The ebook version of INCARNATE is currently on sale for $2.99. A steal of a deal, and worth a blind buy!
Not convinced? Check out the extended free sample and read today's review!
Check out tomorrow's review of ASUNDER, and keep reading to enter to win an autographed copy of INCARNATE!!!
I WASN'T REBORN.
I was five when I first realized how different that made me. It was the spring equinox in the Year of Souls: Soul Night, when others traded stories about things they'd done three lifetimes ago. Ten lives. Twenty. Battles against dragons, developing the first laser, and Cris's four-life quest to grow a perfect blue rose, only for everyone to declare it was purple.
No one bothered talking with me, so I'd never said a word--not ever--but I knew how to listen. They'd all lived before, had memories to share, had lives to look forward to. They danced around the trees and fire, drank until they fell over laughing, and when the time came to sing gratitude for immortality, a few glanced at me, and the clearing was so eerie quiet, you could hear the waterfall crashing on rocks a league south.
Li took me home, and the next day I collected all the words I knew and made a sentence. Everyone else remembered a hundred lifetimes before this one. I had to know why I couldn't.
"Who am I?" My first spoken words.
"No one," she said. "Nosoul."
INCARNATE was one of the best books I read in 2011 despite the fact it hadn't even come out yet. I sat on my review and meant to post it after an epic Treasure Hunt with Jodi Meadows, but it slipped onto the back burner...and then kept slipping. I kept thinking I'd reviewed this, but I never had. Since I just re-read INCARNATE in preparation for ASUNDER (Which I'll be reviewing tomorrow), I figured it was long past time for the following review:
Being completely candid, I will admit that when I first saw the cover to INCARNATE, I fell in love and was excited, but when HarperTeen was gracious enough to send an ARC and I read the summary, I just wasn't sure. Reincarnation, really? Been there, done that. Only...that's not what the Newsoul Trilogy is really about at all. Throw away all of your preconceived notions of books with reincarnation as a theme. Can you think of any other where every soul in the world is re-born again and again and again, century to century...until one soul winks out to be replaced with a brand-new soul? I can't, and this is the launching pad for Jodi Meadows' compelling series. It's completely original and innovative despite that initial use of the word "reincarnation."
Ana lives in a world where she is the only Newsoul. She hasn't lived multiple lifetimes and doesn't know things everyone else takes for granted. She's incredibly smart, and even teaches herself to read as a child when no one else will. Her mother is a woman who believes she is a Nosoul, an abomination for replacing a cherished soul that should have been reincarnated. One day, Ana has had enough and decides to venture out on her own. She's almost killed by sylph, only to be saved by Sam, a swoon-worthy character I fell completely and utterly in love with. If the mention of sylph didn't alert you, the fact that there are dragons and centaurs and phoenix surely lets you in on the Newsoul Trilogy's greatest secret: This is more of a fantasy series despite the fact that it's being classified as paranormal. The lore goes even more in-depth in ASUNDER, but even in INCARNATE, Meadows' world is rich and full. It is so easy to fall in love with Ana and her plight, to mourn at the abuse she faces over being the world's only Newsoul, to root for her happiness, and to feel chills when uncovering dangerous truths.
The biggest things that stand out to me about INCARNATE are the sheer depth of imagination displayed by Meadows and the lyrical description. I am a sucker for description, and Meadows' writing style pulls INCARNATE to the top for me. While on the surface, INCARNATE seems to be one thing, it's multi-faceted with twists and turns I never saw coming. I also love the fact that Meadows doesn't rely on insta-love, instead building something fragile and real, which lays a foundation for future books. There's also no love triangle, something else that's in way too many YA novels these days. There's a creepy villain, shady mythical creatures, characters who grow and blossom, and so many things about YA that I love. I've heard other readers say that INCARNATE starts out very slowly for them. Some have put it down, but those who have stuck with it and let it unfurl have really enjoyed the series, so if it starts slowly for you, I hope you continue reading as well. INCARNATE is truly an underappreciated treasure that I simply can't say enough good things about.
I also like the fact that if you take the dustjacket off the hardcover, not only is the book a lovely lavender, there's also a secret butterfly treasure to be found! ^.~
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.
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.
One lucky winner will receive:
Not convinced? Check out the extended free sample and read today's review!
Check out tomorrow's review of ASUNDER, and keep reading to enter to win an autographed copy of INCARNATE!!!
O P E N I N G H O O K:
I was five when I first realized how different that made me. It was the spring equinox in the Year of Souls: Soul Night, when others traded stories about things they'd done three lifetimes ago. Ten lives. Twenty. Battles against dragons, developing the first laser, and Cris's four-life quest to grow a perfect blue rose, only for everyone to declare it was purple.
No one bothered talking with me, so I'd never said a word--not ever--but I knew how to listen. They'd all lived before, had memories to share, had lives to look forward to. They danced around the trees and fire, drank until they fell over laughing, and when the time came to sing gratitude for immortality, a few glanced at me, and the clearing was so eerie quiet, you could hear the waterfall crashing on rocks a league south.
