{Review} The Stars Never Rise (Untitled Series #1) by Rachel Vincent

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: June 9th, 2015
Finished Date: June 11th, 2015

Publishers: Delacorte Press
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Pages: 368
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Sixteen-year-old Nina Kane should be worrying about her immortal soul, but she's too busy trying to actually survive. Her town's population has been decimated by soul-consuming demons, and souls are in short supply. Watching over her younger sister, Mellie, and scraping together food and money are all that matters. The two of them are a family. They gave up on their deadbeat mom a long time ago.

When Nina discovers that Mellie is keeping a secret that threatens their very existence, she'll do anything to protect her. Because in New Temperance, sins are prosecuted as crimes by the brutal Church and its army of black-robed exorcists. And Mellie's sin has put her in serious trouble.

To keep them both alive, Nina will need to trust Finn, a fugitive with deep green eyes who has already saved her life once and who might just be an exorcist. But what kind of exorcist wears a hoodie?

Wanted by the Church and hunted by dark forces, Nina knows she can't survive on her own. She needs Finn and his group of rogue friends just as much as they need her

The Review: The Stars Never Rise is the beginning of a brand new YA series from Rachel Vincent.
In this we find a world that has changed, a world that has seen horror through the invasion of demons. Pockets of human life remain in much guarded cities where the church is the law and everyone must adhere to the rules or face horrific consequences.
Nina lives in New Temperance along with her sister Melanie and her drugged up mother. She does what she has to to survive and feed her sister because their mother squanders what little money they have on ‘other’ things. Life is hard, if the church found out about her mother’s lack of parenting both she and Mellie would be taken by the church and forced to give their lives over to it, so she scrapes by but in a year she will be free to make money herself and look after her sister properly without anyone’s help. That is until the boy with the green eyes enters her life and everything is turned upside down.
Finn is a fugitive but that doesn’t stop him saving Nina’s life from a demon possessed human, he came here with a purpose and he needs to see it through. Nina is glad that her escapade wasn’t noticed, she really doesn’t need the church at her door when her mother is in such a state so she goes about her business as usual and is totally unprepared for what will happen right on her own doorstep. Mellie has been keeping secrets, secrets that could get one burned for heresy….. and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Nina is forced to look for help from an unlikely source who has much information that she so desperately needs but she is about to become one of the hunted too.
I really enjoyed this book and thought it was brilliantly different with a fresh and new premise. I really liked the world the author created, there is a history of why the world has ended up the way it has and it is talked about throughout much of the book. It wasn’t hard to take in and wasn’t done in a huge info dump like some books tend to do, it was explained well, I got the idea pretty quickly and liked it. I suppose the book will fall into the dystopian bracket and it does fit well but isn’t dreary and boring -like most are. Both Nina and Mellie are good characters and I connected with them straight away, it was easy to empathise with their situation and their lives because their situation was bleak. Nina had taken over the motherly role and you could tell it weighed on her but you could also see that she could and would bear the burden. Mellie’s secret is huge and a total life changer where it could go in lots of directions; all of them bad but Nina also has her secrets too but despite that, she is a rock for Mellie and that showed her strength of character.
It’s quite hard to review the storyline because it could easily be spoiled by a number of things so I’m afraid it will be quite vague. Secrets are the name of the game here, everyone is keeping them and the reader will see them all unfold. This leads to some really bad situations and confrontations giving us a fast paced adventure that is filled with action and fight scenes- especially when ‘degenerates’ are around. It’s hard to know who to fear the most – the demons or the church – at least they know the demons are their enemy but the church is just as barbaric which will be seen big style. The romance in this very different and takes a little getting used to but is actually rather sweet and a nice balm to the intensity of the story and softens up the characters a lot. A lot of the story is about the things you will discover throughout the book and the consequences from all sides, it is an awesome introduction to the series and has oodles of potential for more giving me a very exciting story filled with tension, unique world building, great characters, lots of action and a very satisfying ending that definitely left me wanting more. 

