leigh_reidelberger's review against another edition
2.0
To begin, it can often be difficult to critique a YA book, as they are obviously geared towards teenagers, and not 30 year olds. My husband teaches high school, so a lot of YA lit passes through our house. Incarnate was one that his students seemed to talk a lot about.
I suspect a lot of junior high and high school girls will love this book.
However, I could barely tolerate it.
The concept of the book is very cool. The idea that all souls are recycled again and again until one day, a soul doesn't return and a brand new one is put in its place. Interesting, yeah? It should be.
The book is first person narration, but oddly, I kept forgetting that. Jodi Meadows managed to frequently lose her own character's voice. Ana, our main girl nosoul, is one dimensional, bratty, and strangely self-absorbed. She is 100% the embodiment of a stereotypical teenage girl. This is unfortunate, as she has the potential to be a really strong female character for girls to read about. She could be courageous, instead she is whiny.
Naturally there is a love story to clutter it all up. It's clunky and awkward. Not young-love awkward, but "Did she really just write that?" near embarrassing awkward. Instead of being romantic, it left me feeling uncomfortable.
Another aspect I struggled with- references to a lot of 'creatures' that aren't readily explained. Ana fears the Sylph- what is it? It felt like forever before it was even described. As a reader, I wasn't able to comprehend why she was afraid because I had no idea what it was. Sine mentions a Roc, that they should watch out for them. The Rocs were never mentioned again. Fantasy can be a very tricky genre- you create a whole new world, but you *must* provide some hint of description to your readers. You can't assume the reader will simply understand the fear.
The story did get slightly more interesting towards the end. Soap opera drama explodes about 75% of the way through. It ultimately felt underdeveloped and rushed.
I suspect a lot of junior high and high school girls will love this book.
However, I could barely tolerate it.
The concept of the book is very cool. The idea that all souls are recycled again and again until one day, a soul doesn't return and a brand new one is put in its place. Interesting, yeah? It should be.
The book is first person narration, but oddly, I kept forgetting that. Jodi Meadows managed to frequently lose her own character's voice. Ana, our main girl nosoul, is one dimensional, bratty, and strangely self-absorbed. She is 100% the embodiment of a stereotypical teenage girl. This is unfortunate, as she has the potential to be a really strong female character for girls to read about. She could be courageous, instead she is whiny.
Naturally there is a love story to clutter it all up. It's clunky and awkward. Not young-love awkward, but "Did she really just write that?" near embarrassing awkward. Instead of being romantic, it left me feeling uncomfortable.
Another aspect I struggled with- references to a lot of 'creatures' that aren't readily explained. Ana fears the Sylph- what is it? It felt like forever before it was even described. As a reader, I wasn't able to comprehend why she was afraid because I had no idea what it was. Sine mentions a Roc, that they should watch out for them. The Rocs were never mentioned again. Fantasy can be a very tricky genre- you create a whole new world, but you *must* provide some hint of description to your readers. You can't assume the reader will simply understand the fear.
The story did get slightly more interesting towards the end. Soap opera drama explodes about 75% of the way through. It ultimately felt underdeveloped and rushed.
meganmreads's review against another edition
3.0
Review originally published at Love Literature Art and Reason book review blog.
I’ve had Incarnate on my Kindle for an eternity. I picked it up during one of those 1.99 or 2.99 deals and never looked at it again. I finally thought about it when searching for books to fit the Romance Set in the Future category of the 2016 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge. It doesn’t really fit, but I was already reading it, so at least I knocked off a book from my ever growing TBR list, right?
Incarnate was set in a place known as the Range where a finite number of people had always been there. From the beginning of time, when Janna (God) created them, they moved into Heart and settled. Those same souls were reincarnated every time they died and held memories of their previous lives. For 5000 years, these souls existed and came back with each new birth after a death. Until Ana, a Newsoul, who replaced the soul of Ciana after she died, apparently for the final time. Ana was ostracized in her community. Her father left, perhaps out of cowardice, perhaps to do research because that was how he was. Her mother was a warrior and she was awful to Ana, but raised her for 18 years nonetheless. To Li, her mother, Ana was not just a Newsoul but a Nosoul. She shouldn’t love or feel or anything substantial because that is what souls do. Essentially, it seemed like the bodies, appearances, and what not changed with each reincarnation, but their personalities never did. They held onto the traits that drove them and the emotions like love. Therefore, if those things were connected to their soul, Li didn’t believe Ana could feel them.
