Incarnate by Jodi MeadowsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
First, I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but wow, how striking is this cover? And it's not just a fancy pretty picture, there are clues and hints to what is going to happen in the book on the cover, and I really like that! But on with the review. When I first started reading, I was a little unsure if I was going to like it. See, I'm not a big fan of fantasy, which to me includes books with dragons and other magical creatures. Which, this book has. I also kind of had thought this was dystopian novel, but maybe not now that I've read it, and normally I'm not a fan of "distant worlds" or other dimensions. But once I got into the story, I loved the characters, and actually got into the intrigue of what might be happening, maybe because it could be kind of sciency in a way. And I liked that. And while it didn't go quite the way I was thinking at the end, it still ended okay. And I'm ready for part 2!
Ana is our main character. In the society she was born into, souls are reincarnated over and over. There are always the same people, no one new, until Ana is born, and the soul they were expecting, does not come back. Because of this Ana's "mom" Li, treats her cruelly and calls her a "no soul". Her father leaves, and she doesn't get to know him. When Ana reaches a certain age, I think it's about 17 or 18? Anyway, it is 3 years later than the normal souls leave their parents, she finally takes off from her mother's house, to head to the city of Heart so she can try to find out why she was born. But barely leaving the house, she is attached by Sylphs, a magic creature that burns when it touches you. She gets backed up in what seems to be an unescapable situation, and she is rescued by a boy about her age named Sam. Sam takes her under his wing, even as defensive as she is, and takes her back to his house and tries to help her in her quest. He calls Ana a "new soul" and believes she has worth and value. Ana has never known anyone that gave her the chances he gives her, and even though he has secrets too, will those secrets help her, or hurt her as she learns more about his past lives? And while there are many in town who feel like her mother, and despise her for taking another soul's place, there are many good people too who treat her with respect and friendship.
Such a great book. The romance is good, I like the way the town is going, and how they keep track of their past lives. I do find it a bit weird that they get reincarnated as male or female, and can't imagine how weird that would be. But hey, it works for the story. This is the first book on my A-Z Book Challenge as my "I" title.
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