For our first book discussion we'll be discussing INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows and repped by Lauren MacLeod.
Remember that we are discussing it in terms of it being agent-worthy and what we can learn from it to become better writers, but also please feel free to discuss your overall feelings for the book. PLEASE be professional with your comments whether good or bad while having fun, too! (Gushing and swooning are allowed.:)
I thought I would share my thoughts in the comments as the day progresses. But stuff like this...
Low notes came long and round, deep and mysterious. High notes sang like sylph. If I was honest, it was music of my fears. Shadows made of fire, drowning in a lake, and death without reincarnation. Giving those fears up to music--that helped.
...yeah. I think you get it. Beautiful.
So, if you've read INCARNATE, what did you think? And what do you think it was that might have snagged Jodi an awesome agent like Lauren?
I love love love INCARNATE. The writing is so beautiful, and the concept seems pretty unique to me. If I had to guess, I would say these two factors were huge contributors.
ReplyDeleteTake this line: "Music overwhelmed me, soaked into my skin like water."
Who wouldn't want to rep this? That's what I want to know .
The first thing that grabbed me was the concept. It's such a fresh, unique idea that had me excited for the release. I'm not a big fan of stories that take place in other worlds or other times, but Jodi's world building was done so seemlessly that I fell right into it without even knowing. Her characters are fully fleshed out with deep backgrounds and buried emotions. Add to that her beautiful prose and you have a book I was up until 2am reading (and so was my daughter after she pried it from my hands). Can you tell I really loved this book?
ReplyDeleteI can honestly say that this is one of my favorite books I've ever read in my life. (Seriously! I even tweeted about it!) I started reading the book because people kept mentioning it on blogs and on Twitter, so I wanted to see why. But I had no idea what the book was about until I started reading. From the very first page, I was drawn in by the concept. I've never read another book even remotely like this one before, and it's not very often I can say that. But I kept reading for two primary reasons. 1) The writing was just downright beautiful, but still so accessible. It wasn't a book that was beautiful for the sake of being beautiful. It wasn't over the top. It was beautiful because it had a beautiful concept and beautiful characters, and that was the way this story needed to be written. (How many more times can I say beautiful? :P). 2) Ana and Sam are two of my favorite characters in any book I've ever read. I completely felt everything Ana did. I understood her. Her struggles spoke to me on such a deep level, and I just loved her from beginning to end. And Sam....oh Sam. I don't even know what I can really say about Sam, except that he is truly wonderful. To sum all this up, when I finished reading this book, I immediately went to my husband and said, "I feel like if someone reached into my soul and pulled out a book just for me, this would've been it." You said I'm allowed to gush, right?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments guys! And yes gushing is def allowed!
ReplyDeleteThese comments bring something up that crossed my mind a few times. When I first heard of this book and how it included reincarnation I thought it was gonna feel paranormal. But then when I started reading I started thinking dystopian. But not far into the book, that was obviously not right either.
So with the setting and the dragons and sylph, am I right in thinking it might be more fantasy? I'm not really familiar with fantasy so I wasn't sure.
Thoughts?
This book definitely felt like fantasy to me (and that's what I primarily read). The world, the deity, and the creatures all fit well within that genre. There also seemed to be some science fiction, though, with all of the technology/science (laser guns, flying drones, etc.).
ReplyDeleteI definitely thought of INCARNATE as high fantasy (or maybe middle fantasy, to borrow a phrase from Michael Bourret and Jim McCarthy, along the lines of GRACELING). In fact, that's what I loved best about it--how the story felt so fresh and yet so familiar at the same time. It definitely fits right in with the other fantasies on the shelf, and yet it brings something new and different to the genre.
ReplyDeleteHere's something else to consider. I'm pretty sure that when Jodi was querying the project, she called it ERIN INCARNATE, or what would now be ANA INCARNATE (after the song mentioned in the book, I presume). Personally, I liked that title a lot better than just INCARNATE, so I found it interesting that the publisher changed it. Actually, I'm getting a little tired of all the one-word titles in YA these days. They're oftentimes far inferior to a two- or three-word title, in my opinion, just because they don't say as much about the book.
I agree. I remember when it was still ERIN INCARNATE and would have liked them to keep ANA INCARNATE. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the way the names will flow with the series, but I'm with you on being over the one-word titles. I've even seen agents specifically ask writers to stop doing that and yet publishers continue the trend. *shrug*
Deletei thought it was a very interesting idea for a book. i felt for Ana's character, being brought up always knowing that you replaced someone whom everyone else was waiting for must have been such a horrible burden and to be the only one of your kind with so many questions and to be so beaten down by your own mother - just awful. the concept of the multiple lives and how meadows handled the various complications of relationships attached to that was so interesting and unusual.
ReplyDeleteI agree!
DeleteAnyone want to share their favorite scene? I'd have to say mine was the obvious one. Dancing? Masks? Oh yeah! *swooning* And I thought it was cute when Sam was surprised she knew it was him! Hello Sam! lol I like characters that are vulnerable and kind of make me laugh at them. Probably because I am SO like that, too.
Also, did anyone catch that (Spoiler!!!) Sam was Dossam before Ana found out? I, for one, did not. Loved that! I just adore when ideas presented early on in stories tie in again in ways you weren't expecting. :)
I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't catch on that Sam was Dossam. I was so caught up in how real the Sam character was that I didn't connect him to the dream idol Dossam (although, as soon as it was revealed, I was smacking my head with a Duh!!)
DeleteI absolutely loved the characters in this book. Every one - whether it was a minor or major character - was so real! There weren't any "place filler" characters... they all had a part in the story. I absolutely loved that :)
I totally kept picturing her "mom" (blah) as Repunzel's mom in Tangled. lol
DeleteI can see that... but that's not how I pictured her at all.
DeleteIf we're comparing characters to Disney movies, though... I totally pictured Sam's "dad" as someone like Maurice (Belle's dad from Beauty and the Beast) - that loveable, chubby dreamer :)
yes, i loved the dancing scene, too. very swoon-worthy. i also didn't connect sam as dossam well played by jodi there.
ReplyDelete