The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson

Summary:
Once there were three. Three friends who loved each other—Jenna, Locke, and Kara. And after a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, their three minds were kept alive, spinning in a digital netherworld. Even in that disembodied nightmare, they were still together. At least at first. When Jenna disappeared, Locke and Kara had to go on without her. Decades passed, and then centuries.

Two-hundred-and-sixty years later, they have been released at last. Given new, perfect bodies, Locke and Kara awaken to a world they know nothing about, where everyone they once knew and loved is long dead.

Everyone except Jenna Fox. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I really enjoyed the first novel, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, when I read it for an online book club. It was futuristic and had a lot of cool new technology, but it was also very introspective and thought-provoking. The Fox Inheritance takes place even further in the future and is more action-oriented than The Adoration of Jenna Fox.

I really liked The Fox Inheritance, though as not as much as its prequel. I liked that it was narrated by Locke, who is mentioned in the first book. I thought the futuristic stuff was neat: robots are like humans and are used for jobs and even the United States has been separated into two countries. I thought it was really interesting and would like to learn more about this new world.

Like I said earlier, The Fox Inheritance is more action-packed. Most of the novel has Locke trying to get away from the scientist who gave him his body and at the same time trying to find Jenna. I did enjoy the fast past a lot, which made reading this book a lot of fun.

I think that The Fox Inheritance was a nice addition to the Jenna Fox series. Not as good as its predecessor, but still a decent read in its own right.

Rating: 8 out of 10.
FTC: received copy from publisher

2011/Henry Holt/294 pages.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Jenna Fox has just awoken from a coma, and she can't remember anything about her life. Her parents tell her she was in a serious car accident, and barely survived. Even as Jenna watches old home videos of herself, something feels off. The way her grandmother seems to hate her for no reason and how her parents won't tell her anything about the accident makes Jenna feel like she's part of some secret, a secret so deep and dark that she can't even know about it. A secret about Jenna's very existence.

I had no idea this was a science fiction novel when I started it. I thought it was one of those novels where the girl wakes up from a coma and has amnesia and can't remember anything. So I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the book takes place several years in the future, since I love reading about future societies. I felt really bad for Jenna, because she seemed so lost throughout the book. It was hard for her to be her own person and at the same time try to be the Jenna that her parents loved and adored so much. I liked how Mary E. Pearson wrote the novel. She started out writing in sparse language, and as Jenna begins to adapt to her new life and become her own person, the writing becomes more detailed and flows better. It was a good way to show Jenna's transition. Now for Jenna's secret. There were hints of it throughout the book, so I started to guess what it was but it was still a surprise. Even though the reader and Jenna finds out about who she is fairly early in the novel, there are still other twists and turns that keep the suspense going. The Adoration of Jenna Fox was very thought-provoking and a good book for fans of science fiction.

8 out of 10.