Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace (Jennifer Scales, Book 1)

by MaryJanice Davidson

Paperback, 2007

Publication

Ace (2007), Edition: Reissue, 224 pages

Description

Fantasy. Fiction. Literature. HTML: She knew that growing up would mean changing. But Jennifer wasn't prepared for the blue scales or the claws, since no one had told her that she came from a bloodline of weredragons. Her greatest challenge? Protecting herself from her family's ancient enemies and preparing herself for fierce battles. And that's a lot to expect of a girl just coming into her own..

User reviews

LibraryThing member rocalisa

This is a nice, light read. It's a book for pre-teens and young teenagers - and adults like me who like to revist that place in their reading. It's fairly simple, although it soon becomes clear that good and evil are never actually simple or black and white. This is also very clearly a set-up book.

As Jennifer discovers the secret world of the weredragons so does the reader. A lot is only touched upon and there must be going to be more books that delve into Jennifer's life and new world. I don't know if I'll read them or not, but I'm sure I'll enjoy them if I do.

Show Less

12 more

LibraryThing member bookwormteri

It is hard enough to be a fourteen year old girl, all the changes physically and emotionally. It makes it harder when your parents keep secrets from you...like the fact that you are actually a weredragon.

I thought that this was a really neat little fantasy book that touches on the difficulties of

puberty in a rather unusual way. I hope that this becomes a series.

Show Less

LibraryThing member TheLibraryhag

Jennifer Scales thinks she is a normal 14-year-old with only school and soccer games to worry about. Then she discovers that she is part dragon and has to hide this identity from all her friends and neighbors. As she learns to cope with her changing relationships, she discovers that she is not the

only one with things to hide. This fantasy will charm girls and boys alike with lots of action. Don't miss the sequel, Jennifer Scales and the Messenger of Light.

Show Less

LibraryThing member pacey1927

If it weren't for the main character's age and the fact that there is no requisite sex scene, this could be any one of the better adult paranormal/fantasy novels on the market today. I think this one actually stands out because of the nature of Jennifer's 'beast'. The authors do an exquisite job of

fleshing out the book's teen heroine. She is moody, angsty, and removed from her parents. She is desperate to be anything but the 'freak', she just wants to fit in. The plot from start to finish is entertaining. Now for my minor complaints...the story feels rushed. Maybe it's because it was originally intended to be a YA novel, but its too short to hold the story. This definately should have been fleshed out more. The book seems to end abruptly. I guess its probably a good thing because it certainly left this reviewer wanting more.

Show Less

LibraryThing member mishmelle

I am a big fan of MJD's other books, primarily the Queen Betsey series, so I expected to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, it did not grab me. I think it was the whole weredragon world that MJD created. It just didn't appeal to me and seemed almost cartoonish. Dragons that talk, have barbecues,

sketch, and talk on the phone just seem a little too Disney-animated-featurish-ish. I finished the book so gave it two stars but I could have just as easily set it aside and not miss it. It did get a little more interesting toward the end, as most books do, when things started to come together but it was too little too late for me. Even though it ended with unresolved issues to be continued in the next installment, I am not intriqued enough to continue with series.

Show Less

LibraryThing member purplg8r

This book is okay. I missed MJD's humor that was a fun element in her Undead series. But this book had lots of surprises and twists that left me wondering what was going to happen next.

LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey

Neat! I like Jennifer Scales - she panics in perfectly understandable ways. And she has a very interesting family. I want the rest. Jennifer is frequently a self-absorbed teenager, but by the end of the book she's pretty much lost that - not entirely, but a lot. Enough to notice how self-absorbed

her friends are, anyway. I wonder if Susan will turn out to be something else too, or if she's the token normal! And like that. Hmm, just thought of another reason I like the story - it's so rare to find a YA SF with a functional family in it. No orphan, or runaway, or uncaring or manipulative parent(s) here - just two parents trying to deal with their lives and their kid. It's good. And the next book follows immediately - I want to see what happens. Hope she doesn't get too much special treatment - she does need to be at least a little normal!
This is good enough that I'm actually a little bit interested in the Charlene Harris books. I've been ignoring them, and I may find I don't like her or her setting (I find vampires boring, mostly), but I'm now willing to try.

