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

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selection is...

If you live in the dark long enough, you begin to forget the light…

KORI DANIELS is a shadow-walker, able to travel instantly from one shadow to another. After weeks of confinement for betraying her boss, she’s ready to break free of the Tower syndicate for good. But Jake Tower has one final job for Kori, one chance to secure freedom for herself and her sister, Kenley, even if that means taking it from someone else…

The job? Recruit Ian Holt—or kill him.

Ian’s ability to manipulate the dark has drawn interest from every syndicate in the world, most notably an invitation from Jake Tower. Though he has no interest in organized crime, Ian accepts the invite, because he’s on a mission of his own. Ian has come to kill Tower’s top Binder: Kori’s little sister.

Amid the tangle of lies, an unexpected thread of truth connecting Ian and Kori comes to light. But with opposing goals, they’ll have to choose between love and liberty...~From GoodReads

Why I'm Waiting ~ I read Blood Bound (Unbound #1) last Fall. Amazing. Rachel Vincent built a unique, intricate, intriguing world full of promises, betrayals, love, and lies. I'm practically bouncing waiting for Shadow Bound!

Expected publication: May 22, 2012 by Mira

You can pre-order Shadow Bound at:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository

Mini-Review: Never to Sleep (Soul Screamers , #5.5) by Rachel Vincent

Dont Close Your Eyes.

Sophie Cavanaugh is not going to let her freak of a cousin's strange psychiatric condition ruin high school for them both. Not after all the work she's put into cultivating the right look, and friends, and reputation. But then, Sophie sees something so frightening she lets out a blood-curdling scream—and finds herself stuck in a bizarre parallel world where nothing is safe and deadly creatures lurk just out of sight, waiting for her to close her eyes and sleep...forever.

Could this world be real? Or does insanity run in the family...?
~From GoodReads
This is going to be short and sweet. Basically, Rachel Vincent brings IT Every.Single.Time.

Rachel Vincent writes amazing novellas. And they're not just fillers. Each and every one has served to give the reader more insights into the Soul Screamers world and characters. (And if you've read Reaper, you've had your heart broken.)

I will probably never like Sophie, but I don't think this was written to make me love her. I will say, I have begrudging respect/admiration for her. She's strong and powerful in ways that she doesn't even fully understand, yet. Sort of like her awesome cousin, Kaylee!

I loved new character Luca. He will make an interesting, and HOT addition to the Soul Screamers world.

I loved the hallway/glove scene!! That was my favorite part of NtS. I was cheering! Also loved the Addison scene.

Never to Sleep is fabulous and sets up Before I Wake perfectly!

ebook

Published January 1st 2012 by Harlequin

You can purchase Never to Sleep at:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Harlequin.com

Review: Blood Bound, by Rachel Vincent

By blood, by word, by magic…

Most can't touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood.

Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one.

But when her friend's daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can't rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.

Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss.

And more blood will be spilled before it's over…

(From GoodReads)

My Review

Alright. I have mulled this book over in my mind for over two days now, deciding how to write this review. The conclusion I have come to is that no matter how much I go on and on about Blood Bound, I won't be able to do it justice. Not even close. I don't want to give anything about the book away, so in a sense, my hands are tied. So, take everything I say, and multiply it by 1000. Maybe then you'll get a sense of how much I loved Blood Bound.

For starters, Rachel Vincent has to be a freaking genius to have created this world! Authors like her must be able to access a part of their brain I don't think I even have. The set-up for the world of Blood Bound allows for a level of mind-games that completely blew me away. This is an intricate world, with so many rules, or threads, that each have their own consequences if broken. The different threads that make up the story are woven so beautifully, but the story remains tangle-free.  Really, you would think as complex as this set-up could get, the story would get confusing. But Vincent has a way of laying everything out, that the scenario never becomes too difficult to grasp. And she is able to do all that without over-explaining. And the story of Blood Bound never stops evolving. Just when I thought every possible scenario was solved, the author would throw another wrench in the plot. This book kept me guessing until the very end.

Blood Bound has two main characters, Liv and Cam. The story is told through alternating viewpoints, which I love because I love to know where both characters are coming from. To be able to see a scene from Liv's vantage point and then Cam's kept me enlightened into both of their motivations. Cam and Liv are a fantastic duo. I love their characters individually, and love them even more as they form an uneasy partnership. Any faulty move by Cam or Liv can get one of both of them killed. The lengths that these two go to in protecting the other is boggling.  In the wrong hands, their actions or words might come across as cold or thoughtless, but in Vincent's hands they are virtually flawless.

Gosh, I could really keep going, but I don't want this to start sounding like a dissertation. Sitting here, I can't think of one thing that I did not love about this book. Each character, each scenario is pinpoint perfect. It's like Rachel Vincent aimed for the bull's-eye and hit dead center. Blood Bound is a twisted, tangled web of loyalties, desires, and love.  The possibilities moving forward into the next book of the series, Shadow Bound, are virtually limitless.

Favorite Quotes:

"Being with her was like holding a bomb in both hands, watching the numbers tick back toward zero. I knew she'd eventually explode, and this time it might kill me."

" ' I don't care what you've heard, I do not kill people for money!' Much. Anymore."

You can find Blood Bound at:

GoodReads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Mass Market Paperback, US, 463 pages

Published August 23rd 2011 by Mira


You can find Rachel Vincent at her website.

* I won this book in a giveaway by the author, with no obligation to review.*

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others!

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles.

This week's teaser is from Blood Bound, by Rachel Vincent.

By blood, by word, by magic…

Most can't touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood.

Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one.

But when her friend's daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can't rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.

Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss.

And more blood will be spilled before it's over…

(From GoodReads)

I finished Blood Bound on Saturday...and am still reeling. This book is so beyond great! I'm going to have a review up later this week, but in the meantime, enjoy the teaser.

"Being with her was like holding a bomb in both hands, watching the numbers tick back toward zero. I knew she'd eventually explode, and this time it might kill me."


If you haven't gotten this book yet, go get it now. Trust me, you want it.

You can find Blood Bound at:

GoodReads  |  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository

Mass Market Paperback, US, 463 pages

Published August 23rd 2011 by Mira

In My Mailbox {My 1st Vlog}

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme started by Kristi at The Story Siren as a way to share books received. The books can be purchased, won, borrowed, etc. It's a great way to spread the word about books!

Hey there! This is my 1st foray into vlogging. So, please be gentle...

Hope it wasn't too traumatic to watch!



Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror #1) by Karina Halle at GoodReads.
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini at GoodReads.
Between Here and Forever at GoodReads.
Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent at GoodReads.

Be sure to leave a link so I can see what's in your mailboxes!