Reception
The character received mostly mixed reviews from critics but positive reviews from fans. According to Sabina Qazi from Dawn.com:
Sage has given most of the other characters more attention than was warranted, blurring the line between the protagonists and the secondary characters, Jenna hardly emerge as a hero. Furthermore, the ease with which they, along with their aunt Zelda, dispatch their awe-inspiring enemy, Hunter, takes away a bit from their glory. Yet this very element, makes for light and humorous reading and renders the children more identifiable.
She also said that Jenna is a well-rounded character and is identifiable in a real world scenario. Her character comes off like the new best friend somebody has in the neighbourhood. Cat Maniego from Manila Standard Today described her as a dark-haired girl with strong resolve. But she expressed disappointment over the somewhat ambiguous characterization of Jenna. According to her:
As the Princess or Queenling, she comes from a turbulent past and is thrust into the anonymous world of ordinary society without any inkling of her royal background. The reader is therefore left guessing whether or not she has it in her to rise to the tenets of her position as ruler of the Castle. Hopefully she becomes more fleshed out in the succeeding books.
From a review in Childrensbooksreview, one reviewer said that with Physik the character of Jenna was more enjoyable and real than ever. She is like the main character numero uno.
According to Bookguild her character comes off as:
a strong and courageous young lady, just as her adoptive brother Septimus is a strong and courageous young man. She has matured from the average little girl who wants to deny being a princess and just hide.
Fantasy Literature gave a positive review for her character and said that Jenna is a bright, good and compassionate protagonist. Together with Septimus, they make a good team and are friendly, likeable and intelligent characters in their own right. However, they pointed out that her character has similarities with Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter in that Jenna is also the youngest of seven siblings, all boys, including twins. One weakness in the plot discussed in their review was the lack of a significant relationship between Jenna and her biological father. He has a cameo role in the second book, but their relationship is not explored at all.
Read more about this topic: Jenna Heap
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