Review: My Soul To Keep by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul To Keep
{Soul Screamers #3}
Author: Rachel Vincent
Publish Date: June 1, 2010
by Harlequin
Pages: 304, paperback
Reason for reading: For fun =)


This series has quickly become one of my very favorite YA series {ranking next to Vampire Academy which most of you know how I feel about that series} with "My Soul To Keep" being my fave in this series so far. As much as I love reading about vampires and werewolves, it is so refreshing & exciting to read a series that explores other mythical, supernatural creatures. I've known what banshees were but never really explored the concept of a 'herald of death'. Rachel teaches us about these mysterious creatures and still yet manages to make them so "relatable".

For those of you who haven't yet read this series, it deals with all your typical adolescent pressures like drinking, drugs, sex, friendships, and family rifts. However, your typical teenage couple in this series are both bean sidhes...death hits closer to home for them than with most!

In the previous books, Kaylee realizes that she's not exactly normal. With the help of new boyfriend Nash *le sigh*, he helps her to understand why she's suffered from "panic attacks" all her life. Upon learning this, a whole new world and set of problems are exposed to her. By this third installment, Kaylee has immersed herself into her new role as bean sidhe.

In MSTK, some of the kids in her school have become addicted to a very dangerous substance that they think is called Frost but is actually "demon breath" which gives them a high unlike anything they've ever experienced. What they don't know is that demon breath will mentally incapacitate you if it doesn't kill you first. She and Nash are on a mission to rid their school of it. Unfortuntately, things will soon spiral out of control when they find out that a very powerful and evil source is planning a massive attack on her school. She also finds out that the person she trusted most, Nash, has a dirty little secret of his own which has put everyone, including himself, in great danger.

Up until this book, Kaylee and Nash had a seemingly perfect relationship with virtually zero conflict. Boy did that change in this book! By the last page, I felt like Kaylee was put through the ringer and we were both emotionally exhausted from it. Nash really messed up in this book but like Kaylee, you don't see it coming until it's too late. Vincent did an incredible job building up the tension until "boom".

"My hands clenched into fists at my sides, and I had to force my grip on my phone to loosen. Anger and fear rolled through me like thunder across the sky, dark and low, and threatening. And accompanied by a vicious, white-hot bolt of betrayal that singed ever nerve in my body." ~ page 187

How can you not feel that right along with her?!

Kaylee and Nash are brilliantly written and the secondary characters are equally moving in both good and bad ways. Todd has become one of the most fascinating characters. Upon meeting him in the previous books, he's snarky and more of a nuisance than anything else...but he really comes full circle in this book. His devotion to Addy is so touching and the way he stood up for Kaylee at the end has really endeared him to me! He is a much more complex character than I initially expected him to be.

You know you love a book when you connect with the characters on an emotional level, so much so that you feel everything right along with them. You feel it ALL: Kaylee's love for Nash, her hurt at his betrayal, her frustration with herself for not seeing it sooner, her fear at losing those she loves most. This book is an emotional rollercoaster that will leave you stunned and a bit heartbroken. I cannot wait for the next book, "My Soul To Steal"!!!

I highly, highly recommend this series!!