My Soul to Keep, Book 3, The Soul Screamers Series by Rachel Vincent

Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Pages:  304

From the Cover:

Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them.

Until something does.

Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked.

And so is someone else…

Kaylee would like to think her life is finally settling down.  Her dad has moved back from Ireland, though he's working himself crazy and he still isn't all about sharing when it comes to bean sidhe business.  Her boyfriend, Nash, is one of the hottest guys in school and he only has eyes for her.  She and her best friend, Emma, are tentatively being accepted by the popular crowd... for their boyfriends sake.  Maybe now she can relax.

But, something's wrong...  First, Emma's boyfriend and fellow football player, Doug crashes into Kaylee's car, totaling it.  And when Nash and Kaylee rush to help, he swears someone was in the car with him, and he's blasted out of his mind, only he's barely had anything to drink.  Then, one of the other football players starts acting all twitchy, paranoid, and high as a kite.  Is this a coincidence or is something going on.... something Netherworldish?  Demon's Breath has been known to cause these problems, but how could a human get something only available in the Netherworld.  And will Kaylee have to cross over to find out?  Will her soul survive another encounter with Avari?

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent is the story of what can happen when two worlds collide, when one world and it's nasties try to find a foothold in reality.  Not only do they want a foothold, but they like to feast upon the willing souls looking for an easy escape from life, boredom, and the need to live larger.  In My Soul to Take, Kaylee, Nash and Tod traveled into the Netherworld to try to save Addison Page's soul and to do so, they sold a few balloons filled with Demon's Breath to some wayward fiends in an attempt to locate the hellion, Avari.  Kaylee knew that Demon's Breath was one of the most addictive substance in the Netherworld, after all, look at the fiends hanging out, hoping for a hit of Demon's Breath.  What she doesn't know is that one of the balloons popped, they were all exposed to the awful effects of the intoxicating bad breath.  Only one of them may not be able to handle it's effects.  Then, Demon's Breath starts showing up at their high school, Kaylee can scent it out.  When some football players starting to act weird, Kaylee needs to know what happened and who's infected?  And how could it happen?  How's the bad breath traveling from the Netherworld to her world?  What's happening and how can she make it stop before people start dying?

MSTK is another excellent addition to the Soul Screamers Series.  It deals with drug addition, acceptance, and what it's like on the outside looking in.  Nash and Kaylee appear to be the perfect couple, he's a little pushy about the whole wanting to have sex thing, but Kaylee stands her ground.  She's not about to have sex just because he expects it, hasn't had to wait for it before, it's not her.  Kaylee has had enough twists and turns in her life without making herself totally dependent on Nash and his wants and needs.  She truly does have trust issues.  But, Nash has been acting strange, trying to Influence Kaylee, making her sound crazy in front of her father, and not wanting to share what's happening to the kids at school until it's too late.  He apparently didn't learn from their last misadventure.  But, Kaylee's been feeling strange too and she has a feeling it's all related to Demon's Breath, and it may all be her own fault.  I've really enjoyed Ms. Vincent's Soul Screamers Series.  There's teenage angst (if you can't remember teenage angst, I'll let one of my kids stay with you for a week, you'll remember...) and the need to be an individual as well as fit in.  Again, I have to say the romance is appropriate for the YA community, but it keeps me coming back for more.  If you enjoy YA paranormal romance, fantasy creatures, urban fantasy, and maybe a little thriller thrown in, give this series a try.  It's pretty darn good.


I received this book from Harlequin Teen and Net Galley.  All opinions expressed are my own.

My Soul To Save, Book 2, The Soul Screamer Series by Rachel Vincent

Publisher: Harlequin Teen, Harlequin Enterprises
Pages: 288

 From the Cover:

“If she were going to die, I’d already be screaming. I’m a banshee.  That’s what we do.”

When Kayle 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 boyfriend’s loyalty to the test.  But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls for 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...

Kaylee is a soul screamer, bean sidhe, and with the help of her new boyfriend, Nash, and his mom, Harmony, she's learning to use her abilities and to control the wail that comes from her body when an imminent death is about to occur.  


But an odd thing happens, when Tod gets them back stage passes, (and you don't want to know how he got them), to one of the hottest concerts on the planet, and as Kaylee and Nash are watching, almost mesmerized... the star, Eden, drops dead on the stage.... and Kaylee doesn't wail.  She discovers a whole new part of her world.... And the fact that souls can be sold and the life taken without warning.


