The ebook version of the first book in the Newsoul Trilogy, INCARNATE, is currently on sale for $2.99. A steal of a deal, and worth a blind buy if you haven't started this great series yet!
Check out yesterday's review of INCARNATE, and keep reading to enter to win an autographed copy of INCARNATE!!!
MY LIFE WAS a mistake.
As long as I'd been alive, I'd wanted to know why I'd been born. Why, after five thousand years of the same souls being reincarnated, my soul had slipped through the cracks of existence and burdened the people of Heart with such newness.
No one could tell me how I happened, not until the night I'd found my way into the temple with no door, trapping myself with the entity called Janan.
"Mistake," he'd said. "You are a mistake of no consequence."
I knew, as I'd always known, that I was a soul asunder.
I thought INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows was innovative, but ASUNDER is even more so, blossoming into a powerful, gripping fantasy that's hard to put down. There were so many questions left unanswered in INCARNATE that are explored in ASUNDER, some with dark, horrifying answers. The second book in the Newsoul Trilogy is grittier and rougher; some scenes even gave me chills. Meadows' imagination is vast, and she takes readers on a memorable journey. In a way, there was something fragile I can't name about INCARNATE (perhaps just that it was my first exposure to the world) that made me love it a little more, but ASUNDER is a more than worthy heir, and one that will proudly sit alongside its sibling on my shelf.
Ana is still trying to come to terms with the fact that she is the only newsoul in Heart while everyone else has been reincarnated repeatedly. She learned her existence was a mistake at the end of INCARNATE, and in ASUNDER, she will discover the dark truth about why everyone else's souls repeatedly come back. Because Ana is new, she isn't affected by the same things as everyone else. To her, the fact that the temple and walls of buildings in Heart have a heartbeat is creepy, not comforting. She is able to remember things that slip away from others, especially things that concern their existence. Together with Sam, Ana leaves Heart to explore her deceased father's research and discovers that she's a magnet for Sylph, dangerous creatures that everyone fears. When she returns to Heart, many citizens mistrust her and she is horribly bullied despite the law saying a newsoul is not to be killed. She does, however, have friends willing to back her, ones that are eager to meet more newsouls and incorporate them into their lives. Through ASUNDER, Ana discovers much about herself and realizes she does have a role to play in Heart, especially when it comes to making things safer and kinder for future newsouls...but getting everyone to trust her first is proving to be one of the most difficult tasks she'll face, especially when there are people willing to result to mayhem, destruction, and murder, to stop her.
There are so many elements of ASUNDER I can't talk about without leaving a trail of spoilers. Ana has grown so much as a character over two books, and I can't wait to see what happens to her when the final book releases next year. She's gained confidence and has a better outlook on life, thanks in part to her unwavering relationship with Sam (whom I still adore). She's more in charge of her own destiny now, though she still struggles to overcome the insecurities she's had from a lifetime of verbal abuse and neglect. There are a few devastating, heartbreaking moments in ASUNDER, as well as a particularly memorable one when the truth about reincarnated souls is revealed. We meet new characters, and Meadows is great at weaving together truth with red herrings so that readers never quite fully trust anyone, making them feel a lot like Ana herself does. A whole new, startling array of possibilities, is opened up, and I have no clue where Meadows is planning to take us next year, but I'm already anticipating the journey.
And the romance. Let's just stop and talk about the romance for a moment. I love the way romance is handled in the Newsoul Trilogy. In a way, it reminds me a lot of the Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth (also from the Katherine Tegen Books imprint of HarperTeen, no less!). Too many YA novels out there deal with insta-love or rely on love triangles or feature unhealthy aspects of a relationship that are treated as good role models for teens. With both of these series, the characters get together in Book One and are still together in Book Two. Many series would find a way to rip the characters apart again until the final book, but both of these insist on finding ways for the couples to work out their problems. There is so much work that goes into a real relationship, especially once the initial period of attraction wanes, and both of these books show the level of commitment needed to have a strong, working relationship. I applaud both of them, as well as HarperTeen, for creating such healthy examples of a good relationship!
I, for one, greatly enjoy the depth of Meadows' world and all of the elements she brings together. She reveals something stunning toward the end of ASUNDER that will really start the third book (still untitled, though I have a guess with a 5% chance of being right...same with the cover, lol) rolling. I'm also eager to see more innovativeness from Meadows, which is one of my favorite aspects of her writing. A year feels like a very long time to wait!
There's once again a secret treasure lurking beneath the dust jacket. This time, it's a rose, and the cover itself is a gorgeous shade of blue (Very similar to a nail polish shade I bought this week...^.~ I adore this color blue so, so much, and blue actually has a very important meaning in ASUNDER!)
DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.
SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.
LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection. In this second book in the Newsoul Trilogy, Ana discovers the truth about reincarnation and will have to find a way to embrace love and make her young life meaningful. Once again, Jodi Meadows explores the extraordinary beauty and shadowed depths of the soul in a story equal parts epic romance and captivating fantasy.
One lucky winner will receive:
Check out yesterday's review of INCARNATE, and keep reading to enter to win an autographed copy of INCARNATE!!!
O P E N I N G H O O K:
As long as I'd been alive, I'd wanted to know why I'd been born. Why, after five thousand years of the same souls being reincarnated, my soul had slipped through the cracks of existence and burdened the people of Heart with such newness.
No one could tell me how I happened, not until the night I'd found my way into the temple with no door, trapping myself with the entity called Janan.
"Mistake," he'd said. "You are a mistake of no consequence."
I knew, as I'd always known, that I was a soul asunder.
