Asunder

I was so excited when I found out that I won a signed ARC of this book from a contest on Jodi's blog as I adored the first book in the series! I have to start by saying that Jodi's writing is absolutely beautiful! I found myself captivated by her attention to detail and her descriptions in the book and her writing style is original and fresh which was amazing! I have to be honest and say that I did have to go back and actually re-read the last few chapters of Incarnate before I started reading Asunder to remind myself where Incarnate ended! I freaking loved this book though! It was an amazing sequel to Incarnate! The plot of Asunder was slightly confusing up until a certain point and then I couldn't put it down! I didn't have my own ideas about where the plot was going to go so I didn't really know what to expect but what I got exceeded my expectations and it blew me away! The plot continued on from Incarnate and some questions raised in the first book were answered as well! There was also lots of action in this book which I loved! I re-connected with the characters as soon as I started reading again as well! Ana in this book grew so much! I honestly wasn't expecting her to become as strong as she did but I loved her determination and her changes! I also loved that she stood up for herself and all the other newsouls! Sam in this book was amazing! I loved that he stood up for Ana and that he protected her! I also felt so sorry for him during a particular scene but I can't tell you which scene or it will give away a spoiler! Ana and Sam's relationship was slightly fragile at times during this book but they always found a way to mend it back together and it was perfect! I also loved their relationship development! I really enjoyed the new characters introduced in Asunder as they brought so much to the story as well! I am really looking forward to finding out what happens in the next book in the series and the cover is absolutely stunning and it goes amazingly well with the cover for Incarnate! Big thank you to Jodi for sending me my signed copy of Asunder!show more

Reincarnation had always been a topic that had eluded the best of the best. Nothing is ever concrete about a subject as elusive as this. There are no know-hows when it comes to phenomenon such as these...... But Jodi Meadows brought before us this miraculous event in all its glory saddled with fantasy and sci-fi dystopia in the form of the deliciously exotic first book of the Newsoul series, Incarnate last year.... Again following the same route with the equally exotic book 2, Asunder. Asunder, now what does this even mean. It means - Apart, divided, into pieces..... Yup kinda sums up what is going on in Heart at the moment.In Incarnate, we saw Ana braving the mean world around her. the city of heart is almost getting used to the newsoul now (aka Ana). She herself is slowly learning to let go of her fears and insecurities, finally in the open with Sam..... but the bad is just around the corner. Templedark was the reason a lot of old souls were lost indicating the coming birth of a lot of newsouls to replace them. Ana is finally not the only one there. But negative elements within heart pose a grave danger to the existence of these newsouls. The revered entity Janan himself poses the greatest threat imaginable, his motives unsavory. All the while Ana is on a journey of her own to find out the reason of her existence. Ana and Sam.... What a powerful feeling love is. Our protagonist. Oh they just are truly and utterly in love and made for each other. Ana has come pretty far with this book, she's much stronger now. Fighting against the tough mean world to carve a niche for yourself tends to make you grow a tough skin doesn't it. She struggles to find her worth but there is one thing certain about her. She is loyal. Sam. Dossam. Whatever we call him, one thing is for certain about him. He is patient as a saint. Reborn with every life, Sam is the perfect guy, with the perfect flaws. You would expect a guy who is a reincarnated soul be perfect in everyway.... but not Meadows' Sam. He is as human as they come. And relatively very young in this life too. Their is an intensity in him whenever he is with Ana and it shows through with the author's perfect penmanship too.... Sam & Ana..... Ana & Sam *blushes profusely* Asunder had some pretty tough shoes to fill out on, what with the high level of plot structure present in Incarnate but it is safe to say that book 2 doesn't fall short of our expectations at all. And thank God - No second book syndrome at all. Strong characters, a strong plot, and the right twist & turns to keep us readers on ours toes. And that cover doesn't hurt too..... Perfection..... bravo Jodi Meadows...... Brava...... "Infinite" would just be the perfect icing to finish this off. "Extraordinarily intricate and beautiful, Asunder goes into the depths of the epic fantasy of re-incarnations"show more

Review originally posted on http://apageofheaven.wordpress.com 5/5 Asunder broke my heart, mended it, then shattered it again. My heart's current state: pieced together in all the wrong places. Just like in Incarnate , Jodi Meadows has somehow put music into words. I loved everything about this book. The story, character, world - just everything. After Templedark, Ana was discriminated more than ever in Heart, some people even tried to physically attack her. However, she handled everything perfectly. Ana's one of the purest characters I've ever come across and her kindness and selflessness was reflected in her every action. She's not perfect (evident in what she did to Meuric back in Incarnate), just a very good person. Although she continues to struggle with the effects of her cruel upbringing, she slowly learns and grows with her experiences and the encouragement of Sam and her other friends. Talking about Sam, I know I've said this before in my review of Incarnate , but his sensitivity and love of music really sets him apart from the typical buff, tough and rough guys found in YA books. It's interesting that not only is he helping Ana develop, but she is changing him for the better too. Being with Ana made Sam realise that he was capable of so much more than just making music, that he can be brave and strong. This mutual development strengthens their relationship and made it all the more endearing. It's hard to describe the plot without giving spoilers but basically, it felt like I was thrown a whole bunch of puzzle pieces and as the story progressed, the pieces fitted themselves together. Mystery practically radiated from the book and the end was completely satisfying. The truth about Janan and reincarnation would be revealed, be prepared. Moreover, I loved the part about sylph. I won't say how everything is linked, but the ending (concerning sylph) really broke my heart. Wherever the story goes from here, I just can't wait to find out. Jodi Meadows have the amazing ability to end off with a hooking conclusion without needing some crazy cliffhanger. You'll get a partial sense of closure so you wouldn't die from shock. I am definitely thanking her for not temporarily killing my mind like other authors with their cliffhangers. So now my wait for the finale of the trilogy begins. 2014 simply cannot come soon enough. - Adelshow more

