Book Review: Incarnate

Incarnate

By: Jodi Meadows

Published By: HarperCollins/Katherine Tegan Books

Publication Date: January 31, 2012

Buy it at Barnes & Noble or IndieBound

Source: ARC Provided by Publisher

Audience: YA - Utopian*/Fantasy

My Thoughts:

I have so many thoughts! This is going to be a lengthy review, doves, so grab a latte or your beverage of choice, and possibly a snack, and lets get into it.

Where to start, where to start? Well, first of all, let's go with my classification up there, Utopian. I was over at Goodreads, looking for the cover jpeg (isn't the cover gorgeous??) and summary, and I stumbled upon Lyndsey of Strangemore.com, and her clarification between dystopia and utopia and I thought that was pretty nifty as well as accurate. Isn't the internet a wonderful thing? We can learn so much! And not just on Pinterest....but I digress.

I truly enjoyed this book, and it gave me a paranormal/romance break. The writing voice was unique and fresh, as was the premise of the book - Incarnation. In the world Ana lives in, she is unique and unknown. For 5,000 years, the same million souls have been reincarnated again and again, friends, lovers, foes alike. All remember their previous lives and the skills and life lessons they have learned.  Until the Year of Songs that is. This is the year Ana is born, instead of Ciana. In the 18 years since, Ciana has not been reborn. Ana is a newsoul, or as her vicious of a mother calls her, a nosoul. As you can tell by my description, Ana's upbringing has not been kind. Her mother, Li, was abusive and cruel. When she leaves her old life behind and travels to Heart, the city and seat of their society, she runs into Sam. After attacks by burning shadow creatures called slyth, they arrive at the great city. As wary as she is of people in general, Ana is not prepared for treatment she receives. Some are kind and warm, and others suspicious and threatening. 

The world the author has created is complex and simple at the same time. I found it to be lush (Heart) and sparse (the Range) and completely captivating. The characters also carry those dual and sometimes opposing qualities - Nothing and no one is as they seem. The author's writing is very well done and exquisitely timed with a subtle musical quality, which compliments the story perfectly. 

There are themes of faith, self reliance, and trust interwoven very cleverly.  It wasn't in your face, which is perfect for YA in my opinion, because teens don't generally want to hear what we old fogeys have to say anyway. I hope any readers, teens especially, find it as thought provoking as I did.  I've said it before but I can't say it enough, I am so heartened and pleased to see this type of well written novels in this genre, and for this generation. With the popularity of The Hunger Games, it seems to be catching the attention of publishers, movie makers and teenagers alike and I couldn't be more hopeful that this will combat the vapidness of some of the current pop culture trends like Jersey Shore.

Which brings me to the characters. Ana is very realistic and I look forward to seeing her grow into her confidence in the next installment. Sam, likewise was very interesting. 5000 years old and currently a teenager (18, the same age as Ana by the way), he struggles with hormones and centuries of knowledge. Their friendship is organic and natural as the story and the characters themselves progress.

As I type this, I'm still waffling between four and five birdies. Incarnate is engaging and well written, and I read the first half in one sitting. I had to put it down at some point (stupid insignificant things like sleeping and feeding those other people, work, etc) but I didn't rush to pick it back up. I think because it was very involved and this happened to be a hard week for me. So I'm going to give it 4.5 birdies.  I really encourage everyone to read this one - I enjoyed it that much. As I said before, do not look for this one on Emptying the Nest - I'm keeping this one!

Summary:

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? 

Teaser Tuesday: Overbite, Persuasion, & The Iron Daughter

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly feature, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

She didn't realize what had happened to David - that he hadn't been seized by flying monkeys, then dropped lifeless to the hood of his own car, where he now lay sprawled, unseeing and unmoving - until the man who'd done all this tapped politely on the still-closed window of her own car door. 

She screamed again before she recognized who was looking at her through the glass.

~ Overbite by Meg Cabot, pg. 11

No sooner had such an end been reached, than Anne, who had been a most attentive listener to the whole, left the room, to seek the comfort of cool air for her flushed cheeks; and as she walked along a favorite grove, said, with a gentle sigh, "A few months more, and he, perhaps, may be walking here."

