Review: Incarnate (Newsoul, #1) by Jodi Meadows

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

New soul

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.

No soul

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 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.

Review:

I've been looking forward to reading Incarnate by Jodi Meadows ever since I first heard about it. The premise sounded amazing, and I'm always on the lookout for new authors. Plus I just adored the cover! As it turns out, Incarnate by Jodi Meadows was an enjoyable and well developed debut, even though it was a bit slow to start in the beginning. 

Incarnate introduces the character Ana, the first new soul in thousands and thousands of years. From the first page, I was instantly captured by her voice and I looked forward to finding out more about her and her past. However, it took me a while to truly like Ana. She's someone who is incredibly broken. She's never truly been loved and cherished in her life, and more times than one she's been left to fend for herself, especially when it involves her mother. Therefore, Ana doesn't trust easily nor does she really let herself live in the moment, and while there was times where I wanted nothing more than to shake her on the shoulders, and tell her to live her live to the fullest, I understood where she was coming from, which made the point where she finally let loose so to say all the better. The development of Ana as a character was seriously one of the best parts of the book, because not only was her trip emotional, but it also was worthwhile and interesting to see. Along with Anna came Sam, an old soul who takes Ana under his wing. Sam was someone who I instantly adored from the start. He was sweet and kind, and I just loved the way he was with Ana. Better yet, I adored the wide variety of characters that came with his entrance. Everyone of his friends were even more interesting, diverse, and likable than the one before, and even his enemies brought a lot to the table.

The world in Incarnate was another high point. I always enjoyed finding out more about heart and its creatures as well as the rules and customs it has developed over time. I also liked hearing more about Jonah and what his character meant for the rest of the souls, especially Ana.   Actually, the most interesting thing about Jonah was how he was Heart's "god" so to say and his word was what they followed. It was a religion in someways and not in others, but either way, it introduced an unique aspect to the novel. 

The plot of the book was the only part where I was iffy about. The premise was amazing don't get me wrong. The idea of souls reincarnating over and over was fascinating, and ideas and mysterious behind Ana's soul were even more so. The story, though, just took a while to get going. A lot of the first chapters developed the characters and Heart, and while that was essential to the book, I would have loved a little more action thrown in. However, by the end, everything was at an equal spot character, development, and plot wise, and I couldn't be happier that I stuck with it. 

Lastly, Jodi Meadows writing in this was fantastic. She did a fabulous job of creating Ana's character in way that made her realistic given her surroundings but also likable, and I also enjoyed how much detail and time she put into everything. And that ending?! Seriously spectacular! I can't wait to see what happens next.

While Incarnate is a slow building novel, it truly becomes one of a kind by the end! So my advice? Get your hands on a copy and give it a try. It may take some effort to get through the first half, but trust me: it's all worth it in the end.

Grade: B+

Incarnate (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) is now out!

Source: Publisher via Netgalley (Thanks HarperTeen!)

More about the author/book: website/twitter/facebook fan page

Giveaway: The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison

Thanks to the lovely people at Paper Lantern Lit, I have ONE SIGNED hardcover copy of The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison to giveaway!

About the book:

Penelope (Lo) Marin has always loved to collect beautiful things. Her dad's consulting job means she's grown up moving from one rundown city to the next, and she's learned to cope by collecting (sometimes even stealing) quirky trinkets and souvenirs in each new place--possessions that allow her to feel at least some semblance of home.

But in the year since her brother Oren's death, Lo's hoarding has blossomed into a full-blown, potentially dangerous obsession. She discovers a beautiful, antique butterfly pendant during a routine scour at a weekend flea market, and recognizes it as having been stolen from the home of a recently murdered girl known only as "Sapphire" – a girl just a few years older than Lo. As usual when Lo begins to obsess over something, she can't get the murder out of her mind.

As she attempts to piece together the mysterious "butterfly clues," with the unlikely help of a street artist named Flynt, Lo quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy, violent underworld much closer to home than she ever imagined--a world, she'll ultimately discover, that could hold the key to her brother's tragic death.

More about the book/author: website/goodreads/amazon/barnes and noble

Book Trailer:

Official Giveaway Rules:

~ Must be 13 years or older to enter!

~ Internationally Open!
~ Giveaway ends February 13, 2012 and the winner will be announced on Valentine's Day aka The Butterfly Clues' release date! 

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Review: Crave (The Clann, #1) by Melissa Darnell

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Savannah Colbert has never known why she's so hated by the kids of the Clann. Nor can she deny her instinct to get close to Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman. Especially when she recovers from a strange illness and the attraction becomes nearly irresistible. It's as if he's a magnet, pulling her gaze, her thoughts, even her dreams. Her family has warned her to have nothing to do with him, or any members of the Clann. But when Tristan is suddenly everywhere she goes, Savannah fears she's destined to fail.

