Book Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Title: Incarnate

Author: Jodi Meadows
Page Count: 384 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books/HarperCollins
Release Date: January 31st, 2012
Format: ARC
Source: ARC from Publisher

Reminds Me Of...Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

NEWSOUL

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 suspicious and 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.

"A truly enthralling read that is a fresh take of Young Adult literature. The inside is just as beauitful, unique, and eye-catching as the outside! Will leave readers begging for book two!"

This is a picture review, inspired by Vy and Vy's Blog! She said she was told a good way to express emotions is through pictures, and i was having a tough time with my emotions for Incarnate, so i thought i'd give it a swing.

So, when i read the first chapter, and the main character was jumping off a cliff to escape flammable shadows, i was like:

I mean, seriously, what an amazing beginning! Not only did all these things happen, but Jodi has a writing style that she OWNS and she really knew how to bring the images into your head, make you feel the pounding of Ana's heart and the adrenaline in her veins! It was as so intense and marvelously presented! I was SUCKED. IN!

And then, when a hunky boy that had no name pulled her out, i was like -

Here we go AGAIN! Boy. No name for a while. All hunky. Makes the girl's "heart skip" makes her feel "small" and makes her think about how she looks. But then, after a few pages of reading...

And he wasn't a jerk guy who was rude and bipolar who was all silent and tortured, i was like -

Sam was really, really awesome! Sure, he had his few moments in the book of "normal teenage boy", but it wasn't like Jace (MI) boy. I was a bit annoyed when his "shield" went away and Ana would go on for a paragraph about "how his laugh was so bright and not like him". It was just kind of annoying after the THIRD time it happened, but the other parts of the book were so amazing and breathtaking it didn't even FAZE me!

And then, when i kept reading and the writing style got all lyrical and amazing i felt like this -

I found Jodi's writing very reminiscent of Victoria Schwabs (The Near Witch), which i absolutely LOVED! I LOVE this cat picture because there are so few writing styles that make my heart sing. I literally felt my heart SING when i read books like The Near Witch, Shatter Me, and Incarnate! The way Jodi uses words to convey emotions that couldn't be made any other way is just STUNNING!

But, then, for some reason, for about 100 pages, i remember feeling like this -

Let me explain. I love every part of this novel, beginning, middle, AND END! I was originally very put off by the middle after reading, but then i re-read some of it and was like: WHAT WERE YOU THINKING HD? Everything was elegant and enthralling in this book. The romance was vivid and captured my attention. The way Sam's history and long life collided with Ana's short life mixed to make a truly emotional journey that sucked me in and didn't let me go! Sure, more stuff could have happened. A few instances in the book could have been cut out to make it feel less repetitive, but the rest of the book made up for it!

But then, all of the sudden, the book picked up and turned into amazing awesomeness that made me do this -

Oh my lord! So, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so much happened in the last 150 pages or so of Incarnate. It was all IN YOUR FACE WHAT NOW I'M GONNA BECOME TOTAL AWESOME until the very last word on the very last page. But it wasn't at all rushed or sudden. I didn't notice it before, but the ending was slowly growing and growing and growing until one small domino fell and then a chain reaction went off. It was elegant and intense and panicked all at the same time! And, oh, there's DRAGONS!

And now that i know i must wait a year for the sequel i feel like this -

Did you like it?

Incarnate, in one word, is emotional. It's a crazy roller coaster that has a million emotions. One minute, you'll be laughing or feeling elation, but the next you're crying your eyes out. Jodi's writing style is extremely intense and reads like a poem. The intensity of the ending is conveyed by the way she uses words to make your heart thump and your eyes tear up. Incarnate will leave readers begging for book two.

Cover Comments

Do I really even need to say anything? Incarnate has one of the most gorgeous covers I have ever seen in my life. Bright and BRILLIANT!