Review: My Soul To Take

Title: My Soul To Take
Author: Rachel Vincent
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Pub Date: August 1, 2009 (today!), Harlequin Teen
Trade paperback, 279 pages
Book Source: Won this copy from Rachel Vincent during Lisa Mantchev's #TweetSulk event

You can download a free prequel novella here.

Synopsis

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…

My Thoughts

Well, I have to admit that I have never read anything by Rachel Vincent, but I was pretty excited to win My Soul To Take, as I'd heard many good things about it. I decided to go ahead and dive in today, which just so happens to be the book's official release date, as well. My understanding is that this is Vincent's first YA effort and all I can say is "wow!" And that synopsis above definitely does not give you a true look at what this book is about--the paranormal element is another twist on faeries, but definitely different from anything I've read so far. However, I'm going to leave it at that, as I don't want to spoil anything for those of you who haven't read this one yet.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading and I hated having to put it down, although I never did for long. The characters are drawn well and the story is simply gripping. I really did enjoy all the characters--as a strong 16-year-old girl--stronger than even she realizes--Kaylee is a great heroine and Nash is a perfect match for her, in more ways than one. Other than the paranormal elements, I thought all the characters were generally realistic, though a part of me has a difficult time believing that Kaylee's friend Emma would be so accepting of what she learns about Kaylee's abilities. Parts of the book felt rushed--Kaylee and Nash's relationship developed rather quickly, and events in general just moved along so fast... I wouldn't have minded another 50-75 pages to flesh out some of the storylines a bit and add detail. Oh, and can you say plot twist? The plot definitely twists and turns a lot throughout the whole book, but I thought the twist towards the end was pretty major--it had me gasping out loud!

Thankfully, though this is the first in a series, My Soul To Take is not a cliffhanger. We are simply left knowing that Kaylee is going to learn even more about herself in the next two books. My Soul To Save is the second book and is due out in January 2010 and I can't wait to read it! I'll definitely be checking into Vincent's other books to hold me over until then.

My rating:



Other reviews of My Soul To Take:

The YA YA YAs ~ SciFiGuy.ca ~ Carrie's YA Bookshelf ~ Tez Says
The Story Siren ~ Poisoned Rationality ~ Enchanted by Books
The Book Reader ~ Chick Loves Lit

If you've reviewed this book and would like to see your site listed above, please leave a comment with the link to your review!