For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can't stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences….

Review:

Crave is one book I've been looking forward to reading for a while now, but have been putting off due to its length (it's a little over 400 pages). However, I recently decided to give it a shot, and I'm so glad I did, because not only was it interesting and lots of fun, but also it was a book I just flew through at rapid pace even with its slightly large page count!

Crave is told from of the view points of Savannah and Tristan. Savannah is a girl who keeps to herself, trying not to bother anyone else. However, everything changes when she learns a surprising part about her family as well as herself. Suddenly, she has the eye of everyone in town in good and bad ways. It took me a while to warm up to Savannah to tell the truth. She was just a little too Ms. Goody Two-Shoes at times. However, as the book progressed, and I really got to see into her life, I started to like her a lot more. I loved how she was dedicated to dancing, even though she couldn't dance in the team herself, and I also enjoyed how far she would go to protect her family and friends. She truly was a sweet girl, and I can't wait to see more of her in the sequels. Tristan, on the other hand, is the typical high school golden boy who can do no wrong, but who his also severely disgusted with his own life. I liked Tristan from the beginning, because not only did he take risks for the things he loved, but he also had a lot of heart to him. Together, Tristan and Savannah were quite the couple, and while there love is nothing but easy, all the drama and twists that came from it was nothing but fun as well as intense!

With Savannah and Tristan came a variety of secondary characters, ones who I loved and ones who I didn't.  One of my favorites, though, would have to be Savannah's grandmother who was quiet the lady to say the least as well as Savannah's best friend Anne who was Savannah's rock in more ways than one. I also really enjoyed the addition of the Charm dance team, and I even liked seeing the Clann kids, because even though I didn't find them all that likable, the drama they caused still managed to provide lots of valuable plot development.

The basic premise of Crave is nothing new, but nonetheless, I enjoyed it quite a bit. For one, it was fun and thrilling. I also enjoyed seeing how everything worked behind the scenes at the Clann as well as what they were exactly. Another high point was Tristan and Savannah's relationship, because not only did it provide a major plot line, but I just loved the whole forbidden angle of it, even though it was just a tad bit cliche. The best part of the story, though, were the chapters leading up to the climax. They were eventful and exciting, and I have to say, I didn't see some of it coming.

In all, Crave by Melissa Darnell is a worthwhile debut, one that I highly suggest to fans of paranormal YA. However, once you're done with this one, you'll be DYING  to read the next one...trust me!

Grade: B+

Crave (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) is now out!

Source: Publisher via Netgalley (Thanks Harlequin Teen!)

More about the author/book: chapter 1/website

Review: Hallowed (Unearthly, #2) by Cynthia Hand

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn’t prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

In this compelling sequel to Unearthly, Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are.

Review:

After devouring Unearthly, last year's prequel to Hallowed, I found a new series and author to follow, so when the chance came to read and review the sequel, I jumped at the chance. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next to Clara, Tucker, and Christian. Thankfully, Hallowed was even more amazing than the first book. It made me laugh. It made me cry. And best of all, it provided a well developed arc to the story. I couldn't have been any happier to tell the truth!

One of my absolute favorite parts of this book was the characters. I really liked all of them in the first book, but in this one, I just out right adored them. Every single one grew greatly as the book progressed, and I love the paths that they're on. Just like in the first book, Clara is my favorite. Her feelings presented in this one always seemed realistic given the situations, and best of all, she grew to be even more kick-a## in this one! Seriously, this is one girl you don't want to mess with! I also enjoyed seeing the return of Tucker as well as Christian. However, I have to admit: I'm officially on team Christian. There's just something so enchanting and swoon worthy about that boy!

The plot in this one was another high point. From the first page, the action began. There were even more twits and turns contained in this one than the last book. Some were surprising, shocking, and/or just plain out crazy, but they managed to really move this book at a fast and fun pace! I especially enjoyed the emotional turn this book took towards the end. I knew something bad was going to happen from the summary, but I couldn't have ever imagined just what would've occurred. It blew me away, and to be honest, I shed a couple of tears...okay maybe a more than just a couple. I also enjoyed the development in the angel plot as well as the romance one. The angel one provided to be even more fascinating, and the romance one was sweet and adorable, even though my favorite didn't really lead...

Lastly, Cynthia Hand's writing was great in this one! She really dug into the emotions and feelings of her characters in this one...seriously I loved just about every way she spun the book in this one! I can't wait to see what's up next.

Bittersweet as well as fast paced, Hallowed by Cynthia Hand manages to be a great addition to the Unearthly series!

Grade: A+

Hallowed (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) is now out! 

Source: Publisher via Netgalley (Thanks HarperTeen!)

More about the book/author: website/blog/twitter/chapters 1 to 5