First Impression:What is a soul? How do we really know we have one? What happens to us after we die? Are we reborn or do we simply disappear? Questions like this have been around for centuries... and even plague me every once in a while. At first glance, Incarnate seems to be a different kind of reincarnation tale. And I was excited to dive in.While Reading:Incarnate, on the surface, appears to be an altogether new type of reincarnation tale. Instead of two lovers being born again to find one another, our MC, Ana, is brought into this world with no past.. no history to bind her to the world like our other characters. She is a newsoul. A mystery that confounds the rest of the society. What happened to the previous soul? Where did Ana come from? No one really knows. But this difference makes her stand out. She is alienated. Shunned from the family who should love her... the society who should accept her.I loved Ana pretty much from the get go. While her character could have gone down a few different paths, Meadows, thankfully, chose to make Ana a strong character. No woe-is-mes here. Yes, there is a vulnerability to Ana's character. But a strength too. Despite all that has been done to her, she still holds her head up high and embraces her differences. You go, girl!The world of Incarnate was quite impressive. A vast world filled with multi-faceted characters and a belief in this reincarnation system that both left me awed and scratching my head. Meadows lays the religious aspect a little thick to explain the reincarnation system, but here, I think it may have been needed. It lays the foundation for this society and works pretty darn well to explain many of the questions that the book presented.Unlike many reincarnation novels, our romance here is a new one. Ana and Sam have not fallen in love for countless new lives. They do not have the memories of old love to make things run smoother in the relationship. And I was completely swept away by this. Their love was sweet... touching... refreshing. I was head over heels with this romance.Verdict:Meadows has a winner on her hands with Incarnate. A completely fresh outlook on a topic that I adore. Unforgettable characters. A romance that will make you swoon. This was definitely a book that I was up till the wee hours with... and I loved every minute.
