Soul Screamers Reading Challenge: My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers, #0.5) by Rachel Vincent

It was supposed to be a fun day, shopping at the mall with her best friend. Then the panic attack started and Kaylee Cavanaugh finds herself screaming, unable to stop. Her secret fears are exposed and it's the worst day of her life.

Until she wakes up in the psychiatric unit.

She tries to convince everyone she's fine--despite the shadows she sees forming around another patient and the urge to scream which comes burbling up again and again. Everyone thinks she's crazy. Everyone except Lydia, that is. Another patient with some special abilities...                ~From GoodReads

I am re-reading the Soul Screamers series as part of the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge, hosted by the awesome Rachel at Fiktshun. I recently read the entire series, including the novellas and, I believe, all of the short stories found in various anthologies. But this reading challenge was too good to pass up.

My first introduction to the Soul Screamers series was an audiobook of My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers, #1) that I found free on Audible. I loved it and quickly downloaded My Soul to Take. I also loved it, so I bought physical copies of all the books. For the sake of saving time, I chose to once again listen to the audiobook of My Soul to Lose. 

This isn't going to be a traditional review, but more of a post on my thoughts about the first time vs. this time with the series. It's gonna be short and sweet (unlike my intro) so let's get to it. Oh, and by the way:

Do Not Read any Further if You Have Not Read If I Die!! There Is a Mild Spoiler and You Will Hate Me and YOURSELF if You Read This!!

Actually, my spoiler isn't huge, I just don't want anyone to lose the small shock I felt during a certain scene in If I Die.

First off, I spent most of the story anticipating. I kind of love when I know everything the main character doesn't. But I also spent most of it feeling really sorry for Kaylee, and super mad at her family. Yes, I know they were trying to protect her. Good idea in theory, but it's not so good to let that poor girl think there is something wrong with her or that she's crazy.

I loved the little (odd) things about Uncle Brendan that Kaylee noticed and mentions. Such as, the fact he can talk people into things, his voice is very soothing, and that his eyes are churning, or what I refer to as the "bean sidhe swirl".

Another point I was anticipating, and this was the biggie: Lydia. She plays a huge part in this story. She literally takes all of Kaylee's anguish away, at least temporarily. You know there is something major going on with Lydia. But I completely forgot about her after this story. I did not think about her at all until Kaylee goes back to the facility in If I Die. The fact that Rachel Vincent sort of brought that small storyline full circle in If I Die caught me by surprise and sort of blew me away. And now I'm wondering if Lydia will play a part in the last two books of the series.

They say hindsight's 20/20. That is so true with this series. I found the re-listening of My Soul to Lose to be a fun, enlightening experience and I can't wait to tackle each book again.

Favorite Quote:

"Great. I'm psychotic and sparkly."

You can read My Soul to Lose for FREE here.

ebook, 87 pages

Published July 1st 2009 by Harlequin Teen