Phung Ha Ha itibaren Bachuguda, Telangana 502319, India itibaren Bachuguda, Telangana 502319, India

Jodi Meadows' "Incarnate" is one of those books that can suck you into its vortex of storytelling from the very beginning, because it has all the elements of a supernatural story that has its feet in the right place. For one, the concept of reincarnated souls and discussing a young woman who's just discovering this world around her and not fitting into the norm seems fascinating. Not to mention there are dragons, sylph, and a resonant love story promised. But as I reached the end of the work, I realized that it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. It's a decent story that I think lost quite a bit of its momentum towards the end because it faltered on the worldbuilding and left many threads dangling in an incomplete way. I know this is the start of a series, but I believe there were too many unanswered questions left in the aftermath. Ana is considered a New Soul, a soul without the ability to reincarnate. Unlike the rest of the souls living in Heart, she sticks out like a sore thumb, brought into existence for the first time while another Incarnate mysteriously disappeared with no trace. Ana's even shunned by the abusive, manipulative mother who raised her, Li. She leaves town and gets herself into a bind by a river, only to be saved by Sam. Sam take her in under his wing, returns her to Heart, the city where she was born, but not everyone is welcome to Ana's presence there. As Sam's relationship with her grows along with her curiosity to figure out where she came from, Ana realizes that she may be in over her head as forces work against her to make sure she doesn't disrupt the norm they've worked to create for so long. Some of the elements I liked in this work were Ana's account of her lack of belonging - I could appreciate that, especially considering this is something I think will resonate with the age group its intended for. Did I think it needed to be reemphasized as many times as it was? Probably not, but the distance Ana feels is realistic and packs a punch in spurts. She also accounts the abuse she suffered under her mother's wing, Li, and that also made me feel for Ana as the story went on. Sam is also a decent male lead - caring, talented, determined, and privy to understanding Ana despite her differences. I actually didn't have a problem with the way the story wove Sam as being a reincarnate with a larger history than Ana, and even exploring that he was a woman in a previous life. It was interesting that Meadows went in that direction with many of the characters shifting genders and ages and how that impacted the realm around Heart, though I think I would've appreciated it more with a bit of expansion and further depth to make it hit home much more than what it did. I'll admit I found it a bit creepy that Sam would give Ana his clothes from that previous life among a few details that made it seem he was catering/taking her under his wing a bit too quickly. I wouldn't say there was an "insta-love" connection in this story right off the bat, but the romance takes center stage for a good majority of the book. I don't think it's as deep and detailed as it's purported, though there are moments where it's nicely shown, such as their connection at the Incarnate dance. The two share a nice connection to music as well, which I appreciated in its tones through the book. However, as the story chose to round out, I found that I had to suspend disbelief at some of the revelations about Sam, and Ana's role pretty much lent to a more passive role for a little while until she faces one of the members of the Council and also an up-close-and-personal encounter with a dragon. I also had to suspend disbelief because I felt like I still didn't have a grasp on the system of which Incarnate souls would "stop" reincarnating. There was also a sense of incompletion about Li's noted fate as the story went on, because I felt the ire and hatred of Li's character towards the beginning of the book, but the end somewhat makes Li's character feel more like an afterthought. I think up until about 85-90% of the book, I would've rated my enjoyment of this at about 4 stars, but because the ending felt so mishandled, it gets more of a 3 from me. I think I'll read the next book in the series to see where it goes, but I'll admit I'm not as excited about it as other fantasy/supernatural titles that have been released this year so far. Overall score: 3/5