Thank you to Delacorte Press for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Blog Tour for Before I Wake (Soul Screamers #6) by Rachel Vincent: Review + Character Interview with Nash Hudson + UK/IRE/EU Giveaway

Posted by Donna

UK Release Date: July 6th, 2012

Finished Date: June 22nd, 2012

Publishers: Mira Ink

Source: For Review

Format: Paperback

Pages: 384
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

I died on a Thursday—killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul.
The good news? He didn’t get it.
The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school…
Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much
harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent
“recovering,” she’s back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend. But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim
stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won’t keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn’t just gambling with her own life

The Review: *Possible spoilers if you haven’t read the series*  


After her inventible death in If I Die, Kaylee has been recruited by Meredith; where she will help lost souls find peace, but being undead isn’t everything it’s made out to be. Kaylee’s struggling to come to terms with her new status, and is trying hard not to fade out. The only time she feels anything, is when she’s with her boyfriend Tod, and let’s say things are hotting up between them. But even though Tod’s the one good spot in her life, Kaylee she has to deal with new drama from Nash, a new student starts at school who’s a necromancer and Thane and Avari are back! Life for Kaylee couldn’t get much worse….or could it? 
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I have to admit I was slightly nervous to start this book because If I Die was such a fantastic and explosive book, that it was definitely was a hard act to follow. But of course, Rachel Vincent doesn’t disappoint us, and this instalment is just as good as ever. 
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The story: There are so many laugh out loud moments in this book and Rachel Vincent really knows how to create an intense story, with so much humour. Quotes like this between Kaylee's Dad and Tod just make me laugh so much; “Hi Tod, I didn't realize you were here. In my daughter bedroom. With the door closed." "Happy to be here" Tod said.
Not only that, but it’s as dangerous as ever, with Kaylee’s soul really not being anymore safe now when she’s dead, to when she was alive. Poor Kaylee! She really goes through the ringer in this book, and it was a little heart-breaking to see how much she struggled. But even with her struggles, she really knows what she cares about in life, and that’s her friends and family. They all come together – which I loved, because everyone got involved, and the relationships in this book, is what makes it. The only downside to this is, there were a few casualties and I’m sad, because the people we lost, we’re some of my favourite. 
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Tod & Kaylee: We see a TON of Kaylee and Tod scenes and yes, they are totally swoon-worthy. I never thought I could stop being Team Nash, but after the last two books, Tod has convinced me he’s worthy of Kaylee, and now I’m completely Team Tod.  I completely fell for him in this book. How could I not? “You make me feel alive. Every time I touch you, I feel like there's some kind of charge flowing between us, Like tiny little bolts of lightening, setting me on fire.”  Their relationship is so pure, intense and beautiful, that I can see them together for an eternity. 
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Nash & Sabine: I’ve never really been a huge fan of these two together, mainly because I always hoped Kaylee would get back with Nash, but now we know that’s never going to happen, I think these are perfect together. They have their problems but it’s nothing they can’t work out if Nash gets his act together. If anything, I disliked Nash more in this book. *Small spoiler* How can he jump in and out of bed with Sabine, but still declare to love Kaylee? A big no, no Nash! Get your act together, please! 
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Kaylee & her Dad: I’m finally glad Kaylee stood up to him. He’s not a bad dad at all and he’s very caring, but Kaylee’s dead now, and the things that he was worried about no longer apply i.e.  pregnancy. I know he still see Kaylee as his little girl, but I just wanted him to give her time to breathe - or not breathe in Kaylee’s case, and let her make her own choices. 
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Nash & Tod: When is Nash ever going to find out the huge sacrifices Tod made for him? I’m hoping he finds out in the next book because hopefully then, Nash maybe a little grateful to Tod and not constantly blame him for everything including taking his girlfriend. I want to see them become the brothers they should be and try and work towards a better relationship. 
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Thane & Avari: Grrr! I’m so sick of them now! I just want them gone! 
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My expectations for With All My Soul are very high, but you know what, I know Rachel Vincent will deliver. I’m yet to be disappointed by her work so far, and if her reputation from her Shifters series is anything to go by, then I know she will give us an explosive and amazing ending to this series.
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A huge thank you to Mira Ink for giving me the opportunity to review this book. 

Join us now for a character interview with NASH HUDSON! 