~ Persuasion by Jane Austen, pg. 26

"Meghan," whispered a voice, heart-wrenchingly familiar, drawing me out of the void. I recognized it immediately, just as I realized it was a figment of my desperate imagination, because the real owner of that voice would never be here, talking to me. Ash?

~ The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa, pg. 38

Reading's Lark's 1st Birthday Winners!

A BIG thank you to all those who entered. We had over 200+ entries for each book. Each winner has received an email concerning their prize. They have 48 hours to reply with their shipping information. If they fail to do so, a new winner will be chosen in their place.

The winner of the signed copy of Linger by Maggie Stiefvater is...

Tiffany Drew

The winner of the signed copy of Wildefire by Karsten Knight is...

Kelly S.

The winner of the signed ARC of Graveminder by Melissa Marr is...

Heather W.

The winner of the signed copy of The Last Precinct by Patricia Cornwell is...

Patricia @ Patricia's Particularity

Book Review: The Book of Blood And Shadow

The Book of Blood And Shadow

By: Robin Wasserman

Published By: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: April 10, 2012

Page Count: 448

Buy it at Amazon or IndieBound

Source: Kindly Provided by Publisher

Audience: Fantasy, Mystery

I think the best way to describe how I felt about this is to start with what it reminds me of. It is like The Da Vinci Code immersed in a steampunk murder mystery... lots of clues to solve about a clockwork machine built in the past, hidden in the present, protected and sought after by mysterious cults - deaths all over the place and lots of chasing about! 

I was quite confused at the start, as there were a number of names to take on board quite quickly (Andy, Chris, Max, the Hoff, Nora, Adriane), but I stuck with it and gradually I came to understand what was going on. Nora, the main character, moves to a new school to try and escape the shadow that was created when her older brother, Andy, killed himself and another student in a drink driving accident. She makes friends with Chris and Adriane, and together with Max, all four start extra credit work for a eccentric professor - the Hoff - in translating historic letters and manuscripts which relate to a great alchemical invention, the Lumen Dei. Then two of them are attacked, leaving one catatonic and the other dead, and a chase across Europe begins for the truth; who killed their friend, why, and what does the Lumen Dei have to do with it all? 

It is really intricately crafted, and there is a lot of history woven into the pages of this book. I'm not quite sure why I didn't connect with it personally - I do think it is well written and I'm sure that many people will really enjoy this. Perhaps it was because Nora was just a little too quick to put her faith in people, perhaps I didn't identify with each character's motivation enough, or maybe it was just that I was quite annoyed when two characters abandoned a school trip to Paris to disappear off to Prague. (Personal teacher-related nightmare!) At any rate, disappear off to Prague they did, and the latter half of the story unfolds through its streets as clues are found, solved, and various scrapes with mad knife wielding monks occur. 

This is certainly very different from Robin Wasserman's other works, but I think this definitely has a wider appeal than the Wired trilogy did. 

Goodreads Description:

It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up.  When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love.  When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark. 

But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead.  His girlfriend Adriane, Nora's best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora's sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.

Cover Crazy: Matched

The purpose of Cover Crazy is to feature a cover each week for us to admire its beauty. I really like this idea since there are so many great covers out there! Cover Crazy is a meme that was started by The Book Worms.

My first ever Cover Crazy choice has to be Matched by Ally Condie. Being a graphics nerd, I am particular about the covers I love - the UK release of Matched had pink lettering for the title, and I just hated it. But I loved this book so much that I got it shipped to me from the USA. I love how simple, delicate and communicative the cover is. I have a poster of it up in my house!

I think the girl in the glass bubble perfectly communicates the themes of the novel: a strong, beautiful, girl trapped in a perfect bubble, with who-knows-what-else outside. She's pushing at the boundaries of her world and striving to see what else there is in life. I like the hint of what else is out there, in the reflections of the glass. I also love the typeface for the author's name, which I think is quite mysterious as fonts go, perpetuating the idea of "what else is there once you leave what you know?", as it stretches out and fades away. I also like how digital the title font is; to me, it is saying that she is matched by the system, and the other visuals tell you she is going to dispute that. 

