Title: Asunder Series: Newsoul #2
Author: Jodi Meadows
Published: January 29, 2013
Genre(s): Fantasy
Page Count: 406
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.
Jodi Meadows’ debut, Incarnate, completely surprised and wowed me with its brilliance—particularly in terms of world-building. I wondered if it could be possible to continue on in that vein, or if maybe Asunder would just turn out to be a dud, suffering from Second Book Syndrome. Thankfully, not only did this sequel maintain the level of excellence from the first book, I’d even go so far as to say that Asunder raised the bar, delivering a story that was even more creative than the first.
Obviously one of my favorite things about Meadows’ writing is how intelligent and inventive her world-building is. The world Ana lives in is unlike any other I’ve read, and the author did a great job establishing its history and culture. Asunder leaps off of that and goes further. Ana researches more deeply into the sylph and Janan and the whys and wherefores of reincarnation. New characters are introduced to expand upon different areas of life in Range, and characters from the first book are given broader arcs. The world in this book is completely realized and full of nuance and detail. It’s so obvious that Jodi Meadows has dedicated a lot of time to this setting and how it works, and it really makes a difference. Not only is this world fascinating in and of itself, but it’s also a great playground for Ana’s story to happen.
And not only is the world-building better, I think Ana’s character arc in Asunder is even more rich and complex. Incarnate saw Ana learn that she’s not a worthless mistake, and now this book sees her come to fully realize this truth. The guilt she used to feel might be gone, but she still doesn’t feel like she belongs, especially as people are becoming even more antagonistic towards her. This personal growth on Ana’s part is evidenced very well in her relationship with Sam; after being told for so long that she’s not even capable of feeling emotions because she’s a “nosoul”, Ana has difficulty accepting Sam’s love for her and giving it in return—especially since Sam’s former love interests seem to be so much more suitable than herself.
In general, I absolutely love Sam and Ana’s relationship on its own merit. Throughout all this time that Ana’s struggling with her place in society and her emotions, Sam is endlessly patient and understanding, and he talks a lot about how he doesn’t want to pressure her or do anything to upset her. At one point, the two of them have a really serious argument where Ana threatens to move out of the house, but they sit down and talk and work things out like rational adults. And that’s really important, because Sam isn’t a teenager, and also because Ana was never really a child after practically raising herself. As much as I hate all the drama and incommunicativeness present in many YA books, it’s pretty realistic for the characters’ maturity levels. But Ana and Sam are a lot more mature than the average 18-year-old, and I love that the way their relationship plays out in this book reflects that.
Of course, the subtle workings of romantic relationships and expanding world-building are all (mostly) secondary to the present conflict that Ana is facing. A lot of Ana’s struggles up to this point have been from internal sources, but in Asunder, external forces begin to exert pressure. Mistrust of Ana has grown into outright hate, and now harassment and threats become commonplace. Another newsoul is born, which, again, amps up everyone’s anxiety and antagonism. Beyond that, Ana also goes back to Janan’s temple and gets a really good idea of who he is and what he’s doing. And with every other soul in Range apparently suffering from magic-induced amnesia, Ana is literally the only one who can stop Janan. Meadows really throws a lot of balls up in the air with Asunder, but it never seems like too much.
While there’s definitely a lot going on in this book, the pace never seems rushed. The story moves almost slowly, but not quite. But making that decision really allows the weight of Range’s history to be felt. The people in this book are 5,000 years old. They have vast amounts of knowledge and experience, and somehow, Asunder conveys that quite well. Ana is surrounded by truly ancient people, and they act ancient. Not old and wobbly and forgetful, of course, just they carry their past lives around with them. It’s a characteristic that’s impossible to describe or really put my finger on, and I think it’ amazing that Meadows has been able to convey it so well. Asunder is a book that somehow manages to pair exciting action with centuries’ worth of human life, and it does so in a way that’s not only convincing, it’s a pleasure to read.
