If I Die by Rachel Vincent review

While Kaylee Cavanaugh has been fighting hellions & saving people's lives for the last six months, she never knew that she was running on seriously borrowed time. Just when things are starting to settle back into a normal rhythm she's dealt two blows: her dreamy new math teacher is actually a lust-sucking incubus hell-bent on having a son & Kaylee's soul extension is up, her death date is in less than a week.

With the clock ticking, loudly, Kaylee starts to focus on what few things she wants to do before she dies. At the top of that list is spending some quality alone time with hunky boyfriend (and fellow bean sidhe) Nash. Unfortunately his ex & almost everyone else in their lives seem to be conspiring to keep them from taking their relationship to the next level. Tod, Nash's grim reaper big brother, is the number one offender because he can blink in at any time he chooses. But as the clock ticks down, Kaylee gets more deeply embroiled in the nasty mess that her incubus teacher is leaving behind. While on a mission to out the incubus, Kaylee makes a decision that changes everyone's life, permanently.

Rachel Vincent has done a fabulous job with the Soul Screamers series... up until this book. Now before anyone gets upset with me, I'll give you the quick & dirty sum up: yes I still enjoyed this installment in the series, yes the characters are still as endearing & unique as they have been, I just feel like the content of this book strayed from where it's been headed all along. Now for the details:

The flow & content of If I Die felt very different from what I have come to expect from her work. The 5 books take place over just 6 months which is not an issue in and of itself, but the fact that Kaylee is trying to lose her virginity to her boyfriend of just 6 months (despite that just a few months earlier he was addicted to a deadly Netherworld drug & hasn't fully recovered yet) & the new bad guy in the story is a lust-sucking demon who is sleeping with (and potentially killing) young women in the hopes of having a son was just too much for what has actually been a very tame storyline thus far. I'm not opposed to sexual situations in YA, I just feel that these situations felt forced. They didn't seem to really mesh well with everything else that we've seen in the series. The baddies are bad, but they've never crossed the inappropriate line, until now.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I can move on to what was AWESOME about this book. Kaylee is as self-sacrificing as ever & really does make me feel like there are still really good character role models. Granted she seems to bring about as much trouble as she tries to negate, but I think that's part of the territory. Despite the tone of the storyline, I was surprised to see less of Nash & Kaylee's dad than I would have expected, but let me assure, there is a very good reason that we don't see much of them. While Kaylee is out to stop the incubus, another character is plotting a different ending to the love story. I can't tell you any more than that without ruining a very well-planned surprise, but let me assure you that you won't be disappointed. :)

Overall, the writing still oozed the sarcasm & wit that I adore from these characters. There's nothing like teenage angst mixed with otherworldly tempers to make things interesting. So go ahead & read this enticing installment in the fabulously popular Soul Screamers series. And be sure to let me know what you think about the book in the comments. Think I'm being overly sensitive or do you think it is just the natural progression for the storyline or something else entirely? Sound off below!

ARC graciously provided by Around the World Tours

If I Die by Rachel Vincent review

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

SPOILER ALERT: If you have not read the first two Soul Screamers books (My Soul to Take & My Soul to Save) please read no further!

Kaylee Cavanaugh just can't seem to catch a break. It has been a whirlwind last few months learning about being a bean sidhe & all that entails on top of the other-wordly happenings that seem to plague her life. Just when she was starting to catch up & feel a bit more in control of her life, more craziness begins.

The Scooby Doo-esque couple making a startling discovery at a friend's party. Kids in their school are in to heavier stuff than the normal "recreational drugs." These kids are in to demon's breath. Kaylee gets a whiff of it off a friend after he rammed her car & it immediately sends her into a tailspin. The highly-addictive & extremely deadly substance is almost impossible to obtain (since demons can't come into the human world & this substance is literally the exhalation from a demon) & it's dropping kids like flies.

Unfortunately Nash doesn't feel like rising to the occasion. He doesn't think that just because one kid got his hands on a very dangerous substance that the "bean sidhe signal" has been waved. All of his rationale is based around keeping Kaylee & himself safe, but there is only so much that can be done. And when these two finally get on the same page, the world will literally never be the same.

Rachel Vincent has done it yet again. She has woven an intriguing & entertaining story with some very dynamic characters. Kaylee continues her struggle with her identity & makes great strides to put forth her best effort. I really feel like we get to see her stepping out of the sheltered protection & really taking some risks. Albeit, some of those risks are stupid & dangerous, but she does them because she knows they are the right thing to do. All I will say about Nash is that he is an intriguing plot device that worked magnificently. I totally didn't see that coming!

