Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Genre: Young Adult-Fantasy
Source: ARC from Publisher
Series: 1st in the Newsoul Trilogy
Buy It: The Book Depository, The Dolphin Bookshop (Shop Indie!)
Challenge: Free Reads, DAC 2012
First Line: "I wasn't reborn"

New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

      I first noticed Incarnate this summer.  I mean, how could I not.  This cover is simply stunning.  I went and requested an ARC from Harper Collins and was really excited when my request was fulfilled!  I don't regret my request!
     Incarnate by Jodi Meadows had a great plot along with fantastic world building!  I really liked the whole vibe in the city of Heart and the area of Range.  I thought it was interesting learning about this new world.  It wasn't the same old "the world is ending" scene like one that you might find in a Dystopian book (even though Incarnate is fantasy).  It was just nice to see something different.  I really liked the idea of a YA novel centered around reincarnation.  I've always found that subject pretty interesting!  I also really enjoyed the writing.  Jodi Meadows writes with prose that was sometimes so wonderful that it could've passed for poetry.  Everything was descriptive enough to be beautiful but, fortunately not over the top.  I also really enjoyed the role of music and books in Incarnate.  I loved that Ana had an outlet for her distress.  I also loved the twists at the end of the book!  They really shook things up a lot and kept me reading!
     One thing that I didn't really like in Incarnate was the time.  By time, I mean that I was confused in the technological advances.  I felt like the city of Heart gave off an ancient vibe but, it was ruined when SEDs and Lasers were spoken of.  That really confused me.  I felt like the technological situation was kind of awkward.  I also thought the beginning of the book was kind of slow but, it definitely picked up eventually.  
     At first, I was having mixed feelings about Ana.  I originally thought that she was kind of whiney but, I got to like her a lot more as the book went on.  I definitely liked her growth throughout the book. I loved her passion for music and knowledge and her innocence.  I also loved that the book is in 1st person point of view.  I thought that this definitely helps readers to relate to Ana and see things through her eyes.  I loved Sam.  I thought that his relationship with Ana was beautiful.  I thought that the growth of their romance was great.  It definitely wasn't insta-love and I really liked that.  Even though the story was set in an imaginary world, the feelings of every character were so believable.  Especially the romance!  I also enjoyed how Stef's character shook things up between Ana and Sam (wow, I've already used that phrase twice in this review!).  I don't want to give anything away but, Jodi Meadows wrote one of the best kissing scenes!  Don't worry, I didn't say who with! :)
     Overall, I really liked Incarnate.  It wasn't anything like what I've read before.  I really enjoyed the writing in this book!  It was beautiful!  There were many twists and turns in the book and I loved the turn of events!  Don't miss out on this fantastic debut!


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