My Soul to Take, Soul Screamers, Book One by Rachel Vincent

Publisher:  Harlequin Teen / Harlequin Enterprises
Pages:  384

From the Cover:   

She doesn't see dead people, but…

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…

Kaylee Cavanaugh is your average high school student.  She worries about what to wear, where to sit, why her cousin and her crowd are so vile, and why she doesn't have a date on Saturday night.   What she worries about most is going back to the mental hospital and her next panic attack, and when she'll know without being told who's going to die next.

When Kaylee and her best friend, Emma, sneak into one of the hottest dance club, everything's thing great until a gorgeous blonde stands next to Kaylee.  She's shrouded in shadows, and as Kaylee sees the darkness, the scream starts to build in the pit of her soul, claws at her throat for release, as she presses her lips tightly together, hoping against hope that she can stop the panic attack in time.  But she knows the cute little blonde only has moments to live.

Nash Hudson, one of the hottest guy in school and part of in crowd, and someone her cousin would have no problem being with sees Kaylee at the club, he knows what's about to happen, and guides her to relative quiet of the alley where he can whisper and chant the scream away.  Because Nash knows what wrong with Kaylee.  He knows because he's one too, and he's drawn to Kaylee and her need to release the soul song.

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent is an amazingly quick read that had me flipping pages, entranced by one of the best YA series I've read to date.  I loved the short story prequel to this series, My Soul to Lose, it had me begging for Kaylee's continuing story.  Kaylee is an average teenage with one difference.  She's a bean sidhe from the legends of old.  A soul screamer, one who knows when the unthinkable is about to happen and sings for the soul's release, unable to affect the events because if a soul is saved, another must be taken in it's place.  The scales have to be balanced.  Her family has deep roots in Ireland where the legend was born, only this legend is founded in truth.  Nash, her new boyfriend, is also a bean sidhe, he doesn't see the soul before it's demise, he guides the soul to the next place.  He can also guide the soul back to it's body, but the price of doing so is too great.  When he hears Kaylee's song, though beautiful to his ears, it's ear splitting to others around her.  Bean sidhes are destined to be together, to help reach other, and only Nash can help Kaylee through the trying times yet to come.

MSTT is a must read for teens and adults alike, fast paced page turner that I had trouble putting down.  I enjoyed it immensely.  It has all the elements of a good paranormal romance with toned down sexuality needed for a younger audience, but still with enough romance to keep adults coming back for more.  The cover art for this series is amazing well done.  The colors match the tone of the books, bringing the reader into the story before it ever begins.  I can't wait to see where Ms. Vincent takes this series as well as seeing how Kaylee grows into her heritage and her new knowledge.  It also has elements of a great urban fantasy, a whole society of death seers with Reapers and their counterparts.  This series is just starting to unfold, and already I'm hooked, pre-ordering the third book in the series.  I highly recommend this series for readers who enjoy excellent YA, paranormal romance readers, and lovers of urban fantasy.  I know you won't be disappointed, I certainly wasn't.

I purchased this book for my own enjoyment.  All opinions expressed are my own.