REVIEW: Jenny Pox (The Paranormals #1) by J.L Bryan

Author: J.L Bryan

Pages: 292

Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal

Publisher: CreateSpace

AMAZON: Jenny Pox

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Jenny has a secret. Her touch spreads a supernatural plague.

She devotes her life to avoiding contact with people, until her senior year of high school, when she meets the one boy she can touch, and she falls in love.

But there's a problem--he's under the spell of his devious girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.

Now Jenny must learn to use the deadly "Jenny pox" she's fought her entire life to hide, or be destroyed by Ashleigh's ruthless plans.

Not recommended for readers under sixteen due to mature content. 

REVIEW: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I was initially drawn to Jenny Pox after reading numerous rave reviews and I must admit I did find the storyline to be quite interesting. However, when I finished the book I was really disappointed and didn’t feel much for it at all, but I put it down to my inflated expectations.

I am not one to overly critique an authors work and I have to admit, there were some positives in the story and the way it was executed but the details just weren’t for me.

Jenny Morton has spent her whole life in Fallen Oaks isolated from others because of an ability she has which causes people, animals etc. to break out in grossly, disgusting pustules or in extreme cases – death. Her mother, the doctors and all staff at the hospital died after she was born so from this day forth the only human physical contact she has had is with her drunken father and even this is with them both covered from head to toe.

She is ridiculed by her peers, it started out as Jenny Pox as a junior and as she grew older was dubbed Jenny Mittens, because of the mittens she wore to cover her hands - each name started by her childhood enemy and Miss Popularity – Ashleigh Goodling.

As the story progresses we find out Ashleigh has an ability of her own, she is able to manipulate love – which is what she has been doing to her long-time boyfriend Seth who we also find out has an ability of his own, he can heal on touch. Jenny finds this out after he saves her dog and the connection between them becomes a source of hope for Jenny.

There were a few things Jenny did from this point on which really seemed out of character for her and in some instances caused herself more hurt and ridicule, I felt for the predicament she was in and the hope she felt with Seth but it was at times too much and her actions had me cringing.

Seth on the other hand lacked spine, he knew there was something unusual about Ashleigh but kept falling for her advances, I found him to be weak-willed and didn’t like the fact he was more or less cheating on Ashleigh with Jenny.

Now Ashleigh and her friends would be the nastiest, most manipulative and conniving characters I have come across in more recent times, she is the daughter of the town preacher and feels it her role to teach those around her of abstinence and of the Lord all the while manipulating them with her touch. Everyone is aligned with Ashleigh and seems to treat her word as gospel, some of the things she did left me with my mouth gaping.

I liked the story in itself and with it being part of a series it certainly has promise but I felt there was too much detail and description in some parts – rooms, clothing, settings etc. It is more suited to the mature teen or adult with some of the more graphic content; drug use, language and sex scenes.

Now the ending has left me curious, I was eager to finish the book but didn’t expect what happened. I purchased all 3 books in the series so 'may' at some time see what the outcome is for Jenny Pox.

Jenny Pox has real potential and is a unique take on the paranormal, it had a solid plot and Mr. Bryan’s writing is certainly engaging but for me it just wasn’t a YA that I could connect with. 

 


Obtained: Free on Kindle