The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson
August 30th, 2012 from Henry Holt
Synopsis:
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.
Review:
The Fox Inheritance is a sequel/compilation novel to the fanny pack-tastic book, Adoration of Jenna Fox. I read Jenna years ago when it was a 2008 Lonestar Reading List AND Tayshas High School Reading list recommendation. Simply put, I was blow away! When this little beauty showed up at a library conference this year, I ran for it! So glad I did....
The story picks up 260 years after we first meet Jenna Fox when she *thought* she destroyed Locke and Kara's hard drives (minds) after a terrible car accident. This time, we journey with Locke as he realizes how much time has passed, and what he has lost. Locke and Kara's information - think black box - was "rescued" out of the pond and after a few tweeks, upgrades, and modifications...viola! Locke and Kara have beautiful bodies thanks to BioPerfect. Soon, Locke and Kara realize that their ultra perfect life in a mansion with the scientist who basically manufactured them is synonymous with life in prison. In a panicked moment, Locke and Kara escape with the help of a few surprising cohorts and they find themselves on the run. Where are they headed? Why Jenna's house, of course!
My heart went out to Locke almost from the get-go. He misses Jenna and wants to know where she has been all of these years and most of all, why she didn't rescue him and Kara. Kara wants more than just to know where Jenna has been, she wants revenge. Kara is manipulative and at times, I wanted someone to knock her upside the head or at least tell her to stop being a brat. Locke is so set on appeasing Kara and telling her that he loves her more than Jenna that he doesn't see her faults - and some are alarming. He is busy being the sweet and ever caring boy that he is (and always ways), and things start to go south. This tension comes to an all-time high when we get Locke, Kara, and Jenna in the same room. Trust, you have to wait for it, but it comes.
I love the side character of Dot. Without giving too much away, she is a robot with more human qualities than some people I know. I simply loved her and her dedication to helping Locke. The only tear I shed was over her. We meet other new characters and lucky for us, a few have ties to the very beginning of this story.
The story takes us over quite a few parts of what we know as the United States, and it is while Locke and Kara are on the run we learn about all of the changes to the country. I love the science-fiction aspects of this story and I found them more in the on-the-run scenes than in the explanations of how Locke and Kara came to be. I loved Mary's use of imagination as she describes the futuristic cars driven by Bots and the grids on which they drive. I wanted more!
The mysteries and surprises are plentiful and a tad predictable, but in the end I am more than satisfied where the story took me (and where it will go next). Jenna fans will devour this book. I highly recommend this story for ages 11+!
4 Stars!
