Review: INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows

Incarnate
by Jodi Meadows
Series: Newsoul #1
Genre: Young Adult Fanstasy
Format Acquired: Paperback
Source: Bought from Fullybooked
Published January 31st 2012 by Katherine Tegen Books
Purchase: Amazon / Kobo / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

NEWSOUL

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.

NOSOUL

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.

MY REVIEW

This book is... Wow. Just WOW. It's been a while since I read something as good as this one. If you guys don't know, I took a break from reading YA titles for almost two months and this one made me want to read more. I enjoyed reading every single chapter in this book.

Incarnate is about a girl named Ana who's labeled as a 'newsoul' and sometimes 'nosoul'. Newsoul, because, ever since the beginning, souls in the world of Range reincarnated over and over again, and not  a single second in their memories is missing. But Ana is different. She is new. Her soul is new. No one knew her from their past. Everybody around her, including her own mother, thinks she's a mistake. An abomination. That Ciana should've been reincarnated in her body. Nosoul, because they hate her. They think she's a bad luck, that her very existence means something bad is going to happen in Range.

“I was an afterthought, five thousand years later. A mistake, because Ciana was gone. I was the dissonant note on the end of a masterpiece symphony. I was the brushstroke that ruined the painting.”

Ana may look weak and pitiful because of the way people treat her. But for me, she is a strong lady. She is eager to learn what is not taught to her. She learned how to read on her own. And on her 18th birthday, she finally decided to leave her mother and find out the answers for her lifelong questions.

“I'm not going to waste time being angry about things I cant control. If I only have one life, I should make the most of it.” 

Then here comes Sam, who became Ana's hero. Twice. He took care of her and accepted her in his house despite knowing her real identity. Because of him, Ana learned how to trust and love herself. With Sam, Ana grew up. Not physically, but mentally, socially, and emotionally. She learned a lot of things from him. She made new friends since she came with him to Heart.

“I've never had a home before." That must have been all the sweets talking; I'd never have told him otherwise. "I mean, staying with Li, I never felt like I belonged. That's all."

Sam touched my wrist, making me shiver. "You always have a home with me.” 

I didn't have a problem imagining the world of Range, and of Heart. I can imagine it as a beautiful world, where people have known each other for a thousand years. When somebody dies, they grieve not that much because they know that somehow that soul will come back. It's full of life and happiness, especially the market scene. And then at the center of Heart stood a tower with no doors and no windows. And the creatures, like the sylph, they're also not hard to picture out. Everything in this book is described perfectly for the readers.

I fully enjoyed reading Incarnate. Jodi Meadows impressed me from the very first chapter. Her story is unique. I never read any book similar to Ana's story. I love how each title of every chapter maybe so simple yet so deep and meaningful. I can't wait to read the next book, Asunder.

P.S. I got an ARC of Infinite! Thanks HarperCollins International!

MY RATING

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jodi Meadows

Like many writers, I’ve always wanted to do this professionally. You know, after I decided against being an astronaut.

Unlike many writers, I didn’t skip straight from picture books to adult novels. I have fond memories of going to Bookstop every month for the latest Baby-Sitters Club (which I kept reading, even after I realized they were never going to let the paranormal elements be real), and even fonder memories of hanging out in my middle school library. The librarians probably knew exactly what they were doing when they suggested book after book and discussed them with me at length. I, of course, had no clue they were turning me into a book addict, but it worked out for the best. Once I found the books where magic and other fantastic elements were real, I was hooked.

When I was twenty, I met a boy, moved 1,500 miles, and married him all within six months. I now realize that was crazy and dangerous, but it seemed natural at the time and, again, worked out for the best. Not only did we stay madly in love, he worked full time at a hard job so I could stay home to write books and, hopefully, one day get published.

The other crazy thing we did was fall in love with ferrets. They have their own bedroom.

My hobbies, aside from spending all my money on books and Kippy/ferret treats, revolve around yarn. I love crocheting, knitting, and spinning. In addition to several handspindles, I share my living room with a spinning wheel named Bob.

Author Links:

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“I let go of my wings.

Not a nosoul. Not a butterfly.

A thousand years from now, even if I was never reborn, people would remember me. Ana Incarnate.”