Recent Reads: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Incarnate (Newwoul #1), Jodie Meadows

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Age Group / Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Published: 1/31/2012, Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins)

# of Pages: 384 (Hardcover)

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Source:  I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a thoughtful and honest review. This has in no way affected my review.

Synopsis from Goodreads:  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.

My Review:  I think I benefitted from not having any expectations about this book going in. Yes, I had seen the INCREDIBLE cover and I knew the story involved reincarnation and the introduction of a new soul, but that was about it. I'd avoided reviews and all the hype surrounding its release. There was nothing for it to live up to, so I guess I was simply able to enjoy it.

I will admit that I found it to be a little slow and the writing style a little jerky in the beginning. And while I didn't click instantly with Ana, the story was very romantic and Sam was incredibly dreamy, so I was easily drawn in by the developing love story. I was also unable to tear myself away from the mystery that is Ana. Where did she come from? Will she be reborn? Why was she born in Ciana's place? And what the heck is up with that temple? Why do the dragons attack? Where do the Sylph come from? I felt like I was reading the Lost of books. I had to keep turning pages because there were so many questions and theories swirling around in my head.

Incarnate is unique and deeply intriguing, filled with tons of mystery and romance. And for such a slow-paced, almost laid-back book, I found my pulse accelerating an awful lot. There were just these moments that captured my attention (usually when Sam was on the page) and made me want more. More what? I don't know. I just felt like there should have been more. I don't know, I guess I'll have to wait until the end of the series to be fully satisfied.

The ending felt a bit rushed and a lot is thrown at the reader all at once. It does take some effort to wade through and process, but overall Incarnate is a great read and I highly recommend it to lovers of YA fantasy and romance. The sequel is definitely on my must read list!

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