My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent, UK edition

Title: My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers #1)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher:  MiraInk (1st January 2011)
Blurb:

Something is wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh . . .

She can sense when someone near her is about to die. And when it 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 boy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about the dark forces behind Kaylee’s power than she does.

And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason and only Kaylee knows who’ll be next, she realises that finding a boyfriend is the least of her worries!

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Review:

My Soul to Take is the first book in Rachel Vincent’s YA series Soul Screamers.

My Soul to Take was a brilliant book and an excellent read. Once I had some time to myself, it was impossible to put the book down. I will admit that I was a little dubious picking this book up, as to whether I’d like it or not and I was pleasantly surprised.

At first glance the book seems rather simple – boy meets girl, they fall in love – but it’s a little bit more complicated than that. Alongside the romance plot thread, runs the mystery thread. The mystery thread is actually kind of a big one, bigger than the romance one if you’re worried. There are three main mysteries which need to be solved in this book, and I have to say I loved the way Vincent built them up and then revealed the answer. There was also a rather interesting twist, which I look forward to seeing play-out in future books.

Kaylee is the major protagonist in My Soul to Take, and I think she is a compelling one. I think she’s an awesome, strong lead. I also like how Vincent writes her friendship with Emma – you can really see them as BFFs. Nash is rather an enigmatic character, yet there’s a real spark between him and Kaylee. They feel totally comfortable together and that’s nice to read. Vincent writes Kaylee and Sophie’s relationship brilliantly – I love that they’re written like sisters, and yet they insist that the fact that they’re ‘only’ cousins is acknowledged (I can kinda relate).

My Soul to Take shows definite promise and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the Soul Screamers series. If you like YA urban fantasy, then this is one book you should definitely give a go.