The Reincarnationist

The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Sum it up in a sentence (or two): Josh is pretty sure he used to be Julius, but wants proof. He goes looking for it in Rome and finds a lot of trouble.

First thoughts: Right away, I was super intrigued with this book. The Rome setting definitely interested me (and the Roman history was fun to revisit), but the characters and concept showed lots of promise too. I mean, it's reincarnation, how can it not be interesting?

A tale of two...or three stories: So at first it was just Josh Ryder in present day NY/Rome and Julius in ancient Rome. Then a few more characters get introduced and we've got Joshua as Percy in a New York of the past, plus Rachel, Alex, and Harrison in present New York. Things get a little confusing.

Favorite quote: "It's a gift to see into the depths of grief, because only when you realize that someone can be in that much pain and still function, speak civilly, shake your hand and tell you how nice it is to meet you, do you understand why you can't ever give in or give up. There's always another chance, another day. That's the miracle of the human spirit." -Josh's dad, p 374

Final thoughts: So...this just kinda ended. I guess it's part of a series, but I'd like my stories to have a conclusion (even a cliffhanger), not just end. That's a bummer. Points for Rome/Roman history, interesting concept, and characters I want to care about, but the follow through isn't there.


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