Review: Asunder by Jodi Meadows

Title: Asunder (Newsoul #2)
Author: Jodi Meadows
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins)
Acquired Via: Library
Release Date: January 29, 2013
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. 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.

Love
Ana was told that nosouls can't love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

In the second book of Jodi Meadows's Incarnate trilogy, Ana discovers the truth about reincarnation and will have to find a way to embrace love and make her young life meaningful. asunder explores the beauty and shadowed depths of the soul in a story equal parts epic romance and captivating fantasy.

My Review

You can read my review of Incarnate (Newsoul #1) HERE.

Asunder is the follow-up to Jodi Meadows' debut novel, Incarnate, set in the fantastical world of centaurs, dragons, sylphs, and souls that have been reincarnating for thousands of years, except for Ana, a newsoul. However, we get to see in Asunder a little more of what it means to have a boyfriend who is five thousand years older (yes, you read that right) than the heroine, how people react to losing loved ones for good after many thousands of years together, and how the replacement newsouls will be treated.

I guess I should start by admitting that Sam, the five thousand year old boyfriend, still gives me the creeps, though I understand him a little better now. I also think he's a brat for the way he treats Ana. (Dude, you can't be dad and boyfriend - that's why May-December romances have so many problems.) I did like that Ana got over her rainbow-farting, self deprecation. She stood up for herself for all of one and a half pages toward the end of the novel, and I loved to see her with some backbone. I also wanted to hug her for how she dealt with the evolution of her relationship with Sam - she was true to herself and him. I really respected that. I know that I sounded a little ugly about the two of them, but I do have an attachment to those two, though I'd like to throttle them both at times.

The world-building is what makes this trilogy worth reading. The world Meadows created is unlike any other that I've read, and the mystery surrounding it (the sylphs, reincarnation, Janan, etc.) has kept me glued to the books. The twisty bits in Asunder made me do the happy dance because I'm not surprised by many things, and there were aspects of the story that I didn't see coming. Also, thank Bob I have Infinite because I MUST KNOW THESE THINGS!

Though I'm rating Asunder the same as Incarnate, I like it leagues better than the first book. (My rating skew has changed, but I'm not bumping this one up to adjust or downgrading an original rating.) If you like fantasy novels that are completely unique, this series may be worth it to you to check out.

- 3.5/5 Stars -

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