Asunder

Title: Asunder

Author: Jodi Meadows

Rating: 4 stars

Summary: DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

Review:

I was intrigued by the concept of a city of perpetually re-incarnating souls in the first book, Incarnate, and couldn't wait to see where the author would take the story in this sequel. 

I loved how Ana became much stronger as a person. She had been raised by her mother to believe that she was nothing, and her initial reception in Heart was anything but positive. Even so, she overcame that, found a cause to support, and stood up for herself. 

Ana is trying to figure out the mystery behind Janan's power, and I couldn't help but search along with her. The story pulled me in and was evenly paced. I was kept guessing until the end, and I really enjoyed the explanation of the re-incarnation, the temple, and Janan's power.

I also enjoyed the explanation of the sylph, though I wish that more of the creatures introduced in the first book could have made a reappearance here.

Incarnate

Title: Incarnate

Author: Jodi Meadows

Rating: 4 stars

Summary:
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?

Review: I wouldn't be able to stand living in a place like Heart. The same people over and over again, forever? No, thanks. That said, I still think the concept is pretty cool: You never have to die. Of course, it would be awkward coming back as a guy when you were originally a girl, and vice versa. There was also that weird scene where Ana wakes up right after Sam rescues her and he's holding her, then when she kind of freaks out, he goes "I thought we knew each other." What?!? Just because you know someone doesn't mean it won't be uncomfortable and awkward for them to wake up to find your arms around them. At this point, I would have given this book three stars, but it had several redeeming factors: Ana is on a quest for knowledge and is at one point willing to kill for it; there were centaurs, sylphs, and dragons; and they fought the dragons with laser guns. Laser guns. Best. Thing. Ever!