Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent 
Published: July 29th, 2009
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Pages: 279
Challenge: 100+ Reading Challenge, YA Series Challenge
Other: First book in the Soul Screamers series. The fifth book, If I Die, was published on September 27th, 2011.
Buy the book: Bookdepository


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 being urged to start this series by a couple of people, I started to consider picking it up from the bookshelf where it had been for about a year. Yes, it took me that long to pick it up. But when I did, I was instantly relieved that I already own the second book in the series, My Soul to Steal, because I just wanted more.

First up, My Soul to Take isn't your average paranormal story. It's not about the typical things we see in YA most of the time, so there are no werewolves, faeries or vampires. I love those, too, but sometimes you just want a little something different, you know? Well, this book certainly delivered.

Kaylee is a typical teenager, except for her urge to scream her head off whenever she sees the weird grey mist appearing around people. She found out that people who get that grey hue around them are about to die and this makes her want to scream on top of her lungs. She never knew what all that was about, until her classmates start dropping dead and the hot guy from school suddenly shows his interest in her.

Nash, the love interest in this book, wasn't working for me. I have no idea why, but something felt off.. And I don't know what and that's annoying me to no end. I wanted to slap him at times, and I don't think I was supposed to feel like that.. A character I did like, someone who only appeared a couple of times, is Tod. We don't know too much about him yet, only that he, ahem, works at a hospital, but I'd really like to see more of him in the next book(s).

My Soul to Take is very fast paced, exciting and had that power of sucking me in and not being able to put the book down. It's a great way to start of the series, and if I can trust that the first book is an indication for what's to come in the sequels, I know for a fact that Rachel Vincent has just gotten a new fan.

My overall rating:


Four stars for the first book in the Soul Screamers series - with hopefully more Tod to come!