Review: The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson

Title: The Fox Inheritance
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Genre: Young-Adult, Sci-fi
Series: The Jenna Chronicles #2

Hardcover, 304 pages 

Publication: August 30th 2011 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

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Source: Publicist

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.

The Fox Inheritance is a great sequel to The Adoration of Jenna Fox; everything was fast-paced, suspenseful, with intriguing characters and an overall more emotional tale.  Unlike the first book which was told from Jenna’s POV, The Fox Inheritance is told through the eyes of Locke Jenkins after waking up 260 years later. Locke and Kara have finally awakened after being stuck in a black cube, their sub-consciousness/mind floating in a limbo-like space.  They have been given new bodies matching their old selves as much as possible. Locke and Kara are still getting use to their new existence for a little over a year, but are never allowed to leave the estate that they live in because their creator Dr. Gatsbro thinks they’re not ready yet.  It turns out Dr. Gatsbro never intended them to leave; he only released them from the cube because he wanted them to be models for potentials buyers who might need a body in the future.  Kara and Locke are tired of being treated like a specimen, and both decide to escape for a life of their own. Although, Kara is up to no good and blames everything she’s been through on Jenna…and first stop after escaping Dr. Gatsbro is finding Jenna and making her pay. 

The series is called ‘The Jenna Fox chronicles’ but there wasn’t much Jenna till about halfway through the book, I thought it would be boring without Jenna but I find that I didn’t mind having Locke narrated.  After escaping Dr. Gatsbro estate, Kara and Locke part ways when Gatsbro comes after them. Kara is on a vendetta mission against Jenna for not saving Locke and her from their fate, angry that while they were locked away for 260 years; Jenna was out living and enjoying her life. Locke on the other hands does whatever it takes to get to Jenna before Kara does and he gets help from a cab-bot name Dot and their former nanny/house-keeper Miesha. While Dot and Miesha were the secondary characters, they both out shine the primary cast of characters (Jenna, Locke, Kara, ally and Gatsbro).  Dot is a cab-bot, a basic robot meant to drive tourist around, she looks human from the torso up but that where it ends since she is connected from the torso to the taxi cab itself.  Dot and other cab-bots like her have emotions, they all dream of one day escaping their life for something more, all tired of seeing life going on from the view of their cabs.  Dot’s only goal was to help drive Locke and Miesha to wherever it is that they need to go, she never would have dreamed to leave the cab behind and join Locke in search of Jenna. I really enjoyed reading about Dot, everything she sees is a wonder to her eyes even if she doesn’t posse the five senses…and what she did in the end was probably the bravest thing ever. Then there is Miesha, she was pretty tight lipped for most of the book but as the story went on readers found out A LOT about her past and one of the things we learned shocked me since I didn’t see it coming. 

Bottom line, The Fox Inheritance was a great addition to the series and in my opinion a way better improvement from the first book.  If you’re looking for a light sci-fi read for young adults look no further, The Jenna Chronicles is just the series to introduce new readers to the genres or if you’re already a sci-fi fan…definitely put this series in your tbr pile! I can’t wait to see what happens next in the final book of the trilogy, Fox Forever (which comes this upcoming Tuesday, March 19, 2013!).