The Soul Screamers series is one that I find myself enjoying more & more as I read them. They are one of the few series that I can enjoy reading multiple times because I seem to pick up on different details every time I read them. Each book seems to have it's own tempo & meter, while still maintaining the overall plot & balance. I really look forward to the next installments!

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

Soul Screamers Love Continues!

So I obviously like the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent, seeing as I dedicated a whole week to celebrating it. Well, the time has come to share some more Soul Screamers love!

Rachel is hosting a simple contest on her blog where the winner will receive a signed copy of My Soul to Keep and a large t-shirt!! Go here to enter.

She has also graciously provided her fans with a wallpaper featuring the covers of all 3 novels and the prequel novella, which can be found online here. And while the release is a little less than 2 weeks away, there is still time to grab the widget which can be found here on the sidebar.

I think that about does it for info on the next awesome book! If you haven't read the first ones, I suggest checking out my reviews (My Soul to Take and My Soul to Save) or picking up a copy! Hope you enjoy them!

Soul Screamers Love Continues!

Congratulations, we have winner!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the Soul Screamers' Week giveaway! After adding up all the entries and using Random.org to chose the winner, the result is:

Stephanie P.

I have already e-mailed you and I need to hear back ASAP so that I can contact the fabricator. Again, thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway and came to visit during Soul Screamers' Week. I also want to thank Rachel Vincent, because without her books and cooperation nothing would have been possible. It was a great success and I hope to repeat it in the future. Any suggestions or requests? I look forward to planning the next celebratory week.

Congratulations, we have winner!

Soul Screamers Playlist

Welcome back to Soul Screamers Week here at Tattooed Books! Don't forget about the giveaway! Enjoy this nifty little treat.


While scouring the net for ideas for Teen Tech Week I came across a GREAT website: playlist.com. It is completely free and so much fun. You simply sign up for an account and then you can select songs to add to playlists that you get to create! They have a great selection of songs and it's super-easy to use. Check out the playlist I made for My Soul To Take below. I think it's pretty good.

For a first-timer, I think I did pretty well. I hope you enjoyed my little foray into the music department. Stay tuned for more great stuff coming at you every day this week!

Soul Screamers Playlist

Waiting on Wednesday: My Soul to Keep

Welcome to Day 3 of Soul Screamers' Week! If you haven't entered already, go enter the giveaway! Enjoy!

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Today's book is My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent and is set to be released in June of 2010. There isn't much out about this book yet except:

1. It will continue the incredible story of Kaylee Cavanaugh, teen bean sidhe, as she makes her way through the perils of teenhood & comes to terms with her special talent.
2. The Netherworld isn't done with her yet and will make an appearance in her school!
3. The cover will be purple. (Sweet, that's my favorite color!!)

In light of all this news and the fact that there is no cover out yet, I decided to try my hand at making a cover. Please be kind.

So there you have it. What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Waiting on Wednesday: My Soul to Keep

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Welcome to Day 2 of Soul Screamers' Week! Don't forget about the giveaway! Enjoy!

Kaylee Cavanaugh just wants to be a normal teen. Like it isn't bad enough that she got dumped with her Aunt Val, Uncle Brendan & spoiled cousin Sophie when her mom died and her dad ran away to Ireland, but she's crazy too? She doesn't believe it, but those close to her have no other choice.

After having a "panic attack" in a mall by screaming her head off, and being unable to control herself, Kaylee wound up locked in the mental ward at the local hospital and taking heavy medications. She's been out for a while now and hasn't had an incidents, so she's starting to think that life is returning to normal. Until she goes to a local club with her best friend Emma. While there, and hanging out with uber-hunky athlete Nash Hudson, she sees a girl shrouded in shadows and gets the familiar urge to scream. Fighting it away, with the help of both Emma and Nash, Kayless manages to recover her composure. That is until the next day when she finds out that the shadowed girl wound up dead in the bathroom of the night club.

Now totally freaking out, Kaylee continues her quest for normalcy. Sadly, that is not to be what she finds. When Emma is unreachable due to being grounded, there is only one person left to turn to. Nash isn't running for the hills and soon tells Kaylee why that's the case. He is just like her; she's not crazy, she's a bean sidhe. As he unfolds the truth of her heritage, they become more than just friends because he has a natural gift to help her control her wail, which is actually music to his ears. And help her he does and more teenage girls continue to die around them. Only something is off about their deaths. Healthy, teenage girls don't just collapse into death from no cause. Something is causing this and it will take everything Nash and Kaylee can muster to put a stop to it before someone closer to home becomes the next victim.