1. Hi Nash! Welcome to Book Passion for Life. What was you're first thought when you saw Kaylee for the first time?
Nash: I actually don’t remember when I saw Kaylee for the first time. We go to the same school, so I saw her nearly every day for a long time. What made me notice Kaylee was her voice. The first time I heard her talk, I knew I had to hear more. So I kind of…followed Kay and Emma to this 18+ club. The rest, as they say, is history.
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2. How are you feelings with the whole Kaylee/Tod relationship?
Nash: That whole thing sucks. Do you have any idea what it feels like to see your brother with your ex? Well, it’s even worse than that, because when I see her and I don’t see him, I never know whether he’s truly not there, or he’s there and just not showing himself to me. For all I know, they’re together all the time, stealing privacy in the middle of every public school day, laughing at those of us who can’t appear and disappear at will.
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Well, Kaylee probably wouldn’t laugh at anyone. But then again, she’s done several things lately that I would have sworn she never would, so who knows?
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3. Can you explain you're relationship with Sabine?
Nash: Sabine was the first girl I ever loved. The first of only two. As it turns out, when you fall in love with someone, they take a little bit of your heart, and no matter what goes wrong between you later, you’ll always have some little part of that connection. I’m connected to Sabine, kind of like how I’m still connected to Kaylee and probably always will be. The difference is that Sabine wants to reinforce that connection, and Kaylee seems to want to sever it. 
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Sabine is…well, I don’t really label what we are, but we’re definitely connected. There are some days when it feels like she’s the only one who really wants me around.
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4. Do you miss your relationship with your brother? Nash: The truth is that it gets harder every day to even remember a normal relationship with my brother. He’s been dead for more than two years now, and I’m not even sure reapers are capable of carrying on a normal human relationship. They’re certainly not encouraged to. Most of them get assignments far from their surviving family, to help them avoid the temptation of contacting people who saw them buried. Lucky me, since my mom and I already know the truth about death and reapers, my brother gets to reaps souls just a few miles from my house. And my school. And my girlfriend—oh, wait, she’s not my girlfriend anymore. Coincidence? Hardly.


5. If you could wish for one thing, what would it be?
Nash: I don’t know. Honestly, things are so messed up right now that one wish doesn’t seem like enough to fix things. I could wish that Tod never died, which would fix the problems between us, and between me and Sabine, but then Mom and I would never have moved, and I’d never have met Kaylee. And I wouldn’t take that back for anything. No matter what you wish for, you’re knocking over some cosmic domino, which will inevitably start a chain reaction of catastrophe. So, really, it seems easier just to live with the current level of catastrophe. Does that make sense?


Awww Nash! We do love you hear at Book Passion for Life. Thank you for joining us! 

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UK Blog Tour: A Review for If I Die (Soul Screamers #5) by Rachel Vincent + Author Interview

Posted by Donna
Published Date: 3rd February 2012
Finished Date: January 28th, 2012
Publishers: Mira Ink
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback
Pages: 3427
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The Blurb from Goodreads: The entire school's talking about the gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck. Everyone except Kaylee Cavanaugh. After all, Kaylee's no ordinary high-school junior. She's a banshee—she screams when someone dies. But the next scream might be for Kaylee. Yeah—it's a shock to her, too. So to distract herself, Kaylee's going to save every girl in school. Because that hot new teacher is really an incubus who feeds on the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend's needy ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren't quite human, either. But Kaylee's borrowed lifeline is nearing its end. And those who care about her will do anything to save her life. Anything.
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The Review: “He shrugged, looking right into my eyes. "Right now, this is all I feel." He held our intertwined hands up for me to see and I wanted to look away, but I couldn't break the hold his gaze had on me, like he could see more than anyone else saw. Things I couldn't see myself."
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If I Die was definitely my favourite book in the Soul Screamers series so far and I cannot wait to see what comes next from this talented author. 
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Kaylee Cavanaugh is trying to get back to normal after in the events in My Soul to Steal and she’s even trying to get things back on track with her boyfriend Nash. After all they’ve been through, they finally decide to take things nice and slow but once again Kaylee’s crazy and dangerous life gets in the way. When Kaylee finds out she’s next on the reapers list - to die, she does everything she can to try and take her mind off of her inevitable death. So when a girl at her school becomes pregnant and Kaylee watches her miscarry, she makes it her mission to find who is responsible. But what Kaylee doesn’t realise is that there is an Incubus at her school, one whose out to get want he wants – a baby and Kaylee is in more danger than ever. Can someone save Kaylee before it’s too late? Or is her borrowed life at an end already?

Even re-reading the blurb for this book makes me remember what a fantastic and emotional read it really was. If you thought the last book was good, wait until you read this one because you will be completely blown away. I personally think Rachel Vincent’s work gets better and better and it reminds me, I still need to try her other series' because all I hear is glowing reviews about them.

