My Soul to Keep - Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Keep
Author: Rachel Vincent
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Published: June 1, 2010
Rating: Young Adult
Received: NetGalley, also bought the physical book

WHEN KAYLEE CAVANAUGH SCREAMS, SOMEONE DIES AND KAYLEE IS ABOUT TO SCREAM HER HEAD OFF...

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. (Summary from rachelvincent.com)

I have a bad habit with books. I buy them and I skip right to reading the ending; that way I know what I have in store for me. Is it the best thing to do? Probably not, but it is something that I can't stop. So with My Soul to Keep I looked at the ending and well, it wasn't the happiest. That is another one of my book downfalls. I like to have everything end happy. I decided to leave My Soul to Keep to read for when My Soul to Steal (book 4) comes out. I wanted to know how book 4 played out (does that one end up happy enough for my sake?) ...

I'm obviously writing a review for My Soul to Keep before My Soul to Steal even comes out. Why? I decided to face my fears (it doesn't have to end happy Alex!) and trust the author. And I am very glad I did because I really liked this novel.

My favorite things about it would have to be Kaylee, Tod and the action. The action made me want to keep reading. Even though I knew the ending, I didn't know the middle and the middle was pretty awesome. The storyline was exciting and even if you don't personally know anyone who does drugs you get a good grip on users. Tod, while always being morally ambiguous is one of the best characters of the series. He may be a reaper who has to kill people but when you are close to him he will do anything in his power to protect you. I've decided that I am now all Team Kaylee! She actually is one of my most favorite protagonists ever. She is just so caring and even when she makes stupid decisions I just can't get that mad at her. Normally with a series I am all pro-the main couple but even if Kaylee decides to move onto someone other than Nash I think I would be okay with it.

What I didn't like was how a certain character acted. I won't say who but I ended up really disappointed in them. After thinking about it though I can understand why it was important to be written that way. As much as I like my happy endings people do make mistakes. And for those worried about how this book ended (like how I was when I just read the ending without the middle) you don't have to be scared because the book does end on a somewhat hopeful note. Even when things can seem to be too much there is always a chance for things to get better.

I am very glad to have read this novel. I faced my fears and found that trusting in Rachel Vincent is a smart thing to do. I think I will have to read Shift now (I was nervous about that one too). I for one am very excited for the next novel. Go Team Kaylee!

Here's my Soul Screamers novels.
My Soul to Take.
My Soul to Save.
My Soul to Keep.

Almost Perfect - Susan Mallery

Title: Almost Perfect
Author: Susan Mallery
Publisher: Harlequin
Publish Date: June 29, 2010
Rating: Adult
Received: NetGalley

Back in high school, Liz Sutton had been the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, but she still captures the heart of the most popular boy in town. Until Ethan Hendrix betrays her. Devastated and pregnant, Liz leaves town. Now, years later, she must return and face the man who doesn't know of their son's existence. Original. (Borders.com)

Almost Perfect was an amazing read. I could not stop reading it. Montana in the novel said it perfectly:

"I'm desperate for coffee. I was up all night reading. It's so hard when a book is great, you know? So great you can't stop reading even though it's late and your eyes are burning."

Well, I wrote down the time I finished the novel and it was 4:16 AM. Yes, I woke up extremely tired but the plot and characters were so interesting that it was worth giving up some sleep. When Montana said the above quote Liz, the main character, who is an author replied back:

"It's the best compliment any writer can ask for."

Obviously my compliments to Susan Mallery. My favorite plotline in the novel would be the romance. It was kind of similar to The You I Never Knew by Susan Wiggs but it was different enough that I still was wondering how the story would work out. I love when there is a past to a couple and Liz and Ethan definitely have a lot to work through.

Family is also an important theme. You have Liz with her son Tyler and her nieces. Then you have Ethan with his huge family. They both had such different childhoods, it was fascinating to see how they think family should be.

My least favorite thing about the novel and my only real complaint is I felt like the ending was kind of abrupt. I wanted to know more about how their future is going to be, how they are going to work out. The good thing is that there is a novel following this one, although with different main characters. I hope that we get to see a couple of tidbits on Liz and Ethan.

With confidence I can reccomend this book to anyone. If you enjoy the contemporary genre I think you will enjoy this title. I know that I had a lot of fun reading it! Susan Mallery, thank you for keeping me entertained.

