi-and-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Set in the not too distant future, this is a story that deals with medical ethics and how far is too far to preserve human life. Jenna Fox, 17, has just awoken from an 18 month long "coma" following a horrific accident. At first, she has no memory of who she is or what happened, but she remembers details bit by bit. She gets the sense that there is more to the story than her parents lead her to believe, especially regarding the secrecy of her accident and the self-imposed isolation of the family...more Set in the not too distant future, this is a story that deals with medical ethics and how far is too far to preserve human life. Jenna Fox, 17, has just awoken from an 18 month long "coma" following a horrific accident. At first, she has no memory of who she is or what happened, but she remembers details bit by bit. She gets the sense that there is more to the story than her parents lead her to believe, especially regarding the secrecy of her accident and the self-imposed isolation of the family. Throughout much of the book, the reader is not quite sure who to trust. Although science fiction, there is a minor romance side-plot between Jenna and Ethan, a boy from school with a shady past. The conflict grows as additional characters are introduced - Alyss who is a victim of the future's regulation of antibiotics (and she has lost limbs due to bacterial infections) and Dane, another shady character, whose complete story and true nature are unfortunately never cleared up. Also, Mr. Bender. the "neighbor" who years ago had a change of identity - his story remains a bit fuzzy throughout. "chapters" are very brief and interspersed with well done poems relaying Jenna's emotions.

*real spoiler* Overall an interesting read about the length a parent will go to to save a child, as well as what makes a person real and were does the soul go in such a situation. Jenna has an identity crisis - is she the real Jenna, while only 10% - if she is real then what happened to the original Jenna...and her soul. Jenna cannot age, does not eat, breathe, etc. She, essentially, is a medical creation with the memories of her former life uploaded into her...she has gone from the computer box storage (her "hell" for 18 months where they kept her "mind" moving) into a man-made Blue-gel storage. There is also the suspense of her illegal status and whether or not she will be found out, and if so, what will happen to her? She is torn between resentment of her new state and gratitude of life. Her potential adversary, Alyss, who opposes artificial life as unethical, eventually becomes her peer when her body is dying and her parents plead with Jenna's despite Alyss's dying wish to turn Jenna in. The afterward is 260 years later, and we know that Alyss and Jenna live together and that Jenna and Ethan spent 70 years together, many years after which Jenna has his child (presumably through surrogate or the like). Apparently in the future the laws and perceptions have changed, and then people like her are not illegal, however 10% is the minimum, and then they are designed to age and die out after a normal life expectancy, unlike Jenna and Alyss, who do not age and whom Jenna's father listed as a 2-200 year life expectancy...260 years later Jenna is still around and has plans to move back to cold Boston, where the climate is inhospitable to her type...because no parent should outlive the child. interesting book, lots of discussion points. However I think it is too complex for the average Cafe Book reader.(less)

25 likes · like · see review

Feb 01, 2009 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, sci-fi, speculative-fiction, 2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Jenna is the miracle child, her parents' angel, the perfect child who excels while inside she silently protests, only to show minor rebellions at sixteen. After a horrific accident and a year in a coma, Jenna wakes in an old house in another state, with no memory of herself or what happened. She recovers quickly, but wonders endlessly about who she is. There is only her mother and her grandmother, Lily, in the big old house that they moved to from Boston, and Lily doesn't seem to like her at all...more Jenna is the miracle child, her parents' angel, the perfect child who excels while inside she silently protests, only to show minor rebellions at sixteen. After a horrific accident and a year in a coma, Jenna wakes in an old house in another state, with no memory of herself or what happened. She recovers quickly, but wonders endlessly about who she is. There is only her mother and her grandmother, Lily, in the big old house that they moved to from Boston, and Lily doesn't seem to like her at all. She speaks of Jenna like she's another person, somewhere else.

As Jenna navigates her way through the act of living, watching old movies of Jenna growing up while snippets of memory slowly surface, her questions only grow. Why can't she walk properly, why don't her hands interlace? Why is the scar under her chin missing? Why is her mother so frightened, so controlling? Why must she hide from the world?