The storyline to If I Die was one hell of a ride. With Kaylee being the one in danger, we see a completely different side to her - one that is happy to accept her fate but she does try to get in a few things that she has never experienced in before she dies. I liked seeing this side of her, one that was completely reckless but also calm and collected too. What I admire most about Kaylee is that she doesn’t once waver from trying to save someone else’s life and she puts everyone else’s needs before her own. A very admiral trait.

All the other characters play a huge part in this story and they also have an emotional ride too. There is so much going on in this book because they all want to try and save Kaylee but the realisation that they can’t, hits them like a ton of bricks and some more than others.

Now the big question – am I TEAM NASH or TEAM TOD? You know how I feel about Nash but he shocked me to my core in this book. I love Nash 100% but he has seriously lost his way and I want him back. My problem is as much as I love Nash and Kaylee together, I cannot help but question…..are they ever going to get back what they once had? And I'm honestly not sure right now.  I really like Tod and if anything I like him even more but with the shocking twists and turns that Kaylee takes as a character, I cannot help think that Tod is right person for Kaylee at this moment in time. So again….am I TEAM NASH or TEAM TOD? Ummmmm…… I’m undecided at this stage but I cannot wait for Before I Wake so I can figure things out.

Overall, another awesome novel by Rachel Vincent! 4.5 out of 5. A must read! 

A huge thank you to Mira Ink for giving me the opportunity to review this book. 

Rachel Vincent 

Author of Soul Screamer Series, Shifters Series & Unbound Series

Check out her Goodreads Page: HERE

Check out her Website: HERE

1.       What inspired you to write 'The Soul Screamers' series?

There wasn’t a single, specific inspiration. It was more of a long brainstorming session, during which I decided I wanted to write about bean sidhes, which led to the world building foundation, which, in turn, fed the evolving plotlines.

2.       How many books are planned for the series?

Seven novels. Before I Wake (book 6) will be out this summer. There are also currently three online novellas: “My Soul To Lose,” “Reaper,” and “Never To Sleep.” MSTLose is in print in the US Omnibus edition, but the others are only available in electronic format at this time. [Note: I don’t know about the availability of international editions of the online novellas.] Also, I’ve written two short stories set in the Soul Screamers world. “Niederwald” is available in the Enthralled anthology, and “Fearless” can be found in Kiss Me Deadly.

3.       What was the hardest book out of the series to write so far?

Before I Wake. Because If I Die was a very difficult act to follow.

4.       Whose your favourite character?

Oh, that’s not fair! That’s like asking a mother to choose between her children! I have lots of favorites, each for a different reason. I love Sabine, because she gets to say what everyone else is thinking. I love Nash, because he’s so beautifully complicated and broken. He feels everything very deeply and doesn’t always know the best way to deal with what he’s thinking. Tod…well, everyone else likes him so much it almost seems fair for me to say that I like him too, but I do. He’s my Peter Pan. Frozen in time and wandering, trying not to lose his humanity in an endless march of days. He’s a good guy, with a strong mischievous streak. I love Em for her flawless loyalty. Everyone deserves a friend like Emma.

  

And Kaylee. I love her because she’s compassionate toward others, yet stands up for herself. She’s stronger than she realizes, but not so strong that she thinks she can take on the world on her own. She’s starting to understand that sometimes the greater good requires sacrifice along the way, and that sometimes you have to do the wrong thing for the right reason. But mostly, I love Kaylee because she’s resilient. She takes everything I can throw at her, learns what she can from it, and moves on.

5.       Team Nash or Team Tod?

There is NO WAY I can answer that. So I’ll let you all answer that for yourselves. ;)

Wow! So awesome and thank you so much for joining us today Rachel. I loved If I Die and I cannot wait to see what you come up with next. Also a huge thank you to Mira Ink for asking Book Passion for Life to be apart of Rachel's tour. Next stop tomorrow: Bookaholic Book Club! Click this link!

A Review for My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers #4) by Rachel Vincent

Posted by Donna
Published Date: July 17th, 2011
Finished Date: January 15th, 2012
Publishers: Mira
Source: Finished Copy for Review
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
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The Blurb from Goodreads: Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can’t just pretend nothing happened. But “complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back.

