Book 02 May 2007 06:28 am
Jennifer Scales
Jennifer Scales is a normal girl. Until she hits puberty. Sadly for Jennifer, she doesn’t just have to have acne… she gets to turn into a dragon. And so it begins. A quote from Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace.
PROLOGUE: THE RUIN OF EVENINGSTAR
On the day Jennifer Scales turned five, her family moved. That same morning, their quiet river town of Eveningstar, Minnesota died a horrible death.
Jennifer remembered only dim twilight against her window, her mother rousing her, and jeans and a sweatshirt finding their way onto her while her head drooped.
If she thought a little harder, she could remember walking through the crisp, brown woods behind her house until they reached the Mississippi River, stepping onto a flat, slippery boat that sunk a bit with her weight, and shivering a bit in her mother’s firm arms while her father’s voice calmly reassured her.
And if she relaxed her mind, which she wouldn’t be able to do until she was older, she could remember standing on a bluff beyond the other side of the river, watching her hometown burn from a safe distance under the crescent moon. She heard the roars of beasts — dinosaurs? — the howls of wolves, and the screeches of unknown things.
The morning of September 18, those things laid waste to Eveningstar. No one from beyond its borders ever tried to put out the fires, or bury those who died there, or even televise the incident.
No one went there. No one remembered there. Eveningstar, Minnesota, settled by Scandinavian immigrants and incorporated over one hundred years ago, fell into ashes and out of existence.
A review of Jennifer Scales #1 from A blog of Two Witches,
I have read Ms. Davidson’s “Undead and Unwed†adult fiction novels and enjoyed them thoroughly, so I was very hopeful in regards to this book. I knew going in that she had the ability to meld fantasy fiction and humor while not sacraficing characters or plot, but I wondered how her personal flair would translate for younger readers.
She won me over all over again!!
And another review from the SF Site,
Best known for her romantic comedies involving vampires and werewolves, MaryJanice Davidson teams up with her husband here to deliver the first in a new series, and they get things rolling with a fairly strong start. While much of Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace is dedicated to setup and exploration of the series’ premise, it still offers a good, entertaining story filled with some intriguing turns and surprises. As concepts go, it’s relatively underutilized, and still feels fresh, giving off a Buffyesque vibe. Jennifer is a good, strong character with a lot of potential, and I look forward to future offerings in this series.
Book cover of Ancient Furnace looks something like this,

and book cover of the new book coming out on June 5th, looks like this…

Here is a ticker for the new Jennifer Strange novel. I for one, CANNOT wait. I really enjoyed the first two. And yes, the titles DO mean something…
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MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi are married and let me tell you, they sure can work some magic on the pages. I haven’t read Davidson’s adult stuff, though the rumor is that it is hilarious, but I can vouge for Jennifer Strange. Indeed I can.
Ancient Furnace and Messenger of Light are available now and Silver Elm Tree is out in the beginning of June. So get reading!!
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on 04 Jun 2007 at 7:17 pm 1.bartsspace said …
Book Review: Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace…
Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace (Jennifer Scales Books)
Her fourteenth birthday was the last normal birthday Jennifer Scales ever had. Tied to the power of the crescent moon, she is forced as she comes of age to change into something powerful…
on 23 Jan 2008 at 3:53 pm 2.Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace ~ MaryJanice Davidson & Anthony Algoni | Bart's Bookshelf said …
[...] Read, Shrimpy’s review, here. [...]