BOOK REVIEW: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Wanderlove

Summary from Goodreads:

Eighteen-year-old Bria wants to be a Global Vagabond. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. So when Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspoken sister, Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path. Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel through Mayan villages and remote Belizean islands, they discover they're both seeking to leave behind the old versions of themselves. The secret to escaping the past, Rowan's found, is to keep moving forward. But Bria realizes she can't run forever. At some point, you have to look back.

MY THOUGHTS:

I'm going to have a hard time rating this one because my feelings are all over the place.

Anyways, on to my review. I think the reason why I didn't like it as much because I expected a lot from this book. I had high hopes for this one given that it is one of my favorite genre - young adult travelogue fiction. I love reading about books that can take me places, this being in Central America - one of my dream destinations.

However I just felt it didn't measure up to my expectations, I felt like the descriptions didn't give justice to the beauty of the setting. I didn't find myself being transported to the setting.

I think the redeeming quality of the book are the issues being dealt upon by the main characters. The book is so insightful and full of wisdom especially to those readers that are non risk-takers like myself - the good girl who plays by the rules and sometimes forget to live a little. It's a book about self-discovery in the midst of a beautiful setting and encourages everyone to just take the plunge.

RATING: 3/5

BOOK REVIEW: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Incarnate

Summary from Goodreads:

NEWSOUL

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.

NOSOUL

Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART

Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

MY THOUGHTS: 

I have mixed emotions when it comes to this book. 

Initially, I find that it has a slow pacing. And I'm almost tempted to stop reading it altogether but I find the concept to be unique and interesting. Also, I think it lacked in the world building department - it would be helpful to the readers if we were given a deeper understanding of the society they live in.  It's redeeming quality however is the romance between the main characters - it's by far my most favorite love story. I find that their relationship is not what most books have which is instalove - ridiculous at most. haha 

I love how their relationship blossomed into something more than friendship, it's the kind of love most people can only dream about. It's based on something substantial and not just purely lust and attraction which most books have. 

Overall, I really love and enjoyed reading this - definitely looking forward to next sequel. 

RATING: 4/5