Ana left her cottage and ventured to the city center, Heart, to visit the library and learn more about who she was. She encountered a monster, what the people called Sylphs, and dove into a freezing lake where she was later saved by Sam. He befriended her and they had a connection.
I was intrigued by the whole premise. It was certainly interesting. It seemed like the society had a ton of modern technology as each generation was able to work on their individual projects and grow them, evolving society. But monsters and dragons existed and plagued Heart often. I really enjoyed the whole idea and I love that the author created such a situation for these people. I wished for more world building other than the beginning sort of explanation, so I felt a little lost trying to picture a modern society that doesn’t actually grow.
I enjoyed Incarnate, but it fell short of my expectations about halfway through as I realized it didn’t live up to its potential. The book had the potential to explore so many themes, the biggest one being the issue of squandering your life because you know you will come back after your death. Ana only had one life and she appeared to be more impulsive. She was proving society wrong by teaching herself things like reading and music without having already known about those things. She had the capacity to learn in a way that the others did not expect with her being so young. It was an issue that could have been explored better. It seemed as if she was onto something with the walls pulsing and the dragons being attracted to the pulses, but the connection was never really made. The fact that Janna, their creator, supposedly existed and abandoned them and the death of a soul being punishment wasn’t even full explored. Ana’s father had a ton of research about souls and expressed his accidental discovery of how to bring a Newsoul into the world, but it was one of those quick things at the end. It didn’t even explore the social aspects of being around the same people over and over and over and over again. It seemed as if people trusted each other, but I don’t know that that’s how it would work. If you always have the same people over and over, I felt like there’d be more distrust and feelings of betrayal. How do you work out relationships when your mom in one life could be your lover in another life? I almost think it would have worked better if the population was simply immortal and Ana was the first newcomer or something. Also, if people have been around for 5000 years, why have they never figured out why dragons were so drawn to Heart and how to prevent/fight back? Why hasn’t anyone explored better options?
Basically, Incarnate was about Sam and Ana and them falling in love while the world broke around them. Ana was a threat to a way of life. For someone as old as he was, Sam seemed to not understand what has happening and the two of them were just incredibly naive. Their love story was just so.. Strange.
I really liked the premise and I even liked the connection between Sam and Ana, but I just feel like the story didn’t head in the directions I wanted it to and didn’t go as deep into such a unique situation as I expected. I liked the book and would still recommend it, but I’d have to caution that it’s more of a YA romance than anything else, despite the cool and original ideas presented. It was a good read, but I’m more frustrated by the direction and lack of exploration of the themes and less interested in what happens next, so I won’t be continuing the series.
I’ve had Incarnate on my Kindle for an eternity. I picked it up during one of those 1.99 or 2.99 deals and never looked at it again. I finally thought about it when searching for books to fit the Romance Set in the Future category of the 2016 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge. It doesn’t really fit, but I was already reading it, so at least I knocked off a book from my ever growing TBR list, right?
Incarnate was set in a place known as the Range where a finite number of people had always been there. From the beginning of time, when Janna (God) created them, they moved into Heart and settled. Those same souls were reincarnated every time they died and held memories of their previous lives. For 5000 years, these souls existed and came back with each new birth after a death. Until Ana, a Newsoul, who replaced the soul of Ciana after she died, apparently for the final time. Ana was ostracized in her community. Her father left, perhaps out of cowardice, perhaps to do research because that was how he was. Her mother was a warrior and she was awful to Ana, but raised her for 18 years nonetheless. To Li, her mother, Ana was not just a Newsoul but a Nosoul. She shouldn’t love or feel or anything substantial because that is what souls do. Essentially, it seemed like the bodies, appearances, and what not changed with each reincarnation, but their personalities never did. They held onto the traits that drove them and the emotions like love. Therefore, if those things were connected to their soul, Li didn’t believe Ana could feel them.
