Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Valentine's Day Special: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent






Several weeks back I signed up to be apart of Rachel's (over at FiktshunSoul Screamers Reading Challenge. Tod and Nash were both in our YA Crush Tourney this summer, and Tod was one of the dark horses that came close to taking the whole thing!  He has some huge fans, and he won some pretty amazing matches.  I kept telling Rachel that I was going to read them, but other books kept pushing their way in front.  So, a few days back, I finally set down to start My Soul to Take, the first book in the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent.  And...yep....hmmmm.....what to say....because I am still stinkin' SPEECHLESS!!!!  I'm so glad that my review is going up on Valentine's Day because I have some new very worthy crushes in Tod and (the worthy part might come in to question here) Nash!  I fell hard for both these guys!  I'm squeeing under my breath right now just writing about them! And the best part is, I still have 4 more books to go!


My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
Harlequin Teen
In stores now!
Reviewed by: AmyG (Big Sis)
Sister's Say: It's a Stunningly, Sensational, Screamin' Good Time!


My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers, #1) 
She doesn't see dead people. 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.



When I started reading this book, I had concerns that it couldn't possible be as good as all the twitter hype.  I've read some pretty amazing books lately, so it had some big shoes to fill.  From the plot, to the characters, to the setting, Rachel Vincent hit a home run!  

The plot was an exciting, unique experience into the bean sidhe or banshee folklore.  As a female bean sidhe, Kaylee "sings" souls into the afterlife.  However, it only sounds like singing to male bean sidhes.  To them it is a hauntingly beautiful song that seductively draws them in, but to the rest of us, it sounds like a rippingly painful screech.  The plot Rachel Vincent weaves around this ancient lore of bean sidhes, trapped me from the very start and refused to let go until the last page.

I loved all the characters--even the terrible Sophie!  She's one of those girls that I love to hate!  Kaylee on the other hand, is an amazing, likable, heroine surrounded Nash and Tod, 2 VERY crush worthy heroes.    The chemistry between all of them keeps the pace of the novel moving.  I was on the last page of the novel way too soon!

Lastly, as a Texas girl, I must mention the setting of the great Lone Star State!  There should be more books set in Texas!  It was incredible to already have a picture of the setting in my mind as soon as she spoke of it.    I hope everyone has read a novel where they get to experience that!  I love to know that these characters and I have walked the same streets and seen the same sights.  It made me feel that I had a special connection with Kaylee, Nash and Tod.

I highly recommend this book, and definitely, read it before the next Crush Tourney!   For those wanting to know the maturity content, I would suggest this book for older YA's.  There is some sexual content, and the characters deal with some pretty mature issues regarding death and souls.  

I am in the process of reading this entire series, so stay turned for more reviews of the next books.  Also, if you want to join this Soul Screamer's Challenge, go check out more on Fiktshun's blog.  We need more people on these boys' teams!