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The Incarnate Accounts #1
Incarnate
“Murder me once, shame on you. Murder me twice...”
Emery Luple hunts monsters, solves crimes, confronts myths, and does it all in style. After being killed in the unforgiving Saudi Arabian desert while hunting a monster that never should have been there, he reincarnates into a new life—and not for the first time. But a string of grisly murders in New York immediately pulls him back into the world of investigation, mythical creatures, and mystery.
And strange deaths are not the only things to which Emery is drawn. Caden, the young guy who requests Emery’s help to investigate the crime spree, possesses an affinity for the supernatural… and a secret buried so deep, even he doesn’t know what it is.
Unexpected feelings, mutual self-discovery, and another incarnate claiming to be the Monster Hunter soon have Emery questioning all he thought he knew. Can he solve the current crimes before his murderer finds him again?
Emery Luple hunts monsters, solves crimes, confronts myths, and does it all in style. After being killed in the unforgiving Saudi Arabian desert while hunting a monster that never should have been there, he reincarnates into a new life—and not for the first time. But a string of grisly murders in New York immediately pulls him back into the world of investigation, mythical creatures, and mystery.
And strange deaths are not the only things to which Emery is drawn. Caden, the young guy who requests Emery’s help to investigate the crime spree, possesses an affinity for the supernatural… and a secret buried so deep, even he doesn’t know what it is.
Unexpected feelings, mutual self-discovery, and another incarnate claiming to be the Monster Hunter soon have Emery questioning all he thought he knew. Can he solve the current crimes before his murderer finds him again?
362 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 22, 2020
70 people are currently reading
309 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
May 27, 2024
DNF @ 10%, chapter 4
Overall, this ain’t for me. Kinda bummed I actually paid for this book but hey I love supporting artists. I didn’t care for the narration, character descriptions, and unconscious biases. I did like the story concept and the world could’ve been really exciting. See below for a full review.
I’m always hesitant when reading a self published novel. These authors have to have guts to not only write but also finish a story. Also, putting your work out there is a hard thing to do. I am always impressed by their strength. I was interested in this novel since it’s an urban fantasy with a gay lead and had high hopes for it. The idea is solid, the writing 😬 needs some work.
Con #1: action narration
I hate when the characters narrate the action and try to be snarky/self deprecating about it. EXAMPLE: “I released a shout— it was not a scream—and slammed the gun.”
EXAMPLE: “I’d say “wrestled it down to the ground,” but I was too exhausted to do much more than cling on as it collapsed. The Yeti looked up at me with eyes”
Y’all, when I read this, I actually screamed “THEN DON’T SAY IT!” Not even 3 pages into this story, and already my patience was being tried.
Con #2: character description
Another thing I notice with white authors. They get weird about race. EXAMPLE: “I was White, at least in part, with some Latino thrown in.” Um, what? Firstly, what is this sentence even trying to say? This description is mad cringe. Good character descriptions (imho) are like: she had light brown skin, a smile that lit up the room, and long lanky limbs that looked like an accident waiting to happen. You describe physical appearance and say something that denotes something important about the character or story.
Con #3: hypersexualization of black women
White people do this thing, especially with black women, where they try to overcompensate for misogynoir by being a little too enthusiastic in complimenting black women. The comments tend to sexualize and fetishize black women. EXAMPLE: “In a previous life, I’d been a gorgeous black woman at the time, all soft curves and sharp tongue.” Like what??? It’s even more cringe cause for the white women described before this part, there was no mention of their beauty or curves. In fact, they weren’t sexualized at all. It’s just so weird and this description “soft curves, sharp tongue” just screams stereotypes. I wish Justin went through this novel line by line and asked himself “why is this line important?” Cause as I read it, I couldn’t find a suitable answer.
Con #4: breaking the fourth wall
I did NOT care for this at all. I fully believe it can be executed well. I did think it was in this story. There were 3 4th wall breaks just in one scene and in the middle of the action. Like this man is fighting a yeti but then takes the time to “tell the reader” about some erroneous facts. Also, don’t use a 4th wall break to explain your world building. I literally could not finish this novel.
Pro: I do like the idea of incarnates. I think it’s a unique take on monster hunters and has a lot of room to play within.
Overall, this ain’t for me. Kinda bummed I actually paid for this book but hey I love supporting artists. I didn’t care for the narration, character descriptions, and unconscious biases. I did like the story concept and the world could’ve been really exciting. See below for a full review.
I’m always hesitant when reading a self published novel. These authors have to have guts to not only write but also finish a story. Also, putting your work out there is a hard thing to do. I am always impressed by their strength. I was interested in this novel since it’s an urban fantasy with a gay lead and had high hopes for it. The idea is solid, the writing 😬 needs some work.
Con #1: action narration
I hate when the characters narrate the action and try to be snarky/self deprecating about it. EXAMPLE: “I released a shout— it was not a scream—and slammed the gun.”
EXAMPLE: “I’d say “wrestled it down to the ground,” but I was too exhausted to do much more than cling on as it collapsed. The Yeti looked up at me with eyes”
Y’all, when I read this, I actually screamed “THEN DON’T SAY IT!” Not even 3 pages into this story, and already my patience was being tried.
