This hasn't been a great year in the reading department so far. Jenny Pox, by J. L. Bryan, was really the first book of 2012 that I enjoyed. I wouldn't call it a great book, and I probably won't continue the series, but it was solid and entertaining.

The story is about a remarkable and unfortunate girl named Jenny Morton who has a terrible super-power. Everything she touches becomes infected and dies. This earns her the nickname Jenny Pox for a short while, and then Jenny Mittens after she learns to live her life covered up from head to toe, even on the warmest days.

Jenny grows up in a small town in South Carolina complete with all the fixin's that you'd imagine the setting to have. Her chief antagonist, Ashleigh Gooding, is the preacher's daughter, class president, cheer captain, and total sociopath. Life is hard for Jenny Morton, and Ashleigh seems to take pleasure in making it harder.

As the story grows, Jenny and the reader learn more about her powers and the existence of other powers in the world. Mixed up in all this fantasy is a pretty straight forward story of bullying and harassment mixed with a dash of falling in love.

The ending delivers pretty much exactly what you're hoping for as you read the whole book. There is a little too much exposition right at the very end for my tastes. It seemed more like the author wants you to know that he really thought about the origin story of these powers and how it all ties together, even though it really didn't come up at all in the book. Still, it does open the story nicely for a series of sequels.

The actual writing of the novel wasn't particularly noteworthy. The two main protagonists did show a bit of growth in their arcs, though the rest of the cast seemed pretty much to follow their template for the whole story. The pacing was good, and the action was horrifically descriptive.

I don't want to give away too much, so I'll put it this way: if you enjoyed Carrie, read this book. ( )

This was my first foray into books by this author. It was such a good story that the high "eeuw" factor did not make me stop reading! I loved it. It was a bit of a horror romance. So I will probably be reading the next book in this series! ( )

This novel contains a few things that might offend. First, Ashleigh plays a good little Christian girl and uses the religion to manipulate people to follow her will - which is the absolute opposite of what being a Christian is, so for those who might find this offensive this book is not recommended.

Next it contains a lot of drug use and sexual scenes. These are used throughout the book either as an escape or a way to manipulate people. It also contains a few more things that I don’t want to get into for fear of giving the story away. The idea though is to be warned, this book might offend you.

I’m not easily offended and was able to enjoy the book, however, there are a few things that I didn’t like. I loved the story itself, but it seemed to have taken a long time to wrap things up and I wasn’t a fan of the sudden twist in the end. It might have been better if we had those elements intertwined as the narrative unfolded. I also didn’t like the casual use of drugs, I might have missed something but it didn’t seem necessary to advance the plot. Finally, the initial relationship between Jenny and Seth seemed underdeveloped, I kept wondering why his interest suddenly shifted, there seemed no reason for the change.

Putting all these aside, I truly enjoyed the story and I am looking forward to the sequel. ( )

[Jenny Pox]by [J.L. Bryan] is a different twist on teen paranormal. No stupid sparkly vampires here! Instead teens with special powers all in the same small town.

Jenny can kill with a touch but does her best to protect everyone even though it brings her ridicule and bullying.

Seth can heal people with his touch.

Ashley can control people with hers and she does for her own benefit.

No one knows about these powers except the person with them until an accidental encounter between Jenny and Seth. All the pieces begin to fit.

This was a really enjoyable story and the fact that the teenagers had normal teenage personalities and issues made it all the better. I look forward to reading the other books in the series. ( )

This book starts off with real life issues...bullying, not fitting in, etc...and adds in a twist. Jenny is unable to touch anyone without harming them. After spending most of her school years alone, she finds someone with an opposite power to hers...a teen boy who has the power to heal. At the same time, other supernatural forces are at work and soon, things get to the point where the town Jenny lives in is destroyed and she is on the run. After causing so much destruction, her life and the life of her soul mate just gets odder and more complex.
The whirlwind journey these two are on to find happiness and peace keep the reader fascinated throughout each book. Every book seems to get better and better, making it difficult to put the books down as the suspense and tension builds so high. This series is a must read for those who enjoy suspense, mystery, and supernatural forces at work. Jenny Pox is sure not to disappoint!
(I bought the box set but can't find it so am putting the same review down as it works for all!) ( )