The truth is staggering and frightening: her entire body is synthetic, and only ten per cent of her brain is from the pre-accident Jenna. She a lab project of her father's, a billionaire doctor who invented Bio Gel, in which organs can be housed indefinitely if kept at the right temperature. Too cold and Jenna will expire. Kept at a moderate temperature, and she could live hundreds of years, never visibly ageing. The implications are profound. Is she the real Jenna? Is ten per cent enough? Was she ever enough for her parents? Is it even ethical for her to be alive? And what makes Jenna dangerous is the fact that she's illegal, and shouldn't even exist.

The book is set sometime in the not-too-distant future. There are several important issues raised by this book, ethical issues that are worth debating and have no conclusive answer. Questions such as: if you have the means to prolong someone's life, should you? Is it right to live beyond what nature decreed? Should people have access to medical technology that will keep them alive simply because the technology exists and you can afford it? And, what makes us human? How much is enough?

Told in Jenna's voice, it is very interesting to see the world through her eyes as she learns to decipher people's expressions, to think beyond her own needs, to realise what's missing as much as what's there - things that make us human, perhaps. In the era of cloning debates, The Adoration of Jenna Fox is highly pertinent. Aside from the issues it explores and the questions it raises, though, is the simple way it is written. The evolution of Jenna from non-entity to an individual, unique being is a joy to read. Pearson has managed admirably a very ambitious task, and quite subtly too. Even all the questions didn't annoy me, because they were necessary questions and necessary to understand Jenna.

It's also perfect that this book is written for Young Adults, because it's very much the age where we ponder our subjectivity, wonder why we were born inside this body, with this mind and all that comes with it, what makes us unique and so on. Not that we necessarily stop, but perhaps after a while we take it for granted.

It also explores the problematic issue of parental love, of pleasing loving parents at the expense of yourself, of striving to be perfect for them, and living simply because they couldn't let you go. The title of the book speaks to this. Granted, it's an extreme case, but it certainly pervades society no matter how it is expressed. Jenna's parents couldn't let her go, their miracle child, and they made her more perfect than she was before. She's a more acceptable height now that she's two inches shorter. Her scar has gone. Her skin is flawless. It speaks to the ethical issue of Designer Babies, embryos that can be made to grow into more athletic people, or smarter or more beautiful. I remember it was big in the news a few years ago, mostly in the US.

After a slow start (where it helped that I knew more than Jenna did, though it's not the best way to read this book I think), the story gets really interesting. Although you could say the author has an agenda, but like in McNaughton's The Secret Under My Skin, it is smoothly integrated into the story, it gives structure and meaning to the story, and it doesn't necessarily tell you what to think.

Which brings me to my main complaint: the ending. I thought that, after setting up such an explosive premise, the ending was abrupt and disappointing. Pearson could have done so much more with it, and the epilogue does lean towards an answer to the ethical questions mentioned above, without properly examining it. It also didn't really make sense, and contradicted itself in what it was saying and how. It's hard to explain without giving it away, but it was as if Jenna got to a point where not just her body but her mind stopped changing and developing. The epilogue was badly written, sudden, and spoiled all the lovely speculation up to that point by presenting an easy resolution. A shame, after such a promising book, to end it that way.(less)

19 likes · like · see review

Mar 11, 2008 Molly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

I kept hearing about this book (it was just optioned for a moveie, I believe?) and everyone said "the less you know about it coming to it, the better." So I won't say much here. Except that I'm seriously impressed at Mary Pearson's ability to go from writing a contemporary first novel like A ROOM ON LORELEI STREET to writing something so very different as this is.

Did I love reading it? No. Did I find it compelling? Yes. The most accurate reading experience I can compare it to is reading Susan Be...more

20 likes · like · see review

Nov 28, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-gold-star-award-winner, trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

What makes us human? How far would you go to save your child? What is ethically and morally right and wrong? These are heavy questions that the author will make the reader ponder long after the last page has been turned.

Jenna Fox has just woken up from over a year-long coma. She doesn't remember anything, but has fragments of memory that she is slowly trying to piece together. There are people there that say they are her parents, and another woman that is...more Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

What makes us human? How far would you go to save your child? What is ethically and morally right and wrong? These are heavy questions that the author will make the reader ponder long after the last page has been turned.

Jenna Fox has just woken up from over a year-long coma. She doesn't remember anything, but has fragments of memory that she is slowly trying to piece together. There are people there that say they are her parents, and another woman that is her grandmother. Left with the video disks of her life, she starts to watch and ponder "Who is Jenna Fox?"