Con #2: character description
Another thing I notice with white authors. They get weird about race. EXAMPLE: “I was White, at least in part, with some Latino thrown in.” Um, what? Firstly, what is this sentence even trying to say? This description is mad cringe. Good character descriptions (imho) are like: she had light brown skin, a smile that lit up the room, and long lanky limbs that looked like an accident waiting to happen. You describe physical appearance and say something that denotes something important about the character or story.
Con #3: hypersexualization of black women
White people do this thing, especially with black women, where they try to overcompensate for misogynoir by being a little too enthusiastic in complimenting black women. The comments tend to sexualize and fetishize black women. EXAMPLE: “In a previous life, I’d been a gorgeous black woman at the time, all soft curves and sharp tongue.” Like what??? It’s even more cringe cause for the white women described before this part, there was no mention of their beauty or curves. In fact, they weren’t sexualized at all. It’s just so weird and this description “soft curves, sharp tongue” just screams stereotypes. I wish Justin went through this novel line by line and asked himself “why is this line important?” Cause as I read it, I couldn’t find a suitable answer.
Con #4: breaking the fourth wall
I did NOT care for this at all. I fully believe it can be executed well. I did think it was in this story. There were 3 4th wall breaks just in one scene and in the middle of the action. Like this man is fighting a yeti but then takes the time to “tell the reader” about some erroneous facts. Also, don’t use a 4th wall break to explain your world building. I literally could not finish this novel.
Pro: I do like the idea of incarnates. I think it’s a unique take on monster hunters and has a lot of room to play within.
did-not-finish
November 13, 2021DNF'd after 3 chapters, no rating provided since I didn't finish the book.
I have 2 major criticisms about this book that prevent me from continuing. The first is the way the author has explained the reincarnation concept. Emery reincarnates into adults instead of babies, but the reincarnated adult comes with their own social connections (ie. Mom, BFF) who inexplicably keep referring to Emery as "Emery" even though that's his true name across reincarnations. It's not clear to me whether the new reincarnated body existed as a person before Emery reincarnated into it, which really bothers me. If the new body existed as a person before Emery's death, then Emery reincarnating into it and replacing its consciousness would be morally dubious. If the new body did not exist as a person before Emery's death, then that would imply that a higher entity created Emery's new reincarnated body with all related social connections (ie. Mom, BFF) who know that the new body is named Emery, but don't know that Emery is an "incarnate" (a word that the author uses as a catch-all for all magical things including Yetis, Vampires and Emery himself). Maybe the author explains this concept in more detail later on, but I think basic concepts should be outlined upfront even if the details come later. For example, in At the End of the Road (BL manhwa), the author makes it clear early on that the MC who has reincarnated into X's body has replaced X's consciousness, and has to pretend to be X to all of X's family and acquaintances.
The second criticism is the way the author keeps addressing the reader. There's nothing inherently wrong with breaking the 4th wall in 1st person POV (as Dresden Files does, whose tone I think the author is going for), but the MC is overly conversational. For example: "You might be wondering what the Yeti was doing in the desert. If so, you are way ahead of the curve. I was asking myself the same thing.", "That paw had easily been twice the size of my head, and the muscles behind it were… well, let’s just say that swipe could have crushed a car. My skull would have caved as easily as squishing a pea between your fingers.", "You also might be wondering why I’d be using a tranquilizer gun against something the size of the Yeti. After all, unlike on TV shows, in real life it can take the better part of an hour for a tranq to take full effect. Hold that thought." The last 2 examples were in the middle of an action scene, which slowed down the scene and didn't add anything to it. If I'm being honest, I don't love every aside in Dresden Files either because sometimes it feels like Harry Dresden thinks he's funnier than he is, but I felt the asides in DF served more of a purpose, whether Harry was explaining the magic system, his relationship to a character, or thought he was being witty (I like these the least). In Incarnate, the MC often used more words than he needed to describe anything, which felt clunky at best and condescending at worst (eg. "You see? Being an incarnate is complicated.")
Overall, while the author clearly has ambitious ideas for this series, I think he could really use an editor.
I have 2 major criticisms about this book that prevent me from continuing. The first is the way the author has explained the reincarnation concept. Emery reincarnates into adults instead of babies, but the reincarnated adult comes with their own social connections (ie. Mom, BFF) who inexplicably keep referring to Emery as "Emery" even though that's his true name across reincarnations. It's not clear to me whether the new reincarnated body existed as a person before Emery reincarnated into it, which really bothers me. If the new body existed as a person before Emery's death, then Emery reincarnating into it and replacing its consciousness would be morally dubious. If the new body did not exist as a person before Emery's death, then that would imply that a higher entity created Emery's new reincarnated body with all related social connections (ie. Mom, BFF) who know that the new body is named Emery, but don't know that Emery is an "incarnate" (a word that the author uses as a catch-all for all magical things including Yetis, Vampires and Emery himself). Maybe the author explains this concept in more detail later on, but I think basic concepts should be outlined upfront even if the details come later. For example, in At the End of the Road (BL manhwa), the author makes it clear early on that the MC who has reincarnated into X's body has replaced X's consciousness, and has to pretend to be X to all of X's family and acquaintances.
