Originally posted on my blog, With Her Head in a Book. 
 I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 
 Actual rating: 2.5 stars 
 The Killing Jar is sure to attract readers with its eye-catching artistic cover. I absolutely adore the cover, especially since it is so fitting to the novel. The book is an interesting twist on the genre that I had not been expecting upon reading the synopsis (in my opinion not a single summary of the novel was very accurate). In some ways, I am glad I did not know precisely what the book was going to be about. This is one of those books that it is better to know less or risk dampening your reading experience. Then again, if I had been told something closer to reality, I might have skipped on this read entirely. Honestly, I was a bit undecided about whether or not to pick up The Killing Jar in the first place, but I could tell there was something unique about this novel that might just make it worth the read. And there is - something many readers have been looking for. 
 Kenna has a big secret that no one can learn about - not her best friend, her sister, or the detectives that are starting to dig into her past following the attack on her family. She is sent away to a nearby reclusive town known as Eclipse when things take an even darker turn. Everyone living in the town is known as the Kalyptra because of their vampire-like power to cull the life out of the living. . .and Kenna is one of them. There is also a love triangle. 
 The synopsis makes her secret out to be a big deal: it is not and everyone finds out rather quickly what she is hiding which truly ruined that aspect of the novel. (view spoiler)[The investigating detective do not know the specifics of what occurs, but essentially they sweep the events of the novel under the rug deciding that it is simply one of life's big mysteries despite the dead bodies and suspicious evidence surrounding her. No one cares that Kenna skipped town during a murder investigation or that all these strange things keep happening around her. (hide spoiler)] But that is not something critical to the enjoyment of the book unless you are a person, like me, who cares about those details that typically ruin a good movie or book. 
 The day after Kenna moves into Eclipse, she is introduced to a barrage of people - most who only exist in this one scene and disappear until the ending. This is a big annoyance to me. What is the point in having characters we never get to see again? If it was simply to show how many people live in the town, we could be told there are others that live in the community and be done with it. Honestly, one of the weirdest moments is when (view spoiler)[Kenna is leaving Eclipse and thinks to herself "God, I was going to miss her and all the rest of the Kalyptra." She says this yet we have not really gotten to know many of them...and this is well past the half way point. (hide spoiler)] Many of the secondary characters are well written, but nearly all of the other characters fade away into the background. 
 Happy to say, Kenna made for an enjoyable protagonist. Music is in her blood and lives between her fingers. She longs for the things we all dream of, making her relatable. Curiosity is her biggest strength and weakness, though. It is what gets her into trouble, but also saves her life enough times to start counting. She is not afraid of much and asks the questions others will not. She is not a damsel in distress as she does not wait around for any boys to come save her and her family. But I did not love her. Why? While this is simply apart of who she is, sometimes she is a bit too bleak and depressing though that makes her all the more realistic. 
 Perhaps that bleakness stems from how all the characters are. After reflecting on the novel, I cannot quite get a grasp on how each character felt toward one another excluding a few clear cut instances. Kenna, for example, flip flops between where is home and where her heart lies. I cannot even tell how she felt about her mom or Grandmother, and I do not think she ever really makes up her mind on which guy she really likes. Her mother was just as indecisive toward Kenna as well - does she want her around or not? Whose side is Joanna on anyway? I could not figure out the reasons behind any characters' actions or motivations because of this. 
 The love triangle is a lot like any other love triangle. I would have rather gone without the triangle or even entirely removed both romantic interests because they did not add to the book. Blake, her best friend, is too accepting of the events in the novel as if he does not have any preference or care in the world. Cyrus, on the other hand, is the tall, dark, and handsome new guy in Eclipse that is about a hundred years past his expiration date. Hot, right? He serves as Kenna's guide when she first arrives in town, but he soon loses his purpose when the big master plan is revealed. Both guys are made up of the silliest stereotypical traits (popular boy from school that happens to live next door and lustrous hippie cowboy (view spoiler)["brother" (hide spoiler)]) which would be okay if the characters were not so flat. Kenna also quickly and easily loses her feelings for both boys, even the one she is been crushing on for years. Seems a little ridiculous and pointless. 
 There are occasionally dark and off putting scenes that might disturb some readers unless you are a seasoned horror addict like me. A variety of gory deaths and crude descriptions roughens up the novel while characters set the mood by being vague and easily misunderstood. It is a big game of "what is real?" The opening is the exact opposite of creepy, though. Kenna is playing at a music festival, living her every day normal life and avoiding the past that haunts her, and there is an obviously suspicious man in the crowd staring her down. The novel itself could have existed in nearly any place or time and that is easy to do considering Kenna and her family are set away from the center of town and Eclipse is even further away filled with a group of magical-realistic people. The seclusion is unnerving. The society is suspiciously friendly. Most of the suspense is built in the secrets that are withheld from Kenna by her mother and grandmother. No one wants to let Kenna in on what is happening to her and there will be dire consequences for that. 
 One of my favorite things about books (but simultaneously one of the most hated) is when an author writes mouth-watering descriptions about food. . .over and over. The Killing Jar is subjected to this treatment. If there is one thing the Kalyptra can do well it is apparently throwing a feast. "Spicy carrot soup. Salad with peaches and goat cheese. Rosemary bread and roasted turkey, sauteed mushrooms over mashed potatoes, flaky, lemony trout, and asparagus and zucchini slathered in butter" not to mention the endless wine. We have not even gotten to desert, yet. (Sign me up for the Kalyptra life.) And like Kenna, I just want to eat and eat and eat their dishes. . .except "there was so much food" in one scene that "it took almost two hours to eat it all." How do you eat for two hours straight? Forget the twisted vampire power - give me an endless stomach. 
 The book is not perfect and some plot points seemed silly and out of place for the moment. I took five days to finish the novel which, to me, seemed to drag on and on, yet I was still decently captivated while reading. Every time I sat down to read, I burned through a fifth of the book, but I could not wait to shelve this novel as "read." Many of the twists and plot points were predictable and ruined much of the suspense that had been built up. I still have a few questions at the completion of the novel and if it is one thing I hate it is not having some sort of answer to big questions. Tie up those loose ends! 
 The Killing Jar is an okay book, but it would not be at the top of my recommended list. Desperate for a twist on vampires? Want a creepy book? Some magic realism? Alright, maybe give The Killing Jar a shot if you are looking for those three things, but I have got another book in mind that probably would be more fulfilling. 
 Plot: 3/5 
 Characters: 2/5 
 Writing Style: 2/5 
 All Around Idea: 3/5 
 Total: 2.5/5