There has been an accident, but no one will talk to her about the details. As she slowly heals, Jenna questions everything and starts to fill in gaps. After a little while of recovery, she pushes to go to school and begins to attend a local charter school. There she meets an odd assortment of classmates.

Alice has medical issues of her own, and starts to explain the federal ethics board to Jenna. Each person is allotted 100 lifetime points to be used for medical reasons. Alice has prosthetic limbs and explains that limb replacement is relatively low on the point scale. Other procedures would be worth much more. Dane is a neighbor but something seems off with him. When Jenna looks in his eyes, he seems empty. And then there is Ethan. He's hiding a dark secret of his own.

As Jenna discovers the world around her, the secrets and mysteries that are her life slowly start to be revealed. Remembering what Alice has explained about the lifetime points, Jenna comes to realize that there are even deeper secrets about her that she must uncover. Her parents have moved her from Boston to California. Is it to protect her from those that were involved with the accident? Or does it have more far-reaching medical and ethical implications?

Without wanting to give away the plot twists and hidden mysteries of the story, I will tell you that the issues Ms. Pearson raises will cause you to ponder how far science should be allowed to explore. As Jenna tries to discover, the reader will also be forced to wonder how much of us do we need to keep us truly human? Ms. Pearson makes the reader question if it's truly the flesh and blood that makes us human, or if there is something further inside that gives us our identity. Comparing the
lack of emotion that Dane has with Jenna's unwavering questioning of everything, it shows the reader that things are not always black and white. The majority of us live in the gray area that is between the two extremes.

Read THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX to find out what it means to sacrifice everything for love and how to really be human.

(less)

5 likes · like · see review

Oct 26, 2008 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, favorites

Jenna awakes from an eighteen-month comma unable to remember who she is or those who are the closest to her. All that she knows is, is what she is told, she was in an accident. When her memories do start to come back, they are only in bits and pieces but something isn’t right. Jenna has memories of herself as an infant, and although she can’t remember anything about herself, she knows an unprecedented amount about world history. It doesn’t take Jenna long to figure out that a huge secret is bein...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 16, 2011 Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a simply written story containing many complex issues. Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox awakens after an eighteen-month coma unaware of who she is - until the woman who claims to be her mother tells her her name. The memories of her life slowly come back to her, filling in the empty crevices of her mind with stories of happiness and friendship. The question is: who is Jenna Fox now? She has her parents, with her mom acting surreptitiously careful, and her dad with his f...more

9 likes · like · see review

Oct 17, 2009 oliviasbooks rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: stays-with-me, scifi-dystopian-apocalyptic, young-adult-fiction, read-2008

How much human tissue do you need to be still human?
In my opinion this is a truly great young adult science fiction book. California sometime in the near future. Jenna Fox awakes from a coma. Her memory of her own past is triggered by a lot of video discs - and has been uploaded into the billions of her new microcells in the bio gel of which her body now illegally consists; thanks to her parents who are big fishes in the medical industry. Laws state that at least 50% of the original brain have t...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 17, 2011 Alana Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

I’m having a hard time summing this book up into a tidy little paragraph because it has a little of everything. The story is set in the not-too-distant future and, as the summary says, follows Jenna Fox who has just awoken from a coma. But it’s also so much more then that. This book makes you stop and think about what it is that makes us who we are and if our humanity is limited by the cells in our body. It also takes a deep look at family and how perspective can make all the difference.

I have t...more I’m having a hard time summing this book up into a tidy little paragraph because it has a little of everything. The story is set in the not-too-distant future and, as the summary says, follows Jenna Fox who has just awoken from a coma. But it’s also so much more then that. This book makes you stop and think about what it is that makes us who we are and if our humanity is limited by the cells in our body. It also takes a deep look at family and how perspective can make all the difference.

I have to say right off the bat I’m not very enamored with first person narratives. When they’re done well they’re great, but most of the time they fall flat for me. So when I say this book has one of the best first person narratives I’ve ever read, I really mean it. In fact, Jenna’s POV is what makes this story work. It lends a haunting sort of appeal to the story and I think everyone will relate to Jenna’s search for who she is. Some people will find the choppy narrative off putting, but I don't think it would have worked any other way.