The second criticism is the way the author keeps addressing the reader. There's nothing inherently wrong with breaking the 4th wall in 1st person POV (as Dresden Files does, whose tone I think the author is going for), but the MC is overly conversational. For example: "You might be wondering what the Yeti was doing in the desert. If so, you are way ahead of the curve. I was asking myself the same thing.", "That paw had easily been twice the size of my head, and the muscles behind it were… well, let’s just say that swipe could have crushed a car. My skull would have caved as easily as squishing a pea between your fingers.", "You also might be wondering why I’d be using a tranquilizer gun against something the size of the Yeti. After all, unlike on TV shows, in real life it can take the better part of an hour for a tranq to take full effect. Hold that thought." The last 2 examples were in the middle of an action scene, which slowed down the scene and didn't add anything to it. If I'm being honest, I don't love every aside in Dresden Files either because sometimes it feels like Harry Dresden thinks he's funnier than he is, but I felt the asides in DF served more of a purpose, whether Harry was explaining the magic system, his relationship to a character, or thought he was being witty (I like these the least). In Incarnate, the MC often used more words than he needed to describe anything, which felt clunky at best and condescending at worst (eg. "You see? Being an incarnate is complicated.")
Overall, while the author clearly has ambitious ideas for this series, I think he could really use an editor.
January 1, 2021
Fantastic read! A super fun story with lovable fun characters. Can't wait for the next book in the series!
January 1, 2021
This book is amazing! Creative and unique. I would recommend this book to anyone.
January 6, 2021
A Must-Read for Story Lovers
Incarnate is one of those stories that starts with a bang and never lets up till the final pages. For anyone who loves stories (from fairy tales to urban legends) you have to check this out.
Five Positives:
-The concept of mythical beings whose existence depends on how many people believe in their myths is not new. However, Schuelke has managed to put his own spin on it, injecting originality, intrigue, and mystery.
-As I said earlier, the action is intense. Pretty much from the moment you start the book there are explosions as Emery (the main character) battles with mythical beings like devious genies.
-The narration is rather unique. It is first person, but due to the nature of the story the narrator is slightly unreliable. Plus, there are many hilarious asides and fourth-wall breaking commentary that make the story feel more like the narrator is directly talking to the reader.
-A multi-layered mystery that had me guessing until the very end of the text. There are twists, but they are the best kind, the ones that make perfect sense in retrospect. I found them all very satisfying.
-I’m not a huge fan of describing scenery, but I must admit that Schuelke employs a wide variety of exciting and colorful vocabulary that really helps the reader to visualize everything clearly. I was very impressed by the way he was able to describe the different locations, especially a small town in New York State (no spoilers).
One Negative:
-I found Caden to be a bit bland despite his backstory. Still, Rachelle and Trish were awesome, and the banter when three characters are on the page at the same time was really fun.
There is so much to love about this book. I cannot wait to revisit this world in the upcoming sequel.
Incarnate is one of those stories that starts with a bang and never lets up till the final pages. For anyone who loves stories (from fairy tales to urban legends) you have to check this out.
Five Positives:
-The concept of mythical beings whose existence depends on how many people believe in their myths is not new. However, Schuelke has managed to put his own spin on it, injecting originality, intrigue, and mystery.
-As I said earlier, the action is intense. Pretty much from the moment you start the book there are explosions as Emery (the main character) battles with mythical beings like devious genies.
-The narration is rather unique. It is first person, but due to the nature of the story the narrator is slightly unreliable. Plus, there are many hilarious asides and fourth-wall breaking commentary that make the story feel more like the narrator is directly talking to the reader.
-A multi-layered mystery that had me guessing until the very end of the text. There are twists, but they are the best kind, the ones that make perfect sense in retrospect. I found them all very satisfying.
-I’m not a huge fan of describing scenery, but I must admit that Schuelke employs a wide variety of exciting and colorful vocabulary that really helps the reader to visualize everything clearly. I was very impressed by the way he was able to describe the different locations, especially a small town in New York State (no spoilers).
One Negative:
-I found Caden to be a bit bland despite his backstory. Still, Rachelle and Trish were awesome, and the banter when three characters are on the page at the same time was really fun.
There is so much to love about this book. I cannot wait to revisit this world in the upcoming sequel.
January 3, 2021
Emery Luple is such a compelling character, and the way he narrates is unique and fresh while still doing the narrator’s job of dropping clues for the reader. Sometimes I even forgot I was reading a book and not right there with the characters! The twist was surprising (which I don’t say lightly as I’m usually pretty good at guessing the twist in a book), but the author does a good job of laying the clues out so that you *could* potentially figure it out. In a lot of media these days, the twist comes out of nowhere for the shock and awe factor but often doesn’t make sense. Justin Schuelke shows that that kind of shock and awe isn’t necessary for a good writer who knows how to lay out the real clues with a cover of smoke and mirrors and misdirection. You’ll be kicking yourself for not figuring it out sooner, and rereading it as soon as you finish it to see the clues in the light of already knowing the solution! Very satisfying read, and a good one to re-read — you’ll find something new each time, which is hard to find in a lot of mysteries and makes this book such a rare gem. Can’t wait to read more from this author!
did-not-finish
July 31, 2025dnf @ 13%
I probably would've loved this book in early 2020. As it is now, this book was just not for me.
