Scan barcode
ambeesbookishpages's review against another edition
2.0
The full review could be found at THE BOOK BRATZ!
What I liked:
-The idea was interesting and new. The whole sucking out someones soul to feed yourself had its appeal to me.
What I didn't Like:
-The characters weren't very well developed. I feel like we knew very little about Kenna and the other characters. There were a few memories thrown in, but it just wasn't enough to get a feel for her as a character.
There wasn't a lot of information on what Kenna is, Bosworth has opportunity to expand on a whole species and she left it very vague.
-The love triangle was strange. She barley thought about Blake while she was at Eclipse. Then we are introduced to Cyrus who was kept a huge mystery the entire book.
-The climax was disappointing. I expected something much bigger to happen then what did. There was all this build up and then it fell flat.
I think The Killing Jar would have benefited to be more then one book. Development was a big problem, and it is where most of my frustration with the story lied. Initially when I first finished reading I gave this book four stars. But that rating doesn't seem to fit it now.
What I liked:
-The idea was interesting and new. The whole sucking out someones soul to feed yourself had its appeal to me.
What I didn't Like:
-The characters weren't very well developed. I feel like we knew very little about Kenna and the other characters. There were a few memories thrown in, but it just wasn't enough to get a feel for her as a character.
There wasn't a lot of information on what Kenna is, Bosworth has opportunity to expand on a whole species and she left it very vague.
-The love triangle was strange. She barley thought about Blake while she was at Eclipse. Then we are introduced to Cyrus who was kept a huge mystery the entire book.
-The climax was disappointing. I expected something much bigger to happen then what did. There was all this build up and then it fell flat.
I think The Killing Jar would have benefited to be more then one book. Development was a big problem, and it is where most of my frustration with the story lied. Initially when I first finished reading I gave this book four stars. But that rating doesn't seem to fit it now.
katscribefever's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not usually a reader of paranormal fiction, but I was too curious about the nature of Kenna's abilities to put it down. This book kept me awake late into the night, partially because I was intrigued but mostly because the pacing was speedy. The novel speaks to the importance of working to discover your true nature in the hopes of learning to work with your strengths instead of trying to subdue them.
mfumarolo's review against another edition
4.0
*ARC provided by the publisher - Thank You! This in no way impacted my opinions of this book*
Kenna has lived with a secret her whole life, something that has made her different from everybody else and something she can't fully explain. All she knows is that she's dangerous, and the best thing she can do for everyone she cares about is keep people at a distance. But when tragedy strikes her family just when it looks like her life is starting to improve, Kenna's dark power becomes the very thing to save them, but at a price. Sent to Eclipse, a nearby commune, Kenna starts to view her secret in a new way and embrace a life she never knew she could have. At least, that's how it looks on the surface - Kenna can sense that just below the serenity she feels, something far more sinister lies beneath...
Just like in her first novel, Struck, Jennifer Bosworth has again come up with a concept that doesn't remind me of anything else I've seen in the world of speculative young adult fiction. This is a big reason behind me giving this book 4 stars - I needed to keep going, to find out what happened next. I was surprised at how quickly I got sucked into the story because horror usually isn't my forte, but this was the kind of thriller in which you don't know how far in you've gotten until you're in over your head. I thought Kenna was contemplative and complex, and while I would have liked to see some secondary characters be a bit more flushed out, again, my engagement and interest in where this story was headed resulted in devouring most of this book in one evening.
If you like speculative fiction and are looking for a fresh concept, pick this one up. You'll be freaked out, but, you know, in a good way :)
Kenna has lived with a secret her whole life, something that has made her different from everybody else and something she can't fully explain. All she knows is that she's dangerous, and the best thing she can do for everyone she cares about is keep people at a distance. But when tragedy strikes her family just when it looks like her life is starting to improve, Kenna's dark power becomes the very thing to save them, but at a price. Sent to Eclipse, a nearby commune, Kenna starts to view her secret in a new way and embrace a life she never knew she could have. At least, that's how it looks on the surface - Kenna can sense that just below the serenity she feels, something far more sinister lies beneath...