Throughout the book there were poems that often illuminated the internal struggle Jenna was going through and I found them to be exceptionally poignant. Example:

Pieces
Isn’t that what all of life is anyway?
Shards. Bits. Moments.
Am I less because I have fewer, or do the few I have
mean more?
Am I just as full as anyone else? Enough?
Pieces.
Allys saying “I like you.”
Gabriel snorting out bread, freeing me to laugh.
And Ethan reminding me how much I do know.
Pieces.
I hold them like they are life itself.
They nearly are.

Pearson also included word definitions at the beginning of some of the chapters and I think it was a nice touch. I know it’s kind of disjointing, but language is such an important part of who we are as people that I feel like it just makes sense for Jenna to cling to that. Right away you can tell something is different about Jenna and it’s not too hard to guess what. But that’s not really the point of the story. Jenna’s journey to self-discovery is really the gem here.

This book also brings up some interesting ideas about ethics in medicine and how the good thing and the right thing are far too often two much different things. I do think there were some issues left unresolved at the end of the book (like Dane) but I thought it was great overall. (less)

7 likes · like · see review

May 08, 2008 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen, sciencefiction

Jenna was sixteen when she was in the accident that sent her into a coma. Now she is seventeen. She has just awoken from her coma. She is missing a year of her life, but more importantly, she is missing herself. She has no memories of herself, of life before the accident--of life at all. Her parents show her pictures, home videos, tell her stories, and slowly, Jenna begins to remember. But with her memories come the questions--what really happened after the accident? Why did her family leave the...more

6 likes · like · see review

May 21, 2012 Crystal Starr Light rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, young-adult

"I think that maybe forgiveness is like change--it comes in small steps."

Eighteen months after a horrible accident, Jenna Fox wakes up. But something isn't quite right. She no longer lives in her home in Boston, her mother acts funny, and she can't remember anything. As the questions build, Jenna starts to figure out something isn't quite right and the answers to her question could be more than she bargained for.

Just when you think all YA scifi is going to be dressed up tepid romances, a book li...more

3 likes · like · see review

Sep 15, 2008 Trin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, ya, american-lit, amnesia

Teenage Jenna wakes up after an accident with no memory of who she is—though she knows all of Thoreau’s Walden by heart. As quickly becomes apparent, what’s going on is far more complex than a case of simple old amnesia! Jenna’s slow investigation into what really happened to her ensues.

I was disappointed by this. I said “slow investigation” above because I found the pacing almost glacial: the narrative slinks along, gradually uncovering twists that utterly failed to surprise me. It doesn’t he...more

21 likes · like · see review

Jan 13, 2013 Francesca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-science-fiction

4.5/5

I think this is a great book.

Maybe it’s not perfect, but it’s really thought provoking, meaningful and able to raise important ethical questions.

While reading about Jenna, the main character, beautifully portrayed and very believable, the reader is pushed to wonder what actually make us human, if it's only the flesh and blood or something else that gives us our identity – emotions, memories, choices, …? –, but also to ponder how far science should be allowed to explore.

A fascinating, touchi...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 12, 2008 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 14-16, medical-mysteries

For some reason, I think this would appeal to teens who've already graduated to Jodi Picoult. (It's actually better than her, honestly.) I love that Mary Pearson writes so bravely for the older teen audience and I feel her books would still interest teens who've moved on to the Oprah style adult books.

I think she also does the medical mystery as metaphor for "who am i" teen angst better than Being by Brooks, or House of the Scorpion, but not quite as good as Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go.

Ther...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 19, 2013 Colette Juran rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am reviewing the book the Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary. E Pearson. The book follows a seventeen year old, girl Jenna Fox, and her family as they struggle to recover and adjust to normalcy, after Jenna awakes from a year long coma. Unfortunately, Jenna has lost all her memories and must relearn how to be human through a series of home movies chronicling her life and personality as it was pre-accident. As the story progresses, the truth behind Jenna’s accident and her miraculous recovery unrav...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 27, 2010 Viktoria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, young-adult, favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 27, 2011 ★ Jess rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2-stars-average, books-i-own, read-in-2009

This started off very well: Unique, fascinating characters. A wonderful premise and a heavy feeling of mystery and suspicion. However, as the book went on-I lost all interest. The plot went down hill, I couldnt care for the characters, and decided I was just not interested in the situation anymore.
A wonderful premise, but disappointing book.

10 likes · like · see review

Oct 18, 2010 Kristy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-think-you-should-read-this

i am a little behind in getting to this book, but oh yes was it worth the wait. Jenna's story is completely bizzare and borderline insane, but it is sooo good. From about page 5 I was hooked.
If you haven't read this, do it. You will not regret it.