I probably would've loved this book in early 2020. As it is now, this book was just not for me.
Read
September 10, 2024I would recommend this book if you are a young adult lover who has read and wants to read everything in the genre. In particular, I think this is a good read for someone who does not limit their enjoyment of the book to the actual story being told, but actually finds joy in looking at fantasy worlds more abstractly, thinking about their consequences and other potential stories that could take place in that same world. It may also be a good read if SuperWhoLock means something to you, and/or if head-over-heels, larger-than-life, over-the-moon gay romances make you giddy.
I got this book directly from the author at a pride event in my city and he described it as an urban fantasy murder mystery about a monster hunter trying to solve his own murder.
It is the story of Emery Luple (or at least the beginning of it), an immortal entity called an incarnate, which perfectly embody a literary concept or character (think "devil incarnate"). Incarnates are immortal not in the sense that they can't die, but rather that they come back to life exactly 1001 days after dying. Emery's latest incarnation has been murdered and, having just reincarnated, he now wants to find out who was responsible for it. In the process, he has the help of Rachelle, this incarnation's life-long best friend, and Caden, a New Yorker worried about a series of murders happening in the city. He will also interact with the Yeti incarnate, the Ghost incarnate, the Headless Horseman incarnate, and many others. In the process, he needs to face and overcome recent trauma which has changed how he sees himself and his incarnation.
I really enjoyed the concept that is at the base of the story. Incarnates are immortal entities that come into being from the shared stories, mythology, and folklore. Any character or concept that starts to become consistent through different narratives and starts to pervade the collective imagination while retaining something almost magical about it can become an incarnate, which will then live for as long as that character or concept exists in this shared imagination, coming back to life any time it is killed. In fact, it immediately made me start thinking about what would turn out to being one of the revelations of the story (), which is just one of the possible storylines emerging from this concept. As someone who likes to think about these kinds of lore almost like game mechanics as in what kind of new stories they enable, I really appreciated it. Of course, the idea of characters or literary "concepts" coming to life through their stories being told/retold, or through shared belief, isn't exactly an original concept, and this iteration of it does have its flaws, but I'll touch on them later.
The story that is told based on this concept is... entertaining. To me it was a bit like a comfort movie. It has its flaws, some only superficial but some quite deep, but so long as you're just going through it without thinking too much about it, it will be enjoyable. Depending on when in your life you read this book, I can even see it becoming something that you come back to time and time again to kinda be with the characters and go through this very familiar story.
My largest issue with the book, however, is that it feels like its trying to do too much too quickly, be in many places at once, and as a result everything feels under-developed and every aspect of the book suffers to some extent, some quite much. Take the introduction I received to the story, for example, an "urban fantasy murder mystery". While the "urban fantasy" is fairly well made, I don't think the same is true for the "murder mystery" part. The book didn't read to me like a murder mystery in part because Emery's investigation of his own murder almost always felt like an afterthought. In the reasoning for his actions, the motivation to find the murder seems to be missing at times, and at others just feels like it isn't really necessary. In fact, I'd say the entire "murder mystery" aspect of the book could be entirely done away with and the remaining story would still be just as competent and improved by not having this additional aspect to it. The other case that really stuck out to me was the relationship between Emery and Caden. In only a couple of days Emery's feelings for Caden are already to the point of saying things in the lines of "he always makes me feel better" or "that's the effect that his presence always has in me." By the end of the story, which happens in less than a week, Emery and Caden are so in love that Caden moves from New York to Seattle to be with Emery, although it is too soon for them to be living together, so he goes to live with Rachelle. These two are, I think, the most egregious examples, but any aspect of the book has some fairly deep flaw if you take a closer look at it. Why did the story need to move from Seattle to New York?
Another thing that feels under-developed, or at least under-worked, in the book is Emery's character arc "challenge". By which I mean that this challenge is mostly presented as internal dialogue which follows or is followed by actions that seem to completely disregard the internal struggle that he is facing.
Overall, I can see what the book is going for, and can see what the appeal might be, but it isn't really my cup of tea. Which is why I'm reluctant to give it a star rating. On the one hand, I'm not a part of the groups I mentioned at the start of this review who might enjoy the book, so I don't feel apt to judge how well the book performs in comparison to what it aims at. On the other, I don't want to give it a negative rating based on my personal enjoyment of the book.
I got this book directly from the author at a pride event in my city and he described it as an urban fantasy murder mystery about a monster hunter trying to solve his own murder.