Sometimes I just love a cover because it is hot, but this is my favorite cover (I think ever, so far) because not only is it beautiful, but it has a lot of sub-text and it makes me think of the story; it's not just a face on a cover to me. 

Get to Know Us: Meet Jen!

Reading Lark thought it would be fun to introduce you to one of our bloggers until you have had the chance to get to know each of us a little better. In the near future, we will let you climb inside the head of some of our Larks who haven't been featured on the blog yet. Our next spotlight is on Jen, one of our newest Larks. Jen is currently our only reviewer from the UK. The questions were created by Donna @ Eve's Fan Garden for a similar segment they did awhile back.

Name: Jen

One of your Nicknames: I don’t really have a nickname - my name is kind of short already!

Current job: Biology teacher (11 – 18 yrs)

Dream job: When I was little, I really wanted to be a vet.

Name one book that changed your life: I have two. The first one would probably be African Adventure by Willard Price. When I was a very little girl I read his series of adventure books over and over. They were about the travels of two brothers, Hal and Roger Hunt, in the search for exotic wild animals. His books taught me to love the natural world and gave me a burning desire to learn more, travel and see the world. It is because of these books I think that I ended up in my current career. It is still my life dream to go to Tanzania on safari. They are special books to me.

The other book I would have to say is Twilight. I have made so many friends all over the world because of it, and I have been lucky enough to travel and meet many of them. I went to Forks with a group of TwilightMOMS, (including Andrea!) in 2010 and I have a lot of very special memories from that holiday.

Name one book that you enjoy reading over and over again: Persuasion by Jane Austen. Quite possibly the most romantic book ever. I also went to university in Bath, England (where the book is set) for a time, so I know the streets the characters walk too. It’s also a book about someone who takes a while to get a clue about love, which is also relevant to me and gives me hope for the future.

Name one book that made you laugh out loud: Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. There are some cracking insults in that book!!

Name one book that when you finished you HAD to call or text someone about

it right away: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I actually had to Skype in with my friends in the USA and the 3 of us were just babbling on about it for almost an hour!!

Name one book that made you cry: She would be pleased to know this... Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. She often says she wrote it to make people cry because she is mean! It was the first time I cried at a book, and it holds a very special place in my heart... as does Maggie. She is the perfect combination of kindness and evil genius! Her book tour events rock – you should all go!

Name one book that you wish had never read: I’m going to be controversial here and say Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. It was the most depressing book ever. It has all this critical acclaim, but I thought it didn’t commit to its bleakness at the end, and I wasn’t impressed at the literary devices. (No chapters, just one long blah... kinda like a road. I see what you did there.)

Name one book you wish had been written: Like any Twilight fangirl, I’m going to say Midnight Sun. The parts that I did read just took my obsession to another level. So maybe it is a good thing that it didn’t get finished... yet...

Name one book you have on your book shelf that you are looking forward to

reading: I typically read all the things I’m most looking forward to as I get them, so nothing sits around too long unless I feel less strongly about it.

Name one book you are currently reading: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Name one thing you love most about reading: The escapism and creativity that lies within. I love how some books make your heart pound and really FEEL what the characters are going through. I have a really overactive imagination and sometimes I just wish I could go live in a book. In fact, if I had a superpower that would probably be it. That or the power of suggestion so I could make slow/ bad drivers pull over out of my way!

Magic Lamp Sunday 1/29/12

We discovered this meme at Ya-Aholic, where it runs on Fridays. It sounded like a fun addition to our lineup, but fits better here on Sundays. This is based on the basic Magic Lamp = 3 wishes idea. Since there are so many of us, though, we're just taking one each per week. 



