Alexander Death: Jenny Pox #3 (The Paranormals)

SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ JENNY POX AND TOMMY NIGHTMARE DO NOT READ REVIEW BUY BOOKS!!!!!!!
ALSO I'D LIKE TO CAUTION THAT THIS IS FOR OLDER YA READERS DEFINITELY NOT FOR YOUNGER READERS

JL Bryan is a master storyteller and if you don't believe me, then read any of his stories and see for yourself. I'm writing today about the third book in his series, The Paranormals, Alexander Death. If you're up on the story thus far, you will not be disappointed with Alexander Death. It is fast paced and filled with so much energy and character that it is legendary. The characters have powers like none I've seen in YA.

Jenny, tortured throughout two novels is now coming into her own. Jenny Morton, has been through way more than any single character that I've read about in my reading history! She's been tormented by Ashleigh Goodling all her life. She's been unable to touch people because she can give people a deadly disease, "Jenny Pox", her classmates have nicknamed it. She can't even hug her dad or pet the dog. She craved human touch and finally found it with her opposite, Seth. But after the town attacked them and Jenny unleashed herself, after her father was scared of her and after Seth betrayed her trust and she's in danger, the sexy stranger that claims to know her better than anyone and saves her seems like a great idea. So off to Mexico she goes with Alexander, El Brujo. Like the other Paranormals, Ashleigh, Seth, Esmerelda, Tommy and Jenny, Alexander also has his own kind of power. It's an interesting power and Jenny's power enhances it.

But Alexander claims he wants to be with Jenny because they've been together through many lifetimes. He seems to remember all of them, while Jenny has no memory of the lives they've shared. Alexander treats her like no one has ever treated her. She has a servant who becomes her first real friend, Kisa, and her own room. She goes shopping and buys her own clothes and is actually able to save herself and Kisa from two thugs using her power, for good instead of evil for the first time that she can remember. And Alexander treats her with respect, he throws her a party and shows her what her power can do. He treats her like the goddess he says she is.

But, is he really as good as he appears to be? JL Bryan leads you to think so. We never really know more than Jenny knows about Alexander. We know what Seth is doing to try to find her and we know that she isn't safe going back to the United States. But JL Bryan keeps what's about to happen a closely guarded secret until its thrust upon you and you're left wide open trying to deal with your emotions and the situation, just like Jenny. Who to believe? Who to trust? There is an underlying darkness, but there's always been that. And what about the Mayans? And the snakes? And the zombies?
And the drugs? And is the CDC and Homeland Security still poking around the Fallen Oak "chemical plant" disaster?

As I said this is such a fast paced novel I read it in one night. I sat there and drank in every word and the cautious person in me was saying, "Jenny, don't open the basement door." While the one that wanted her to finally have some fun and get some revenge was saying, "Go for it!" I vascillated throughout the entire book.

And then I got to the last twenty pages and I kept thinking, "No way he can pull it all off in this amount of pages." And I kept reading and watching the page numbers go down and kept thinking, "No way he can finish this story in this amount of pages." I was worried about info dump or a neat and tidy bow or something like that. But the more I said "no way" the better the story got. That final battle, it was legendary! I've read some kick ass fight scenes this year and I've read some great fight scenes in this series, the one in Jenny Pox at the end is not to be missed! But this one, this one has got to be right up there with Buffy when they blow up Sunnydale High at graduation minus the mayor turning into a giant snake. It is monumental!

By the time I got down to the last few cool down tie up loose end pages, I was so pumped full of adrenaline I was bouncing up and down on the bed. I felt like jumping on the bed, but the ceiling fan gets in the way. As it was I used the f-word on Twitter! That is how great this finale is to this series!
You will not stop to eat or drink or even pee. You will glare at humans and animals that dare to interrupt you and you will kick yourself if you don't hurry up and read this series. The real origins of the Paranormals comes out in this book so you need to make sure you've got all three because once you've read the first one, you'll never want to wait for the second one and definitely not for Alexander Death.

