MY SOUL TO SAVE Review - Rachel Vincent

MY SOUL TO SAVE by Rachel Vincent
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 279
ISBN#: 9780373210046
My Recommended Age Group: Young Adult to Adult
Released: December 29, 2009
Other work: Shifters series (Adult), My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers Prequel), My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers 1), My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers 3)

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From Goodreads:

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....

My thoughts:

MY SOUL TO SAVE is the second book in Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series. The first book, My Soul to Take, introduced Kaylee and her bean sidhe (banshee) abilities. When she senses death, Kaylee can't help but to sing the person's soul song. To us, this song sounds like ear-shattering screeching. Not exactly a trait known to win friends and influence people.

This installment follows Kaylee as she comes to terms with her abilities. I won't go into too many details as I don't want to give anything away from the first book, but I can say that this second book was fantastic. As always happens with the second installment in any series, I got a little nervous about MY SOUL TO SAVE. I loved My Soul to Take and didn't know if the second book could live up to it. Not only did this book live up to the first, in my opinion it surpassed the introductory story.

We begin the journey with Kaylee at a hit rock concert. When the star drops dead on stage, Kaylee panics, terrified that her wail will come out in a concert hall packed to the gills with people. If anything was going to get a girl put back in a mental health unit, that would be it. Only problem is Kaylee doesn't scream. If Kaylee's song comes out anytime a person dies, releasing the soul from their body, why doesn't Kaylee feel the urge to sing over the girl's dead body? There's can only be one answer - the girl has no soul. This discovery and the prediction of another girl's impending death leads Kaylee and her friends on a journey to save the souls they can before they wind up losing their own.

Already a fan of Ms. Vincent's work, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that this story ended up jam-packed with mystery, suspense, and a whole lot of tension. The romantic tension in the story was especially phenomenal. This author is a master of romantic tension, giving us just enough heat and sensuality to get the heart pumping before cutting us off cold turkey. The romantic elements in the story were quite a bit more pumped up from the first book.

Fair warning: There are sensual scenes in this book. They are quite tastefully done and definitely add to the story.

Outside of the romantic tension - which really helped to make the story a compelling read - Ms. Vincent gave us quite of bit of suspense to latch on to throughout the story. From the first page we are thrown into a mystery so dark that the reader can't help but feel involved. An aspect of this author's writing that I have always found compelling, is her willingness to not sugar coat things for the reader. When she describes a horrible situation or painful events and feelings she really describes them. Below is a quote to show what I mean.

"The flesh beneath the double ring of punctures was inflamed and covered in those weird, red webbed veins, which now crept beneath my sock and halfway to my knee. Fluid sloshed beneath the skin over my ankle, hanging lower at the back, just above my shoe, where gravity tugged hardest" (pg. 240).

See what I mean? How can you not get involved in this story? My own leg was aching just reading this part and that's only two sentences out of the entire book. Ms. Vincent's imagery pops out to the reader. Combine this with her clear writing style that makes a complicated story very easy to follow and we end up with a great story.

Writing: 10
Interest: 10
Passion: 10
Originality: 10
Characters: 10
Pace: 10
Overall: 60/60 - A

Book Cover: 3/3

I highly recommend MY SOUL TO SAVE to any fans of Ms. Vincent and any fans of Young Adult Urban Fantasy. This story is full of realistic and relatable characters, a fantastic storyline that keeps us on the edge of our seats and Ms. Vincent's own clear writing style and vivid imagery. Definitely a winner, I can't wait to read the third in the series; My Soul to Keep is scheduled to be released June, 2010.

On a side note I just have to say that I am pretty impressed with Harlequin's new YA line, Harlequin Teen. There are some truly fantastic stories coming out of this line.