My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent is Kaylee's continuing story.  With Harmony's help, she's starting to understand this new world she's been thrusting into, and none to soon.  Someone is selling souls, guaranteeing a lifetime of fame and fortune... they just don't say how long the lifetime is.  Dekkar Media, promoter for all the popular young artists with the help of a rogue grim reaper, has made a deal with a hellion, Avari, to trade souls replacing them with Demon's Breath, an intoxicating addictive substance that can sustain life and replace the soul.  They're pirating young souls and becoming more powerful.  When Tod's one time girlfriend, Addison Page, finds herself without a soul and her sister's is on the auction block next, she turns to her only hope, Tod.  The only trouble is that her life is set to end, and there will be no one to protect her sister.  Tod does the only thing a reaper can do, he looks to Kaylee and Nash for help.  As bean sidhes, they can call for Addison's soul and guide it back into her body.  But, to do so, they'll have to cross into the Netherworld, a big no go with Kaylee's dad.  After Kaylee gives her word to help, Nash has no choice but to help.... a hellion is possession of souls is a daunting tasks, for an experienced bean sidhe, but for the novice Kaylee, it's going to be a difficult journey.  Can they find the hellion before Addison's set death date?  Or will the Netherworld eat them alive?  


MSTS is another great addition to the Soul Screamers Series.  It continues the story from Book 1 as Kaylee's adventures of learning about her heritage, her families deepest and darkest secrets as well as those of her boyfriend, and some of which can never be shared with her evil cousin, Sophie, who without Kaylee's help would have died in the first book.  She holds Kaylee responsible for her mother's death, only those who've read the book know the real story.  And it's twisted.  Ms. Vincent's interpretation of the mythology and legends is a fresh take on Irish/Scottish traditions and creatures that we don't want to hear wailing in the dark of the night.  But what if those creatures looked like everyone else?  That's what makes reading books that involve mythology, legends, and traditions so much fun, it's the author's interpretation, continuation, and additions that keeps the story fresh.  At least that's how I feel.  Regardless, I'm enjoying the series immensely and preparing to read the next in the series, My Soul to Keep.  Again, I found the pararomance fun and YA friendly.   If you enjoy YA paranormal romances and urban fantasy as well as demons, hellions, and soul reapers, you might want to give this series a try, I'm glad I did, it's excellent.


I received this book in a contest offer by Rachel Vincent.  All opinions expressed are my own.

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.

My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent (Prequel to the Soul Screamers Series)

Publisher:  Harlequin Teen / Harlequin
 Pages:  74

From the Cover: 

Kaylee Cavanaugh's trip to the mall ends with a brutal panic attack and a brainscrambling shriek she can't stop. Her secret fear is exposed. It's the worst day of her life.

Until she wakes up in the psychiatric unit.

But the hospital isn't a safe place for Kaylee, and getting out won't be easy because everyone thinks she's crazy. Everyone except Lydia, who has a secret of her own...

SOUL SCREAMERS

The last thing you hear before you die...

Kaylee Cavanaugh is your average teenage with the average problems.  Her boyfriend, Toby, dumped her right before Homecoming to ask her best friend Emma to the dance.  Now together, they plan their revenge on the unsuspecting Toby.  But on a trip to the mall, a panic attack takes Kaylee, one like she's never had before.  She wakes up to find herself strapped to a metal bed, scratches on her neck, and she can't remember how she got there.

My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent is a prequel to her Soul Screamers Series.  In this series, Kaylee is something different, something other, and her aunt and uncle don't know what to do.  When she has the panic attack at the mall, no one can bring her back, not Aunt Val or her best friend, Emma.  To prevent herself from injury, her aunt, who really doesn't like the interruption of her normally placid life, sends Kaylee to a mental facility for observation.  Upon visiting, and seeing the other patients as the facility, Uncle Brendon can't leave her there, she doesn't belong there.  But, just when Kaylee thinks release is in sight, the panic comes again, worse than before, keening threatening to burst from her throat.  Lydia, fellow patient, drags Kaylee away from the mayhem caused by another patient and through her touch, takes Kaylee's pain away.  But maybe at too high of a cost.

My Soul to Lose is an excellent little taste of Ms. Vincent's YA series, and I highly recommend giving it a try.  If you haven't tried this series yet, and you like YA, good story telling and paranormal, it's a free read if you click here.  The next two books in the series, My Soul to Take (Book One) and My Soul to Save (Book Two) are available now, and the three book, My Soul to Keep will be available in June 1, 2010.  I do love the cover art and colors chosen for this series.

I downloaded this book as a free eread.  All opinions expressed are my own.