Just like in her first novel, Struck, Jennifer Bosworth has again come up with a concept that doesn't remind me of anything else I've seen in the world of speculative young adult fiction. This is a big reason behind me giving this book 4 stars - I needed to keep going, to find out what happened next. I was surprised at how quickly I got sucked into the story because horror usually isn't my forte, but this was the kind of thriller in which you don't know how far in you've gotten until you're in over your head. I thought Kenna was contemplative and complex, and while I would have liked to see some secondary characters be a bit more flushed out, again, my engagement and interest in where this story was headed resulted in devouring most of this book in one evening.
If you like speculative fiction and are looking for a fresh concept, pick this one up. You'll be freaked out, but, you know, in a good way :)
iphi_kc13's review against another edition
3.0
There were some freaky heebie jeebie parts but not enough to make it a scary book. Kenna handled her tough situations about as well as she could have and, in the end, realized what was important: family. Your real family, not people who claim to love you but only want something from you or only want you to do what they want.
erinarkin20's review against another edition
4.0
The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth has been on my radar since I read the summary. First, the cover is amazing! Second, the story centers around a secret about Kenna. She has a memory of something horrible from her childhood and because of that, she has always kept her distance from others. When something happens that forces her to face what she is, Kenna is sent away to live at a nearby commune called Eclipse. When Kenna learns more about who she is and what she is truly capable of, she also begins to realize what is really important to her.
I thought the characters in this story were great. Kenna cares deeply about her sister and mother but has always kept herself a bit separate due to her issue. It is clear she really loves her sister and is willing to do anything for her. Blake is great and I loved the early parts of the story where we see these two getting comfortable with the fact that they both want to be more than friends. It is obvious he cares about Kenna and I was glad she finally saw it.
The inhabitants of Eclipse are interesting as well. I can’t say too much here for fear of giving something away but once you get into the story and learn more about them, you will see the manipulation as well as in the end, just how twisted this group was.
Toward the end I found myself turning the pages to see what was going to happen. There are some points of the story where I was just shaking my head at Kenna’s actions but overall I enjoyed it. If you like stories that have a bit of mystery and magic, definitely consider checking this book out!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
I thought the characters in this story were great. Kenna cares deeply about her sister and mother but has always kept herself a bit separate due to her issue. It is clear she really loves her sister and is willing to do anything for her. Blake is great and I loved the early parts of the story where we see these two getting comfortable with the fact that they both want to be more than friends. It is obvious he cares about Kenna and I was glad she finally saw it.
The inhabitants of Eclipse are interesting as well. I can’t say too much here for fear of giving something away but once you get into the story and learn more about them, you will see the manipulation as well as in the end, just how twisted this group was.
Toward the end I found myself turning the pages to see what was going to happen. There are some points of the story where I was just shaking my head at Kenna’s actions but overall I enjoyed it. If you like stories that have a bit of mystery and magic, definitely consider checking this book out!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
potato_greg67's review against another edition
4.0
I really debated rating this 5 stars. I’d say it’s 4.5 stars. This book was easy and fun to read. The magic in it was unique, interesting, and well-explained. I had ideas of what was going to happen, but the way it played out was always a little different from what I was expecting. The book moved at a good pace, enough to keep you on your toes, but not too fast that you’re lost.
Some things I didn’t like: Some of the important characters like Cyrus, Blake, and Erin were very one dimensional. I mean, it’s a very plot driven book, so it makes sense, but I wish I could have seen a bit more depth or character growth from some of them. Also the final climactic scene got pretty weird, and a little hard to follow. It was in line with the cultish themes of the book, but the way the last 30 pages or so were written just… wasn’t my favorite ending.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and would recommend to anyone who wants a low-fantasy, quick, fun read.
