Review Detail

This book has such a unique premise and raises such interesting questions such as, "How can anybody live if nobody can die? (@lord_voldemort7)" but I feel like they're never really explored. A good portion of this book is based around Ana and her relationship with Sam. I liked Ana and Sam a lot and it would have been great if it was the side story. However, it's not and it's much of the driving point of the story until the end, where plot finally moves forward. Their relationship is based on misunderstandings and one of those pesky moral dilemmas. I enjoyed them friends but as something more, I wasn't as interested because I felt like the age gap was dominant. Although they are physically the same age, Sam has lived longer so he takes on the role of the mentor for Ana and that emotional disconnect was jarring for me.

Ana was the strongest part of the story for me, she's been berated and so unloved her whole life that it broke my heart within the first pages. Her mother felt more like one of those wicked stepmothers in fairy tales to me because of the lack of maternal instinct. I still can't wrap my mind around that Li was her biological mother. I just wanted to hug Ana and assure her she is a great person and worth living for. The isolation Ana felt is so immense, she is literally alone and new in her world because everyone else has been living forever and known each other. Can you imagine that crippling loneliness with the ostracization from society on top of that? I enjoyed seeing her progression from being suspicious and guarded (with good reason!) to be more open and sure of herself. Much of that can be attributed to Sam, which I really appreciate him for. I'm still not sure why he was so nice to her (like Ana, I was suspicious but no ulterior motives were revealed so it can be assumed he's just really a Good Person) but he gave her what she never had: love.

I'm interested to see where this series takes off because I think it's a pretty good start. The characters and the settings are set up in this so I hope to see more of the plot and questions explored in the next one. Incarnate is a book that I think is worth trying out!