Review: My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers #2)

Author: Rachel Vincent

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: December 29th, 2009

Source: Purchased

My Rating: 4.5/5

When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies.

So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn’t wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can’t cry for someone who has no soul.

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can’t possibly understand.
Kaylee can’t let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk... 

(Side note: I apologize for the lack of reviews here on the blog recently. I've been battling this very weird tiredness which has had me sleeping all day, or not being able to sleep at all. I'm also in the middle of exams so I'm trying to juggle studying and blogging and it's becoming difficult. Once I'm done exams (Nine days from now!) I will be back on track!)

I love to re-read books. I know a lot of people who never do, but I adore it. I find you notice so many more things the second (or third, or forth, etc.) time around than you do the first and it often really adds to the story. Characters are seen in a different light, actions take on entirely different meanings, and little hints are finally noticed. In the case of My Soul to Save, it made me like the characters AND the plot line that much more.

Now, I liked My Soul to Save the first time around, but it wasn't as amazing as My Soul to Take. I thought the plot was a bit out there, and I was still very frustrated with Kaylee. This time I have to say, I really saw where the plot was heading, and my respect for Kaylee was definitely more than previously. Since I don't want to give out any spoilers for future books, I can't really say what I noticed about the plot, just that it plays a role in the next few novels. One thing about the plot I was really excited to notice is the "greed" element. A little while back, Rachel Vincent wrote a blog post (WARNING: The post contains spoilers for the series) about how each book was based on a seven deadly sin. My Soul to Take was vanity, and My Soul to Save was greed. I could definitely see where Vincent took that idea, and how she threaded it through each characters story line. Really fun to read about!


I also have to say, I was really proud of Kaylee. My first time reading it, I was always aggravated by her decisions and just her personality in general. This time, I could see where she was coming from and although she didn't always make the smartest choices, she made them with the best of intentions. 

I also loved getting to see Tod's flawed side. His sarcastic attitude and casual smirk took a backseat to his raw emotions in this book. I think it was fantastic to see a different side of him, and really added to his character.


Overall, My Soul to Save grabbed me, even reading it a second time. I was pulled into the fight to save Addison's soul, Kaylee's unrelenting courage to do just that, and all the emotion turmoil that this quest entailed. It was a ride, a heart-breaker, and just generally a fantastic book. Make sure to check out Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamer series, if you haven't already. Mythical creatures, heart-breaking characters, and kissing (lots of it) all wrapped up in one delicious series!


If it sounds good to you, why not make it even better and take part in the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge! It's a bit late into it, but it's very easy to catch up! These books will not let you go until you're finished!


- Ciara who is lost at midnight


Find this book: Amazon | Goodreads | Rachel Vincent's website

Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Take

Author: Rachel Vincent

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: August 1st, 2009

Source: Purchased

My Rating: 4/5

She doesn't see dead people, but she senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about the need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next...

Soul Screamers. The last thing you hear before you die.

This was actually the second time I've read My Soul to Take. I decided to take part in The Soul Screamers Reading Challenge hosted by Fitkshun over at Fiktshun's Blog because I thought it would be a great way to get back into the series before the much anticipated release of Before I Wake. I hadn't read MSTT since August of 2009, the day it came out. I was a huge fan (and still am) of Rachel Vincent's adult series, and was eagerly awaiting the release of her first YA book. And I was not disappointed. I spent one summer afternoon on my basement couch just reading, without stopping. It was addicting. 

It was really odd to re-read this book. After everything that has happened over the last five books (and trust me, a LOT has happened), it was really cool to go back and see how it all started. The characters have grown so much throughout the series, and it was a shock to see them back before everything happened. I found myself slipping into the story once again and, even though I knew what would happen, I couldn't stop reading it. The characters called me back every time, and the interesting and original storyline made this book completely unique. Over the series, I've come to really love Kaylee, but going back to the start I remembered my early irritations with her, and my misguided love of Nash. I kept trying to shove the characters back into the boxes of my opinion, but found it impossible. These are not the same characters they are in the later books, and my opinions of them grew as they did. I can't hate Nash because he really hasn't done anything to make me feel that way, just like I can't love Kaylee because my pride in her doesn't exist yet. I have re-read tons of books before, but this experience was new to me. Usually, characters grow but, in this case, it was like the characters weren't even the same people. And I loved it.


I really adored the concept of this book even more the second time. As I mentioned before, I'm Irish, and I have studied Irish mythology more than once (not extensively, mind you) and it was great to read about Vincent's spin on bean sidhe. The added element of the Netherworld (a world apart from our own filled with grotesque creatures and soul-stealing hellions who feed on chaos and pain) was a great addition to the story. As were the reapers! I thought it was a very creative and well-thought out world, one that has so much potential built into it.


And speaking of reapers...time for some Tod gushing! This adorable, sarcastic, and cunning reaper who stole my heart from his first scene. I am a very proud member of Team Tod, and love him more and more each book. It was so great to go back and see Kaylee's first impression of the angelic-haired soul snatcher, and notice a few things I didn't before! (Since what I noticed is a bit of a spoiler, I'm going to save that for a later review!) I can't wait to watch as his role increases, and as his wit and heart capture my love all over again.


Overall, I'm so happy to have read this book again. Looking at the old story through new eyes was both jarring and enlightening. I think I'm going to love this series more the second time!


Check out the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge if you're interested in these books! And, you can buy the first two books (and novella) in an omnibus!

- Ciara who is lost at midnight

Find this book: Amazon | Goodreads | Rachel Vincent's Website