Review Detail

This book was interesting. It’s a highly original story about people that never die. Well, except Ana. She’s a new soul. Because she is not five thousand years old like most inhabitants of Heart, she is stereotyped and treated like an outcast. Unwanted, even by her own mother. Li (mom) was downright despicable. I couldn’t stand that character, and I’m thankful she didn’t have a huge role in the story.
I’ve heard great things about this book. Many bloggers are rating it as one of their favorite reads. I’m not sure I feel that way. I enjoyed the story because it was original, but there were some things that annoyed me. For instance, Sam drove me nuts for about 2/3 of the books. He was smothering. Maybe it’s because I’m so independent myself that I have a hard time imagining how anyone could want a guy doting on their every move. It drove me insane, but I tolerated it because I could see why Ana needed someone like Sam. By the end of the book though, the growing romance between the two fully developed. Instead of seeming like a smothering person, you could tell that Sam needed Ana as much as she needed him. I liked the two of them as an item once they each figured this out.
Ana was a pretty enjoyable character. She came across as needy at times, but also very head strong. She was cynical of people and her surroundings. I liked how determined she was once she set her mind to something. By the end of the book she had grown a lot. You could tell that there was an inner strength developing that would show more in the books to come. I’m interested to see what she’s like in the next book.
I also enjoyed some of the other characters. The shadow creatures that could burn people to death with their touch were terrifying. I couldn’t imagine living in a world where Sylph roamed freely, waiting to devour you. Then there is the city of Heart itself—a city with a living heartbeat. Freaky. There is this god-like figure, Janan, which lives within the tower at Heart’s center. Janan is the one that gives the people souls and the ability to be reincarnated, as long as the people worship him. You never learn if Janan is good or bad, but Ana doesn’t get the warm fuzzies from him. Neither did I, for that matter. I have a feeling that this mystical being isn’t all that he’s made out to be. After all, why would dragons want to destroy the tower where his soul lives if he was an all-powerful “good guy?” The end of the book leaves things kind of open, but I am certain that Janan, the wall with the heartbeat, and psychotic Meuric (another bad guy) will return. I also predict that Ana is going to be a kick-butt character as her story continues. She was left with her father’s scientific journals (and secrets), and she seems like the type to use that information to her advantage.