For What It's Worth


Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Review: My Soul to keep by Rachel Vincent

My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers, Book 3)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 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 so is someone else…  YA, Paranormal

Review:
SPOILER FREE!
My Soul to Keep is the third book in the Soul Screamer series by Rachel Vincent and out of the three this one is the best but I still don’t feel any real connection to the characters. I like them all but we don’t see enough of their interactions outside of whatever crisis is going on for me to really get invested. I would like to see a little bit more of what goes on in Kaylee & Nash’s relationship. From what I can tell they kiss and then Tod shows up. They drive to school, they come home. They run out and save someone. Kaylee often wonders if Nash really loves her or if it’s just their bean sidhe connection…honestly I wonder too. I would love to see them have a long conversation that doesn’t involve saving someone else or being interrupted by Tod. I feel Nash’s frustration. Again – I like everyone, (Emma, Tod, Kaylee, Nash) I just don’t feel any emotional ties.
What I did like about this book was the second half – the stakes are raised and relationships are tested. All I’ll say about that is “Oh Nash…..”
There were a few emotionally raw scenes that had me tearing up and made me want to see what happens next but the problem is that again…. most of the big stuff happens off the page. I feel more like an observer than immersed in the in the story. I want to know more about the Netherworld and bean sidhes. This book is definitely darker than the previous two and I liked that...but I don’t know – I just don’t really worry about anyone. With the exception of Nash in this book, no character is really developed enough for me.
I know most of you out there love this series - and if you do I can bet that My Soul to Keep will not change your opinion – in fact, I’m sure it will be your favorite. So by all means ignore me and go out and get it! I will read the next one to see if Vincent takes this series to the next level after the recent developments.
There is also a lot of interest in Tod and hoping he hooks up with Emma. Am I the only one out there who thinks he’s a great match for Kaylee? Personally I think there’s something there – on Tod’s side anyway…but then maybe I’m imagining it. That would certainly add some tension.
Loved: Can’t say because it’s spoilery…. hehe
Nitpick: I would like there to more interactions between the characters other than running around to save someone all the time. Kind of feels more like a Scooby gang get together than something ominous.
BTW – What the heck was the obsession with Sophie’s dress? I don’t mean to be so nitpicky but why was it referred to SOO many times??

Rating: 2.5 out of 4. Not a bad series – it just doesn’t grab me.

Author's website: http://rachelvincent.com/
Buy the book! My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers, Book 3)

6 comments:

  1. lol im a bit clueless about the dress to! but arghh no you did not imagine it there is something definitely there between Tod and Emma im sure they will get together at some point! its just i want Tod to be with Kaylee!! gah! awesome review

    I just reviewed it recently you can see it here :)

    http://blueicegal-fantasy4eva.blogspot.com/2010/07/rating-paperback-304-pages-publisher.html

    Happy reading!

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  2. Ah, I can see your points. I'm really hoping that Nash and Kaylee gets some more /real/ dialogue, too. I want Tod for Emma, but really, I can see how he could be good for Kaylee--Nash, who I loved so much in book one, isn't seeming like a 3-dimensional character any more.

    But I'm such an R. Vincent junkie, I lap this stuff right up. :-)

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  3. Yeah, this book just didn't do it for me, lol ... I didn't like the second one (couldn't finish it, in fact), but I kind of thought I'd like this one anyway, because I DID enjoy the first book. But, no. I know what you mean about the characters ... there was just no connection ... I didn't like Kaylee at all, for some reason ... Nash and Emma irritated me ... Tod was okay, but - like you said - he just kept popping up at inconvenient times, for no reason. Why does he keep appearing out of nowhere when N + K are making out, or whatever? Does that mean he likes K ... in which case, why doesn't he do something about it? I'd have liked to see something happen. Anything. Does he just like to annoy Nash? In which case, he's stupidly immature, and I don't like him anymore :P It seemed like the characters spent book 2 and 3 just waffling around ... agonizing about the stuff that was happening, that I couldn't really care less about because - like you said - I also felt a bit detached ... like an observer ... stuff happens, sometimes ... but I wasn't emotionally invested at all, just uninterested. Oh, I also want to know why Tod - who apparently likes spying on Nash and Kaylee so much - didn't catch on that something was up in book 3. I wasn't feeling the characters, their relationships, or the story ... in fact, I kept wishing Nash would just die, or something ... just for kicks ... but then Kaylee would have probably refused to get out of bed, or something ... and that would have made a boring story even worse.

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  4. Good review, thanks. I won't have to run out and buy it : )

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  5. lol i'm curious about the dress now! i might hold off on reading this series.

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  6. I was wondering about this series. I really enjoy her Shifters series, but I've read mixed reviews on this one. She's very hard on her characters and sometimes things happen to them and I have a hard time getting through their trials and tribulations!

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