My Soul to Save

Chilling. This book is hands down chilling. Not in a bad way, in the suspenseful, edge of your seat what the heck is going to happen next way. I liked Nash's Reaper brother Tod in My Soul to Take. He was certainly morbid, but considering his job, I don't blame him. I didn't quite understand Nash or Kaylee's father's objections to her being friends with him, at least not until this book.

Tod is a curious blend of selfish and selfless. It almost seems like he has a hierarchy where everyone he is friends with or cares for is placed on a certain rung. Unfortunately Kaylee doesn't matter quite as much as his ex-girlfriend Addison, so she pays the price to get Addison safe again.

Not that I blame him, Kaylee volunteers herself (and Nash since show more she knew he wouldn't let her go to the Netherworld by herself) against a lot of opposition. I admire Kaylee for the fact that she's willing to risk everything to help save Addison's soul. Do I wish she had asked more questions before venturing into a place that could lead to her death? Sure, but she went in with the best of intentions.

The pacing of this novel is faster than the first book--once the ball gets rolling on the group's game plan things continue to happen one after the other like dominoes. I sometimes wished we could have seen into Tod's head, especially as his actions seem to get shadier and shadier. What we as readers notice about his behavior, Kaylee doesn't. The gradual change in Tod's personality was more apparent to the reader, since we are on the outside looking in.

Nash seemed less on top of things in this book, less sure of himself and how to do things. He obviously still wants to believe in Tod, despite the inherent animosity between Reapers and bean sidhe, but is finding it harder and harder. Part of it seems to be jealousy, because Tod pops up and will talk to Kaylee but not show himself to Nash, but some of it is also his protective instincts.

The uber-Reaper, Lily, is a hoot. I want to see her again more than any other character.

The end is bittersweet, with plans being foiled for everyone. Like the end of My Soul to Take, the answer to the problem seems easy, but the end result is devastating. Its painful to think about what happens to the souls honestly, the ones that are bought/bartered/sold to hellions. With the third book, My Soul to Keep due out in June 2010, I'm glad the wait isn't so long. I want to see more of Kaylee and Nash as well as the consequences of their time in the Netherworld. show less

When a famous singer dies in front of her, in the middle of a concert, Kaylee Cavanaugh begins to panic. Why? Because when someone dies near her she instantly feels the need to scream bloody murder. And when she realizes that there's no soul to sing to she and her boyfriend, Nash, know that something is wrong. Really really wrong.
The confirmation comes when Nash's brother, Tod (who is dead and is a reaper) tells them that Kaylee is not screaming because that body is empty. No soul to sing to = No screams.
But that's impossible, right? Where is her soul and most importantly: who has it?!

The answers begin to flow in the form of one of the most ancient and incredible reapers: Libby. She tells them, thanks to Tod's obvious reverence, that show more the poor human girl had sold her soul in exchange of fame, beauty and fortune. And that she was there to collect what replaced
And that Addison Page, another singer who was becoming very famous too, was going to be the next one to die.
The only problem was that Addison had been Tod's girlfriend once and he still had feelings for her.

And that's how Tod convinced Kaylee to help him catch the culprit and how she dragged Nash into it too. Together they would discover that even the cute and safe face of a big family-friend corporation could hide terrible secrets.

Personal opinion:
Just like the first book, My Soul to Take, this book was amazing. Honestly. I couldn't stop reading and, in fact, I finished it in 4 hours, while I was waiting for my flight to take off. How? I'm not sure, I think I just kept reading and reading, and reading non-stop. And when I finished it I re-read it just to make sure it was as awesome as I knew it was.

And yes, Rachel Vincent had rocked my world. Again.

The characters not only kept evolving and growing but also they won more shades, more colors and a lot of deepness. Kaylee turns out to be a really strong, confident and lovely character that truly cares for everyone. Nash, although very supportive of Kaylee, is more reserved and very protective while Tod is more... Tod. What can I say? Tod is a whole new concept for me, I can't wait to read more about him.

My advice? Read the series, start with it right now and make your own opinion. show less

I really enjoyed this book. It had a little different twist dealing directly with a demon. Kaylee risk everything just to save someone she hardly knows because someone she does care about needs her to. She seems selfless at times.

When Kaylee and Nash attend a concert with Tod (Nash’s reaper brother), they are stunned to see teen pop star Eden collapse and die on stage without Kaylee feeling the need to scream. As a banshee, Kaylee is normally compelled to cry out (scream) for souls as they leave their bodies, but what emits from Eden’s body is most definitely not her soul. It seems Eden has already sold her soul to a hellion in exchange for fame and fortune – and her time is up. Unfortunately, Tod’s ex-girlfriend, Addison, who is on tour with Eden, has also signed a contract with the same hellion and she has only five days left before it is her turn to die. Tod asks Nash and Kaylee to help him find a loophole in Addy’s contract so her soul does not show more need to suffer eternal torment. But in their attempts to uncover the “out clause” in hellion contracts they learn an entire network of teens are trading their souls for fame and fortune in the entertainment industry – and the head of one studio appears to be behind it all.