Ana left her cottage and ventured to the city center, Heart, to visit the library and learn more about who she was. She encountered a monster, what the people called Sylphs, and dove into a freezing lake where she was later saved by Sam. He befriended her and they had a connection.
I was intrigued by the whole premise. It was certainly interesting. It seemed like the society had a ton of modern technology as each generation was able to work on their individual projects and grow them, evolving society. But monsters and dragons existed and plagued Heart often. I really enjoyed the whole idea and I love that the author created such a situation for these people. I wished for more world building other than the beginning sort of explanation, so I felt a little lost trying to picture a modern society that doesn’t actually grow.
I enjoyed Incarnate, but it fell short of my expectations about halfway through as I realized it didn’t live up to its potential. The book had the potential to explore so many themes, the biggest one being the issue of squandering your life because you know you will come back after your death. Ana only had one life and she appeared to be more impulsive. She was proving society wrong by teaching herself things like reading and music without having already known about those things. She had the capacity to learn in a way that the others did not expect with her being so young. It was an issue that could have been explored better. It seemed as if she was onto something with the walls pulsing and the dragons being attracted to the pulses, but the connection was never really made. The fact that Janna, their creator, supposedly existed and abandoned them and the death of a soul being punishment wasn’t even full explored. Ana’s father had a ton of research about souls and expressed his accidental discovery of how to bring a Newsoul into the world, but it was one of those quick things at the end. It didn’t even explore the social aspects of being around the same people over and over and over and over again. It seemed as if people trusted each other, but I don’t know that that’s how it would work. If you always have the same people over and over, I felt like there’d be more distrust and feelings of betrayal. How do you work out relationships when your mom in one life could be your lover in another life? I almost think it would have worked better if the population was simply immortal and Ana was the first newcomer or something. Also, if people have been around for 5000 years, why have they never figured out why dragons were so drawn to Heart and how to prevent/fight back? Why hasn’t anyone explored better options?
Basically, Incarnate was about Sam and Ana and them falling in love while the world broke around them. Ana was a threat to a way of life. For someone as old as he was, Sam seemed to not understand what has happening and the two of them were just incredibly naive. Their love story was just so.. Strange.
I really liked the premise and I even liked the connection between Sam and Ana, but I just feel like the story didn’t head in the directions I wanted it to and didn’t go as deep into such a unique situation as I expected. I liked the book and would still recommend it, but I’d have to caution that it’s more of a YA romance than anything else, despite the cool and original ideas presented. It was a good read, but I’m more frustrated by the direction and lack of exploration of the themes and less interested in what happens next, so I won’t be continuing the series.
the_cover_contessa's review against another edition
4.0
When I first started reading this book, I was sure that I would not like it. I found it a bit confusing and couldn't understand what was happening. But by the third or fourth chapter I was hooked. I really enjoyed how the author intermingled the sci-fi/urban fiction/dystopian genre with the mythological genre. It was so different. The main female character was very well developed, although I do wish she was stronger. I can see that this might be something the author continues to develop with the next book. I didn't want to put it down, so it must have been at least likeable! LOL! I do recommend it to anyone who enjoys these types of genres, again, not sure exactly where it falls. I do look forward to the next book in this series.
laphenix's review against another edition
2.0
The narrator's villains all oozed with squeaky condescension, and the story and world both felt underdeveloped, particularly, elements sprung up as needed making the reader feel ungrounded in the world.
pollyroth's review against another edition
1.0
1.5 stars
So after reading the goodreads synopsis, it seemed this book held promise. A world different from ours, romance, and a soul searching protagonist. And based off this synopsis, I thought Ana would actually, oh I don't know, look for clues about why she's the first new soul? That seems logical right? I thought so too.
