Grade: YA
Rating: 5/5 Stars
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. (Description from Goodreads.)
I had high expectations for 'My Soul to Take', not only because I recently read Rachel Vincent's 'Shifters' series and I've become a huge fan of Ms. Vincent; but also because I've been hearing so many fabulous things about the Soul Screamers series that I had to give it a go. And I'm SO glad I did.
I love that you're barely given a chance to breathe when reading the book. There are no breaks, nothing to slow down the pace of the story, only non-stop action leaving you wondering what could possibly happen next. I adored the paranormal focus of the book, and how different it is from anything I've read before. Bean sidhe (or "banshee") folk lore is something I haven't explored in the past. What I assumed about "banshees" couldn't be more different from what a bean sidhe is and does (for starters, the bean sidhe's cry isn't what causes death, who knew?). I loved experiencing a whole new branch of paranormal fiction, I'm hooked. And knowing there are not just bean sidhes in this world leaves the story open to so many interesting twists and turns (cryptic, trying not to post spoilers).
Despite her special secret powers, Kaylee Cavanaugh is such a normal, down-to-earth narrator. She panics, laughs, has a steady job, cries, feels vulnerable in relationships and has an equal normal female best friend (which often doesn't happen in novels. There are too many out there that limit the female friendships). She also has incredible strength to accept her bean sidhe abilities despite being lied to for so many years. Part of that is probably what she's had to go through over the years: the death of her mother, being passed off to her aunt and uncle instead of living with her dead, and being placed in a mental heath ward for a week (prior to 'My Soul to Take'). She may be new to this paranormal life, but she's dealing with it so well.
As in most novels, I always scope out potential guys who will influence the main girl, the two obvious ones being Nash and Tod.
Nash is awesome, I love him already. He may have a history of going through the ladies, but when he discovers who Kaylee really is you see a side of him that probably doesn't show in his "ladies man" persona. I melted when whispers in Kaylee's ear to calm down her panic attacks. I want to see Nash and Kaylee's relationship continue to grow, and hope nobody will break them up.
Tod is still slightly mysterious. We find out a lot about him, but I feel like we don't know the real Tod yet. He's cheeky and fun, but also seems really lonely at time. I can't wait to see more of him (but like above, hope he's not going to cause trouble between Nash and Kaylee).
5/5 Stars. Can't wait to move onto the next one.
Kim
(Originally posted on Goodreads. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/163596626 )
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