Enter Jenna, your pretty much typical teen. She strives for perfection. She has friends. She is normal. Then there is an accident. Jenna should have died, only she didn't. Her father is a Doctor of sorts. An inventor. He created something called Bio-gel...more

6 likes · like · see review

Feb 02, 2010 Dee rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone (and yes, Julia, that includes you!!!)

Who is Jenna Fox?

Throughout this book I was asking myself this question along with Jenna Fox, a seventeen-year-old girl who had woken from a coma after a terrible accident.

Jenna doesn't know who she was-- or who is is, for that matter. She can't remember anything of her past, only memories from when she was just a mere baby (spanning from her baptisim to the time she almost drowned when she was two). The new Jenna can't eat real food. The new Jenna can't leave the house. The new Jenna can't rec...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jun 07, 2010 LethalLovely~I'll Be Your River rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who is a fan of Dystopian fiction.

Shelves: paranormal-ya, young-adult, pnr-monthly-reads, 5-and-4-star-ratings, reviews, favorite-reads-of-2010

There are not enough words to describe how much I loved this novel. When I read the synopsis, I thought it would be like Skinned. They're both about teenage girls living in a Dystopian world who had "accidents". But this was so much more. Maybe it's because this book isn't part of a trilogy & I know that every word thats written will be the last. I won't hear more about the characters when I close this book. It will be done. Finished. I felt so much empathy for Jenna, stuck in a body she did...more

13 likes · like · see review

Dec 10, 2011 Mariah rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Adoration of Jenna Fox was a very enjoyable and intriguing book to read. However, I found that the author could have done more to really make you think (thus the four stars). Though, perhaps if it had gone into more detail about some of the things I was left curious about, further into Jenna's mind and the morals of what had happened - which I felt it just barely touched - it might not have been such an engaging and easy read since the writing style was rather relaxed and simplistic. The one...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 16, 2012 Watermelon Daisy rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Adoration of Jenna Fox was a different sort of story.

And yet, I loved it. The mysteries, the way Jenna finds out her past –it was so emotional. Even when I think back to this book, I feel my heart well up with emotions. Because this is that kind of story. This isn’t about a kid all happy with her futuristic life –it’s sad, it’s heartbreaking. It’s about being human.

In ways, I find it similar to Elfen Lied, the anime. I haven’t watched it, but I’ve once read a small synopsis of the anime. Sim...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 22, 2012 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

**********SPOILER ALERT*******************************

This is by far the most amazing book I have ever read!! I have to say between the shock and differences of the world in this story I got goosebumps! What a wild and creative story, my heart is racing!
Okay so a little about the book; this book is starting with an ordinary family of three. A mother, father, and daughter. Although the daughter is in a horrible accident she awakes thousands of miles away from her home city of Boston. She finds he...more **********SPOILER ALERT*******************************

This is by far the most amazing book I have ever read!! I have to say between the shock and differences of the world in this story I got goosebumps! What a wild and creative story, my heart is racing!
Okay so a little about the book; this book is starting with an ordinary family of three. A mother, father, and daughter. Although the daughter is in a horrible accident she awakes thousands of miles away from her home city of Boston. She finds herself in California. After a few days, Jenna, the daughter is noticing changes. Her mother Claire and grandmother Lily are both there, but at the same time Jenna can feel something is off.
As her memory returns slowly, Jenna is left, like any coma patient, trying to put the pieces of her life back together. Instead of taking the time to heal she works hard to get her mother to let her go back to school. Her memory is sending her snippets of information that she is having trouble making out though. And through these memories she can see things that she usually would not remember, or never thought she would be able to remember.
One benefit of her going back to school was finding friends and people she can talk to. Through this charter school, where she only went three times a week, she meet Allys and Ethan who help give her the support and confidence she needs. In this a huge turn of events happens. Although parts you can see coming, because her father is a famous scientist, and inventor of Bio-Gel (please read book for more details, I promise you will love it!) and the constant panic in her mothers eyes.
Jenna eventually discovers she is only 10% human, this in turn means her parents built an entirely new body for her. This becomes clearer when the mysterious truth comes out about the accident she was in. In this book we find out the truth about the constant change in science and adaption of society, but what we also do find is the love of a family. And the strength of friendship. This is such a powerful book that I have already passed on my copy of this book and told as many people as possible about it.
This is definitely a book I will have in my future ninth/tenth grade classroom library. I believe the topics in this book and the self-searching that Jenna does throughout this book is something that every single one of us could learn from. (I even sent this book to an old high school teacher who use to send me books!) I think that this book actually opens the eyes of people who read it, simply because it addresses the questions about how far has science gone? And can this ever be possible?
To be the best part of this book is the ending because it leaves springs of hope in your mind and heart. It makes you think, wow if she could do this, if this could ever happen, this could be a miracle to all those hurting families.
I <3 It!! (less)