It is the story of Emery Luple (or at least the beginning of it), an immortal entity called an incarnate, which perfectly embody a literary concept or character (think "devil incarnate"). Incarnates are immortal not in the sense that they can't die, but rather that they come back to life exactly 1001 days after dying. Emery's latest incarnation has been murdered and, having just reincarnated, he now wants to find out who was responsible for it. In the process, he has the help of Rachelle, this incarnation's life-long best friend, and Caden, a New Yorker worried about a series of murders happening in the city. He will also interact with the Yeti incarnate, the Ghost incarnate, the Headless Horseman incarnate, and many others. In the process, he needs to face and overcome recent trauma which has changed how he sees himself and his incarnation.
I really enjoyed the concept that is at the base of the story. Incarnates are immortal entities that come into being from the shared stories, mythology, and folklore. Any character or concept that starts to become consistent through different narratives and starts to pervade the collective imagination while retaining something almost magical about it can become an incarnate, which will then live for as long as that character or concept exists in this shared imagination, coming back to life any time it is killed. In fact, it immediately made me start thinking about what would turn out to being one of the revelations of the story (), which is just one of the possible storylines emerging from this concept. As someone who likes to think about these kinds of lore almost like game mechanics as in what kind of new stories they enable, I really appreciated it. Of course, the idea of characters or literary "concepts" coming to life through their stories being told/retold, or through shared belief, isn't exactly an original concept, and this iteration of it does have its flaws, but I'll touch on them later.
The story that is told based on this concept is... entertaining. To me it was a bit like a comfort movie. It has its flaws, some only superficial but some quite deep, but so long as you're just going through it without thinking too much about it, it will be enjoyable. Depending on when in your life you read this book, I can even see it becoming something that you come back to time and time again to kinda be with the characters and go through this very familiar story.
My largest issue with the book, however, is that it feels like its trying to do too much too quickly, be in many places at once, and as a result everything feels under-developed and every aspect of the book suffers to some extent, some quite much. Take the introduction I received to the story, for example, an "urban fantasy murder mystery". While the "urban fantasy" is fairly well made, I don't think the same is true for the "murder mystery" part. The book didn't read to me like a murder mystery in part because Emery's investigation of his own murder almost always felt like an afterthought. In the reasoning for his actions, the motivation to find the murder seems to be missing at times, and at others just feels like it isn't really necessary. In fact, I'd say the entire "murder mystery" aspect of the book could be entirely done away with and the remaining story would still be just as competent and improved by not having this additional aspect to it. The other case that really stuck out to me was the relationship between Emery and Caden. In only a couple of days Emery's feelings for Caden are already to the point of saying things in the lines of "he always makes me feel better" or "that's the effect that his presence always has in me." By the end of the story, which happens in less than a week, Emery and Caden are so in love that Caden moves from New York to Seattle to be with Emery, although it is too soon for them to be living together, so he goes to live with Rachelle. These two are, I think, the most egregious examples, but any aspect of the book has some fairly deep flaw if you take a closer look at it. Why did the story need to move from Seattle to New York?
Another thing that feels under-developed, or at least under-worked, in the book is Emery's character arc "challenge". By which I mean that this challenge is mostly presented as internal dialogue which follows or is followed by actions that seem to completely disregard the internal struggle that he is facing.
Overall, I can see what the book is going for, and can see what the appeal might be, but it isn't really my cup of tea. Which is why I'm reluctant to give it a star rating. On the one hand, I'm not a part of the groups I mentioned at the start of this review who might enjoy the book, so I don't feel apt to judge how well the book performs in comparison to what it aims at. On the other, I don't want to give it a negative rating based on my personal enjoyment of the book.
December 12, 2022
Okay… I’ll be the first to say that I’m not a huge fantasy reader… but from just the prologue of Incarnate I was HOOKED. The action.. the pacing.. the world building… everything was incredible. Once I started I couldn’t put it down— I just had to know what came next. This book does NOT disappoint. You need to read it. Stop questioning it. Just do it. I can’t wait to see where Emery Luple takes me next.
August 24, 2021
If you don't enjoy or are not in the mood for snark, this book isn't for you. That said, I enjoyed this fun, snarky Urban Fantasy novel. The current romantic involvement is gay, but the main protagonist and antagonist are gender fluid through time. I thought this was a fairly original story, well-told, and there is an overarching development in the series that I also enjoyed.
November 8, 2023
It sort of reminds me of the Incarnations of Immortality series by Piers Anthony, but the author takes that concept and made it his own. Truthfully, I think this book is just as good as anything Piers Anthony ever wrote. I'm absolutely in love with this series so far.
October 22, 2022
DNF at 61%. I tried to finish it, but the author relies on corny dialogue passed off as ironic, self-reflexive wit and thinner-than-tissue plot points that fail to cover up his laziness in thinking through his world-building, story arc and character development. With more planning and patience, and the will to reign in his tendency to write insufferable, droning inner dialogue, he could deliver an engaging, even innovative novel. He needs to grow more as an author.
More specifically, the author has a penchant for psychological and philosophical naval gazing that is at times painfully clichéd and so unremarkably obvious as to be not worthy of my time as a reader: “I would follow it to its inevitable conclusion, grateful for the journey,” or “I’ve come to realize how much we rely on science and tech to verify what’s real.” Ugh. Stop writing down to me and insulting my intelligence.
