Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers #1)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Published: August 1st 2009
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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.

Okay, so this is another pretty famous series that everyone is raving about. I wasn't a fan of the prequel, I found it lacking character and it was just overall boring until the last third of it when it really picked up. However, I think it benefited that I read it before My Soul to Take, because I understood a hell of a lot more than I would have otherwise. The first book was actually pretty good and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

“The worst memories stick with us, while the nice ones always seem to slip through our fingers.”

Plot. I don't want to spoil anything and since it was such a short read, I can't really tell you that much in specific, but the most fascinating part for me was the mythology and origin of all of these creatures which wasn't enough and you can paint me intrigued, because I want to know more. The plot was full of action, witty remarks, snarky characters and some smexy parts. I think the fact that it all moved so quickly kept me interested to find out what happens next. It was a bit predictable, I figured out some of the key points before Kaylee did, but it didn't bother me that much.

Characters. Kaylee is your typical heroine: she isn't aware of her heritage before someone tells her after some of the unusual things that take place at the beginning of the novel. After that she's trying to cope with it all and do her best to use it for a good cause. What surprised me was that she took the information very well. I don't think I could have been so calm about it. I still admired her calmness, strenght and need to help. That being said, she isn't perfect, because at times she drew conclusions so randomly and they weren't always correct either.

Nash is a good guy and for a change the heroine doesn't want to hook up with a snarky bad boy. No, Nash is loyal, friendly and with a good sense of humor. Oh, and pretty darn attractive! Their relationship took off with a great speed, but what else is there to expect from a Harlequin book. Kaylee's extended family was, at times, a bit chaotic, but I liked them, Sophie excluded. Yeah, her aunt was vain, but she cared about Kaylee. At leas she wasn't all Cruella de Vil on Kay like Sophie. Emma, Kaylee's best friend, brings a positive attitude to the plate in addition to the deaths that make the story mysterious and dark. I loved, loved, loved Kaylee's Dad! He was awesome and his relationship with his brother Brandon was a joy to read about.

“Kaylee, you're adding two and two and coming up with seven.”

In the end it was really good, but I'm sure this series is the kind that keeps getting better and better with every installment and the ratings among my friends in goodreads definitely give me hope that I'll end up not liking, but loving this series. Rachel Vincent has done a great job in portraying teenagers as they are while adding a touch of mythology and suspense to the story. Overall I enjoyed it and I definitely want to read some more.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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