Book Review: My Soul to Take (Rachel Vincent)

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 her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next…

Rachel Vincent should be a name readers should always, always categorise under 'bloody amazing'. Her shifters series is noteworthy in the Urban fantasy genre and her newly published (in the UK, at least) Soul Screamers series is just as fantastic! I love it! It has in its pages the exact reasons why I love YA - and why it is bound to be one of my favourite series!

My Soul to Take hooked me from the very beginning. Despite paranormal YA being very popular in the market today, I am drawn to the book even before it began introducing its paranormal element. Rachel's writing is magnetic - her no nonsense prose is witty, direct and thoroughly enigmatic. The way it delivers exactly what is just right - without taking the wit off the narrative voice - is truly captivating. It is a very comfortable read, smooth in both its prose and pace. Before I knew it, I was half-way thru it!

I don't think I've ever read a book about bean sidhes before. I have come across the notion of course, particularly in highland romances, but I have yet to read one which focuses entirely on it. The Soul Screamers series fits the bill entirely, and I have been completely enthralled by its mythology.  It is incredibly well-imagined, and so easy to drown in! It is not only rich and particularly exciting, it is also a joy to gather and discover more of it with Kaylee as I read along.

Kaylee Cavanaugh is one funny, sassy and witty heroine. At times even confused, as well as horrified by her abilities. She is the perfect complement to Nash's laidback, protective personality. While she is a risk-taker unaware of the consequences, Nash is a guarded and a careful assessor. This pair is - there is no other word for it - sexy. Yes, My Soul to Take is definitely more seductive than many YA books I've read - and I am not complaining!

Apart from the obvious pair, there are also a number of secondary characters that not only surprises you, but ones you know will play an increasingly important role in the succeeding books. One of those is Tod, who has a hugely surprising relationship to one of the characters - I will not ruin the surprise for you, but it has a completely huge twist I never would have guessed! The book has a whole lot of it on hand for the readers - brace yourselves! You're in for a definite treat! The fact that everything is well balanced with some very nerve wracking instances just adds to the general marvelousness of this series.

Fast-paced, engaging, enthralling, magnetic, seductive - My Soul to Take definitely has the best of YA!

Five Stars!


* Review copy courtesy of Mira Ink. Thank you!

Soul Screamer (Rachel Vincent) Blog Tour!

Rachel Vincent’s hotly anticipated Soul Screamers series will be hitting UK shores in early January. The first book in the series, My Soul to Take, is being published by an exciting new book imprint, MIRA Ink - and today I have with me a guest post from Rachel about the research she did on banshees for this exciting new series:

I did a lot of research into what I could find of the original Irish bean sidhe lore, and similar Scottish and Manx folklore, and I used most of what I found in the books, in one way or another. Kaylee’s last name, Cavanaugh, for example, comes from the Kavanaugh family, one of the five great families whose deaths are said to be mourned by the bean sidhe in Ireland.

Honestly, though, I wound up with more questions than answers after reading the folklore. But in fiction, that’s a good thing. Unanswered questions are an opportunity for me to make things up and expand upon what I found. Which is where most of the worldbuilding in the Soul Screamers series comes from.

I made up answers for why bean sidhe wail, what their wail is actually doing, why there’s no male of the species (in my world, there is!), how they inherit their abilities, and how being saddled with abilities like Kaylee’s can shape a girl’s adolescence.

Why do I think bean sidhes are cooler than other creatures, like vampires? Well, I don’t know that I think any one creature is cooler than any other. (Except for reapers. I think my reapers are pretty cool.) But for me, the advantage bean sidhes have over your typical vampires and werewolves is they’re largely unknown. You go into a vampire book knowing what to expect. Biting. Drinking blood. Lots of night-dates. And probably an older (waaaay older) man. But most people go into the Soul Screamers books not knowing what to expect. And in case you’re one of those, here’s a hint:

Mysterious deaths. Scary abilities. Kissing. Evil soul-stealing hellions. Sarcastic reapers. Kissing. Netherworld addictive substances. Lies and secrets. Kissing. Insanity. Things crawling through the shadows. And did I mention the kissing? ;)

Thanks Rachel! :)

Rachel Vincent is a New York times best selling author. The Soul Screamers series is her first series for teenagers. Rachel is also the author of the successful Shifters series about a pride of werecats which are written for adults. Rachel lives in Texas with her husband who she met when she worked in Subway. When she’s not writing paranormal fiction Rachel spends time catching up on her favourite TV shows, she is addicted to Dexter and True Blood! For more info visit www.rachelvincent.com