The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth

by:  Jennifer Bosworth
published by:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux
publish date:  January 12, 2016

She’s haunted by a violent tragedy she can’t explain. Kenna’s past has kept people—even her own mother—at a distance for years. Just when she finds a friend who loves her and life begins to improve, she’s plunged into a new nightmare. Her mom and twin sister are attacked, and the dark powers Kenna has struggled to suppress awaken with a vengeance. 

On the heels of the assault, Kenna is exiled to a nearby commune, known as Eclipse, to live with a relative she never knew she had. There, she discovers an extraordinary new way of life as she learns who she really is, and the wonders she’s capable of. For the first time, she starts to feel like she belongs somewhere. That her terrible secret makes her beautiful and strong, not dangerous. But the longer she stays at Eclipse, the more she senses there is something malignant lurking underneath it all. And she begins to suspect that her new family has sinister plans for her…

So I liked Jennifer Bosworth's book Struck, that's why I picked this audiobook to listen to.  I guess maybe if I had a little bit of insight as to what the book was about, I don't know that I would have picked it.  

Kenna has a special gift.  She can extract life out of anything that's alive.  Plants, animals, people it doesn't matter.  If she wants the life force, she has the ability to do so.  When she does it to man that is assaulting her family, she kills him with her power.  Her mother sends her to a commune to protect her.  This commune is made up of people with the same power she has.  They are able to teach her how to control it and use it to keep her young and healthy.  However, they also have some seriously questionable practices that put Kenna in danger.  

The story was ok to me, but it got a little silly towards the end.  I guess maybe if you can suspend disbelief it would probably be better, but I was having trouble doing that.  I don't know that I would highly recommend this one...maybe if you liked more supernatural type books this one would appeal.