Li took me home, and the next day I collected all the words I knew and made a sentence. Everyone else remembered a hundred lifetimes before this one. I had to know why I couldn't.
"Who am I?" My first spoken words.
"No one," she said. "Nosoul."
INCARNATE was one of the best books I read in 2011 despite the fact it hadn't even come out yet. I sat on my review and meant to post it after an epic Treasure Hunt with Jodi Meadows, but it slipped onto the back burner...and then kept slipping. I kept thinking I'd reviewed this, but I never had. Since I just re-read INCARNATE in preparation for ASUNDER (Which I'll be reviewing tomorrow), I figured it was long past time for the following review:
Being completely candid, I will admit that when I first saw the cover to INCARNATE, I fell in love and was excited, but when HarperTeen was gracious enough to send an ARC and I read the summary, I just wasn't sure. Reincarnation, really? Been there, done that. Only...that's not what the Newsoul Trilogy is really about at all. Throw away all of your preconceived notions of books with reincarnation as a theme. Can you think of any other where every soul in the world is re-born again and again and again, century to century...until one soul winks out to be replaced with a brand-new soul? I can't, and this is the launching pad for Jodi Meadows' compelling series. It's completely original and innovative despite that initial use of the word "reincarnation."
Ana lives in a world where she is the only Newsoul. She hasn't lived multiple lifetimes and doesn't know things everyone else takes for granted. She's incredibly smart, and even teaches herself to read as a child when no one else will. Her mother is a woman who believes she is a Nosoul, an abomination for replacing a cherished soul that should have been reincarnated. One day, Ana has had enough and decides to venture out on her own. She's almost killed by sylph, only to be saved by Sam, a swoon-worthy character I fell completely and utterly in love with. If the mention of sylph didn't alert you, the fact that there are dragons and centaurs and phoenix surely lets you in on the Newsoul Trilogy's greatest secret: This is more of a fantasy series despite the fact that it's being classified as paranormal. The lore goes even more in-depth in ASUNDER, but even in INCARNATE, Meadows' world is rich and full. It is so easy to fall in love with Ana and her plight, to mourn at the abuse she faces over being the world's only Newsoul, to root for her happiness, and to feel chills when uncovering dangerous truths.
The biggest things that stand out to me about INCARNATE are the sheer depth of imagination displayed by Meadows and the lyrical description. I am a sucker for description, and Meadows' writing style pulls INCARNATE to the top for me. While on the surface, INCARNATE seems to be one thing, it's multi-faceted with twists and turns I never saw coming. I also love the fact that Meadows doesn't rely on insta-love, instead building something fragile and real, which lays a foundation for future books. There's also no love triangle, something else that's in way too many YA novels these days. There's a creepy villain, shady mythical creatures, characters who grow and blossom, and so many things about YA that I love. I've heard other readers say that INCARNATE starts out very slowly for them. Some have put it down, but those who have stuck with it and let it unfurl have really enjoyed the series, so if it starts slowly for you, I hope you continue reading as well. INCARNATE is truly an underappreciated treasure that I simply can't say enough good things about.
~*~
C O V E R D E S I G N:
So pretty! 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 glad to see the colors go a little darker for the second book, while still remaining a gradient, and can't wait to see what the final book will look like. What mask/symbol will be next?
~*~
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:
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.
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.
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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
Great review! This series sounds really interesting! I haven't read Incarnate yet, but I really want to!
ReplyDeleteIncarnate has one of my favorite covers of last year, the butterfly mask is gorgeous! the premise of reincarnated souls and the world talked about in the reviews I've read about for this series sound soooo intriguing.
ReplyDeleteYour themed manicure design was incredible and turned out AMAZING!! A simple clear coat can be a struggle for me so I'm always impressed when someone does their own complex manicures.
I agree! I love that one of Jodi Meadows' contests last year was to design a butterfly mask! Such a great symbol for the series!
DeleteAnd thank you so much! I've found that I get fewer bumps/etc. when staying away from a fan/breeze/etc. and doing my nails when I know I'm not doing anything for a while--maybe just watching TV. Then again, I put several coats on; if you did a coat of clear, you wouldn't have to wait as long, though I'd probably still be careful for at least an hour! Maybe if you got a fast-drying top coat like Seche Vite, which I hear is amazing.
I reread Incarnate recently too! Right before I read Asunder actually :). I had a little marathon and it was very fun! Looks like that's what your doing too. I too love this amazing cover. Great review!
ReplyDeleteJasmine
Yay, another re-reader! Did you go back and read the first paragraph of INCARNATE yet AGAIN after reading ASUNDER? I did when pulling the hook for this review, and I was like, "Cris!!!!!" I love when authors include tidbits we don't even recognize until after we've read future books!
DeleteAwesome Review!I haven't had a chance to read it but now that I read your review I need to read it ASAP!Thank you for the giveaway:)
ReplyDelete