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 02, 2012 Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-of-summer-12, meh, young-adult, robots-and-cyborgs, sci-fi, futuristic

This review is also featured on Tasty Books!

I need to stop reading so many books so that I don't fall so behind on reviews. (Haha, who am I kidding ...)

Anyway, I'll keep this one fairly short and to-the-point, because I have a lot of reviews to do. Plus, I don't think I have a whole lot to say.

I loved the premise of this book. It's kind of hard to talk about without spoiling the "big twist." But, let's just say it brings up a lot of intriguing questions about identity––what makes you who you are...more This review is also featured on Tasty Books!

I need to stop reading so many books so that I don't fall so behind on reviews. (Haha, who am I kidding ...)

Anyway, I'll keep this one fairly short and to-the-point, because I have a lot of reviews to do. Plus, I don't think I have a whole lot to say.

I loved the premise of this book. It's kind of hard to talk about without spoiling the "big twist." But, let's just say it brings up a lot of intriguing questions about identity––what makes you who you are, and what makes you human? If you lose all your memories, are you still the same person, or are you brand new? That kind of thing. I think that was the strongest part of the book. The themes are definitely interesting and thought-provoking.

But, over all, I felt like the execution fell a bit short. In my opinion, it could have been a lot more innovative and powerful.

My biggest problem was with the main character, Jenna. I just found her to be rather bland. I understood that her situation was difficult and she had a right to be angry with what had happened to her ... but still, she came off as bratty and annoying a lot of the time. I got a bit sick of her angst-ing and blaming everyone else for her problems. I suppose she had a right to feel that way––but it still made her hard to sympathize with, when it felt like everything was about her and no one else.

My second-greatest issue was the lack of world-building. The concept of the future world felt half-baked and not fully realized. It had that type of "near future" feel where everything wasn't drastically different, but there were enough changes that it was obviously a future time period. I don't really have an issue with that idea, but in general I felt disconnected from the world in which the characters were situated. I wish there had a bit more description of what everything looked like and how it all worked, because I had trouble imagining it.

Thirdly, there was the epilogue. I found it disappointing. I won't spoil anything, but ... I'll just say, when the last chapter ended I thought it was a solid, powerful ending. I enjoy endings that are open-ended––endings that don't resolve everything and leave things to the imagination. Then I turned the page and ... the epilogue happened. It was one of those epilogues that skips ahead in time and just tries to tie everything up a bit too tightly. In my opinion, I thought it took a lot away from the impact of the book.

In conclusion, this book was okay for me but I wasn't a huge fan. The idea was great, the writing was pretty good, but I thought it could have been stronger in characterization and world-building. (less)

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 05, 2011 Stacey (prettybooks) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-after-university, dystopian-or-post-apocalyptic, read-in-my-twenties, young-adult-fiction

The Adoration of Jenna Fox was completely not what I expected at all. I always see it mentioned on dystopia lists and so I expected it to have more of a traditional feel to it since it was released before the young adult dystopia trend. The synopsis does not give much away about the storyline. On the other hand, that’s all there really is. I’m no expert on the definition of ‘dystopian’ but I personally would not consider this a dystopian book. This is because it’s a very personal and enclosed jo...more The Adoration of Jenna Fox was completely not what I expected at all. I always see it mentioned on dystopia lists and so I expected it to have more of a traditional feel to it since it was released before the young adult dystopia trend. The synopsis does not give much away about the storyline. On the other hand, that’s all there really is. I’m no expert on the definition of ‘dystopian’ but I personally would not consider this a dystopian book. This is because it’s a very personal and enclosed journey: Jenna’s. We’re only exposed to a handful of characters. We get little hints and snapshots of dystopian themes (e.g. control over medical decisions) but I see this as more of a ‘general’ science fiction with a medical thriller sub-genre. This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy it – quite the opposite, I just thought I should give my opinion since I read this book for a 'dystopian book' themed month.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox is an extremely thought-provoking novel. The story raises philosophical questions about personal identity, morality, and issues surrounding bio-ethics. I wish it had been set as recommended reading for my philosophy course as it would have given the class a lot to debate about:

“Are the details of our lives who we are, or is it owning those details that makes the difference?”

