NEWSOUL
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.
NOSOUL
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 suspicious and 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.
This is a book that has been hyped all over the blogging and Goodreads community. When I scored it on NetGalley, I was absolutely thrilled! Though the book took me a bit to get engrossed, I ended up reading about 75% of it in one day - it was that good.
The characters in this book were extremely well-developed and conceived. Though they live in a completely fantastical world, I found myself reacting to and empathizing with them as if they were real. Ana, the protagonist, was very well done. Though she experiences many insecurities - namely, that she isn't worth anyone's love and compassion - she confronts her problems with bravery and a measure of impulsivity that made the story move. Rather than pulling a Bella Swan (sorry, Twilight, I still love you!) and letting her feelings of inadequacy hold her back for 20 pages, Ana takes action. Well, that, or gets mad that someone else won't. It was refreshing to see a misfit female character move through the story with confidence or at least a compulsion to act. Sam, the romantic lead, has moved up my list of YA crushes. He is creative, intelligent, and compassionate. The way he stood up for Ana in the face of so much adversity made him particularly endearing. Also, their shared love of music and using that as a place to showcase their growing romance was a detail that I loved. For once, the two were hesitant to trust their emotions and fall in love - something rarely seen in YA anymore! To me, that was the best part of the story. Even though I knew where their relationship was headed, watching them grow together made the novel even more meaningful.
I've seen some places where this story was criticized as slow-moving. While the beginning might have seemed that way, I think it helps to remember that this book was conceived as part of a trilogy. Knowing that, I tried to keep in mind that I wasn't going to have all of my questions answered throughout the book. Instead, I just let myself get immersed in this alternate reality - one that was created brilliantly. There was just enough conflict, without following the typical "We're happy... oh no! Lives are threatened!" pattern to which so many books succumb. Rather than having lots of little plot peaks, this one slowly built to a few monumental moments. As these moments build, the growing relationship between Ana and Sam, as well as the mysteries surrounding Heart and Ana's existence, slowly get played out to keep the reader engaged.
Ana's narration was also well done. As I said above, she is someone who (for good reason!) feels very insecure. However, these insecurities aren't running constantly through her mind. Her varying emotions seemed believable, and as they were narrated, I felt like I could feel them with her. I imagine any teen reader would feel the same.
Though this seems shallow to say, I think one of the real strengths of this book is the cover art. It is absolutely amazing. Put that cover in front of any teen girl, and I know she would look twice! Additionally, it matches the whole butterfly motif that runs through the novel - namely, that butterflies, like Ana, are short-lived and can't be contained. Just beautiful.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone (though namely girls) who enjoys a romantic and intriguing story. It was beautifully done, and easy to believe. Romantic, exciting, and mysterious - this book has it all. Definitely my favorite debut of 2012 so far!
Has anyone else read this book and enjoyed it as much as I have?
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