The Shen Counter

by Nicole Jakubowski

As an empath who senses other people’s emotions, eighteen year old Jade MacKenzie is no stranger to special abilities. Her friend Morgan is a telepath and her uncle Hunter is a rare immortal. Jade enjoys sharing people’s feelings, even if it does bring on the occasional anxiety attack. Alex Mitchell, Jade’s long time friend, wants more than anything to escape his abusive father. On the verge of attending different colleges, Jade and Alex are faced with traumatic, new realities. Alex is injured and learns he has the potential to become immortal, and Jade’s parents are brutally murdered. Alex, knowing Jade is in danger, wants to become immortal to help keep her safe. But Hunter, as the only person with the power to change Alex, fights his decision every step of the way.

As details regarding Jade’s parents’ death and her own ability are revealed, Jade leans on Morgan and Hunter for support and she and Alex fall in love. Shortly after Jade begins college classes, her life is threatened by an immortal. Will Jade stay one step ahead of those seeking to destroy her?

The first in a series, THE SHEN COUNTER is a coming of age paranormal romance about a girl with an unbreakable spirit and a lonely, determined boy who together, conquer their fears to stay alive.

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2012

About the author

I love to read. I like to write. I've written two books: SHEN COUNTER and MUSTANG AND CHERRIES.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free as a Goodreads First Read. I may just be feeling a bit sentimental, but I rather liked this book; the ridiculous and abrupt plot twists struck a really good chord in conjunction with the extremely over-dramatic relationships. The main characters, Jade and her best friend Alex, are just getting ready to head off to college, and (depending on who is acknowledging their age) are 18 or 19 years old. It has become commonplace for people to show special abilities; for instance, Jade is an Empath, her friend Morgan is a Telepath, and Alex discovers that he has the Potential to become Immortal. Jade and Alex experience a series of ever-more-horrifying tragedies, bringing them closer together than ever before. The duo begin to realize just how important friends and family are in life, and draw a close-knit group to them as they discover that someone has orchestrated the recent terrible events. Is Jade more than she seems? Will Alex choose the path of the Immortals? Will they be able to live with the choices they make?
As the first novel in what appears to be an ongoing series, I appreciated the events defining the plot as being not exactly original but well-constructed. The interactions between Jade and Alex can be cloyingly sweet, but viewed in the context of possibly cosmically-connected soulmates can be excused. I appreciated the lyrical descriptions of feelings between parents and child, between friends, between lovers; again, at times it felt piled-on and unrealistic, but I never felt like it was giving me an upleasant beating over the head like in some stories (ahem Twilight ahem what?). I like to attribute that to the fact that these people all seem to have heightened senses, so perhaps it's understandable that they'd be feeling things more deeply? At any rate, this is a great first effort, and provided that it could improve with some extra proofreading and small bits of continuity editing, The Shen Counter feels like a fairly polished piece. It's a bit similar in feeling to the Roswell and Fearless novels, although the extra abilities here are generally taken as a normal course of life. I recommend it for fans of YA paranormal romance stories and sci-fi.

[Sabrina Hensley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a first read pick of mine that was sent and I must say that I really enjoyed it! It is a world where some people are born with powers, like telepathy, and focuses on 2 teens Alex and Jade and their story. The storyline is one that keeps throwing things at you, most that you aren't expecting at all, but all fits together and builds the characters so well that you can't help but want them to come out on top. There's abuse, murder, and betrayal and of course it takes a huge toll on our protagonists, but they grow from it and you feel very close to each of them. Probably the biggest surprise from the book was how emotional it is and how attached you get to Alex and Jade. From the summary alone, I almost thought it'd be more like X-Men or something with the powers, but really it's more of the characters struggles and relationship that happen to include people with powers. Their powers play a big role in the story, don't get me wrong, but it's so much more than that! I will warn that this is the first book in what is meant to be a series, I didn't know this and was kind of hoping for a novel amidst all my other series, but it was definitely a good read for me!

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply amazing! Can not wait for the next book. Should be a Bestseller in no time!!!

[Mikahla]

pretty good

[Christine Ferrant · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept of this book is intriguing, enlightening, and full on fascinating. The Characters are easy to fall in love with and to relate too. The dynamics between each of the characters inspire us to recognise love, protection, and the meaning of family. All this PLUS the added bonus of a pure original storyline that includes the wonders of a sixth sense and immortality. I truly loved reading this book. It is unpredictable, action pact, and keeps the pages turning.The only reason this is not a 5 star is due to editorial typos and a few small details. The first few pages are relatively slow paced, but within the first 6 pages....I was hooked. Great Kudos to the Author! I look forward to getting to know the characters EVEN MORE in the following book/s.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Not my normal type of book, but as you get involved with the characters and the twists and turns you will not be able to put it down. Nicole did a great job with character development and keeping you in suspense. I can not wait for the next book!!!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book. I thought that this was a very good page turner of a book. I found this book to be captivating because I was just drawn in by the story of Jade's life and how Alex fit in perfectly. I would definetly recommend this book to others. (Review written 2012 edited 2022)

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a page turner. This book was really great. It introduced you to the main group of friends/characters and their abilities. So so good. Really loved it. I don't want to write any spoilers in my review but there are some major twists in this book. Good stuff.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page-turner! Great first book - can't wait for the next in the series.