Some things I didn’t like: Some of the important characters like Cyrus, Blake, and Erin were very one dimensional. I mean, it’s a very plot driven book, so it makes sense, but I wish I could have seen a bit more depth or character growth from some of them. Also the final climactic scene got pretty weird, and a little hard to follow. It was in line with the cultish themes of the book, but the way the last 30 pages or so were written just… wasn’t my favorite ending.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and would recommend to anyone who wants a low-fantasy, quick, fun read.
novelheartbeat's review against another edition
2.0
I had very mixed feelings about this book. I think the thing I enjoyed most about it was how seriously twisted it was. It was very dark, and I liked that! But sadly, that was where the enjoyment ended.
There was a scene in the beginning pissed me off to the point that I very nearly DNFed it. I wanted to throw my Kindle against a wall! Erin has a cat (named Clint Eastwood...and it's a female. Wtf....) that has kittens. As soon as the words "He liked to watch things die. But then he went too far" were followed by the introduction of the cat and her kittens, I knew. I almost put the book down right then and there. The boy that Kenna killed DROWNED A WHOLE FUCKING LITTER OF BABY KITTENS and Kenna found them with "their bodies limp and their fur matted with mud," and Clint Eastwood's "mangled body" "mutilated" with "her head missing entirely" by the riverbed. NOT. OKAY. I was fucking sobbing because it's so horrible...I mean, I understand that killers often start with animals, but that took it too far for me. I can't STAND cat killing in books, even worse when it's newborn kittens. I don't care if you think me weak for that, I just can't handle it. That is not something I want to read about, or hear about, or think about.
Thus, I was already unhappy with this book going in (that scene was literally in the first five pages). I'm sure that lessened my overall enjoyment of the rest of the book, but I was a bit underwhelmed. I had trouble connecting to Kenna or any of the other characters. I didn't care much for Kenna's family, or either of the love interests. Blake and Cyrus were hard to tell apart because they were both so bland. The love triangle was annoying, and I didn't care about the romance between Kenna and either of the boys.
I did quite like the idea of the Kalyptra, and the way they lived was interesting. I like that there's a certain mystery surrounding it, I was intrigued to know more about them. It got a bit weird in the end for me, though, and I wasn't satisfied with the ending.
Spoiler
The Mother - a giant moth - was a little too strange and seemed a little farfetched for me. It just wasn't believable, despite this being a sci-fi. And it made sense for Kenna to kill the Mother to end the Kalyptra, but for some reason it left me feeling unsatisfied.All in all, I don't really know how I felt about this book. It was f*cking weird, but I liked the twisted quality. It was unique, that's for sure!
This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.
a_mae13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
"All that lives must die."
This book was very surprising; I got it from the dollar store so I didn't expect much from it! I finished the book in a day because it was too weird and twisted to put down. The main character, Kenna, is grappling with the fact that she committed murder. This plot point is given to the reader from page one, yet it continues to get darker throughout the novel. Kenna is plagued with strange abilities that she doesn't understand how to control, or what she is capable of until we learn a bit more about the initial murder. With a big, bloody turning point pretty early on in the story, we find that there are more people like Kenna with mutual abilities.
Her mother takes her to Eclipse, believing that understanding her abilities will help her control them. Eclipse is a cult-like community where everyone can draw on the life force of living objects to alter their state; either rendering them more powerful, more peaceful, into a dream-like state, etc. at the expense of the other object. But, this community isn't as safe and accepting as they seem. This lore [their abilities] seemed very different from other fantasy and paranormal stories that I've read, which kept my attention.
The downsides of this book were that the characters were pretty underdeveloped. One of the driving points of the plot was that Kenna's twin sister, Erin, has severe health issues. Kenna was seen as a "threat" to Erin's health because she couldn't control her abilities. That dynamic gave Kenna the motivation to learn about herself and what these strange powers can do to those around her. Other than Erin, we don't know much about the backstories of the other major characters. We get very little insight into Rebekah and her motives, which could have warranted a
Overall, I really enjoyed this book because it's not easy to find paranormal fantasy plots that are unique. It's a quick read (or listen) and definitely worth trying!