Review: My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent

Was it really necessary to write 'Twilight fans will love this' on the front? I have nothing against Twilight - I like Twilight - but I really, really wish books would stop trying to masquerade as that when they're nothing like. I admit that this one doesn't wind me up as much as the Wuthering Heights edition I saw ('Bella and Edward's favourite book!' Uhh... why?) but it still does. It wouldn't be so bad, but this is better! Why can't Twilight have 'Rachel Vincent fans will love this' on the cover?

Being a teenager just got much more complicated. There is something very wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh: 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 the need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

If you've been to Booking In Heels before (hell, if you've walked past me on the street before) you'll have heard me whining about my sudden allergy to teenage paranormal books. They're just all the same - InstaLove, dark mysterious boys and immediate complete knowledge and acceptance of all newfound powers. So anyway, I'm not sure why I picked this book up. Obviously, it's not about vampires which was a major selling point, but whatever the reason, I'm so so glad I did.

This is easily the best book of the genre I've read all year - I went straight on and picked up the next one, but now I've finished that one and I'm trying to resist the temptation of the next! They're just something a little different, I guess. Banshees (or bean sidhes, as they are here) just aren't that commonly novelised.

I loved the whole family dynamic of Kaylee's life - she lives with her Aunt, Uncle and bitchy cousin because her Mother was killed when she was tiny. Again, it just makes it a little different to, you know, every other book out there. The characters all have their own personalities and character flaws, but it's easy to see how they all function as a family unit.

I had a few issues with InstaRomance. I mean, credit is due to Ms Vincent for giving Kaylee a little backbone at first, but her treatment of Nash blinks from overly suspicious to co-dependant in one fell swoop. It never really addressed the whole issue of his previous relationships either, although Kaylee bitches about it in her head a lot. Still, I liked Nash. He's not perfect but you can understand why a girl could fall for him.

The writing style was perfect - it struck just the right balance between easily readable and intelligent. It even made a reference to The Princess Bride at one point, and who can ask more from a book than that?

The ending was absolutely brilliant. I never saw it coming and it's a brilliant twist. The characters weren't as shocked as they should have been though. There was mild surprise present, but their reactions just weren't quite dramatic enough. If that happened in front of me, my jaw would be hitting the floor!

Honestly, I just want to sit here and read the entire series. The downside of a book blog, however, is that readers tend to leave if you post review-after-review-after-review of the same authors works, so I suppose I'd better read at least one book in between. I only have the third book though, so I guess it'll give me time to dredge up some money (somehow) and buy the rest. Ah well, needs to be done!