The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth ISBN: 0374341370
on January 12th 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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“I try not to think about it, what I did to that boy.”
Seventeen-year-old Kenna Marsden has a secret.
She’s haunted by a violent tragedy she can’t explain. Kenna’s past has kept people—even her own mother—at a distance for years. Just when she finds a friend who loves her and life begins to improve, she’s plunged into a new nightmare. Her mom and twin sister are attacked, and the dark powers Kenna has struggled to suppress awaken with a vengeance.
On the heels of the assault, Kenna is exiled to a nearby commune, known as Eclipse, to live with a relative she never knew she had. There, she discovers an extraordinary new way of life as she learns who she really is, and the wonders she’s capable of. For the first time, she starts to feel like she belongs somewhere. That her terrible secret makes her beautiful and strong, not dangerous. But the longer she stays at Eclipse, the more she senses there is something malignant lurking underneath it all. And she begins to suspect that her new family has sinister plans for her…
MY THOUGHTS
Kenna and her twin, Erin, have a deep affection for each other, to the point where Kenna would kill anyone who hurts her sister, and she has. While her mother tends her bakery, Kenna makes sure Erin is safe since she has several debilitating diseases that make her extremely fragile. Gifted with a rare sort of power, Kenna finds she can draw on other’s life source and becomes almost intoxicated by the act. When she finds that she can no longer control her acts, her mother takes her to a mysterious commune in the mountains near her house.
Eclipse has been a closed off society that everyone in the town knows about but since it is locked up and staunchly defended, no one bothers them. Kenna and Erin have no idea that their grandmother actually runs this place until Kenna loses control and forces her mother to seek help from them. OK, I am leaving out those details about what happens because it is too spoilery. Let’s just say things turn dark and evil and this is the only solution to Kenna’s “issues”.
Overall, this is a striking story that helped me out of a serious reading slump. It is creepy, almost horror-driven, but I actually didn’t find it that scary. The writing that supports the tale is just amazing. Everything flows perfectly and I really didn’t want it to end, but I am glad that the conclusion was focused and complete. Parents: Probably not safe for younger teens since there are sexual situations, violence, drug/alcohol use and some language, although you are going to love it.
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