Today's Grateful List/31 December 2015
- Going to get answers no matter what
What can I say about the Rachel Vincent's awesome ending to her Soul Screamers series, With All My Soul? I simply devoured it, staying up past my bedtime to finish it off last night. What an excellent, creative ending to a series that has just gotten better with each new entry.
This last novel in the series opens with Emma inside a new body, and Kaylee still trying to figure out how to put a stop to hellion Avari's evil ways. When the parents of three of the group are taken into the Netherworld, the gang of high school students pull out all the stops in order to obtain their safe return. Kaylee ends up toying with yet another hellion, Ira, and trying to avoid a deal with the devil. How it all plays out is both awful and perfect.
With All My Soul has plenty of very deep moments, and emotions are raw and rampant throughout. I especially loved the interactions between Kaylee and Tod; those two are perfect together, but all the other couples seem well matched, too. There are a few times when the action seems slow, but in actuality, it is necessary for the build to the climax. I really cannot say anything bad about this book, or indeed, the entire series; Ms. Vincent has written a solid set of novels that come very highly recommended from this reviewer.
~taminator40
First, let me say I love this series by Rachel Vincent! It certainly has some of the most interesting, most flawed characters in YA fiction, and the storyline is developing well with lots of action and excitement. This entry is another good one, but there are a couple of issues that kept me from giving it the full 5 stars...nothing major, but still things that bugged me. But mostly Vincent's writing is growing and this series is going to be so hard to give up when the next (and final!) novel is out.
What I Loved: I LOVE Tod. He is the single best character, with his wit constantly shining and his utter, complete devotion to Kaylee a true heartwarming relationship. The way he tries to protect Kaylee, the way he works with her and values her, all make him probably one of my favorite YA characters ever. Also, Vincent handles their decision to go physical in an adult, responsible way that shows how deeply they care for one another. I also love that Kaylee's relationship with Nash isn't just resolved so quickly and that we can feel his pain. I love that her dad is still a dad, regardless of her dead status. And speaking of that issue, I love how Vincent is portraying Kaylee's abrupt adjustment into the land of the dead: it's a learning process, with both benefits and problems, all of which are overwhelming. Kaylee's a great character herself, but she is a conflicted one. I also like the central problem with Avari: he's found a way around the Netherworld Rules, and he's just pure evil, and right now, no one's sure how to deal with him. Great story telling amid all the fighting (both the relationship kind and the physical kind). I also like that hard decisions have to be made and there are consequences for those choices.
What Bugged Me: Surely someone, somewhere is going to notice all these deaths in a high school and in a community, most of which have some sort of tie to Kaylee. It's almost too much to believe, that the school is still open and operating with students and teachers dropping left and right. I know that shouldn't bug me, but it does. But what bugged me more was the idea that the group is so in peril that they must not go to school, must all sleep together and keep tabs on one another...but they go to the lake on an outing to celebrate Kaylee's non-birthday...in the woods...and the couples break up into pairs and disappear on their own. There is no logic whatsoever in any of it, other than to set up the fight with Avari, and it just bugged me too much that the over-protective adults make this move. It was a big "Huh?" moment in an otherwise well written, smartly plotted book.
Final Impressions: Before I Wake is another really good novel in the Soul Screamers series, and Vincent knows how to keep you on the edge. She definitely has a handle on her characters' reasons and personalities, and I'm still not able to figure out how Kaylee and Co. will defeat Avari ultimately. Definitely a great read and I'm ready for the final book!
~taminator40
Book # 5 in the Soul Screamers series, If I Die, is a definite game changer. Kaylee and boyfriend Nash are both bean sidhes slowly working on restoring their relationship which was damaged by Nash's frost addiction and the appearance of Sabine, his former girlfriend. Kaylee knows her life isn't going to be normal, but she never expects the news she receives via Tod, Nash's dead brother (who is also a Reaper)...her death is going to occur in six days and there is absolutely nothing she nor anyone else can do to stop it. So what would you do if you knew you only had six days in which to live? Of course sex with Nash will be high on the list (or is it?), but Kaylee chooses to make her life count for something so she begins a battle against the new math teacher, Mr. Beck, who is also an incubus using teenaged girls as his sexual play toys.
There's a lot going on in If I Die, but the underlying theme is definitely Kaylee's impending death and her attempts to deal with it. Ms. Vincent handles all the issues with humor and determination, and I came away from this story feeling that it was about so much more than a teenaged paranormal experience. While Kaylee's time is running out, she's forced to face her feelings for Nash; to say that I am beyond elated at what happens is an understatement. And while the novel's focus is on the shortened timeline of life, it never loses sight of the fact that Kaylee and her friends do battle nefarious Netherworld beings and even human problems. Tod is a major force in If I Die, and this reader is seriously in love with his gallant decisions and his secret infatuation coming into fruition. And I don't think anyone will foresee just how this book comes to its climax.
I am so excited that this series is just improving with each book because that's often a rarity. Ms. Vincent's characters are conflicted and multi-dimensional; it's obvious they are coming to grips with their talents yet still wrestling with human feelings. There's not a weak character in the bunch, and Kaylee's bravery in the face of her demise had me cheering. I simply cannot wait to find out what happens next! Keep up the good work, Ms. Vincent. You've got a fan on the edge of her seat here.
~taminator40
In Book 4 of the Soul Screamers series, Kaylee, our resident bean sidhe, is rebounding after the betrayal of boyfriend Nash, who had become hooked on Demon's Breath in the previous book. Nash sold some of his memories of Kaylee in order to score for his addiction, as well as allowing a hellion to enter her body, and while Kaylee realizes it was the drug in charge, it's very hard for her to work past the feelings of hurt. Nash is penitent, willing to do whatever he can to keep Kaylee from pushing him away; that is, until Sabine, ex-flame and literally a Living Nightmare, arrives in town and all hell breaks loose.
My Soul to Steal is very much about Kaylee's desire to be with Nash but her unwillingness to risk his possible relapse into the dangers of addiction; her constant waffling on whether or not it's wise to be with him almost makes the book founder at times because you just want her to make up her mind once and for all. What doesn't help is the seductive, determined Sabine, Nash's first love and the one he lost his virginity to; Sabine won't take no for an answer, and Nash, while seeming uninterested in rekindling the romance, does seem to need Sabine's friendship desperately since she understands what he's going through. Meanwhile, as Kaylee is in turmoil over Sabine, it becomes apparent that a hellion is once again on the loose and Eastlake High School is its target. When three teachers die and a host of wild behavior begins, it's easy to blame Sabine; but Alec (saved in the last book from the evil clutches of Avari), also seems involved. When danger threatens Emma, Kaylee's best friend, it's time to head back into the Netherworld.
This entry in the series is a page turner, with Ms. Vincent giving a very realistic look at high school relationships (even if living Nightmares and hellions are involved...wait, doesn't that describe high school perfectly? lol). Kaylee's conflicted feelings are normal yet annoying, and Sabine is the perfect catalyst to force Kaylee into deciding whether or not she really wants to get back together with Nash. While Tod is often the hero and the voice of reason, I'm beginning to get a vibe that perhaps he has deeper feelings for Kaylee than he'd previously let on. Well constructed and absorbing, My Soul to Steal is a solid story that has me ready to grab Book Five as soon as it's available.
~taminator40
