The adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Jenna has just woken from a coma - more than a year after the accident that caused her injuries.  But something is not right, she can't remember most of her life and everything feels strange.  Her mother gives her a series of movie disks that record her old life, but it is like watching another persons life, another person who looks like Jenna but isn't Jenna.  Things only get weirder when Jenna starts moving around the house and connecting with her family again, connecting to a world that doesn't seem to fit right - a world where her grandmother is cold and distant, her mother is hovering and distracted at the same time, and her father is thousands of miles away in the house where they all used to live together.  As Jenna starts to piece together her memories of her life, the accident, and the time of her coma she comes to a startling realisation - one that will change her life forever.

This is a an amazing book that takes you on a roller coaster journey of discovery, love, loss, and the lengths that people will go to to hold onto the things they love.  The story unfolds for you as it does for Jenna, with each new discovery a further piece in the puzzle of her life and what has happened.  You will also probably guess quite early what has happened to Jenna, but it doesn't ruin the story, it is more like a vindication of what you already thought.  Jenna is a fresh and true voice, and the concept at the centre of the novel is very real - how far can medical science go before it really has gone too far and crosses the line for most people.  Other novels have tackled a similar question or idea, but this is one of the best examples of a novel that tackles a controversial issue and turns it into a gripping and engaging novel that will keep you reading from start to finish.

If you like this book then try:

• Star split by Kathryn Lasky
• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
• Double helix by Nancy Werlin
• The walls have eyes by Clare B. Dunkle
• The lab by Jack Heath
• Gem X by Nicky Singer

Reviewed by Brilla