Throughout the book, there are a smattering of engaging action scenes and humorous, playful conversations between characters. But most of the book is made of pendantic inner dialogue that drones on and on and on. If it were intellectually stimulating or emotionally captivating inner dialogue, fine, bring it on. But the author is clearly using these long, long pages of inner-talk as a narrative crutch - basically telling us about the main character rather than showing us.
The writing can be too glib by half, interjecting smartass comments so often and at such odd times it challenged my belief in both the main character and the fictional world. At one point, a new character makes a snide comment and Emery makes an aside to the reader: “That was like getting a “Hell yeah!” from anyone else.” But how does Emery know this, as the character has just been introduced? The author is so involved in maintaining a glib, ironic tone that it doesn’t fit the actual circumstance.
I finally stopped reading when I found myself unable to tolerate reading paragraphs straight through, skimming each page when I could no longer endure the author’s amateurish prose.
More specifically, the author has a penchant for psychological and philosophical naval gazing that is at times painfully clichéd and so unremarkably obvious as to be not worthy of my time as a reader: “I would follow it to its inevitable conclusion, grateful for the journey,” or “I’ve come to realize how much we rely on science and tech to verify what’s real.” Ugh. Stop writing down to me and insulting my intelligence.
Throughout the book, there are a smattering of engaging action scenes and humorous, playful conversations between characters. But most of the book is made of pendantic inner dialogue that drones on and on and on. If it were intellectually stimulating or emotionally captivating inner dialogue, fine, bring it on. But the author is clearly using these long, long pages of inner-talk as a narrative crutch - basically telling us about the main character rather than showing us.
The writing can be too glib by half, interjecting smartass comments so often and at such odd times it challenged my belief in both the main character and the fictional world. At one point, a new character makes a snide comment and Emery makes an aside to the reader: “That was like getting a “Hell yeah!” from anyone else.” But how does Emery know this, as the character has just been introduced? The author is so involved in maintaining a glib, ironic tone that it doesn’t fit the actual circumstance.
I finally stopped reading when I found myself unable to tolerate reading paragraphs straight through, skimming each page when I could no longer endure the author’s amateurish prose.
September 8, 2024
Well, I didn’t like it. It’s not a bad book, but I mainly struggled to keep reading until the end, and I probably won’t follow the series. The main plot isn’t the worst, the characters are consistent, and the mystery is interesting, but the world-building is unappealing, the humor feels naive, and I finished the book with the feeling that it’s written for teens or young adults.
Basically, it’s a world where myths exist and live among us as “incarnates” as long as the legend persists. If they die, they blackout for 1001 days and then incarnate again. We follow Emery, the recently incarnated myth of The Monster Hunter, who has only a few memories of his past, but his enemies are after him as soon as he becomes conscious.
It could have been an interesting plot, even if it doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but it ends up being unappealing and not engaging.
PROS:
Single Narrator: The entire story is told from Emery’s point of view, and that’s great.
Consistent Characters: All of the characters are plausible, believable, and have some depth.
Nice Romance: There’s a well-paced romance, and it avoids the over-sexualized clichés found in many LGBTQ books.
CONS:
Emery’s Personal Conflict: While it’s well described, it’s missing something. It’s not engaging enough.
Too Much World-Building Explanation: Throughout the entire book, Emery constantly explains the incarnate theory, but we never get the chance to really immerse ourselves in it.
Unbelievable Final Fight: Without giving spoilers, the final fight scene is pretty unbelievable, and the power balance becomes totally bizarre.
Teen Vibe: There’s something about the tone of the book that makes it feel more suited for teenagers. That’s not inherently a problem, but it’s important to keep in mind. I probably would’ve skipped it if I had known.
Overall, as I said, I didn’t enjoy it, but it’s not a bad book. If you’re looking for a light urban fantasy with some humor, you might want to give it a try. However, I believe there are better reads out there.
Basically, it’s a world where myths exist and live among us as “incarnates” as long as the legend persists. If they die, they blackout for 1001 days and then incarnate again. We follow Emery, the recently incarnated myth of The Monster Hunter, who has only a few memories of his past, but his enemies are after him as soon as he becomes conscious.
It could have been an interesting plot, even if it doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but it ends up being unappealing and not engaging.
PROS:
Single Narrator: The entire story is told from Emery’s point of view, and that’s great.
Consistent Characters: All of the characters are plausible, believable, and have some depth.
Nice Romance: There’s a well-paced romance, and it avoids the over-sexualized clichés found in many LGBTQ books.
CONS:
Emery’s Personal Conflict: While it’s well described, it’s missing something. It’s not engaging enough.
Too Much World-Building Explanation: Throughout the entire book, Emery constantly explains the incarnate theory, but we never get the chance to really immerse ourselves in it.
Unbelievable Final Fight: Without giving spoilers, the final fight scene is pretty unbelievable, and the power balance becomes totally bizarre.
Teen Vibe: There’s something about the tone of the book that makes it feel more suited for teenagers. That’s not inherently a problem, but it’s important to keep in mind. I probably would’ve skipped it if I had known.
