My Soul to Steal

First ThoughtsIch denke, dieses Buch ist der lebende Beweis dafür, warum ich Rachel Vincent hasse und liebe. Gleichzeitig. Wie kann eine Autorin es schaffen, mir immer und immer wieder das Herz zu brechen, mich heulen lassen zu wollen wie ein Schlosshund und das Ganze dann so zu verpacken, dass ich nicht genug davon kriegen kann? In My Soul to Steal werden zwei relativ neue Charaktere, Sabine und Alec, eingeführt. Andere Rezensenten scheinen Sabine zu hassen, aber ich finde, sie hat Potential. Außerdem macht sie immerhin einen Groß- bis Hauptteil des Plots aus, der unglaublich ist. Alec ist mir absolut sympathisch und ich freue mich schon, mehr über ihn zu lesen.Nach all den Geschehnissen in [b:My Soul to Keep|7476122|My Soul to show more Keep (Soul Screamers, #3)|Rachel Vincent|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1268059270s/7476122.jpg|6847345] müssen Kaylee, Nash und der Rest erst einmal wieder zueinander finden und lernen, miteinander umzugehen. Wie ich schon ahnte, müssen Em und Kaylee auch an ihrer Freundschaft arbeiten, denn die leidet eindeutig darunter, dass K. Emma viel verschwiegen hat. Mich persönlich hat Kaylees Attitüde etwas.. genervt. Nein, ich weiß nicht, was genau ich gemacht hätte, aber es gibt bei ihr eindeutig Kommunikationsschwierigkeiten und ich muss Sabine zustimmen, irgendwie hat K. einen selbstgerechten Touch.Wie immer hab ich Brendon, Kaylees Onkel vermisst, aber vielleicht wird er ja im nächsten Band auftauchen.. Und Tod, was soll ich sagen. Er ist halt Tod. Ein bestimmtes Gespräch geht mir nicht mehr aus dem Kopf und bis September scheint es noch ewig zu sein.. -sigh-Ach Ms Vincent, wieso nur? show less

Without a doubt, My Soul to Steal is the best book so far in the Soul Screamers series. As someone who has been reading the series from the beginning, it's amazing to see how author Rachel Vincent has matured as a writer and storyteller. Vincent's writing skill seems to have improved considerably since previous installments here, and her creativity, eye for detail and storytelling are at their peak.

In My Soul to Steal, bean sidhe (or, banshee) Kaylee is still recovering from her sort-of break-up with Nash, a male bean sidhe. As the new school term begins, teachers are showing up dead more what appears to be natural causes, but Kaylee, who knows all about the dangers of the Netherworld, knows differently. To make matters worse, Nash's show more ex-girlfriend Sabine enrolls at their school and seems intent on stealing Nash away. But not even in a normal way -a supernatural way. Sabine is a Nightmare, or mara, who has the ability to enter and control people's dreams in order to feed off their fear.

I was amazed at some places of the places Vincent went with in Soul to Steal. It went into darker, more personal and edgier areas than previous novels, which seriously upped the impact. Vincent did an amazing job of fleshing out a new character quickly that the reader, along with Kaylee, loves to hate. But what most surprised me were the twists Vincent threw in -a welcome change from previous installments, as was the fact that she made the stakes in Steal higher and more personal.

A wonderful addition to the series, My Soul to Steal is a must-read for fans of Soul Screamers and teen paranormal romance. The next book in the series, which appears to be the final book in the series, will hopefully be even better (no release date yet!). show less

This series just keeps getting better and better and My Soul to Steal is definitely my favorite thus far. The book starts with Nash and Kaylee's relationship in limbo as a result of Nash's addiction to "frost". Kaylee can't come to terms yet after everything that has happened. Enter Sabine, Nash's ex-girlfriend who is literally Kaylee's worst nightmare. Sabine's a "mara", someone who feeds off of other people's fears by way of their bad dreams and Kaylee seems to be #1 on her hit list.

I loved how the story played out. Kaylee's thoughts and emotions were very real. The way she was torn about getting back together with Nash was very believable and I liked how resolute she was in making sure of her feelings before even attempting to dive show more back into a relationship with him. Nash has yet to redeem himself in my eyes although he was working hard to regain Kaylee's trust. The new character, Sabine was straightforward and honest to a fault. She's the type who knows what she wants and will do everything to get it.

And Tod... I absolutely loved Tod! Some think that the shift in his attitude came out of nowhere but I sort of I saw it coming in My Soul to Keep given how furious he was at Nash when he found out about Avari posessing Kaylee and Nash letting it happen. I thought the author did an awesome job with clueing the readers about Tod's feelings without hammering us on the head with it. Rachel Vincent definitely knows how to build anticipation and I'm excited to read what happens next.

The book was not all teenage angst and drama either. Of course, there's a mystery involving the Netherworld. This part of the story felt a little weird. I don't want to give out details but I don't think a small place would have so much death and chaos and yet people went their merry way. Limbs were being crushed and authorities felt something was awry and yet they chucked it up to teen hormones. What, not even a moment of silence for those who passed away? It was simply unbelievable.

That being said, I still think My Soul to Steal is a very good read. I can't wait to get my hands on the next installment. show less

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

I remember saying that Rachel Vincent was brave for the places she took her characters in the last Soul Screamers book, but that was nothing compared to what she’s done to them in MY SOUL TO STEAL.

Sabine. Obviously we’re not supposed to like Nash’s ex-girlfriend who shows up and starts trying to pick things back up where they left off, but Rachel Vincent might have taken it a bit too far. I wanted to reach into the book and physically beat her! She’s a psycho, vindictive, vengeful, manipulative slutbag. I’m getting angry again just thinking about her. Anyone who showed her the slightest compassion--and I mean anyone--got knocked down a peg in my estimation. Think Lila from season two show more of Dexter.