The real summary should be: Ana is a newsoul; the first in five thousand years. Finally free from her traumatizing mother Li, Ana sets out on her own to discover why she is what she is. But then she meets Sam, and suddenly her priorities change. Now all she wants is to be taken care of by this alluring, five thousand year old in a eighteen year old's body.
Much different, right?
So for the first tenish pages, Ana reminded me of Juliette from Shatter Me . I mean, her parents cause extreme traumatic feelings and she was different from everyone else, marked as an unnatural being. But after those ten pages, Ana goes from a strong, finally independent woman to a sniveling wimp who needs someone to take care of her burns and kiss them to make them better. I honestly don't get how someone cannot manage a 5 day walk when their hands are burned! So within the first twenty pages, I already hated Ana.
My next problem was lack of explanation. What exactly are sylphs? Why are there dragons? Are they on Earth? How technologically advanced is this civilization? And so many more. Ana asks so many freaking questions, but none of them build any depth to how this world came to be.
The romance in this book was so forced it is unbearable. Ana really only likes Sam because he's nice to her. And what she doesn't consider is that even though he has a teenagers body, Sam is five thousand years old! Would she love him if he looked like that? Um..ya, no! And then Sam's side makes it seem like he's in love with a little kid. He treats her like a little kid and never truly treats her as an equal. In fact, he uses her in a way. He uses her physical attraction to him as a way to make her forgive and forget all the lying and sneaking behind her back. And Ana never for a second doubts that he actually cares for her when all evidence points otherwise. Sam never apologizes to her and all Ana does is apologize.
One more thing that adds confusion to the book is Ana's upbringing. Because Liv lied so often, most facts she originally gave us were wrong. So basically everything she says after halfway through the book contradicts what she said before.
The only reason I finished this book is because I paid for it and felt obligated to. There was nothing about this book I liked, and feel like I wasted my time.
So after reading the goodreads synopsis, it seemed this book held promise. A world different from ours, romance, and a soul searching protagonist. And based off this synopsis, I thought Ana would actually, oh I don't know, look for clues about why she's the first new soul? That seems logical right? I thought so too.
The real summary should be: Ana is a newsoul; the first in five thousand years. Finally free from her traumatizing mother Li, Ana sets out on her own to discover why she is what she is. But then she meets Sam, and suddenly her priorities change. Now all she wants is to be taken care of by this alluring, five thousand year old in a eighteen year old's body.
Much different, right?
So for the first tenish pages, Ana reminded me of Juliette from Shatter Me . I mean, her parents cause extreme traumatic feelings and she was different from everyone else, marked as an unnatural being. But after those ten pages, Ana goes from a strong, finally independent woman to a sniveling wimp who needs someone to take care of her burns and kiss them to make them better. I honestly don't get how someone cannot manage a 5 day walk when their hands are burned! So within the first twenty pages, I already hated Ana.
My next problem was lack of explanation. What exactly are sylphs? Why are there dragons? Are they on Earth? How technologically advanced is this civilization? And so many more. Ana asks so many freaking questions, but none of them build any depth to how this world came to be.
The romance in this book was so forced it is unbearable. Ana really only likes Sam because he's nice to her. And what she doesn't consider is that even though he has a teenagers body, Sam is five thousand years old! Would she love him if he looked like that? Um..ya, no! And then Sam's side makes it seem like he's in love with a little kid. He treats her like a little kid and never truly treats her as an equal. In fact, he uses her in a way. He uses her physical attraction to him as a way to make her forgive and forget all the lying and sneaking behind her back. And Ana never for a second doubts that he actually cares for her when all evidence points otherwise. Sam never apologizes to her and all Ana does is apologize.
One more thing that adds confusion to the book is Ana's upbringing. Because Liv lied so often, most facts she originally gave us were wrong. So basically everything she says after halfway through the book contradicts what she said before.
