Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan

Paperback: 310 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (July 24, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 146096523X
ISBN-13: 978-1460965238

Jenny has a secret. Her touch spreads a supernatural plague. She devotes her life to avoiding contact with people, until her senior year of high school, when she meets the one boy she can touch, and she falls in love.

But there's a problem—he's under the spell of his devious girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.

Now Jenny must learn to use the deadly "Jenny pox" she's fought her entire life to hide, or be destroyed by Ashleigh's ruthless plans.

Not for readers under eighteen.

What Would you do if just your touch could kill someone? How would you cope? These questions and many more are what Jenny Morton asks herself each and everyday.

The Afflicted
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Jenny Morton- She's a modern day Typhoid Mary with the exception that just her touch can kill. Sweet, Shy the perfect Anti Heroine. I loved how her character was written. I felt her pain and longing to be touched but knowing it could never happen. Then her joy when it does.

Seth Barrett- Rich,Handsome,Jock. Boyfriend to Ashleigh and hiding a secret. Like Jenny he is unique. He has the power to Heal. Just touching his skin will ease you of a headache or even bring you back from the brink of death. Nobody knows this until a chance encounter with Jenny. From that day on he changes from the stereotypical dumb jock whose just page filler to a powerful ally and love of Jenny.

Ashleigh Goodling- Evil Bitch is what comes to mind from the first introduction of her character and that's before we learn that she has the ability to make people love her. The perfect female villain. She is sweet,charming,pretty and popular on the outside but rotten to the core inside. I loved everything about this Character and was cheering Jenny on in the end when she gets her just desserts.

Other Notable Characters
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Jenny's Father- Like his daughter he's sweet and shy. To save his daughter's life and preserve her secret he burned down the clinic where she was born to hide the dead bodies. He's an Alcoholic albeit functioning through most of the book. Though he loves his daughter he is sad that she will never experience life like a normal girl.

Cassie Winder- A loyal follower of Ashleigh's. Her partner in crime and most trusted Adversary. This character like so many others was well written. I feel even without Ashleigh's touch she would still do at least half of the stuff Ashleigh concocted out of deep love and loyalty and maybe mixed with a little bit of Fear as well.

Rocky- Yes he's a dog and has no dialogue whatsoever but I loved this character. It made me happy that Jenny had a friend even a canine one to share he life with. When he was hurt I felt sad and when he survived I cheered for the dog knowing that it made Jenny happy.

I bought this book back in October on a whim one day. I had no clue who the Author was at the time and just thought the plot appealed to my love of Plague stories. For whatever reason I never did get around to reading it until Yesterday but boy am I so glad that I did.

This book had it all romance,mystery,danger and of course action. The final scene was one I feel would translate so well to screen. Yes a lot of people die but to be fair to Jenny they were trying to kill her. I loved the romance that bloomed between her and Seth. The romance didn't overpower the paranormal elements of this story which was a relief. There were some questions left unanswered at the end and I'm hoping some are resolved in further books.

Overall I loved this book and would highly recommend. The only reason I am giving it Four not Five stars is the beginning of the book. While it moved the plot along some of the school scenes were I felt unnecessarily long and brought the pace of the story down. Otherwise it was a great read and I look forward to more from the Author in the future. 4★★★★