I didn't read the synopsis before picking up this book, so I went into the read with no clue about what was going to happen. The characters were really great in The Killing Jar, especially the main character Kenna. The author really took the time to make Kenna relatable and sympathetic. The writing in the book was very beautiful, it almost had a lyrical quality despite the sometimes dark subject matter. The tension builds gradually and the climax really had me gripped. I was satisfied with the conclusion and thought the author did a good job tying everything together. Overall, a great YA standalone. Review posted on Goodreads and Amazon.

***Thanks to the publisher for a copy for review.***

This is one of the best books I've read in some time. I put off reading this for like two years, and I am so happy I finally got to it, because what a gem! A creepy gem, but still a gem.

I try not to think about it, what I did to that boy.

Kenna, our MC, is living with a secret. Kenna has a twin sister, Erin, that she loves more than anything. Makes sense, yeah? Well, when a creepy little boy from school (one who tortures and kills animals) decides to do a REALLY fucked up thing, resulting in her sister's pain... 10-year-old Kenna decides to exact vengeance. Only, she never meant for it to end in the boy dying. When she confronted the boy, Jason, Kenna was overcome by a power she didn't know she possessed. Letting this power take over her, she literally syphons the life out of Jason and he dies, nothing more than a husk remaining.

Following this, Kenna's mother covers it up and tells Kenna she must NEVER do that again. Kenna tamps down her power and never touches anyone after killing Jason. She even pushes away her sister and her mother.

Years later, on the heels of another incident, Kenna's mother decides to send her to stay with her grandmother in a commune called Eclipse. At this commune, Kenna learns that she is not fully human. She is Kalyptra. Kalyptra are supernatural beings that consume the anima of living things to satiate a hunger inside of them. From what I understood, the Kalyptra don't need anima to live, but it is their sacred right as beings who worship and sacrifice to the ancient Eclipse Moth (basically an all-mother type of being).

So, I really started to fall in love with this book from the point of Kenna learning of her true nature. While she is staying at Eclipse, her grandmother, Rebekkah, manipulates her and brainwashes her to an extent. She even secretly feeds Kenna human anima when this is the reason Kenna came to Eclipse to begin with! SHE DOESN'T WANT TO HURT PEOPLE. She thought they were just syphoning from plant life. Eventually, Kenna realizes something is off, and she digs deeper into the people and things around her. She finds information that is horrifying and learns that her new "family" are really really fucked up people.

This book had a very dark aspect to it. Blood, torture, sacrifices, other cult practices... The entire commune (it was a cult, let's be real) thing was creepy as well. They all just chill up in the woods of a mountain, basically in an altered-state due to the amount of anima they've consumed. It's a giant group of—for lack of better word—hippies who suck the life out of people and worship a killer supernatural moth who requires sacrifices to continue to bestow the power upon them. When I say moth, I don't mean a moth the size of a butterfly—think DRAGON. It sounds insane, but the whole thing WORKS. It's terrifying! Kenna learns to see her curse as more of a gift (through manipulation and lies) while staying there, but upon finding out bits of the truth, she is torn. She wants to be around people who understand her and are like her, but at what cost?

Everything comes to a head when Kenna's grandmother tries to sacrifice her mother to the Eclipse Moth. I interpreted this as Rebekkah's way of killing two birds with one stone, if you will. Not only was it an obvious show of dominance over Kenna and her mother (along with the rest of the Kalyptra), but also a way to satisfy the Eclipse Moth AND eliminate Kenna's family, thus making her dependent on Rebekkah herself.

Overall, I feel that it is truly difficult for me to express how much I loved this book and exactly why. The story just had this dark feel to it and it was a true horror. It takes place in just the regular contemporary world, but it doesn't FEEL that way. It felt like an entirely different world to me—just a perpetually murky world. I enjoyed the characters. I was absolutely thrilled with the plot. The book was packed with storyline (and a very thorough one at that) even though it is only about 350 pages. I wish there was more to this story but, thankfully, the author wrapped it up very well at the end. I recommend this if you like creepy, unique stories with a dark twist.

Actual Rating: 3.5★

I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Unlike anything I’ve read before, The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth is an interesting, suspenseful read. I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf since before it came out and I happened across an audio copy of it. I highly recommend listening to the book as I couldn’t read it fast enough for my liking.

The first line of the blurb is the first line of the book. If you skipped that part, go read it now. I’ll wait…..Awesome, right?! So I was hooked from the very first line. Beginning a book like that, you know as the reader that you are in for an exciting read. And it was exciting, yet not at all what I expected. I was expecting a murderer, some mystery, a dark main character. You do get that, but not in the way you might think.

Kenna is an easy to like character. She sees things in black and white, there are no grey areas. What she does to that boy in the prologue is haunting and it follows her into her late teens. It sets the tone for the book and Kenna herself. Kenna will do anything for her twin sister, including murder even though she doesn’t understand how or why it happens. Her life is shrouded in secrets, and she purposefully pushes people away in order to protect them.

When something happens to her mom and sister, Kenna loses control. I won’t go into too much detail as I don’t want to spoil the story, but this is the catalyst that sends her to the cult-like group Eclipse. Eclipse is not at all what I expected. It reminds me a little of the hippie communes you read about from the 60s and 70s. The people live off the land, have no electricity, and live whimsical lives. It’s a 180 turn from what Kenna is used to with her strict mom. I liked these people, but I wasn’t sure how much I trusted them.

Overall I enjoyed the story. There were parts that seemed to drag out, and there’s a paranormal element to the book I didn’t expect but enjoyed. Kenna is a character I found myself rooting for, but didn’t buy the romance with either of the romantic interests she encountered. Both boys came off flat to me. If you enjoy myths and paranormal, you may enjoy this book. I personally enjoyed the audio copy more than trying to read it on my own. It’s fast-paced and once you start you won’t want to stop until you reach the end.

Kenna was an interesting character and I liked her narration throughout the story. It made it more compelling, and had a sort of urgency, which also paralleled to the plot. It was a little vague at times, but it worked out for the story overall.

Kenna has a dark gift, the ability to steal the life from any living thing. Her gift reemerges when her mother and sister are attacked, after years of surpressing this power. Her mother sends her away to Eclipse, a strange commune where she discovers the others who share powers like her own.

In Eclipse, Kenna begins to feel as if she belongs, but the longer she stays there the more she feels that there is something not quite right going on.



CREEPY READ! Gotta love it.