* Quotes taken from page 187 of the bound galley edition. Please note I don't know if the quotes have changed since revisions.

Saturday Update (3) ... On Tuesday

I was thinking and I thought that if I made a to-do list for this month I can make my TBR-pile even smaller, as well as fulfill my reading obligations (not that they are just obligations, I really am excited for them!). My TBR-pile has actually come down a lot, I only have 6 physical books to read (one is in the mail) and I have 5 eBooks to read.

For reference; my TBR-pile:
Physical novels

1. The Sweet Far Thing - Libba Bray (I have to reread the first two)
2. The Ocean Between Us - Susan Wiggs
3. Strange Brew anthology - Various
4. Passing Through Paradise - Susan Wiggs
5. My Soul to Keep - Rachel Vincent

eBooks

1. Almost Perfect - Susan Mallery
2. Cry Sanctuary - Moira Rogers
3. Sanctuary Lost - Moira Rogers
4. Sanctuary's Price - Moira Rogers
5. Last Call - Moira Rogers

By the end of the month I want:

1. To read and review My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent
2. To read and review Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery
3. To be done the Strange Brew anthology - read a story a day
4. Hopefully read Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
5. Re-read A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Part of list accomplished thus far:

1. Page 296 of 296. Very good, even with a character that made me disappointed.
   
2. Page 379 of 379. Very addicting. Slightly reminds me of Susan Wiggs' The You I Never Knew. I find myself going with Liz's side. Is that because she is a girl? Finished at 4:16 AM. Was awesome. Ending too abrupt. I would have liked more on them. Hope for more information in the next novel.
   
3. Story 6 of 9. 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0.
   
4. Page ? of ?. Borrowed it from library. It was awesome :)
   
5. Page 248 of 403. Oh, Kartik :P
   

Winter's Passage - Julie Kagawa

Title: Winter's Passage
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Published: June 1, 2010
Rating: Teen
Type: Novella

Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl...until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck—Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon—who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.

Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter—a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....

I need to begin this review by saying I have not read The Iron King (first novel in series) yet. The good thing is that after reading this novella I really want to now. When I began reading Winter's Passage I was worried I would be totally lost coming into this series after it was established but Julie Kagawa gave enough information that I was able to follow along. I found myself really liking all the imagery and I could actually imagine what was being described.

For the characters I obviously couldn't get as good a grasp on them as you are supposed to have coming into this novella. That said I really loved Grimalkin. Cats are my thing so having a talking one is always a plus! Meghan and Ash were interesting and I liked the romance aspect. Puck is a character I would like to know more about; in the novella you only received Meghan and Ash's view on him. The plot and action were exciting and made reading this novella worthwhile.

On the whole, this was a great story. If you were like me and curious about this world, you should give this a try. If you are a reader who loved the first novel and wanted more story this would certainly whet your appetite, yet would still make you want the next full novel, The Iron Daughter.

My Bookshelves (Updated)

So I have recently moved and my new room is shaped differently, meaning I had to use different shelves to fit them properly. So without further ado here is my new home for my books:

So these are all of my books. It goes in alphabetical order (except for JR Ward and Susan Wiggs because JR Ward's box set wouldn't fit properly). Ann Aguirre - Susan Wiggs. The books on top are my childhood kind of books. I actually really like how it is set up. Pretty shelves :P

My Soul to Keep - Rachel Vincent

Rachel Vincent 's newest YA release My Soul to Keep has just been released on June 1st. It features Kaylee Cavanaugh, a high school student who definitely isn't normal. This is the third book in the series and you won't find vampires or werewolves anywhere near these novels. I am going to keep mum on the supernatural species because it is a lot more interesting to find out in the first book My Soul to Take. My Soul to Save is the second novel and just as interesting as the first.



I absolutely recommend this series, I own the first two and am hoping to pick up the third soon. To make you more interested in the new release, Rachel Vincent makes book trailers for all her novels. This is the third book trailer (which goes with the third novel :D):



Rachel Vincent is hosting a contest and if you post the book trailer for the third book you have a chance to win his or her choice of signed, personalized Soul Screamers novels and a Soul Screamers t-shirt. Good luck to those in the contest and if you haven't read this series yet I hope you give it a chance, you can also read more about them when you click the book title (you are taken to Amazon).