Overall, as I said, I didn’t enjoy it, but it’s not a bad book. If you’re looking for a light urban fantasy with some humor, you might want to give it a try. However, I believe there are better reads out there.
May 20, 2021
Rating: 4.5 stars
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
I'm generally not a fan of first person narratives, but I felt Schuelke used this to better effect than other authors. The narration is humorous and casual, thankfully not overly (annoyingly) snarky, but also aware that first person narratives can be wonky--and Schuelke incorporates that wonkiness a few times as part of the main character's voice. For example, when the main character is narrating some action scenes or bypassing some of the more mundane things that would take up a whole chapter.
I liked Schuelke's ideas about incarnates and their world. I'm keen to see and read more about this world.
The story itself is pretty fast pace. The dialog and interaction between the characters is fun and snappy. And while there's some drama, it's not an overly angsty story.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
I'm generally not a fan of first person narratives, but I felt Schuelke used this to better effect than other authors. The narration is humorous and casual, thankfully not overly (annoyingly) snarky, but also aware that first person narratives can be wonky--and Schuelke incorporates that wonkiness a few times as part of the main character's voice. For example, when the main character is narrating some action scenes or bypassing some of the more mundane things that would take up a whole chapter.
I liked Schuelke's ideas about incarnates and their world. I'm keen to see and read more about this world.
The story itself is pretty fast pace. The dialog and interaction between the characters is fun and snappy. And while there's some drama, it's not an overly angsty story.
August 3, 2023
I enjoyed this start to a unique series. The whole Incarnate and reincarnation was definitely intriguing. However, I wasn't sure how I was going to rate this one. And that's all on me. Initially, I struggled to absorb the world building and rules surrounding the Incarnates at the beginning of the book. It took me approximately halfway through before I was able to sink into the story without having to think about that. Also, it took about half of the story for Emery not to grate on my nerves with his cockiness.
But once that happened, oh boy, this story took off for me. I think a lot of that was because of Caden. His goodness balanced out Emery in my head until I could see more of the goodness in Emery, too. The plot was intricate and compelling; I had a hard time, putting the book down in the second half.
I'll be checking out the next two books in the series.
But once that happened, oh boy, this story took off for me. I think a lot of that was because of Caden. His goodness balanced out Emery in my head until I could see more of the goodness in Emery, too. The plot was intricate and compelling; I had a hard time, putting the book down in the second half.
I'll be checking out the next two books in the series.
April 1, 2022
This could have been good, there was so much potential but it just never really got there. To the point, I'll admit, I skipped to the end to see if I was right about Emery (I was). So much of this book got bogged down by the incessant info dumping and the fact that Emery was sort of useless. Okay, more than sort of. I just can't get behind someone who tells me constantly how good they are at something (while epically failing at it) and also spends so much time explaining the history of things and how the world works. I care but only so much, I like to discover things as I go - and not in a way that has the MC literally explaining it all to me like I'm his student.
This one just was not for me.
This one just was not for me.
February 6, 2023
Draft review
The story was really clever and intriguing. The inner dialog was not overly repetitive. That is what I usually find aggregating when a story is in the 1st person. I was expecting a lot more sarcasm, which is neither good or bad in my case. I can't really lay my finger on why it didn't quite work for me, but it didn't. I stayed engaged on the surface, but I was never engrossed like I should have been. I do think having the m/c talk to us disrupted the flow of the story. There was a lot of potential, but the most telling thing for me was not being unhappy to see it end. I might read the next book due to the potential I saw in this story, but it's not a sure thing. In the end I liked, but definitely didn't love it.
The story was really clever and intriguing. The inner dialog was not overly repetitive. That is what I usually find aggregating when a story is in the 1st person. I was expecting a lot more sarcasm, which is neither good or bad in my case. I can't really lay my finger on why it didn't quite work for me, but it didn't. I stayed engaged on the surface, but I was never engrossed like I should have been. I do think having the m/c talk to us disrupted the flow of the story. There was a lot of potential, but the most telling thing for me was not being unhappy to see it end. I might read the next book due to the potential I saw in this story, but it's not a sure thing. In the end I liked, but definitely didn't love it.
January 11, 2021
Fantastic Read!
Excellent debut novel by this writer! It's not very often I'll stop to give a review before moving on to the next book, but this one is very well deserved. I loved the world building, and the preludes at the beginning of every other chapter or so where the main character speaks directly to the reader were a really nice touch. Definitely looking forward to further books in the series. My only recommendation to the author for future installations would be to delve a little more into the personal relationships between the main character and the supporting cast. I'd love to get into Rachelle's and Caden's heads a bit more and get to know them better.
Excellent debut novel by this writer! It's not very often I'll stop to give a review before moving on to the next book, but this one is very well deserved. I loved the world building, and the preludes at the beginning of every other chapter or so where the main character speaks directly to the reader were a really nice touch. Definitely looking forward to further books in the series. My only recommendation to the author for future installations would be to delve a little more into the personal relationships between the main character and the supporting cast. I'd love to get into Rachelle's and Caden's heads a bit more and get to know them better.