I thought INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows was innovative, but ASUNDER is even more so, blossoming into a powerful, gripping fantasy that's hard to put down. There were so many questions left unanswered in INCARNATE that are explored in ASUNDER, some with dark, horrifying answers. The second book in the Newsoul Trilogy is grittier and rougher; some scenes even gave me chills. Meadows' imagination is vast, and she takes readers on a memorable journey. In a way, there was something fragile I can't name about INCARNATE (perhaps just that it was my first exposure to the world) that made me love it a little more, but ASUNDER is a more than worthy heir, and one that will proudly sit alongside its sibling on my shelf.
Ana is still trying to come to terms with the fact that she is the only newsoul in Heart while everyone else has been reincarnated repeatedly. She learned her existence was a mistake at the end of INCARNATE, and in ASUNDER, she will discover the dark truth about why everyone else's souls repeatedly come back. Because Ana is new, she isn't affected by the same things as everyone else. To her, the fact that the temple and walls of buildings in Heart have a heartbeat is creepy, not comforting. She is able to remember things that slip away from others, especially things that concern their existence. Together with Sam, Ana leaves Heart to explore her deceased father's research and discovers that she's a magnet for Sylph, dangerous creatures that everyone fears. When she returns to Heart, many citizens mistrust her and she is horribly bullied despite the law saying a newsoul is not to be killed. She does, however, have friends willing to back her, ones that are eager to meet more newsouls and incorporate them into their lives. Through ASUNDER, Ana discovers much about herself and realizes she does have a role to play in Heart, especially when it comes to making things safer and kinder for future newsouls...but getting everyone to trust her first is proving to be one of the most difficult tasks she'll face, especially when there are people willing to result to mayhem, destruction, and murder, to stop her.
There are so many elements of ASUNDER I can't talk about without leaving a trail of spoilers. Ana has grown so much as a character over two books, and I can't wait to see what happens to her when the final book releases next year. She's gained confidence and has a better outlook on life, thanks in part to her unwavering relationship with Sam (whom I still adore). She's more in charge of her own destiny now, though she still struggles to overcome the insecurities she's had from a lifetime of verbal abuse and neglect. There are a few devastating, heartbreaking moments in ASUNDER, as well as a particularly memorable one when the truth about reincarnated souls is revealed. We meet new characters, and Meadows is great at weaving together truth with red herrings so that readers never quite fully trust anyone, making them feel a lot like Ana herself does. A whole new, startling array of possibilities, is opened up, and I have no clue where Meadows is planning to take us next year, but I'm already anticipating the journey.
And the romance. Let's just stop and talk about the romance for a moment. I love the way romance is handled in the Newsoul Trilogy. In a way, it reminds me a lot of the Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth (also from the Katherine Tegen Books imprint of HarperTeen, no less!). Too many YA novels out there deal with insta-love or rely on love triangles or feature unhealthy aspects of a relationship that are treated as good role models for teens. With both of these series, the characters get together in Book One and are still together in Book Two. Many series would find a way to rip the characters apart again until the final book, but both of these insist on finding ways for the couples to work out their problems. There is so much work that goes into a real relationship, especially once the initial period of attraction wanes, and both of these books show the level of commitment needed to have a strong, working relationship. I applaud both of them, as well as HarperTeen, for creating such healthy examples of a good relationship!
I, for one, greatly enjoy the depth of Meadows' world and all of the elements she brings together. She reveals something stunning toward the end of ASUNDER that will really start the third book (still untitled, though I have a guess with a 5% chance of being right...same with the cover, lol) rolling. I'm also eager to see more innovativeness from Meadows, which is one of my favorite aspects of her writing. A year feels like a very long time to wait!
~*~
C O V E R D E S I G N:
I still think these covers are pretty, and love the gradient effect! Yesterday, I posted a vlog and photos of my latest manicure, which was inspired by the cover art for this series. I'm a fan of rainbows...and butterflies...so INCARNATE's cover intrigued me the moment I first saw it online. I was wondering how HarperTeen would create a second cover, and love the way (Blue? Purple? Oh, the irony, if you've read ASUNDER!) roses are utilized, because the symbol fits in well. I can't wait to see what the final cover will look like, and already have a (likely wrong) idea of what it could potentially be. I can't wait to see!
The gradient is darker on ASUNDER than it was for INCARNATE, and this suits the book well. I really like the coloring this time around!
~*~
O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Title: INCARNATE
Author: Jodi Meadows
Author: Jodi Meadows
Release Date: Jan. 31, 2012
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books / HarperTeen
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books / HarperTeen
Received: For Review
(But I have since bought AND re-read my own copy!)
(But I have since bought AND re-read my own copy!)
SUMMARY:
DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.
SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.
LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection. In this second book in the Newsoul Trilogy, Ana discovers the truth about reincarnation and will have to find a way to embrace love and make her young life meaningful. Once again, Jodi Meadows explores the extraordinary beauty and shadowed depths of the soul in a story equal parts epic romance and captivating fantasy.
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| Sorry for the horrible image! I emailed myself the photo from my phone, then deleted the file from my phone, and somehow, it deleted the photo from my attachment, too... So this is a still from the video I filmed!!! |
*Autographed copy of INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows in paperback, complete with a butterfly drawing
*Signed bookmarks from Brodi Ashton (EVERNEATH, EVERBOUND), Cynthia Hand (UNEARTHLY, HALLOWED, BOUNDLESS), and Teri Terry (SLATED)
*An EVERBOUND guitar pick necklace
*ASUNDER stickers
I must say, the cover is soo pretty. It couldn't have been designed any better. I'm not usually a fan of having faces shown on covers...but with the mask it leaves just enough to the imagination. It's kind of perfect.
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