Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

 What if everyone could live forever, except you?

In five thousand years, every soul is reincarnated. Everyone in Heart city rejoice in their forever existence. They will die and born as a baby in new body, but their soul will remain the same. The promise of living forever has made people gone stagnant until a woman named Ciana died. The horrible thing is, she never comes back to life. In exchange of her soul, a new soul is born. Her mother named her Ana, a word that means ‘empty’.

In eighteen years of her life, Ana has been living with her cruel mother, Li. They are living outside Heart because Li can’t bear the humiliation of having a newsoul as her child. Li convinces Ana that because of her, Ciana is dead. She is a mistake. A nosoul. Everyone in Heart hates her. A nosoul doesn’t need her private things. A nosoul has no skill to help community. A nosoul has no right to love.

Ana rarely meets people other than her mother. Li never teaches her anything, so Ana learns from observing. She teaches herself to speak, read, and enjoy music. Music is everything for Ana. One of her biggest dream is to meet her favorite musician in Heart, Dossam. Ana is practically worshipping Dossam’s music and she longs to learn about music, even when Li snatches music from her and tells her that a nosoul can’t understand about music. Finally, in her eighteenth birthday, Ana decides to go to Heart city. She yearns to learn about her origin. There has to be a reason why after five thousand years of the same souls being reincarnated, Ana has been born.

Unfortunately, there are many pebbles stumped Ana along her journey to Heart. Chased by sylph and forced to jump from the reef to a lake in midwinter, she may as well die if she isn’t saved by someone. Sam, her savior, doesn’t seem to mind that Ana is a nosoul. He is the first person who treats Ana nicely. He is her friend, as bizarre as it sounds for Ana.

Ana’s plan was simple. Get rid from Li, learns about the reasons why she was born, and lives away from people in Heart. But when she meets Sam, her hidden feelings start to appear. Ana is not ready for a friend, let alone for anything beyond that. While five thousand years of living doesn’t teach Sam how to not fall for a girl who might only live once in a lifetime…

I admit that I put much expectation to this book, and I gladly tell you that this book doesn’t fail me! The idea of reincarnation is very creative so it depends to the author to make it into a good book. The details are vivid and beautiful. I can easily picture Heart city in my mind. It isn’t hard to feel how hopeful Ana when she finally reaches Heart and how excited she is to meet so many crowd after. I’m especially glad when she starts opening her heart to others and learns to trust people.

Ana is a believable character with her cynical thoughts and quick mind. She’s one of the most defensive characters I’ve ever read. Sam is also a great character, he seems very alive to me. He’s cute and his kindness makes me melting inside out. I appreciate his concern to Ana’s safety and how he always tries to protect Ana whatever happens.

“What was that you played?” I edged closer. To the piano. To him.
Same wide-set eyes, same shaggy black hair. Same hesitant smile. “It’s yours,” he said. “It’s called whatever you want.”

I staggered back. So much for collecting myself. “Mine?”

He took my shoulder, stopping me from crashing into something. “Didn’t you hear?” he asked, searching me. “I used the notes you picked, things that remind me of you.”

Sam is an awesome character. He’s not overly nice or annoyingly nonchalant, just simply kind and protective. Ana and Sam make a great couple, I enjoyed reading about them so much. Definitely a recommendation!

Shivers crawled up my spine when he said my name. And what a name. When I’d gotten the nerve to ask Li why they chose that, she said it was part of an old word that meant “alone” or “empty.” It was also part of Ciana’s name, symbolizing what I’d taken from her. It meant I was a nosoul. A girl who fell in lakes and got rescued by Sam.

I rate this book: 

Four cups of tea! Amazing! I love the book, it’s simply awesome! I love the tea flavor! A strong recommendation!