If you are tired of the furry, pointed-teeth paranormal that is currently very popular, than look no further. This new angle into the paranormal field is entrenched in a rich history that gives a whole new meaning to "difficult teenage years." Kaylee Cavanaugh is a pretty solid female lead who I'm sure many younger girls can relate to; she is not the star of the show, but she's comfortably in the middle ground. Her insecurity is one of her most pulling attributes. That's not to say that she is scared out of her mind and unsure of anything, but she exhibits normal teen fears of acceptance and self-worth along with confusion of what she really is. Bean sidhes or banshees are an interesting choice for a teen series as usually these women are portrayed as old hags or gorgeous young women. The thought that they had to have a youth, and to set that youth in the modern age, shows a great insight.

The storyline was well thought out given that there was a "rational" explanation for her "panic attacks" and that her family tried to protect her by hiding the truth. This was especially true of her absentee father, which given what is revealed about why he is absent, made quite a bit of sense. The timeline of events felt a little rushed as I don't think anyone, even a resilient person, could handle as much as Kaylee did in a short amount of time, but that tends to be a genre norm. I also enjoyed the way the characters interacted with one another, there was a lot of emotion conveyed with very few words and I could really feel what was happening to the characters. I don't always get that kind of reaction.

Honestly, this is now one of my personal favorites for this genre. It has just enough of all the right stuff (action, intrigue, mystery, romance) to really keep me on my toes and keep me guessing as to what's going to happen next. Pick it up if you get a chance and don't forget to check out the next installment that will be featured later this week, My Soul to Save.

You have the chance to win both books over at The Story Siren's site.

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Interview with Soul Screamers author Rachel Vincent!

Welcome to Soul Screamers' Week! As a celebration of all that Rachel Vincent has accomplished with her teen series, I will be holding a week-long celebration of Soul Screamers. During this week there will be my reviews of the books, Soul Screamers related posts, an interview with Rachel and (what would a celebratory week be without...) a giveaway! Enjoy!

Let's give a warm welcome to Rachel Vincent who is here to kick off the Soul Screamers' Week with her interview.

1. What made you choose paranormal as your main genre?

Actually, I chose urban fantasy. At least, that's what I thought I was choosing. But I'm typically shelved in Paranormal Romance, which means my readers are a cross-section of romance and fantasy readers, which is awesome! As for how I chose urban fantasy, I just write the kinds of books I like to read. ;)

2. How much research did you actually have to log on bean sidhes for the Soul Screamers series?

Um... I read what I could find, but there wasn't exactly a ton out there. Which is why I chose bean sidhes. There was plenty of room for me to make stuff up, without disturbing the existing lore too badly. So my bean sidhes are a good mix of existing lore and my own imagination.

3. Your books are coming out in quick succession, did you write them all at one and then divide the stories up or have you been writing the whole time?

I've been writing the whole time, but not just on the Soul Screamers series. I also write an adult series (Shifters) for MIRA Books. I had the first three Soul Screamers books written before the first one came out.

4. What is your favorite aspect of your series? (Certain characters, the mythology, the romance, etc)

My favorite aspect of the Soul Screamers series is the world building. After writing the Shifters series for so long, in which I'm limited to three different breeds of shape shifters, I felt like my hands were really untied with Kaylee and her world. There's nothing I can't do there, and I've really let my imagination go, and that means that there's an infinite number of plots and characters I could write.

5. Any hints about your third installment My Soul to Keep that’s due out this June?

Yes! MSTKeep is all about the consequences, and in the Soul Screamers world, consequences are real, and they're permanent. These books each stand alone, but the events in MSTKeep are--in large part--aftermath of what happened in MSTSave (though you don't have to have read it first), and Kaylee's relationships in this one are changed forever. Its a very emotional story, and devastating in many ways. A couple of the scenes actually made me uncomfortable to write.

6. Anything else you want to tell your readers and fans?

Kaylee's a strong character, and her strength is mostly on the inside. She's loyal, and brave, and caring to a fault. But she's not afraid to do what needs to be done. I love this series and these characters, and I'm so grateful to everyone who's decided to give them a try!

Thank you so much Rachel for that little peak into your world(s)! That's some exciting news on the MSTKeep front. Check out her website for more information on both her series and for a list of appearances.

Interview with Soul Screamers author Rachel Vincent!