If we had a Magic Lamp, we'd wish:


Jen: I wish I had the power to become more interested in books I'm failing to find interesting. 
Michele B.: I am wishing for lots of reading time; I just started Hallowed by Cynthia Hand, and I'm excited to read!
Tiffany: There are days I'm sure my children have been swapped for Changelings! Now all I'm holding out for is Puck and Ash from Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series to show up and lend me a hand getting my "real" kids back.  
Andrea: I wish I had Meena Harper's job in Insatiable by Meg Cabot. She writes dialogue for soap operas.

Book Review: Pandemonium

Pandemonium

(Delirium #2)

By: Lauren Oliver

Published by: HarperCollins

Publication Date: February 28, 2012

Length: 384 pages

Purchase it at Amazon or Indie Bound

Source: ARC Provided by Publisher

Audience: Young Adult

My Thoughts:

W.O.W. I fell in love with the story in Delirium. The whole idea of a world where love is considered a deadly, contagious disease, where a society has found a cure for love in all of it's forms, and to feel love makes you an outcast, an invalid. I was fascinated by the idea, by the world created and also by the Wilds, where the Invalids, those not cured, lived in camps outside of the country's borders and were slowly forming a rebellion. In Delirium, I fell in love with Lena and Alex, and my heart was broken at the end when they were separated. I had no idea what to expect from Pandemonium, but there was no doubt in my mind that it would be amazing.

Pandemonium begins as Lena makes it across the border into the Wilds.  Alex, of course, has been shot and surrounded, assumed dead, on the other side. Lena is heart broken, scared, and soon sick. She must survive alone as she searches for a camp. She is rescued just after she passes out, finally giving up, and we are introduced to what becomes her new family, the residents of the homestead that takes Lena in. Lena soon learns that the Wilds aren't the romantic place she visited with Alex just weeks before. Life in the Wilds is hard, and the residents face challenges unimaginable to Lena.

The resistance is also building, growing, thriving. Pandemonium switches from "Then" (Lena's introduction to live in the Wilds, her self-discover and growth, her re-birth) to "Now", where Lena has an active role in the resistance. I know for some readers, the switch with each chapter, from Then to Now was confusing, but I loved it. Loved, loved, loved it. I absolutely adored being able to watch Lena's re-birth and learn about the Wilds with her while also watching the resistance from an insider's point of view.

Lauren Oliver builds characters as masterfully as she builds worlds and stories. We are introduced to Lena's new family in the homestead, Raven, Tack, Hunter, Blue, and through the resistance we meet Julian. I missed Hanah and Alex, but I have to admit that I loved the new cast of characters even more. Except Alex; I missed Alex horribly I loved how Lena thought of Alex in almost every move she made. It was hard for me to accept a new love interest for Lena, even though I knew it was bound to happen.

Pandemonium was amazing, a page-turner from beginning to end. I was absolutely absorbed in the story and the characters; I could not put it down. Because of the way Delirium ends, I prepared myself for a cliff hanger at the end of Pandemonium. However, NOTHING prepared me for the way this book ended. My final words to Lauren Oliver - REALLY?!? You're going to leave us like that...until 2013?!? Nooooo!!!!!!!! My final words to friends who haven't picked up this series yet - Go get it NOW! This is a story that you don't want to miss. Trust me on this one. Have I let you down yet? ;)

Summary from Amazon:

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare, 

pushing aside thoughts of Alex,

pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school, 

push, 

push, 

push, 

like Raven taught me to do. 

The old life is dead. 

But the old Lena is dead too. 

I buried her. 

I left her beyond a fence, 

behind a wall of smoke and flame. 

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

What's Your Status? 1/28/12

What's Your Status? was started over on Butterfly Feet Walking on Life. Check back each Saturday to find what's been keeping the Larks busy this week. 

Reading Lark's Review Status:

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

Touch of Power (Healer #1) by Maria V. Snyder

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver

Reading Lark's Noteworthy Post Status:

Reading Lark's First Birthday Giveaway - ends 1/29

Get to Know Us: Meet Michelle!

Enjoy Every Sandwich Winners!

Get to Know Us: Meet Tiffany!

Young Adult Giveaway Hop: Stop #187 - Ends 1/31

Introduction of The Shopping Lark

Get to Know Us: Meet Meagen!

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