 See, Sabine isn’t just an ordinary girl. She’s a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people’s fears—and craft them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she survives.And Sabine isn’t above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.

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The Review: Rachel Vincent does it again and knocks out another awesome book.  My Soul to Steal is just as good as everyone says. Filled with raw emotions, a demon out to kill and a love triangle that will leave your heart torn and it’s definitely not one to miss.
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This time around we see Kaylee and Nash going through their break up. Even though they’ve broken up, Kaylee is still unsure whether to get back with Nash because she doesn’t know if she can forgive and forget. When Nash’s ex-girlfriend; Sabine moves to their school, she makes it’s pretty clear she wants Nash back and she’s willing to play dirty to get him. As Kaylee tries to battle with the ex-girlfriend, teachers at her school start dying and Sabine is her number one suspect. Why? Because she’s a Mara, a person that feeds of other peoples nightmares and she’ll happily feed off anyone, including Kaylee.

I really enjoyed this book as much as My Soul to Keep which was an emotional ride but boy was this book emotional too. With Sabine’s arrival we see Kaylee’s jealous side as well as see how mean Sabine really is. Sparks literally fly off the pages with their heated conversations. Not only that, but Avari is back and as dangerous as ever. He’s found a way to possess the people around Kaylee that she loves and she’s fighting to see who she can trust but it was good to see her fighting back.

Our characters; Kaylee – she’s very rash and very erratic in this book mainly because she’s threatened by the arrival of Sabine. She instantly starts questioning whether to take Nash back even though she knows she can’t trust him. I have to say, I was quite annoyed with her. She just kept going back and forth and I just wanted her to make her mind up. Not only that I felt she was actually pretty mean to Nash in this book. Everything Sabine did to annoy her, she had a go at Nash about so I was pretty glad in the end he stuck up for himself and of course, I’m glad the end of the novel shows a little hope for us Nash and Kaylee fans.

Nash – I really wish people would give him a break. Yes, he lied to everyone in My Soul to Keep but not on purpose. It wasn’t his fault that everything happened the way it happened and he probably should have confided in Kaylee to start with but he’s finally starting to progress in getting better. He’s trying to get life back on track and neither Kaylee nor Tod help him but with Sabine back he finally feels like he has a friend and although she is trying to win him back, he continues to turn her down and for that – showing how much strength he has and is willing to turn away his one friend in his time of need, makes me love him that much more. I <3 him!

Tod – I was a little disappointed he didn’t have more time in this book and after all the rumours I’ve heard I was expecting more Kaylee and Tod time. However, that Reaper sure did ANNOY me when he was telling Kaylee to let Nash go so he could go and be with Sabine. Did he have an alternative motive? Maybe? But it certainly didn’t show in this book…..maybe the next one.

Sabine – Wow, how mean can one girl be? She seriously knocked Kaylee’s confidence in this novel and it makes me really dislike her. I understand she wants Nash back but that was seriously some low blows. I seriously don’t want to see her end up with Nash!!!!!!

Alec & Emma – I loved that they got some more time this time around. It was nice to be able to connect with them that much more and does anyone else think they’d make a great couple? I do!

Overall, My Soul to Steal was a great page turner, one to will definitely keep you on your toes and I cannot wait to continue Kaylee’s journey with If I Die.

A Review for My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers #3) by Rachel Vincent

Posted by Donna

Published Date: April 15th, 2011

Finished Date: November 29th, 2011

Publishers: Mira Ink

Source: For Review

Format: Paperback

Pages: 348

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The Blurb from Goodreads: 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's 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 when the epidemic hits too close to home, Kaylee will have to risk everything to save those she loves.

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The Review: Wow, what a ride My Soul to Keep was. After reading My Soul to Save I was a little bit disappointed that is wasn't as good book one but Rachel Vincent is definitely back.

In this instalment we see Kaylee go through a whole new challenge. When her friends at school get a hold of the deadly Demon's Breath, they soon start becoming addicts and of course Kaylee takes it upon herself to try and sort out the problem. With the help of Nash and Tod, Kaylee battles through the Neverworld yet again but when she finds out the person closet to her is also an addict.....Kaylee's world is turned upside down and now it becomes a battle to save the one she loves most.