I loved every minute of this book. Every question was answered everything was completed, but not tied up with a bow. There were a few extras thrown in that I didn't expect and I loved the ending. Read it! Enjoy it! Tell me how much you loved it!

I really loved Alexander in this book. He was a charmer. There were certain twists involving him that I saw coming, but it didn't make him anymore less of a fun character. That and when Jenny was in his presence, she was FUN. I was really disappointed in Jenny at the end of the book. Not because it was out of character, but because I really preferred her other option. More FUN.

Drugged Jenny = Fun Jenny.

Sober Jenny = OMG life sucks Jenny.

The locations in this book were so vivid that I could just imagine myself there with the characters. If it weren't for the discrepancies, I might have loved this book more than the second. Those minor mistakes pulled me out of the story and turned this fantasy world back into just a book.

I think that the setup for this part of Jenny's story was flawed. The discrepancies from book 2 to 3 is the only reason I rated this book as low as I did.

The most flawed was the character, Heather. In the second book she didn't have much of a personality. She does things for plot purposes but overall she is very indifferent and focused on her work. All of a sudden in book 3, Heather tries to act like Mom of the Year because her daughter is in the hospital with cancer and she's on chemo. How was this not mentioned in book two? At all (I double checked!)? Heather is in Haiti for months (two I think), goes directly to Fallen Oaks to investigate, goes to Charleston to investigate that, and never once visits or talks to her daughter. She talks to her husband ONCE in book two and shows disinterest when he mentions what their daughter is up to. Heather shows no regret in being absent from her daughter's life, so I really don't get the switch up.

Also, in this book Seth finds Jenny's car after 3 months of it being abandoned in a parking garage. But, how were the cops not able to find the car? There is a nationwide search for her and her vehicle, but the cops (who were directed by a certain villain to the exact location of Jenny and her vehicle) weren't able to find it. It was on the top level of a full parking garage next to the area where all hell breaks loose. Why wouldn't the cops search this place? It doesn't make sense.

Oh, and Seth is completely oblivious (aka dumb) to clues about what's really going on. I really can't stand him and I don't understand why Jenny likes him considering everything that has happened. (C+)

(I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.)

At the end of Tommy Nightmare, Alexander rescues Jenny from Ashleigh and Tommy's riot in Charleston and brings her to safety in Mexico. Safety from the United States government and the friends and family that search for her, this is where he befriends Jenny and shows her not only her past lives, but everything her power is capable of. Alexander is a sexy, dead raising mobster your heart will be pounding over.

Then there's Ashleigh, still up to her old tricks in Esmeralda's body. She's tangled up with Tommy this time, but you'll see he doesn't play too big of a role. This time Ashleigh is making her way to the top of the government food chain and not letting anything get in her way.

And of course Seth: frustrated and confused about what exactly happened that night and why he did what he did. We get to see a glimpse similar to the one we had with Jenny and the rattlesnake in the opening of Jenny Pox, only we meet Seth's brother Carter in a heart-wrenching scene. He's desperate to find Jenny and will stop at nothing to save the one he loves. After-all, money can buy you everything if you're a Barrett.

In this third and final installment of The Paranormals Trilogy, J.L. Bryan keeps us on our toes as we get to know Alexander and discover for ourselves his intentions. We finally get to see that Jenny isn't just a victim anymore as she's growing up and finding who she is. This is the book that just as you think you have it all figured out, Bryan says, "not so fast..." using his excellent storytelling skills to pull the rug out from beneath you. With everything leading up to this epic finale, there's no other rating I can give than a 5.

Yes, you HAVE to read this book! It's quick, easy and will keep you up all night in anticipation for more. Alexander Death was the perfect end to The Paranormals Trilogy.

This was such a thrilling conclusion to The Paranormals trilogy that I couldn't put it down! This story was action packed and satisfying. I was so glad to see how all the ends were tied up, though I was sad to see the series end. I would love to see another book that tells the story of Tommy and Esmeralda or even about other paranormals that we haven't heard about yet. I love this series, and will definitely be ordering a set for my classroom library. I can see some of my reluctant readers really getting interested in this.