In book 2 of Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series, we are introduced to more of the Netherworld and the grim reapers. Tod has actually attended the concert because he knew a special reap was about to occur and he wanted to meet the oldest reaper of all, Libby from Special Projects. She is specially trained to handle Demon’s Breath, the substance placed in Eden’s body in exchange for her soul. When Tod learns Libby is scheduled to return for Addy, he decides they must do what they can to save her soul. Addy then learns her little sister Regan has just signed her own contract, and the stakes are raised.

Kaylee, Nash and Tod find the hellion involved in the contract dealing – Avari – who is going to be our main villain throughout the series. He is the one they need to negotiate with, and Kaylee has come up with something to trade with Avari in exchange for both girls’ souls. Unfortunately, someone isn’t going to come out of this alive…

Characters remain a strength of this series. Avari, who is about to become a recurring villain, is a nicely menacing presence; he’s a smooth talker and killer negotiator (literally) – and he cannot be killed. We also meet Tod’s reaper boss, Levi, for the first time and discover great power can come in small packages. Returning characters include Kaylee’s best friend, Emma (who continues to be one of THE BEST FRIENDS EVER), her self-obsessed cousin, Sophie, and Nash’s mom, Harmony, who is helping Kaylee learn more about her abilities. Kaylee’s dad plays a larger part in this book, as he has moved back to the States to make a home for Kaylee – but being the parent of a teenage girl has definitely increased his stress levels.

Vincent’s writing style remains natural and concise; she tells a lot of story in a couple hundred pages and continues to impress with how streamlined everything is. There is no filler, just consistent character and world building. She continues to add to the character roster, but the reader is not overwhelmed.

My Soul To Save is a wonderful entry into the Soul Screamers series, and impresses with interesting characters and situations, a slowly building romance and a nice element of danger. It can stand on its own, but reading book 1 of the series (My Soul To Take) will definitely add to your enjoyment. show less

When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies.
So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn't wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can't cry for someone who has no soul.
The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad's ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can't possibly understand.
Kaylee can't let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk… From Amazon US

After reading My Soul to Take, I was excited to read My Soul to Save, so when Harlequin Teen asked show more me if I would like to review it as well, I jumped at the chance. Being a regular reader of Rachel Vincent’s blog, I was aware that there were a number of readers who didn’t like the ending of MSTSave, and so I was even more intrigued to read this book, and strangely, not that put off by it. I’m glad to say that I wasn’t one of those people! I loved it!

Firstly, before I get to the main plot of this story, I need to talk about Kaylee and Nash. There is so much sexual tension between those two, it’s as thick as treacle! And Rachel is just so unfair on them! They never get five minutes alone with each other, as someone always interrupts them – namely Tod, who will just pop up unannounced at the most inconvenient moments – and each interruption just knocks the tension up a notch. Kaylee needs to get her some Nash, because the girl is suffering. It is pretty funny though! And to be fair, Kaylee is underage by US laws, and she has a few low self-esteem fuelled doubts, so it’s probably for the best that it’s not happened just yet. But let’s face it, Nash is too hot for words! Poor, poor Kaylee.

But to the plot, MSTSave is just brilliant! It’s almost metaphoric; stars sell their souls to hellions from the Netherworld for fame and fortune, but once they realise that “too good to be true” does actually have some meaning, the only way out leads to their world tumbling down around their ankles. From things you read in magazines and see on the TV, the plot of MSTSave makes far too much sense, and seems incredibly believable. It’s just a great idea!

We also get to see what the Netherworld is like in a bit more detail. To me, it seems a lot like hell in the movie Constantine, just without the fire and smoky atmosphere, and more bruise coloured. It’s creepy as, well, hell. I won’t go into detail of what happens there, but I really don’t like it. It’s the stuff nightmares are made of, and it really freaks me out! Yet, that just means Rachel has done her job; if I’m being freaked out by a place where demons hang out that came from Rachel’s imagination, then things are going well!

I’ve already talked about the sexual tension between Kaylee and Nash, but now individually. Nash is angry a fair amount of the time because of the dangerous situations they get themselves in, and with good reason. He’s worried for Kaylee’s safety, and thinks her compassion is taking her too far. Kaylee has her heart in the right place, and just wants to help, and make amends for what her aunt did in MSTTake. The time is going to come when Kaylee will need to have a good chat with Nash, there are some things that need to be aired, and I’m quite looking forward to it. I really like Tod! He’s annoying, but he’s funny! But he can be a little selfish, and asks far too much from Kaylee and Nash, and is a little out of order, but I can’t help but really like him. He’s a great guy underneath it all.