The only reason I finished this book is because I paid for it and felt obligated to. There was nothing about this book I liked, and feel like I wasted my time.
ninespo's review against another edition
5.0
Ich brauche den nächsten Band. >.< Schon wieder eine Trilogie, die mich gefangen hält. Fies!
krismoon's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this YA- quite a few elements to this book, the most interesting to me was that all of the people had been reincarnated. You can tell Jodi Meadows really thought it through, and what it would mean to live over 300 times and remember it all.
emilymahar's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely LOVED Incarnate! From the beginning I found myself loving the main character, Ana. I loved her personality. From the moment that she meets Sam I loved her even more because she showed her stubborn side. Ana went through a TON in Incarnate and she really is a fighter. I also really liked Sam, of course. But who wouldn't? He's funny, smart, adorable, etc.
Along with all of the amazing characters, the story was so unique and so many different aspects that I loved, too. First there were sylphs - dark shadow things that can kill you with their burns. (For some reason I just kept picturing the dementors from Harry Potter...). Then there were DRAGONS! I loved how they were introduced into the story, and they added the danger aspect along with the sylphs! And of course there are the souls, who are really the main characters. I really liked how they were reincarnated into different bodies in different lives each time. It made it interesting when you learn about the different romances and relationships between the characters due to different physical appearances not going along with their real ages.
Overall, Incarnate was amazing and I couldn't put it down! I loved every bit of it, and can't wait to read Asunder!!
+ The cover is spectacular!
Along with all of the amazing characters, the story was so unique and so many different aspects that I loved, too. First there were sylphs - dark shadow things that can kill you with their burns. (For some reason I just kept picturing the dementors from Harry Potter...). Then there were DRAGONS! I loved how they were introduced into the story, and they added the danger aspect along with the sylphs! And of course there are the souls, who are really the main characters. I really liked how they were reincarnated into different bodies in different lives each time. It made it interesting when you learn about the different romances and relationships between the characters due to different physical appearances not going along with their real ages.
Overall, Incarnate was amazing and I couldn't put it down! I loved every bit of it, and can't wait to read Asunder!!
+ The cover is spectacular!
artsyreadergirl's review
5.0
(Originally posted at my blog, That Artsy Reader Girl)
Do you ever read a book that leaves you thinking, "Ok, how on Earth am I supposed to go about reviewing that?" Don't get me wrong. I loved this book. Sometimes, though, I come across a book I love so much, that it leaves me wordless. Haha. This was one of them. I'm not sure exactly what it was that made me love it so much. Perhaps it was the sweeping, yet believable non-insta-love romance, the unique take on a utopian world, or the writing that I totally got. You know how sometimes your brain and an author's writing style just mesh, and you're writing in your mind the exact same story you're reading? Jodi just did everything right. She and I were on the same wavelength, and I totally got her. I'm not saying the book was predictable, because it totally wasn't. I'm saying that everything she wrote was exactly what I wanted. I got my romance, my mystery, my alternate world, my suspense, my excitement. Let's see if I can break this down for you in a way that makes sense. Haha. I'm really into putting my thoughts into numbered lists right now, so that's what I'm going to do. It works for me.
1. I really loved reading about Ana's journey to Heart. The very beginning of the book just sucked me in, and I was sold. It was suspenseful, and adventurous. It was also a great way to be introduced into this world. We're introduced to the sylph, which are vicious invisible fire breathers that burn anything in their path. Whoa.
2. And then we meet Sam. I LOVE SAM. He might just be one of my favorite YA male characters. Because he's been reincarnated so many times, he's extremely smart, talented, and mature. He's unbelievably caring and considerate. People in this world hate Ana because in order for her to be born, a person had to die and never be reincarnated again. Her birth was a complete mistake, and people resent her not only because she "stole" a life, but because they are worried that more people like her will be born in the future. Sam's totally not on board with their train of thought, though. He adores her and helps her figure out that she's worth so much more than her birth mother has been telling her her whole life. And he's musical. He made me melt a little.