Show Less

LibraryThing member annekiwi

I'm ambivalent about this book. I am generally a HUGE fan of MJD (love the Betsy and Fred series, getting into the Royal series), but this book just left me a bit cold. I thought the heroine was a whiney brat. Granted, changing into a dragon when turning 14 has got to be hard, but she was just so

disrespectful to her parents, her mother in particular, that I just couldn't like her. I know that she's supposed to be a typical teenager, but if I had ever spoken to my mother the way she speaks to hers I would still be grounded 25 years later. And that is only if I had survived ... which given my mother's temper is not a certain thing.

Another issue I had with this book is that it just wrapped things up too neatly at the end. Granted, the plots with Skip and Eddie (not romantic) are still hanging, but ..... I can't really talk about it without giving the ending away. Suffice to say that the ending was too fairy tale for me.

Aside from that this book also lacked the trademark MJD humor and sarcastic wit to which I have grown accustomed. I will continue to read the series to see if it gets any better, but I will only read the books that my library carries (up to but not including THE LORD OF MISRULE).

Show Less

LibraryThing member I_eat_books

I LOVE this book. I have always loved fantasy, and I am a fantasy writer. I have written books in the past (though not published) one called "What Alexis Did In Costa Rica". This book is a book that has inspired me to write "Fallen Star", my latest book. This book is a tale of a middle school

student who wishes for more attention, but gets way more than she wants when she finds out about her heritage. I started reading this series (Jennifer Scales) when at the library the first book fell on my head. It didn't make any sense because the series was on one of the lower shelves, and I am too tall for it to have fell on my head on accident. But that stroke of luck led me to read the whole series in 2 days, while fitting in school, basket-ball, and other activitys. These books have not only inspired me, but taught me alot about writing.

Show Less

LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba

I'm of mixed feelings on this book - on one end, we get a girl who actually acts her age - 14. She's into boys (kind of), into friends, has caring involved parents, she gets into snits. She isn't a loner and she is a very likable person. But where I find the book lacking is just how easy things are

- Jennifer is able to pick up things very quickly, has all sorts of abilities that are outside the norm.

Then, there is the writing. At points, it is very clumsy. But, at the same time, the arguments with her parents feel real, more real than others of the sort. The world also feels clumsy, like the author was trying to do something new, so instead of werewolves, you get spiders. I found it very difficult to get my mind wrapped around the different creatures - it felt very contrived. I think this is a wonderful book for younger kids, maybe ten or eleven. There is some death, some crude language involving bullying, some minor talk about sex (ends in "EW") but for the most part, it is a book that is missing the heavy handed sexuality of paranormal teen fantasy that is currently in fashion.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Jenson_AKA_DL

This was an interesting concept that had me thinking I might enjoy this story more than this author's adult "Betsy the Vampire" series, but I was wrong. There's just something about her main characters' attitudes in both stories that I find to be overly abraisive and annoying.

The book was

moderately entertaining but certainly not a keeper. I think I'll steer clear of this author in the future having tried enough of her work for now.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Mikaela_l

This is another of those books I have eyed for years but never got around to read. When I spotted it on the library's webpage, I downloaded it on a whim. I was in the mood for a something short, and something that wasn't romance. This one fit my needs. I couldn't put it down. The voice were smooth,

with a touch of humor. The worldbuilding felt solid, the secondary characters were interesting. But what made the story for me was Jennifer. Her struggles to adjust to her new life felt real, how when she was almost adjusted to it, something happened that caused a throwback. I liked how Jennifer acted like a teenager, not an small adult. Yes, she made mistakes, some big, some small. But she is also loyal to her friends, and loves her parents.

Show Less

LibraryThing member tldegray

You know how you went through changes at puberty? Jennifer did too. Only hers changed her into a dragon. She's a little pissed off that her parents neglected to mention this side of her genetic heritage and can you blame her? One of the things that attracts me to certain YA series is how realistic

the teenager is. Jennifer is realistic. She hates being a dragon, hates that her parents kept this a secret from her, hates that she has to keep secrets from her friends, worries that her life will never be the same. It's High Teenaged Drama. Eventually as she learns about the weredragons and their hereditary enemies the werearachnids and the beaststalkers who hunt them both and as she makes new friends she starts to adjust.

Show Less

Fewer