And really, did Kaylee and Nash need any more problems with their relationship after what happened in MY SOUL TO KEEP? Apparently so, because Sabine worms her way into the middle of things like a parasite. Emotions run high for everyone and the fallout proves to be just as big. And I don’t just mean for the characters.

When I start a series and invest myself in new characters, I start to build certain expectations. Who will end up with who, who will become a villain, who will be redeemed etc. I had very clear expectations going into MY SOUL TO STEAL, and I should have known after MY SOUL TO KEEP that Rachel Vincent never does what I expect. There’s a big, huge, ginormous thing that happens in this book, or rather starts to happen, that I initially felt so betrayed by that part of me didn’t want to finish the book. I did of course, and I’m amazed at how quickly I started to warm up to the idea of what’s to come.

Nothing is set in stone for this series. Rachel will probably surprise me again in the next book, IF I DIE, but that’s part of what makes this series so exciting. The last two books have been shocking, but they’ve also been my favorites. Can’t wait.

Sexual Content: Kissing. Lots of references to sex. show less

I have never been so pissed off while reading a book. Sometimes I get mad and then get over it. But after reading this book I was mad for days!!

Kaylee is struggling with trust. Trust that has been broken takes time to be repaired, but not in Nash's case. Instead his ex-girlfriend comes in to town making it all to easy for him to fall into another arms. Kaylee is pressured with all kinds of circumstances and is now fighting for a guy.

Let me just say I love Kaylee. She has always been such a great character that has grown immensely before my eyes. But in this book she is nothing but weak! Instead of putting her foot down and putting Nash in his place she always allows him to control her. She's already giving him a second chance and now he show more says he whats it this way and she does it! OMG! I was furious. Strong Kaylee is not so strong anymore.

And don't get me started on Sabine and Tod! They are both are on my crap list. It is one thing to go after something you want but boy did she fight dirty. And Tod asked Kaylee to do something that I never thought he asked. How could he??? Does everyone want Kaylee to give up everything for everyone? What about her? Does anyone care to ask what she wants? Kaylee has done nothing but rescue everyone no matter the circumstances. Isn't it time someone rescue her?

Ok, rant over.

This book is one hundred percent so freaking awesome! If you have not read this series, you most definitely should. This is one series that you could not put down. EVER! With every new book, Ms.Vincent writes it even more exciting, more intensity, and much more fun. She knows exactly how to bring her characters to life with zeal and strength. I love every minute of reading it. But be forewarned it will take you on one emotional roller coaster! show less

In this book, Nash's ex-girlfriend Sabine comes back and of course she can't be just a normal human. She's a mara, a walking nightmare. And I mean literally. This of course causes disturbances in Nash and Kaylee's already rocky relationship and makes it even harder for them to try to work things out.
Although Sabine was a pure, evil b*tch, I still had a soft spot for her. I guess it was because I felt like everyone was too hard on her and she had had a hard life and didn't deserve it. I know she did some messed up things and was like a cancer in some ways, but I only didn't like her when it came to Nash. The things she did to him in spite of Kaylee, I wanted to slap her. Somethings are just uncalled for.
As for Kaylee, I felt like she show more was being a HUGE whiny baby in this book. She didn't want him but she didn't want anyone else to either and that annoyed me. It even annoys me when people do it in real life. I just feel like if he can't make you happy, go out and find someone who does. No sense in both of y'all being miserable.
But overall, the mythology in both of these were amazing. Everything was completely researched and well thought out. One huge thing that I was thankful for was the fact that Vincent had went back and repeated everything that happened in the previous books, because although they are some of my favorites, I sometimes get them confused. Another big thing that I loved about it, was the fact that Vincent's humor is still just the same. Most of this book was pretty heavy with hellions and maras and bean shides running around, but Vincent was able to add that comic relief in places that needed it. It was just overall well written. show less

The Soul Screamers series has absolutely stepped up its game. I haven't really enjoyed the previous two books in the series but I'm glad I didn't stop because My Soul to Steal is amazing. A riveting plot involving mysterious deaths at Kaylee's high school, coupled with the emotional drama between Kaylee, Nash and his ex girlfriend Sabine made for a compelling read that I could not put down. I was another late night for me!

Finally, finally, Kaylee's (un)common sense kicks in and she enlists the help of her father and uncle when people started mysteriously dying at her school. They help her every step of the day and she even admits it was great to not have all the responsibility fall on her for once. She still goes through a lot and has show more some awesome (deadly) adventures, but I was glad that she told the adults in her life when she suspected something weird was up. There is a lot going on in the book and for a long time it's unclear how much of it is caused by something supernatural. I liked how it all came together though, and left me with an ending I was satisfied with, but still wanting more.

The book is a lot more focussed on the relationships between characters than those preceding it, and we get to see Kaylee and Nash attempt to work through all the issues that came up in the last book. It's all made very difficult by Sabine, who uses her freaky-deaky powers to invade Kaylee's dreams and turn them into nightmares based on her deepest fears. One of the things I enjoyed is Sabine's tenacity - she never once backed down and I think, oddly enough, I liked that about her. Nash also improves in my eyes throughout the book because he makes it clear to Sabine that he is in love with Kaylee. I think Kaylee was a little harsh on him about Sabine, considering all he can do is tell her he's not interested - he can't stop her "actively trying to get into his pants".

I've always enjoyed the premise of Soul Screamers and love getting to know about the world that Rachel Vincent has created, and I think she delivers a wonderful tale in My Soul to Steal. I can't believe how much I enjoyed this book - I liked it even better than the first one! I'm sticking to my guns and advising readers to stick with the series, it's worth it just to read this book!

You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic. show less