Publishers Weekly
12/14/2015
Kenna Marsden can sense—and steal—a person's life force simply by touching them. Back when Kenna was 10, before she knew what she was capable of, she drained the life of a malicious boy who killed her sister's cat and its kittens. When that night comes back to haunt her family, Kenna's mother takes the 17-year-old to Eclipse, a secluded commune in the nearby mountains. While there, Kenna meets her grandmother and other members of the community known as the Kalyptra, who teach her how to curb her hunger for anima or living energy. But the longer Kenna stays at Eclipse, the more she begins to forget her old life and finds it easier to dismiss the unusual things happening around her. Bosworth (Struck) has hold of a gripping premise, and her novel starts off strong as she delves into the Kalyptra's lore and Kenna's intense past. But while Kenna is forced to make some difficult decisions, a too-easy ending and the supernatural weirdness she uncovers may frustrate all but the most devoted fans of the paranormal. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jamie Weiss Chilton, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Jan.)
Kendare Blake
Jennifer Bosworth's The Killing Jar covers a lot of territory. It's gruesome and tender, curious and awe-inspiring. Life inside the mysterious commune is so tempting and well-drawn, that even though you sense the darkness around the edges you might just decide to stay anyway.
Gabrielle Zevin
Welcome to the dark and heady world of The Killing Jar: Grandma has disturbing beauty secrets, and whatever you do, don't name the goats. The Killing Jar is strange in the best way, and Jennifer Bosworth has an original mind.
From the Publisher
"[A] swiftly paced page-turner." —Booklist
"All characters are well developed, and nothing is cut and dried, demonstrating Bosworth’s gift for writing and understanding of the reader. The Killing Jar is a multifaceted coming-of-age story with subtle poetic prose that is well written and well paced. It contains a suspenseful combination of horror and psychology, featuring murder, romance, intrigue, and hippie-murder-death cults. What is there not to like?" —VOYA
School Library Journal
11/01/2015
Gr 8 Up—Ever since she killed a boy when she was 10 years old, Kenna has kept everyone at a distance. Kenna sucked the life force out of the boy by sheer willpower. Her mom calls Kenna's deadly ability a gift yet also instructed her to never use it again. The protagonist manages to float under the radar, spending most of her time with her twin, Erin, and her best friend and maybe one day boyfriend, Blake. But after another deadly scene caused by her power, Kenna's mom decides it's best if her daughter spends some time at the nearby commune, Eclipse. There, the teen discovers the Kalyptra, a whole community of people who also have the ability to take someone's life force, or anima. Kenna misses her family and Blake but feels like she can finally stop being ashamed of who she really is as she learns to control her ability. But not everything is perfect at Eclipse as Kenna finds out as she struggles to learn more about the Kalyptra's practices. This work has a strong supernatural premise that falls flat. The characters' motivations and their relationships don't feel fully fleshed out, and the surprise ending is more confusing than thrilling. VERDICT Despite the shortcomings, this title will be of interest to teens looking for an original stand-alone supernatural read.—Emily Moore, Camden County Library System, NJ
Kirkus Reviews
2015-10-06
Seventeen-year-old Kenna must live with the horrible memory of having committed murder—but she also remembers the raw energy she stole from her victim and how powerful and godlike it made her feel. Frightened by her ability, Kenna swears to never use her power again and keeps her distance from everyone, including her mother and ailing twin sister. Then Blake moves to her small town, and it becomes increasingly difficult for Kenna to stay away from the boy next door. And when her sister and mother are involved in a violent attack, Kenna breaks her promise entirely in order to help them, which attracts the attention of the police and the media. For everyone's safety, Kenna is sent to Eclipse, a remote commune, to learn how to control her power. With each passing day, however, Kenna is left with questions about her power, her mother, and Eclipse House and its residents. Kenna's power and the mystery surrounding Eclipse are intriguing, but as it unfolds in Kenna's first-person account, the story lacks tension and real conflict resolution. The detective investigating Kenna's case is bizarrely restrained, and his acceptance of Kenna's unbelievable lies is attributed to the fact that he's an X-Files fan—a credulity that readers will find hard to take seriously. The romance is alluring and Bosworth's descriptions are poetic, but the story's lack of tension and its easy resolution disappoint. (Horror. 14-18)
