Incarnate (Newsoul #1) by Jodi Meadows
Series: Newsoul #1
Published On: January 2, 2013
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Source: Library

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The Short, Sweet, and Spoiler-Free Blurb:

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why. Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society….

This book would have gotten 2 stars if the ending hadn’t been good.  We finally get some interesting conflict towards the end.  I thought the idea of living walls was very new and creative and also creepy.  I was full of questions and theories by the time I closed the book, so I will most likely be picking up the rest of the books in the series eventually.  My biggest question that was conveniently never brought up was if animals were reincarnated, too.  This led to my theory that I have.  I think that Ana used to be a butterfly. Like, literally a butterfly.

Overall, this was one of those books that redeems itself at the end with some interesting conflict and ideas, but I had to plow through 300 pages of boring Sam to get there.

Content Rating: Medium, for some mentions of violence and some kissing.

About Jodi Meadows

Jodi Meadows lives and writes in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, with her husband, a Kippy (her cat), and an alarming number of ferrets. She is a confessed book addict, and has wanted to be a writer ever since she decided against becoming an astronaut.

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Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) by Kasie West
Series: Pivot Point #1
Published On: February 12, 2013
Genres: Science Fiction, Supernatural
Source: Won

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The Short, Sweet, and Spoiler-Free Blurb:

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. . . . With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Addie is faced with a choice of continuing to live where everyone has mental abilities or living in the “normal” world. You get to see each of the choices play out in alternating chapters. It was absolutely fascinating to read.

This whole book was written with a lot of personality. I liked the dictionary definitions at the beginning of each chapter. They were funny, witty and gave clues to which reality the chapter was about. I’m convinced that Kasie West is a genius. She doesn’t just tell two completely different versions of the future – she intertwines them in very clever ways. I couldn’t put this book down all the way until the perfect, heart-wrenching ending.

The characters were all very well done.  Her best friend, Laila, is snarky but likable.   And Addie is my definition of a hero – brave, honest, and willing to sacrifice to keep the ones she loves safe.

Do not read this book alone – you will want someone to talk to after you are done with it. Witty, perfect, awesome – a must read. My only complaint – I have to wait for book two.

Content Rating: Medium, for some language, very brief violence and a non-graphic mention of sexual assault.

I read an Advanced Reading Copy for this review. 

About Kasie West

A stay-at-home mom of four children, three of them girls, ranging in age from twelve to four, Kasie West hears lots of melodramatic versions of large-than-life events. She graduated with a BA in liberal studies, with a strong focus on linguistics and psychology, from Fresno State University. She lives in Fresno, CA.

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Budgie Smugglers (Urban Hunters #4) by Gary Taaffe
Series: Urban Hunters #4
Published On: July 25, 2012
Genres: Fiction, Young Adult
Source: For Review

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The Short, Sweet, and Spoiler-Free Blurb:

Suffering similar tragedies a world apart and forced to grow up before their time, Billy and Amber must find a new future, one beyond anything either of them could ever have imagined. Life was normal for Billy, living hidden in the bush with the last of his kind. Until the spirit of his mother told him in a dream to go Walkabout where the whitefellas live. Find some girls or watch his clan of men die out, ending the Dreamtime forever.

I loved the glossary in this book. I know that sounds weird, but let me explain. The author, Gary, talks about how there’s a “rule” in writing that you shouldn’t use colloquialisms and you should change the spelling to suit whatever country you’re selling it in. Gary says the heck with that because he thinks readers are smart – give them a glossary so they can learn and be entertained. I agree 100% (why didn’t Harry Potter do this!). The Australian flavor of this book is immensely entertaining. As a non-Australian, it’s pretty easy to follow the slang throughout the story after briefly reading through the glossary.  (And even if you don’t read the glossary, the important words are explained in the story so you won’t be lost.)

We get to see more of Billy and Amber’s adventures in Budgie Smugglers.  Billy is a boy from the Australian bush and Amber is a city girl that Billy meets.  This book was just as laugh out loud funny as the first three books in this series. It was charming yet brutally honest and raw at the same time. The contrast between the two is so interesting. Like Billy talking about eating kangaroo pups and Amber being horrified by it. Then Billy explained it was to keep his grandfather fat so he can stay warm in the extreme conditions of living in the bush. See! They ate baby kangaroos and it’s disturbing and cute at the same time. And there were just enough gross-out scenes to make you squeal. Billy roasting a cat in a straight-forward way made me squirm. It was awesome. No way would I ever want to see Billy cook something, but I love reading about it in all it’s gory detailed glory. Billy slowly learning about girls and falling in love for the first time in his innocent way was just plain adorable. I can’t get enough of these characters and their adventures.

Content Rating: Medium, for some language and mildly graphic descriptions of eating unconventional things.

I received this book for review from the author, Gary Taaffe, in exchange for an honest review. I was not told what to say, I was not paid to write this review and all the opinions expressed are my own.  

About Gary Taaffe

Gary Taaffe lives in a small coastal town in NSW, Australia. There’s open ocean on one side, a massive saltwater lake on the other and enough virgin bushland in the surrounding areas to lose yourself for a week. When he’s not writing, Gary’s hunting deer for the freezer or putting around the lake fishing for flathead.
He’s a Toolmaker by trade, a successful inventor and now, a writer. Urban Hunters is the culmination of his inventiveness, his enthusiasm for the outdoors and his fun-filled sense of humour.

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