“The dictionary says my identity should be all about being separate or distinct, and yet it feels like it is so wrapped up in others.”

This is the reason why I enjoyed the book even though, compared to others I’ve read recently, it’s very slow-paced and uneventful. The writing style is also relevant and note-worthy: Jenna’s struggling to recover her memories, and find out the truth, but we only find out plot details if 1) Jenna is present, and 2) Jenna thinks about it, and acts on it, afterwards. It made me feel as if I were Jenna. It's wonderfully unique.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox makes me want to read more “medical thrillers” as bio-ethics is an extremely interesting subject! If you have a slight interest in psychology, philosophy, and medicine & technology, I recommend this novel.

Dystopian or Not Dystopian? Contentious, but I consider it to be not. It's more science fiction.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Apr 12, 2011 Isamlq rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am so glad I took my time with this. It reminded me of what I felt after reading a certain part of Unwind where a character was getting unwound (and for the life of me I cannot recall his name!) Except here, the feeling that I got from that moment is stretched to cover what I felt throughout the book. And that is probably the biggest and best surprise from Jenna’s story.

It is surprisingly sad (despite it being a story about cloning.) Sad, because her parents could not let go. Sad because Lily...more

4 likes · like · see review

Apr 29, 2012 Krista (CubicleBlindness Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was one of those that I talked about with my friends as I read it. I found that several of them did not feel the same way as I did and I couldn't understand why, even after explanation that they did not love this book. Some just commented that it didn't have the "feel" or plot they expected from it. Well this was one of those instances that I picked up the book clearly on the cover (the 2nd one with the puzzle pieces) I didn't know a thing about it, just loved the cover.

I don't regret...more This book was one of those that I talked about with my friends as I read it. I found that several of them did not feel the same way as I did and I couldn't understand why, even after explanation that they did not love this book. Some just commented that it didn't have the "feel" or plot they expected from it. Well this was one of those instances that I picked up the book clearly on the cover (the 2nd one with the puzzle pieces) I didn't know a thing about it, just loved the cover.

I don't regret it one bit, and don't quite understand where my friends are coming from. I enjoyed the story. There was very little that I didn't like about the book.
I liked the mix of characters. Jenna's grandmother being my favorite. She just seemed really logical and down to Earth. I liked hearing about Jenna and her grandmother's relationship before the accident, the connection that used to be there before the accident, and the transformation it had made after. I also loved how the grandmother (Lily) would be so supportive of her daughter (Claire) Jenna's mother in the whole thing, even though the situation was not acceptable, she was there to support her daughter in the decisions being made. That is a good mother.
There is a certain level of mystery and danger to their story. They are taking baby-steps regarding Jenna's "recovery", she has to be able to live her life, get out of the house and go back to school. But the revelations that come about because of her need to live a life is what this is all about really.
A very good story of what could become of our future, medical advances and if we are able to achieve such great things, what is the point.
Although there is not a huge religious concept brought into the book, it is mentioned, but not overwhelming and definitely something that would need to be approached if our future is headed this way.
I enjoyed the characters in this book, they each represented a part of humanity, showing the reader different human reactions to school, technology, religion, loss/death. All kinds of emotional ranges from fear, anger, love, happiness, friendship. A very wide range of things being represented in different characters and how they all interacted with Jenna, as she is now and her memories of before the accident. A huge eye opening experience for me into the range of human emotions regarding advances not only in technology but also medicine and the affects that our future may have on the environment around us (only lightly touched on in this particular story, but still there)
This would be a really good book for teachers to use as a tool in classrooms for the above reasons.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Dec 29, 2011 Nafiza rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

I liked this book. I really did. Told sparingly with haunting moments of introspection on the meaning of being human, The Adoration of Jenna Fox sets itself apart from the rest of its genre. I liked how Jenna has an other-worldly feeling about her, as though she is something more or less than human. This remains a mystery which when finally revealed pushes everything else into place. I liked how the atmosphere was built and how friendships were developed slowly. I also liked how the romance was...more

1 like · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
RE: adoration	7	55	May 16, 2013 08:12pm
Postponing death	7	54	May 16, 2013 08:08pm
Secrets	5	35	May 16, 2013 08:04pm
What's The Name o...: YA, girl gets into an accident, and... [s]	4	34	Jan 13, 2013 12:16am
South African Boo...: The Adoration of Jenna Fox (No Spoilers)	2	7	Nov 17, 2012 09:56am
South African Boo...: The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Spoilers)	2	15	Nov 17, 2012 09:56am

combine
Other Editions (25)

More editions...

