Incarnate [Hardcover]

I received this e-ARC for review from the publisher through NetGalley. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.

Range is an exciting fantasy world with dragons, sylph, and reincarnated souls!

For millennia, the inhabitants of Range have been reincarnated over and over again by Janan who is revered as a god. When a child is born, its palm is pressed on the Soul Scanner so that the Soul Tellers can determine whose soul has been reincarnated. Souls can be measured as a series of vibrations, and the unique sequence remains throughout the soul's lifetime no matter how many times it has been reincarnated. There comes a day when a baby girl is born and, when she is scanned, no data is available. Everyone was expecting the babe to be the reincarnation of Ciana, but she is not. Who is this child, and where did she come from?

The child is dubbed "nosoul," a derogatory name because she has no known soul and was not the reincarnation of anyone that is known. The kinder folks refer to her as "new soul" because her soul is new rather than believing that she has no soul. They call her Ana, and her name is taken from Ciana whose soul she replaced.

Ana has a horrid upbringing and is both physically and mentally abused by her domineering mother, Li. When she turns 18 years old, Ana decides that she wants to travel to the city of Heart where it is her fervent hope that she will discover how and why she came to be and whether there is any chance that she will be reincarnated when she dies. Li tries to sabotage Ana's quest by giving her a faulty compass, and Ana ends up wandering too deeply into the forests where the sylph roam. She tries to avoid a sylph attack by diving off a cliff into the freezing water below. She is rescued by Sam, who not only nurses her back to health but helps her to get to Heart. Once there, he receives permission from the Council to be appointed as Ana's guardian.

To be honest, I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy the story given that reincarnation is not consistent with my own beliefs. I am actually pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it! I loved Ana, and my heart just broke at the cruelty of Li and the residents of Heart. Ana and Sam have a lot of chemistry, and it was nice to see their relationship grow and change over time. Sam acts as a bit of an anchor for Ana, and she counts on him as she has counted on no one else in her life. I really enjoyed the snippets of Sam's past lives, but it wasn't nearly enough! I hope we learn more about him.

To be Ana, a stranger in a world where everyone has known each other for thousands of years, would be terribly frightening! I thought that Meadows did a great job in playing both sides: Not only could I relate to how Ana would feel in such a situation, but I also could empathize with the residents of Heart who were distrustful and wary of Ana's existence. I think that only a skillful writer can accomplish such a feat!

I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, which is expected to be released in 2013 which is just way too far away! With the way this book ended, the next one promises to be exciting and tumultuous! There are a lot of unanswered questions and lots of possibilities to explore, and I am eager to see how this plays out.

And let's not forget that gorgeous cover! That alone would suck me into buying the book.

MY RATING: 5 stars!! Loved it!! Thanks to both HarperCollins and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book!

Reincarnation? Yeah, we've all read those books before. A book filled with creepy paranormal activity and soulmates complete with insta-love. Or so I thought prior to reading Incarnate...

Whatever impressions I had of Incarnate prior to reading it were absolutely blown away. This is an incredible, outstanding debut and the extent of Jodi's creativity and talent is extensive.

Reasons to Read:

1.A fantasy world:
I was expecting Incarnate to be another paranormal (a GOOD paranormal, but still a paranormal romance) but I quickly realized I was wrong; the world of Incarnate is this mystical creation positively oozing creativity! The world building and explanation of the background was nearly flawless, as it's complicated enough to leave some mystery but never becomes convoluted. And the setting is so unlike any other I've ever read about; it's honestly worth reading Incarnate for this reason alone. But thankfully, there are others to take it over the top. The story itself also raises some great questions about love and even faith, and that sense of not quite fitting in. So, so beautiful.

2.Truly swoon-worthy romance:I told Jodi this on Twitter, but she honestly wrote one of my favourite kissing scenes EVER. It was so well done, and I love that she took the time in Incarnate to build up the tension and anticipation leading up towards it. The whole romantic plot felt so natural but also didn't feel exaggerated; Ana doesn't spend all of her time obsessing over her new crush, which is a relief. Plus, Sam makes such a great love interest. He's really very sweet and totally crush-worthy. *melts into a puddle of lovesick goop*

3.Some well-rounded characters:
Initially I was on the fence trying to decide how I felt about Ana, but she won me over. I think it took some time for her to really develop as a character, but by the end I was impressed with how well-developed quite a few of the characters were, and in particular Sam and Ana. Plus, Ana and I totally ended up seeing eye-to-eye on what some of the issues and complications were of this concept of reincaranation. And I LOVED that she was willing to question those things and ask hard questions.

4.Fantastic, creative premise:
Incarnate really is one of the most imaginative books I've read; and I love that it's been released now because I kind of felt like I was in a rut of reading the same types of books over and over. So hurray for a new one that really stands out among the rest! It was a great take on reincarnation and I love the amount of thought that Jodi put into it.

5.Jodi's writing style:
Plus I really loved Jodi's writing, I thought it was so smooth and the book had such a natural flow to it. It's impossible to put down, and I liked how I was able to pick up on the voices of the different characters.
There were a few secondary characters that I felt could have been fleshed out a bit more, but I'm hoping to see more of them in the next books. And it was fairly minor in the big scheme of things.

It's true love for Incarnate. I'll be counting down to the sequel and anxiously trying to find time for a reread with this one!

ARC received from HarperCollins Canada in exchange for my honest review; no other compensation received.

There are so many things I want to say about this book. I want to pour all my thoughts, feelings, emotions about this book onto the page and pray they do Incarnate justice. What a beautiful, beautiful novel. I think that would be the best way to sum it up. Even in it’s most disturbing, and painful moments Incarnate manages to be stunning.

Originality is something I appreciate in a novel, as is themes apart from the story. Incarnate had both of these in spades. The story tackled issues like abuse, identity, and exclusion with precision, and passion. It was heart-wrenching reading about Ana’s upbringing, and enraging knowing the cruelty she had to face not only in her home, but in this warped society was well. I wanted to stand in front of Ana, and protect her from the abuse. But Ana wasn’t some down-trodden soul, but a determined and courageous one. Reading about her growth, and her journey made me smile, and made me feel proud of this beautiful New Soul. I loved her relationship with Sam as well. It didn’t seem fake, or cheesy but rather honest and refreshing. I couldn’t help but smile at their conversations, and felt my heart give a little squeeze in anticipation. Sam himself was such a genuinely great guy. Not perfect, but heartfelt and sweet, which I loved.

The plot line of Incarnate was such a new idea! I loved the idea, and Jodi Meadows wrote a fantastic story to match. The idea of reincarnation was given new life, and made you question if this constant simply made the world stagnant. The edition of dragons and sylphs to the story was also great. Can’t say I’ve read about dragons in a very long time! But, the fantastical monsters were nowhere near was frightening as the human monsters. Usually “soul” is synonymous with the world “pure” but in this case, many of these souls were blackened to the core. It was amazing how such a seemingly “perfect” society could harbor such judgement.

Overall, Incarnate blew me away. It was spectacular, creative, and simply fantastic. Jodi Meadows, you are on my must-buy list! Check out this book. You’ll feel the same way!