3. I really enjoyed learning about Heart. The walls have a heartbeat. There's a mysterious temple with no doors that is so tall, you can't see the top of it. It's so huge that almost the entire human race lives there. Plus, it's been there since the beginning of time. The inhabitants of this place said they just stumbled upon it after being born the first time. They think it was given to them by their God, Janan (which is so close to my name. woot!), to protect them from the dangerous beasts of the world.
4. The Masquerade Ball is flat-out one of the most beautiful scenes in the book. The ball is held for two souls who have pledged their undying love for one another across all their incarnations, even if sometimes one of them happens to be 80 and the other one 5. Or... if they both happen to come back as members of the same gender. It's their souls that matter, not their bodies or age. So they celebrate this ceremony with a masquerade ball, where nobody knows who anyone is dressed as. The goal is for this couple to find each other anyway. What a beautiful underlying message of eternal love knowing no bounds. It's a breathtaking thought. And wow, this ball was sexy. I'll leave it at that!
5. The action and suspense! Dragons, Sylph, people out to kill Ana and Sam... SO exciting! I was flipping pages faster than I could read, and had to press the back button on my Kindle to go back. (Anyone else ever do that? Haha.)
6. Music was a HUGE part of this book. Sam's an amazing musician, and Ana connects with music on the same level I do. Music has always been one of the main elements of my life. It brings out such strong emotions and feelings in me. I connect with it on so many levels, just like she mentions throughout this story. I identified with her so much for this reason.
7. The lyrical writing was gorgeous, but not over the top or flowery. Like I said, I just got it. I don't want to give away too many details, because it's something you've got to experience on your own.
8. There were no hidden agendas in this book. There were points where the people seem to be very religious and devoted to their God, but this was not preachy at all. I didn't feel like anything was being shoved down my throat. There were also a few moments that could almost be identified as anti-religious, but again I didn't feel like the author was trying to sway me one way or another. Remember in my review of Halo when I said that a good author can write a religion without preaching it? This book, unlike Halo, was a good example of an author who handles it without trying to force someone to have an opinion. I really appreciated that.
9. The idea of reincarnation was handled in a very interesting way. These people live, they die. Then they are reincarnated into a new body (male or female) and come back as a grown human in a baby's body. They come out smart, and with all the memories of their previous lives. It's a very cool idea, and opens the door for many interesting and well-rounded characters. I loved it.
10. And... I just have to mention the cover. It's gorgeous. And unlike some book covers, this cover tells so much about the story itself. I'm not going to elaborate on this because I don't want to spoil anything, but I might just have to buy a hard copy of this book so I can own the cover. I'm a graphic designer, and I really appreciate art that is done for a better reason that to "just look pretty". This is one of the best examples I've seen of a cover that very subtly opens a window to the story. You'll understand what I mean once you read it.
All in all, read this book! It's new, it's fresh, it's romantic, and it's pretty much awesome. I can't wait for the next one!
(Wonder why I classified this as a utopia instead of a dystopia? A utopia is when the community or society is perfect or ideal, and there are no thoughts of running away or escaping. A dystopia is when the condition of that place is extremely bad or unpleasant.)
★★★★★+
Do you ever read a book that leaves you thinking, "Ok, how on Earth am I supposed to go about reviewing that?" Don't get me wrong. I loved this book. Sometimes, though, I come across a book I love so much, that it leaves me wordless. Haha. This was one of them. I'm not sure exactly what it was that made me love it so much. Perhaps it was the sweeping, yet believable non-insta-love romance, the unique take on a utopian world, or the writing that I totally got. You know how sometimes your brain and an author's writing style just mesh, and you're writing in your mind the exact same story you're reading? Jodi just did everything right. She and I were on the same wavelength, and I totally got her. I'm not saying the book was predictable, because it totally wasn't. I'm saying that everything she wrote was exactly what I wanted. I got my romance, my mystery, my alternate world, my suspense, my excitement. Let's see if I can break this down for you in a way that makes sense. Haha. I'm really into putting my thoughts into numbered lists right now, so that's what I'm going to do. It works for me.