Considering the main characters are bean sidhes and reapers, the action isn’t fighting, but more like a race against time, and a fight through emotional strength and determination. It’s just as suspenseful though, though I worry about how the future of these characters. They are pretty much defenceless against the hellions, how they’re supposed to defend themselves against sharp teeth and soul-sucking, I don’t know. I’m intrigued to see how things will progress.

The ending of the book was just brilliant, in my opinion. I’m not going to spoil it for anyone, but I think it made sense for the situation the characters found themselves in, and for the nature of the characters. I didn’t see it coming at all, and although this is a fantasy novel, life isn’t all rainbows and butterflies, and it makes sense that that would be reflected in the books we read. As I said, I didn’t see it coming, but I did try to think what might happen as I was reading along, but nothing else could have happened. This ending just felt right, to me. At least no-one can say the outcome was too easy. I think it was just awesome, and I applaud Rachel for it.

This really is an amazing book from a great series, and I love it! I’d recommend it to everyone, and can’t wait for the third book in the series, My Soul to Keep, which will be released 1st June 2010.

From Once Upon a Bookcase - YA book review blog show less

MY SOUL TO SAVE is the second book in Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series. The first book, My Soul to Take, introduced Kaylee and her bean sidhe (banshee) abilities. When she senses death, Kaylee can't help but to sing the person's soul song. To us, this song sounds like ear-shattering screeching. Not exactly a trait known to win friends and influence people.

This installment follows Kaylee as she comes to terms with her abilities. I won't go into too many details as I don't want to give anything away from the first book, but I can say that this second book was fantastic. As always happens with the second installment in any series, I got a little nervous about MY SOUL TO SAVE. I loved My Soul to Take and didn't know if the second book show more could live up to it. Not only did this book live up to the first, in my opinion it surpassed the introductory story.

We begin the journey with Kaylee at a hit rock concert. When the star drops dead on stage, Kaylee panics, terrified that her wail will come out in a concert hall packed to the gills with people. If anything was going to get a girl put back in a mental health unit, that would be it. Only problem is Kaylee doesn't scream. If Kaylee's song comes out anytime a person dies, releasing the soul from their body, why doesn't Kaylee feel the urge to sing over the girl's dead body? There's can only be one answer - the girl has no soul. This discovery and the prediction of another girl's impending death leads Kaylee and her friends on a journey to save the souls they can before they wind up losing their own.

Already a fan of Ms. Vincent's work, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that this story ended up jam-packed with mystery, suspense, and a whole lot of tension. The romantic tension in the story was especially phenomenal. This author is a master of romantic tension, giving us just enough heat and sensuality to get the heart pumping before cutting us off cold turkey. The romantic elements in the story were quite a bit more pumped up from the first book.

Fair warning: There are sensual scenes in this book. They are quite tastefully done and definitely add to the story.

Outside of the romantic tension - which really helped to make the story a compelling read - Ms. Vincent gave us quite of bit of suspense to latch on to throughout the story. From the first page we are thrown into a mystery so dark that the reader can't help but feel involved. An aspect of this author's writing that I have always found compelling, is her willingness to not sugar coat things for the reader. When she describes a horrible situation or painful events and feelings she really describes them. Below is a quote to show what I mean.

"The flesh beneath the double ring of punctures was inflamed and covered in those weird, red webbed veins, which now crept beneath my sock and halfway to my knee. Fluid sloshed beneath the skin over my ankle, hanging lower at the back, just above my shoe, where gravity tugged hardest" (pg. 240).

See what I mean? How can you not get involved in this story? My own leg was aching just reading this part and that's only two sentences out of the entire book. Ms. Vincent's imagery pops out to the reader. Combine this with her clear writing style that makes a complicated story very easy to follow and we end up with a great story.

I highly recommend MY SOUL TO SAVE to any fans of Ms. Vincent and any fans of Young Adult Urban Fantasy. This story is full of realistic and relatable characters, a fantastic storyline that keeps us on the edge of our seats and Ms. Vincent's own clear writing style and vivid imagery. Definitely a winner, I can't wait to read the third in the series; My Soul to Keep is scheduled to be released June, 2010.

On a side note I just have to say that I am pretty impressed with Harlequin's new YA line, Harlequin Teen. There are some truly fantastic stories coming out of this line. show less

I enjoyed this installment of the Soul Screamers series. I read the first one over a year ago, so I thought for sure I'd be lost with this one. The author, however, made key references from the first book to jog the memory. Kaylee reminds me a little bit of Rose Hathaway from the Vampire Academy series, a badass in her own right, yet always willing to right the wrongs. Looking forward to reading My Soul To Keep.