08 April 2010

Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Book Description:

Something is wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh. She doesn't see dead people, but...

In My Soul to Take, 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 be a normal girl, basking in the joy of having caught the attention of Nash, the hottest guy in school. But getting through a first date isn't easy when he seems to know more about Kaylee's need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only she knows who'll be next...

Book 1 of The Soul Screamers series

Review:
I have been wanting to read this series after getting a tantalizing glimpse into Rachel Vincent’s popular Soul Screamers universe with her short story Binge (from the anthology Immortal: Love Stories With Bite). And after finishing MY SOUL TO TAKE, the acclaim is well deserved.

Kaylee and Nash are relatable, likeable characters. The other teenagers in this book are fairly stereotypical. Kaylee’s cousin, Sophie is the obligatory mean/beautiful cheerleader with the equally predictable jerk jock boyfriend. I did like that the adults in this book were actually involved in their kids lives, and came across as real characters rather than the props they are often relegated to in other YA fiction.

The real selling point of MY SOUL TO TAKE is the fresh source of paranormal mythology that it utilizes. Teen vamp books are a dime a dozen these days; some are good, some are The Vampire Diaries (though the TV adaptation is frothy fun). Irish mythology was ripe for the picking, and the Soul Screamers universe takes full advantage of these underused creatures, populating this story with Bean Sidhes (Banshees), Grim Reapers, Sirens, Hellions…I loved reading Rachel Vincent’s take on Irish folklore. She manages to humanized these very nonhuman beings in a very real way that even had me tearing up at one point.

Teen readers will love MY SOUL TO TAKE (the romance between Kaylee and Nash manages to be pretty steamy and yet chaste all at the same time), and for those of us who are no longer teenagers, there are still a fun couple hours to spend here. I started My Soul to Save as soon as I finished and I already know I’ll be looking forward to the third Soul Screamers book, My Soul to Keep which is due out June 1, 2010.

Sexual Content: (YA titles receive a more thorough breakdown) Kissing, references to sex, some sexual dialogue.