1. I really loved reading about Ana's journey to Heart. The very beginning of the book just sucked me in, and I was sold. It was suspenseful, and adventurous. It was also a great way to be introduced into this world. We're introduced to the sylph, which are vicious invisible fire breathers that burn anything in their path. Whoa.
2. And then we meet Sam. I LOVE SAM. He might just be one of my favorite YA male characters. Because he's been reincarnated so many times, he's extremely smart, talented, and mature. He's unbelievably caring and considerate. People in this world hate Ana because in order for her to be born, a person had to die and never be reincarnated again. Her birth was a complete mistake, and people resent her not only because she "stole" a life, but because they are worried that more people like her will be born in the future. Sam's totally not on board with their train of thought, though. He adores her and helps her figure out that she's worth so much more than her birth mother has been telling her her whole life. And he's musical. He made me melt a little.
3. I really enjoyed learning about Heart. The walls have a heartbeat. There's a mysterious temple with no doors that is so tall, you can't see the top of it. It's so huge that almost the entire human race lives there. Plus, it's been there since the beginning of time. The inhabitants of this place said they just stumbled upon it after being born the first time. They think it was given to them by their God, Janan (which is so close to my name. woot!), to protect them from the dangerous beasts of the world.
4. The Masquerade Ball is flat-out one of the most beautiful scenes in the book. The ball is held for two souls who have pledged their undying love for one another across all their incarnations, even if sometimes one of them happens to be 80 and the other one 5. Or... if they both happen to come back as members of the same gender. It's their souls that matter, not their bodies or age. So they celebrate this ceremony with a masquerade ball, where nobody knows who anyone is dressed as. The goal is for this couple to find each other anyway. What a beautiful underlying message of eternal love knowing no bounds. It's a breathtaking thought. And wow, this ball was sexy. I'll leave it at that!
5. The action and suspense! Dragons, Sylph, people out to kill Ana and Sam... SO exciting! I was flipping pages faster than I could read, and had to press the back button on my Kindle to go back. (Anyone else ever do that? Haha.)
6. Music was a HUGE part of this book. Sam's an amazing musician, and Ana connects with music on the same level I do. Music has always been one of the main elements of my life. It brings out such strong emotions and feelings in me. I connect with it on so many levels, just like she mentions throughout this story. I identified with her so much for this reason.
7. The lyrical writing was gorgeous, but not over the top or flowery. Like I said, I just got it. I don't want to give away too many details, because it's something you've got to experience on your own.
8. There were no hidden agendas in this book. There were points where the people seem to be very religious and devoted to their God, but this was not preachy at all. I didn't feel like anything was being shoved down my throat. There were also a few moments that could almost be identified as anti-religious, but again I didn't feel like the author was trying to sway me one way or another. Remember in my review of Halo when I said that a good author can write a religion without preaching it? This book, unlike Halo, was a good example of an author who handles it without trying to force someone to have an opinion. I really appreciated that.
9. The idea of reincarnation was handled in a very interesting way. These people live, they die. Then they are reincarnated into a new body (male or female) and come back as a grown human in a baby's body. They come out smart, and with all the memories of their previous lives. It's a very cool idea, and opens the door for many interesting and well-rounded characters. I loved it.
10. And... I just have to mention the cover. It's gorgeous. And unlike some book covers, this cover tells so much about the story itself. I'm not going to elaborate on this because I don't want to spoil anything, but I might just have to buy a hard copy of this book so I can own the cover. I'm a graphic designer, and I really appreciate art that is done for a better reason that to "just look pretty". This is one of the best examples I've seen of a cover that very subtly opens a window to the story. You'll understand what I mean once you read it.
All in all, read this book! It's new, it's fresh, it's romantic, and it's pretty much awesome. I can't wait for the next one!
(Wonder why I classified this as a utopia instead of a dystopia? A utopia is when the community or society is perfect or ideal, and there are no thoughts of running away or escaping. A dystopia is when the condition of that place is extremely bad or unpleasant.)
★★★★★+
lizbethandthelifeinbetween's review against another edition
4.0
Remind me to write a review if I don't come back to this.