MY SOUL TO TAKE
Soul Screamers #1
Author: Rachel Vincent
Source: Personal Purchase

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Teen; Original edition (August 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373210035
ISBN-13: 978-0373210039

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.

After receiving the 5th book in the series for review, I knew I would have to start from the beginning to get a feel for this series.  So I sat down with the first book, My Soul To Take, and I LOVED it!  I wanted to scream like Kaylee because it ended.  What a fresh new take in the paranormal realm for readers to explore.  Who thought banshee’s–spelled bean sidhe’s–could be so intriguing and suspenseful. 


At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to like reading about bean sidhe.  I mean, most of the lore I have heard about them is women in long, flowing dresses with long hair, who go around screaming.  They liked to follow around mournful people and cause pain with their screams to the point of death for the human.  I couldn’t figure out how an author was going to make this a good thing.  Just like Kaylee though, I learned that the lore is wrong in this world created by Rachel Vincent.  Kaylee is a bean sidhe who can tell when someone is getting ready to die.  Yes, she must scream for the person, but to other bean sidhe, the scream is a beautiful soul song.  


What was surprising was the fact that men can be bean sidhe as well.  Nash was a wonderful counterpart to Kaylee and the romance was sweet.  I fell in love the first time Kaylee met him at the club.  When he sings to her in the alley my heart fluttered with romantic anticipation.  Emma was a fun friend as well for Kaylee and plays a major part in the story.  The side characters of Brendan and Val were great as well.  Since Kaylee’s Father is in Ireland, he left Kaylee in the care of his brother Brendan. While Brendan was carefree and fun, he also has secrets that Kaylee discovers.  


I have to say that besides the main characters of the book, Tod the reaper was one of my favorites as well.  His revelations near the end of the book was a shock and I know I should have seen that coming!  I hope he is included in the future books as well! 


I am so glad to have started this series and I can’t wait for more!  Thankfully, I have the whole series in my hands so I can keep reading what happens next!


MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS

SHADOW HILLS
Author: Anastasia Hopcus
Source: Gifted

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: EgmontUSA; Reprint edition (May 10, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1606842153
ISBN-13: 978-1606842157

After her sister Athena’s tragic death, it’s obvious that grief-stricken Persephone “Phe” Archer no longer belongs in Los Angeles. Hoping to make sense of her sister’s sudden demise and the cryptic dreams following it, Phe abandons her bubbly LA life to attend an uptight East Coast preparatory school in Shadow Hills, MA — a school which her sister mysteriously mentioned in her last diary entry before she died.

Once there, Phe quickly realizes that something is deeply amiss in her new town. Not only does Shadow Hills’ history boast an unexplained epidemic that decimated hundreds of its citizens in the 1700s, but its modern townies also seem eerily psychic, with the bizarre ability to bend metal. Even Zach — the gorgeous stranger Phe meets and immediately begins to lust after — seems as if he is hiding something serious. Phe is determined to get to the bottom of it. The longer she stays there, the more she suspects that her sister’s untimely death and her own destiny are intricately linked to those who reside in Shadow Hills.

After reading this book, I only had one question for myself. Why the heck did I wait so long to read this book? I was skeptical at first when the book was gifted to me, but once I sat down reading it, I could not stop until the last page!


Phe was a great character.  She wasn’t too girlie, but she wasn’t a tomboy either.  She held her own amongst her group of friends who were great side characters in the book. Graham was a great friend to have for a guy.  The moment Phe meets him, I fell in love with him.  Then we have Zach who is the male lead of the story.  Hotness on a page that has all the things a girl wants in a boy! He was sweet, sensitive, protective and did I mention sexy?  Throw in some magic, mystery and friends to keep you grounded and you get the awesome book called Shadow Hills! 


The only problem I had with this book was that it ended!  Yes, things are resolved and you are left with the satisfying feeling of a great ending, but I didn’t want it to end.  I wanted more of the characters and thank goodness their is another book in the series coming out soon!  As a debut author, it can be hard to find a spot in the young adult genre and be remembered.  Well, this author has nothing to fear as she has just made it to the top ten of my list!

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading!