If I Die (Soul Screamers #5) - Rachel Vincent
Grade: YA
Rating: 5/5 stars
The entire school's talking about the gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck. Everyone except Kaylee Cavanaugh. After all, Kaylee's no ordinary high-school junior. She's a banshee—she screams when someone dies.
But the next scream might be for Kaylee.
Yeah—it's a shock to her, too. So to distract herself, Kaylee's going to save every girl in school. Because that hot new teacher is really an incubus who feeds on the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend's needy ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren't quite human, either.
But Kaylee's borrowed lifeline is nearing its end. And those who care about her will do anything to save her life. Anything. (Description from Goodreads)
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What would you do if you were told you had 6 days to live? You’re not sick, you’re not dying; all you know is that something will happen in 6 days, and you will no longer live. Would you change your life; would you change yourself? ‘If I Die’ explores this confronting and heartbreaking issue for Kaylee Cavanaugh, with the added bonus of supernatural forces attempting to complicate her last few days. Rachel Vincent does an amazing job of continuing Kaylee’s journey and completely flips the Soul Screamers story. There were more twists and turns than I could possibly imagine; I’m still trying to process everything that happened.
Death’s not exactly unusual for a Soul Screamers novel, but it’s harder to handle when Kaylee’s the one we’re excepting to die. Not many novels in an on-going series present the possibility of narrators dying, so it’s impossible to put ‘If I Die’ down until you’ve finished the book. There is no way to tell if Kaylee will live or not and I was dying (no pun intended) to find out what happens next.
I can’t believe how emotional ‘If I Die’ was. I should have been expecting it, because Rachel Vincent has a way of getting into your head and heart. Her stories are so powerful and they influence you so much. Death, saying goodbye and letting go of your life are all magnified through the relationships Kaylee is a part of; and I’m not just talking about her love life. Family, friends and loved ones; you’ll definitely be reaching for the tissue box. Kaylee’s dad touched me the most, his pain at the thought of losing her made me ache.
Speaking of pain, I think the hardest parts of ‘If I Die’ were the romantic issues Kaylee faces. It’s not secret to readers that Kaylee has both Hudson boys trying to gain her love, trust and attention; and this is what killed me while reading the book. I’ve always been a Nash fan. I feel like there’s something so sad and troubling about him, he’s had a tough life and has made a few mistakes in the recent past, but despite this I can’t help loving him. Then there’s Tod, who you can’t hate. He’s funny, yet serious, and willing to do anything for the people he loves; and I’ve always felt sort of bad for him because he always seems lonely. That being said, I’m torn by the relationships in ‘If I Die’, I hate thinking that one of the Hudson brothers will be hurt because of their love for Kaylee. At this point in time, my loyalty stays with Nash. (Sorry Tod, you’re still awesome though).
I love Sabine. In ‘My Soul to Steal’ I thought she was horrible. While extremely entertaining, I wanted to hate her because she stood in the way of Kaylee/Nash happiness. But I found I adored her in ‘If I Die’. I love that she doesn’t hide what she’s thinking and that she’s super loyal to the people she loves. I’m glad my opinion has changed, because Sabine’s pretty cool.
I’m super shocked by the way the book ended, but more of a “WOW!” shocked than an “OMG”. Although ‘Before I Wake’ won’t be out until next year, I can’t wait to see what happens next. I guess there’s plenty of time to reread the series before the next instalment.
5/5 stars.
Kim
Originally posted on Goodreads
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