Title: Infinite Series: Newsoul #3
Author: Jodi Meadows
Published: January 28, 2014
Genre(s): Fantasy
Page Count: 418
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:The Year of Souls begins with an earthquake—an alarming rumble from deep within the earth—and it’s only the first of greater dangers to come. The Range caldera is preparing to erupt. Ana knows that as Soul Night approaches, everything near Heart will be at risk.
Ana’s exile is frightening, but it may also be fortuitous, especially if she can convince her friends to flee Heart and Range with her. They’ll go north, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan’s ascension. And with any luck, the newsouls will be safe from harm’s reach.
The oldsouls might have forgotten the choice they made to give themselves limitless lifetimes, but Ana knows the true cost of reincarnation. What she doesn’t know is whether she’ll have the chance to finish this one sweet life with Sam, especially if she returns to Heart to stop Janan once and for all.
I was pretty anxious to see what would happen in Infinite, this final installment in a trilogy that completely took me by surprise and brought me on a wonderful, exciting fictional ride. The knowledge that I wouldn’t be able to follow along with any more of Ana’s adventures after this book was kind of disappointing, though at the same time, I think Jodi Meadows managed to settle everything quite satisfactorily, with enough heartbreak and action and romance for any reader. While I did like the first two books in this series better, Infinite was still an exceedingly well-written book.
Picking up right where things left off, Infinite opens with Sam and Ana waking up the morning after Ana was exiled by the Council. They’re awoken by a massive earthquake, which is just the beginning of an intense round of seismic/volcanic activity that heralds Janan’s ascension and the effective end of the world (as they know it). After that first scene, it’s a race against the clock as Ana searches to find a way to stop Janan before the equinox. Her search takes her into close contact with sylph and dragons, far outside of normal human territory. Her friends trust her, but as many of them are killed or grow discouraged, Ana’s belief that she’s the only one she can trust seems to have been proven. (Or has it?)
Obviously, the major draw for me in the Newsoul series was primarily Meadows’ world-building. I love the world these books take place in, and though the tone and focus of the book have shifted slightly, I was still hoping that Infinite would continue to develop and expand the setting, giving it more texture and detail. And while that did happen, it didn’t exactly satisfy me. What with all the things Ana has to worry about in this book, there wasn’t a lot of time available for the author to devote to world-building. I finished the book with a few questions still left unanswered, either because they weren’t addressed in the book, or because the explanation the text gave didn’t really cover it. That being said, the questions I had were fairly minor quibbles, and didn’t directly affect the story’s clarity in any way.
Another thing that I’d been expecting to like in Infinite, but was slightly disappointed with in the end, was Sam and Ana’s romance. Don’t get me wrong, I still really love their relationship, and I think the two of them have a lot of mutual respect and understanding that makes me really believe in them. But they drew apart a little bit in Infinite, and while it was for understandable reasons, I got frustrated. I also didn’t love how gooshy the scenes between them got—like, you know…having sex when they should be saving the world. That kind of thing. Yet while I was disappointed in those respects, I still think the way Ana and Sam interact with, relate to, and love one another is a lot more mature and meaningful than in several books I’ve read. Not that there’s anything wrong with temporary teen crushes, but the romance in Infinite felt long-lasting and solid, which I felt was important.
In terms of defeating the big bad and saving the world, there’s not too much to say without spoilers. I did really enjoy the inclusion of dragons in this book—Acid Breath was a super enjoyable character. I also thought that Meadows ended Infinite in a way that was perfectly presented. The series closes on a vague-yet-tender note that was perfectly in keeping with the tone of the rest of the trilogy. It was satisfying, and things were wrapped-up enough to make sense, but neither did the author go into extravagant detail about everything. It was an open conclusion, and it worked perfectly.
My journey with the Newsoul trilogy has been an extremely enjoyable one in so many ways. Jodi Meadows has really proven herself over the course of these three books, and I think Infinite and its companions will go down as one of my favorite fantasy series. It’s definitely something I see myself re-reading in the future. The combination of stellar world-building and complex characterization is a sure winner, and Infinite has set itself apart in the best way possible.