My Soul to Keep was a perfect example of why I enjoy Rachel Vincent’s work. It was thrilling, dangerous and FULL of emotions and I loved every minute it. It's safe to say I definitely felt more connected with this novel than book two. I feel the reason for this is because this time around, the danger is surrounding Kaylee’s close friends and loved ones rather than someone we didn't really know and I loved it all the more.

Kaylee this time around, I felt grew as a character and she truly stands up for what she believes in. It is sad to say that this time, her journey is a sad one because she is trying to save Nash who is addicted to Demon's Breath and that opens up a can of worms for their relationship. Kaylee feels betrayed because Nash doesn't confide in her about his problem and there are things that she just can't get over, so they do break up. I can totally understand why she feels like this but I couldn't help feel sorry for Nash. It's not his fault he was exposed to Demon's Breath, it was just his fault he hid it and lied about it. My heart honestly broke for him, I love Nash...honestly love him and I seriously hope he gets back to his normal self and him and Kaylee work on their problems.

Despite all the sadness in this book, it was good to see Tod interact more with Kaylee. I've already heard of a potential storyline that might happen between them and I'm not sure how I feel about it at the moment but for now, I did enjoy getting to know him better and I loved how he supported Kaylee. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Thank You to Mira Ink for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

A Review for Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent (Unbound #1)

Posted by Jess

Published Date: September 1st, 2011

Finished Date: November 20th, 2011

Publishers: Mira Ink

Source: For Review

Format: Paperback

Pages: 448

The Blurb from Goodreads: By blood, by word, by magic...

Most can't touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood. Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one.

But when her friend's daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can't rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.

Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss.

And more blood will be spilled before it's over…

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The Review: "I have choices," I insisted, refusing to break eye contact. "We both do. I may have to make mine carefully, and make a few compromises along the way, but I have a choice. I choose you."

Well what can I say? Blood Bound was completely compelling and it had be from page 1. Blood Bound is something complete new and interesting to the world of books. This is the first book I've read by Rachel Vincent (I know I'm totally behind and doing it in the wrong order), and I'm completely in love with her style of writing. The gritty world that she created in Blood Bound was pretty intense. Liv is a 'Skilled' person with the ability to track anyone as long as she has a sample of their blood. So when a childhood friends daughter goes missing she's asked by her to help track the little girl. Now Liv is 'Bound' to help her friend thanks to a childhood oath that they all made, so Lic in unable to say no to the request without her brains blowing up. Unfortunately that means she has to work with her ex-boyfriend Cam Caballero. Ahhhhhhh CAM!! He's completely soon worthy in this book he'll have you falling at his gorgeous feet from page one when he first appears leaning on Liv's car looking gorgeous. With the help of Cam (who can track a person with just a full name) Liv, Cam and their friend Anne go on a roundabout adventure that uncovers many hidden truths and so many twists that it will leave your head spinning.

Blood Bound is split between Liv POV and Cam's; which was good. I don't always like multiple narratives but when it's just two of them its fine and it was good to get Cam's side on all the situations and it was amazing to read about how he still loves Liv even after she just took off and left without and explanation. It took me a while to warm to Liv, I actually preferred her friend Anne to begin with, but as I read on I began to love Liv, and she became easily likeable. She's extremely strong and completely kick-ass!  Her relationship with Cam sizzled on the page. Both of them have such chemistry that you root for them all the way through and that first (rekindle) kiss will melt you inside because the way Cam kisses her its enough to make you forget about all the other kisses in the books. Their love isn't the centre of the story, but it does add a nice pace to it and gives you some laughs when it's needed through some of the bad times.

I loved everything about this book. It's completely breath taking and it will have you on the edge of your seat with all the twists that are thrown at us as readers and Liv and Cam as characters. The one gripe I have with this book is that everything that happened happened in the space of 48 hours. And I mean A LOT happened that it just felt like it should have been a week instead of 2 days? But either way it all happened and the constant action in the book kept the book at a good pace that you forget that this is all happening within 2 days of Liv and Cam reuniting after 6 years.

The ending is needless to say a bloody cliffhanger...and it's one of those that makes you scream in side because you have to wait an entire year for book two! I won't spoil it but it's a "Will she? Or Won't she?" question that will be hanging there until Shadow Bound releases next year.

Anyway, for those of you that have already read other books by Rachel Vincent (I swear I will...I promise), I would definitely recommend this to you all. This should be for the older YA 17+ should do it as there is some sexual content half way through the book plus some innuendos. So 17+ should just about do it for age rage.