Videos About This Book

Add a comment

Genres

Young Adult

1,018 users

Science Fiction

462 users

Science Fiction > Dystopia

278 users

Young Adult > Teen

159 users

Fantasy

112 users

Mystery

81 users

Romance

75 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

36 users

Death

31 users

Family

21 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Mary E. Pearson

I suppose I have always been enamored with story and character. My mother tells me I could be the most annoying little kid, waking up each day as a new character. Every morning she would have to ask me "who" I was for that day, because unless properly addressed I refused to answer anyone.

One time when I was about four years old, my parents were out shopping at Sears. They each thought the other h...more I suppose I have always been enamored with story and character. My mother tells me I could be the most annoying little kid, waking up each day as a new character. Every morning she would have to ask me "who" I was for that day, because unless properly addressed I refused to answer anyone.

One time when I was about four years old, my parents were out shopping at Sears. They each thought the other had me by the hand when in fact I was exploring my own aisle (translation: I was lost!) Two salesladies found me and sat me on the counter, asking me my name so they could page my parents. I remember their consternation when I would only answer "Little Red Riding Hood." They couldn't shake my real name out of me no how, no way. I knew the value of persistence even then. My parents say they nearly fell over, when over the loud speaker they heard, "Would the parents of Little Red Riding Hood please come claim their child?" They knew exactly "who" was lost. These days I mostly wake up as myself, though I do seem to hang out with a lot of "characters" during the day.

Usually when people mention their education in their bios they only mention their college degrees, but to me, it is just as important what happened way before that. Wow--second grade! I will never forget Mrs. Alsenz. Boy, could she tell a great story! She would make them up and pretty soon have a classroom of wiggly kids exuberantly telling stories right along with her. And then there was Mrs. Bonsey in fourth grade. She always praised my writing and made a shy little girl feel like she might actually excel at something. And finally in twelfth grade came Mr. Kirk, crusty on the outside with a heart of gold on the inside, who loved the English language and taught his students to do the same. (Hey, Mr. Kirk, do you see me waving at ya?)

Later I went on to get a BFA from Long Beach State University in art. I worked for a time as an artist then started the most challenging job of my life--motherhood. Holy smokes, no one told me there would be no coffee breaks. But it is the most rewarding job I have ever had (watch out--I'll start dragging out the pictures)

Still later, I went to San Diego State University where I received my teaching credential. I went on to teach many different grades but it was my second grade students who pushed me back into writing. During Writing Workshop I would sit with them and write, loving the process, loving the stories, and lo and behold deciding I would love to return to my first love. That's a whole lot of lovin' going on and luckily for me I was able to do just that. Not that writing is easy. I have a huge stack of rejections to prove it, but I still have enough of that Little Red Riding Hood persistence in me to keep on going.

Now I write full time from my home in San Diego. My books to date are The Adoration of Jenna Fox, A Room on Lorelei Street, Scribbler of Dreams, and David v. God. More are definitely on the way.
(less)

More about Mary E. Pearson...

Books by Mary E. Pearson

The Fox Inheritance (Jenna Fox Chronicles, #2)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About L'adorada Jenna Fox

8 trivia questions
2 quizzes

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Adoration of Jenna...

“Some things aren't meant to be known. Only believed.” — 153 people liked it

“My timing is off. But I had to get it out. Some things you have to tell, no matter how stupid they may sound. Some things you can't save for later. There might not be a later. ” — 78 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Adoration of Jenna Fox
avg rating	preview: The Adoration of Jenna Fox Goodreads rating: 3.74 (20024 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1902241.The_Adoration_of_Jenna_Fox?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316636422l/1902241.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1902241.The_Adoration_of_Jenna_Fox?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson[/url]

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

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website