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A review by sdb27
Almanegra by Jodi Meadows
5.0
Until Templedark, Ana was the only one—a newsoul. In a world where 1 million souls are reincarnated and no newsouls have ever existed before, Ana was also a thing to be feared, as many fear change in such a mortal form. But after the tragic and terrifying events of Templedark—when the dragons and sylphs descended on Heart and destroyed homes and lives—something else happened. Another newsoul was born shortly after. Ana is not alone, and more newsouls are coming, which sparks fear and anger in equal measure throughout Heart as people blame Ana for her role, imagined or not, in the matter. Ana, with the help of her love interest Dossam and their friends, must figure out what is causing the newsouls to appear and why Templedark destroyed so many old souls.
Finally, some answers! Admittedly, part of the appeal of Incarnate was the mystery behind the reincarnation of all the citizens of Heart and the origin of the various creatures of the wild like the fiery sylph, but getting some explanations on all these matters was excellent for the purposes of furthering the plot. Unlike most Big Reveals that happen, the reasons for Templedark and reincarnation were just as horrifying and spectacular as was hinted at in Incarnate. Meadows does an excellent job keeping the plot fresh and unexpected; never at any point did I know exactly what was going to happen next.
Asunder also raises important questions when it comes to civil rights. Even though Heart’s Council promised that Ana, as a newsoul, would be protected, she is not—she is still shunned by many, verbally and physically threatened or abused, and generally not given the welcome she was promised as an aspiring citizen of the city. However, when the newsoul baby is born, Ana strives to change that for the child’s sake. I found this to be one of the strongest and humanizing aspects of the book, and I really sympathized with all Ana was put through in her journey to find equal treatment.
Ana and Sam’s relationship hits some bumps and snags as Ana starts to peel back the layers of Sam’s past—namely his relationships with others—while Sam has difficulty coming to terms with Ana’s role in the future of Heart, regardless of how much danger that places her in. Of all the things that seem to go wrong in Asunder, Sam and Ana are the two people who seem organic and right for one another. I appreciated the sweetness and the devotion running between them, steadfast in a sea of troubles. I also appreciated that Ana was able to cultivate tentative friendships with several citizens of Heart, friendships that were independent of Sam in some respects. This showed that Ana is able to start fashioning her own identity, a crucial component of her personhood as a newsoul.
Asunder is just as breathlessly captivating as its predecessor, Incarnate, and serves as a creative expansion into the world that Jodi Meadows has so deftly painted for the reader in her first book. With a combination of fascinating world-building and character development, this book truly shines in its own right and proves that sometimes the sequel can live up to the much-hyped debut.
____
For more book reviews, visit my blog The Bookshelf!
Finally, some answers! Admittedly, part of the appeal of Incarnate was the mystery behind the reincarnation of all the citizens of Heart and the origin of the various creatures of the wild like the fiery sylph, but getting some explanations on all these matters was excellent for the purposes of furthering the plot. Unlike most Big Reveals that happen, the reasons for Templedark and reincarnation were just as horrifying and spectacular as was hinted at in Incarnate. Meadows does an excellent job keeping the plot fresh and unexpected; never at any point did I know exactly what was going to happen next.
Asunder also raises important questions when it comes to civil rights. Even though Heart’s Council promised that Ana, as a newsoul, would be protected, she is not—she is still shunned by many, verbally and physically threatened or abused, and generally not given the welcome she was promised as an aspiring citizen of the city. However, when the newsoul baby is born, Ana strives to change that for the child’s sake. I found this to be one of the strongest and humanizing aspects of the book, and I really sympathized with all Ana was put through in her journey to find equal treatment.
Ana and Sam’s relationship hits some bumps and snags as Ana starts to peel back the layers of Sam’s past—namely his relationships with others—while Sam has difficulty coming to terms with Ana’s role in the future of Heart, regardless of how much danger that places her in. Of all the things that seem to go wrong in Asunder, Sam and Ana are the two people who seem organic and right for one another. I appreciated the sweetness and the devotion running between them, steadfast in a sea of troubles. I also appreciated that Ana was able to cultivate tentative friendships with several citizens of Heart, friendships that were independent of Sam in some respects. This showed that Ana is able to start fashioning her own identity, a crucial component of her personhood as a newsoul.
Asunder is just as breathlessly captivating as its predecessor, Incarnate, and serves as a creative expansion into the world that Jodi Meadows has so deftly painted for the reader in her first book. With a combination of fascinating world-building and character development, this book truly shines in its own right and proves that sometimes the sequel can live up to the much-hyped debut.
____
For more book reviews, visit my blog The Bookshelf!