Esta serie me encanta! En Asunder volví a encontrar esos elementos que hicieron y hacen tan original a esta serie: universo algo distópico y fantástico, dragones, sylphs, reencarnación (incluso aunque no soy fan de toda esa cosa mística, aqui se lo trata de una forma diferente)y la pasión por la música. Dentro de los libros young-adult, esta es una serie que merece una oportunidad, para quien aun no ha tenido el placer. En este libro vemos como Ana sigue avanzando en su busqueda sobre la verdad y el misterio acerca de ser una Newsoul, una alma nueva que nació y no reencarnó. Aqui la trama se torna más compleja, hay tensiones, enemistades y nuevas amistades, traiciones y finalmente se develan cuestiones sobre el origen entorno a la gente de Heart. Dossam fue mi personaje favorito, por sobre Ana, en Incarnate; pero en este volumen lo encontré débil, confuso -bien construido en relación al plot, pero me hubiese gustado sentirlo como en el primer libro, mas seguro, luchador. Asunder es una muy buena continuación. Espero ansiosa la novella de Dossam en setiembre, "Phoenix Overture"; y viendo la portada de "Infinite", el último libro de la trilogia, ya imagino de que va la cosa, cómo seguirá la historia y a que se deben tantas plumitas (de Fenix?) :D 4/5show more

Asunder was simply breathtaking. By the time I reached the final page I was immediately craving the sequel. Asunder took everything I loved about Incarnate and fixed everything that didn't work in Incarnate to create a novel of epic proportions. Asunder is one of the few sequels that outshine their predecessors. I am warning you that there will be spoilers for Incarnate! After the catastrophe that was Templedark, many people that died became darksouls (souls who wouldn't reincarnate). Ana has become a scapegoat and people are getting suspicious of her. Many of the citizens of Heart start to feel more contempt for Ana when she figures out how to interact with sylphs in a new way. Ana is still struggling to fit in Heart, to fall in love, and to be accepted. I don't want to say much more about the plot because I am afraid of giving something major away. I love the world Meadows created immensely because it is just so brilliantly done. Heart is a place that I can vividly picture due to the spectacular imagery Meadows wrote in the New Soul trilogy. Any complaints or questions I had about the world building were either fixed or answered. Heart is unlike any other setting I have ever read about because it is so exquisite. I can't wait to find out what other secrets are hidden in Heart in book 3. All the characters in Asunder are nothing short of spectacular. My favorites are Sam and Ana because their relationship is truly touching. I don't think I have ever been so engrossed in a character's romance. I got so involved to the point when I wanted to jump into Asunder and shout at all the New Soul haters. It sounds crazy but that is the kind of raw emotion I experienced when reading Asunder. I really enjoyed learning more about our protagonists and I hope their relationship remains intact. I love reading books where the villains are absolutely terrifying and Asunder features villains that were horrifyingly wicked. Asunder is a breath-taking romance that swept me away! I was completely immersed in the beautiful world of Asunder and I couldn't stop reading. I was so compelled to read Asunder that by the time that it was over I craved a sequel desperately. I was immersed in Asunder that I didn't really care about the world around me. I could have read Asunder through an earthquake without even noticing because it is that compelling. Nothing else mattered to me but Ana and Heart while reading Asunder. Asunder is that gripping that you'll want to read it one sitting. I truly loved learning more about Janan, Slyphs, and just Heart in general. The mythology of Heart that Meadows created was really interesting to read about and was one of my favorite parts of Asunder. One of my original complaints about Incarnate is that I didn't really understand the reincarnation, Janan or the slyphs. Meadow's explanation of reincarnation was truly haunting and unforgettable. Heart is no longer that the lovely city I wanted to live in book 1, now it's a place full of deceit and lies. I am so desperately to find out what secrets the walls of Heart would reveal if they could talk (for those of you read Incarnate, that was a joke meant for you!). Meadows's latest book turned me into someone what of an emotional train-wreck I desperately need book 3 to the point where I am ready to resort to begging. I am almost 100% positive that book 3 will be called Ascend and if you've read Asunder you can probably guess why. Asunder is my favorite book I have read so far in 2013 and it is one of the best dystopian books ever written period. That shocking plot twist revealed is haunting me still days after finishing Asunder. Words fail to describe the awesomeness that is Asunder. No words could express how much I enjoyed reading Asunder and how much I desperately need to read the 3rd book. I beg thee Harper Teen to release the cover or title soon because I dying of suspense. I am convinced that the wait till book 3 is released is some new form of intense torture that is tearing me apart.show more

Wow, hats off to Jodi Meadows, if book 1 was great, Asunder has all the great and some more for good measure! We are getting some answers finally, as Ana keeps going through her journey and more questions that only the inquisitiveness of the New Soul can raise. There are big issues dealt with in these books, the hate of those who are different, the dismissiveness of those who we consider inferior... all of that started in the first book, and it's taken into even higher stakes in here. There's so much of Heart's story that we don't know about, and apparently not even their own inhabitants are aware of it! Anna's discover part of Janan's secrets, but still there's so much more to find out about, and the threat is bigger than ever! And in the more personal level, Sam and Anna deal with more troubles in their relationship, dealing with their own issues and differences, and dealing with some external influences, all of it well wrapped in some amazing swooniness! I just can't wait for book 3 and hopefully all the answers to the questions left and others that might come up in the last book itself!show more