A Review for My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers #2) by Rachel Vincent

Posted by Donna
Published Date: February 18th, 2011
Finished Date: November 13th, 2011
Publishers: Mira
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 362
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The Blurb from Goodreads: When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies. So when teen pop star Eden croaks on stage 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 too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: 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….
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The Review: After reading Rachel Vincent’s My Soul to Take I eagerly dived straight into My Soul to Save, the second book in The Soul Screamers Series. And although I enjoyed it, I have quite mixed feelings about it because I don’t feel it was as good as the first.
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My Soul to Save see’s Kaylee and Nash take on another dangerous journey, when they go to concert and watch a famous singer drop dead on the stage. The problem is Kaylee doesn’t wail like she normally does and she quickly realises it is because the singer has no soul; the singer has sold her soul to become rich and famous. Soon Kaylee and Nash with the help from Tod, find out that Tod’s ex-girlfriend is the next one to loose her life and they go on a mission to try and reclaim her soul.
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This is a hard review for me to write because like I said, I did enjoy it but not as much as the first. The problem is, I can’t quite put my finger on why I didn’t though because the story was still excellently written and there were plenty of twists and turns. I did find it a tad predictable at times but then the ending was a bit of shocker, so it definitely had its highs and lows. I think the main problem was I didn’t enjoy the characters as much this time around. In My Soul to Take we seen Kaylee trying to save the people around her that she new and loved but with this one, I didn’t have any real connection with Addison because we don’t really know her, therefore I really didn’t care what happened to her. I know that sounds bad but it’s true. I guess I would have liked to have gotten to know her more as a character rather than just the dying girl that everyone was trying to save.
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What I did really like in this book was how Kaylee and Nash’s relationship developed. I loved that things were hotting up and it was truly frustrating at times with Tod popping up out of no where but I enjoyed it and I can’t wait to see more. I also liked that we got to know Tod a bit more too. We got to see the softer side of him but with the events of this book, we also seen a more dangerous side too and I’m eager to find out more.
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Overall, I’m still looking forward to continuing this series and I can not wait to start the next few books in the series.



Thank you to Mira for giving me the opportunity to review this book. 

A Review for My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers #1) by Rachel Vincent

Posted by Donna

Published Date: January 1st, 2011

Finished Date: November 12th, 2011

Publishers: Mira Ink

Source: For Review

Format: Paperback

Pages: 368

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The Blurb from Goodreads: 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…

The Review: The Soul Screamers series is a series I’ve wanted to try for some time now mainly because I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. Admittedly, I did try the prequel a few years ago and didn’t really give it much of a chance but now, after reading My Soul to Take I’m more than excited to continue this series.

This story follows the life of Kaylee Cavanaugh, a young girl who lives with her aunt and uncle after the death of her mother. Kaylee isn’t like normal girls though. Sometimes she knows when a person is going to die because she has the urge to scream. She doesn’t know why this happens until she meets Nash Hudson, one of the hottest guys at her High School. Kaylee soon finds out that Nash knows things that can help her finally figure out what she is. Soon though, several girls drop dead within a few days apart and Kaylee and Nash go on a dangerous journey to try and solve the murders.

My Soul to Take was a completely unique story, one that I’ve never read anything about before. Bean Sidhe aka Banshee’s are from Irish Legends and I really enjoyed getting to know about a different legend which I thought was a refreshing story line. It kept me gripped all the way through and had so many different avenue’s the story could take but what Rachel did with this storyline was awesome. It was exciting, dangerous and a great page turner.

Our characters are fantastic and I really enjoyed Kaylee as a character. She became very realistic to me and I connected with her quite well. Through-out her struggles to contain her wail, she was actually very strong and determined. I love qualities like that in our heroine. Then there’s Nash; who wouldn’t love him? I immediately fell for him and I can totally see why Kaylee loves him.  He was her rock through out this book and it even though Kaylee was strong enough on her own, it was nice that he could help her in ways you wouldn’t even expect. And also I can’t forget Tod. He was a bit of an odd one for me, I liked him and I didn’t like him…I’ve heard a few rumours about the next few books that involve Tod and that we get to see him in a different light, so I’ll look forward to that.

Overall, My Soul to Take was a great start to a refreshing series and I will look forward to seeing what will come next for our characters.

Thank you Mira for giving me the opportunity to review this book.