January 6, 2023
This was almost three stars. Very, very nearly three stars on such a good book.
I don't want to spoil anything, but the reason for this was simple. One of the main characters featured was a woman named Morrigan, and the way it was written implied the Goddess. I'm Pagan, and she is one of my patrons and this was IMMEDIATELY off-putting, but I told myself I would finish because literally everything else was so good.
I was in love with EVERY other element, and I held out hope that something would surface to put that anger and frustration to bed. I'm so very glad to say it did. I'm so very glad I finished and I'm looking forward to seeing where the rest of the series goes.
I don't want to spoil anything, but the reason for this was simple. One of the main characters featured was a woman named Morrigan, and the way it was written implied the Goddess. I'm Pagan, and she is one of my patrons and this was IMMEDIATELY off-putting, but I told myself I would finish because literally everything else was so good.
I was in love with EVERY other element, and I held out hope that something would surface to put that anger and frustration to bed. I'm so very glad to say it did. I'm so very glad I finished and I'm looking forward to seeing where the rest of the series goes.
January 2, 2021
What an incredible page turning Journey! This story keeps you guessing while exploring new sides to myths and legends. The Author takes you through exciting scenarios holding the readers attention from cover to cover. It's a wonderful journey trying to figure out what is around the next corner. Really captivating, a must read, especially those looking for a fantasy escape. As an older reader, while a tad surprised with the "same" sex relationship, it is beautifully written in a way to embrace love is love. I can't wait to see what is coming next!
January 2, 2021
This book is a must read! Absolutely a page turner from the start. You are instantly drawn into the story of Emery. He has many encounters with mystical characters that we all know about from our childhood. Justin brought them to life in a unique way! There are many twists and turns as we learn about the incarnate world. This book has everything! intrigue, action, adventure, humor, and a sweet same sex romance that we can all relate to. I can’t wait for the next adventures in the series of Emery Luple and his friends!
January 8, 2021
Wow. I’m a sucker for fantasy, fairy tale, myth and legend - to find them woven into one space well takes guts, ingenuity, and a fresh perspective. Schuelke delivers. With a world that feels familiar enough for intrigue, it’s new enough for surprise. He sparks the complex conversation of gender spectrum with pose. While it could be seen as subtle, it begs for more narrative of the complex lives of Emery. Stand out for a first time author. Stoked to learn another is in development.
June 3, 2021
I had a great time with this book and the characters within. The story flows from a mysterious opening into a unique premise and onto the adventure it showcases. The characters have depth to them, and regardless if you are able to catch the hints left in the scenery, their journey and growth together is both sweet and entertaining! I truly enjoyed my time with Incarnate (and the sequel), and am looking forward to reading more.
December 7, 2023
LOVE the writing! It feels so… literary and yet it’s fantasy - Squee!! Seriously well done.
It gets a bit long in places and I really wish that Incarnates were reborn into actual people rather than the whole “reality bends around them”. Yes it would have given the story a slightly darker edge but the writing is so good, I believe the author could have pulled it off. The way it is written, it feels overly complicated.
It gets a bit long in places and I really wish that Incarnates were reborn into actual people rather than the whole “reality bends around them”. Yes it would have given the story a slightly darker edge but the writing is so good, I believe the author could have pulled it off. The way it is written, it feels overly complicated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2023
Who is he?
I love a good mystery. I didn't more know i was going to be reading one when I bought this book. It's an amazing story filled with action adventures and romance. But the heart of if is a mystery. Like most great mystery if all starts with a question, who is our incarnate....?
I love a good mystery. I didn't more know i was going to be reading one when I bought this book. It's an amazing story filled with action adventures and romance. But the heart of if is a mystery. Like most great mystery if all starts with a question, who is our incarnate....?
January 9, 2022
Great start to a paranormal series!
Good read with an interesting take on heroes and monsters. The plot moved quickly and the characters were interesting. Look forward to starting the next book!
Good read with an interesting take on heroes and monsters. The plot moved quickly and the characters were interesting. Look forward to starting the next book!
November 9, 2023
Dnf after chapter 6:
This is sadly an interesting concept failed by novice writing. There's nothing suspenseful or intriguing going on. It's like someone reading a textbook in some parts. And sadly those parts are what makes the concept interesting if done in proper show don't tell fashion.
This is sadly an interesting concept failed by novice writing. There's nothing suspenseful or intriguing going on. It's like someone reading a textbook in some parts. And sadly those parts are what makes the concept interesting if done in proper show don't tell fashion.
March 28, 2024
Nope, too many things irritated me about this. DNF at about 30% Urban fantasy still needs to work with the current rules and laws of the current world. You can't buy tranquilizer darts at a sporting goods store. You can't buy tazers at a sporting goods store. You can't buy either in Manhattan.
January 2, 2021
Amazing new series that keeps the pages turning and the reader guessing. This story will leave you satisfied but still wanting more!
January 2, 2021
This is an excellent book! It feels like you're right there with the characters discovering the magic in the world. The pages seem to turn themselves. I can't wait for the next book!
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