So many books, so little "me" time!
Title: Before I WakeBoth the description and my review will contain spoilers for the rest of the series, specifically book 6, Before I Wake. Continue reading
Title: Before I WakeDescription from Goodreads:
I died on a Thursday—killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul.
The good news? He didn’t get it.
The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school…Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much
harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent
“recovering,” she’s back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend.But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim
stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won’t keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn’t just gambling with her own life….
Review
As seems to be Vincent’s pattern, we find out some new information very quickly in the book. When Kaylee goes on her first assignment for the reclamation department, she runs into an old foe that we may have assumed was gone. We know that Kaylee did. We also learn that this old foe has connections to another old foe and is going to be making trouble for Kaylee. Being dead doesn’t make her invincible, and she can die for real this time.
This book was definitely the weirdest in the series for me. I don’t mean weird in a bad way, but as we’re now seeing an entire book about Kaylee being dead and struggling to fake her life, it just is a strange experience for the reader. As is typical with Vincent’s writing style, the book gives enough mystery and danger interspersed with love, friendship, and humorous moments to really keep it interesting. However, I would also say that this book is one of the creepier and scarier of the series, as we find out that Avari has obtained a new ability that is absolutely terrifying. Also, there is one scene that is just absolutely heartbreaking for Kaylee.
While strange, it is very interesting to see how much Kaylee really struggles with her afterlife. She really thought that going through the motions of her life would feel normal, like nothing ever happened, but she is all too aware that she is dead and that the things that once mattered to her don’t as much anymore. We also get to see Tod like we’ve never seen him before. He seems happier with Kaylee in his life, but he also sometimes struggles with how to help her through her afterlife. Nash, Sabine, and Sophie are all a bit more likable in this book, and I just love Luca.
The ending was intense and sad. It also ends on more of a cliffhanger than most of the other books, making me very eager to read the last book! Bad news is it’s not released yet. Good news? It’s supposed to come out in March, so at least it’s not too long of a wait!
While I really enjoyed this book, I didn’t find it as amazing as My Soul to Steal or If I Die, so I give it 4 stars.
Source: Personal Purchase
According to Goodreads, this is book #3.5, but Rachel Vincent’s site has it between My Soul to Steal and If I Die, making it #4.5, but it technically takes place before book My Soul to Lose (#0.5).
I really, really enjoyed this novella, but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that I LOVE Tod. It’s funny because right before I read this book, I was wondering how Tod had died and couldn’t remember if it had been mentioned in the first book or not (since I read it a couple of months before the rest of the series). It was very interesting to see Tod’s interaction with Nash before he died. But the circumstances surrounding his death? Just made me love him even more. And the way it ended was good. Told you enough to pretty much know what was going on, but left some of it up to the imagination.
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Source: Library
Fearless is a short story from the anthology Kiss Me Deadly. It is a prequel and takes place before My Soul to Lose (#0.5) and Reaper, but it definitely makes sense to read after My Soul to Steal.
This story is told in the first-person, like the rest of the series, but it’s from Sabine’s perspective. It tells the story of when she is in a halfway house after violating her probation and the oddities that she finds there. I found this story to be interesting, as we get to learn a little more about Sabine and her past. It also shows a bit more of her relationship with Nash, which helps us understand why she is so determined to get him back during My Soul to Steal. Also, there’s a new supernatural introduced. I really find it interesting all the different inhuman entities that Rachel Vincent is able to write about, whether she creates them or not. (I don’t know a lot about mythology. At the very least, I assume she reinvents them, like she does with banshees.) Sabine isn’t my favorite character, so this isn’t my favorite story, so I give it 3 stars.
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Source: Library
Niederwald is a short story from the anthology Enthralled. It takes place between My Soul to Steal and If I Die, but I read it after since I was waiting on it from the library.
This story is also told from Sabine’s perspective. She and Emma go on a road trip for a school assignment, and stop off in Niederwald, Texas so Sabine can run an “errand” but run into trouble instead. It was an interesting read. It was cool to learn about another supernatural creature and to learn more about Sabine. If you actually read this before If I Die, there’s also a neat little bit of foreshadowing!
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Source: Personal Purchase
This is #5.5, set between If I Die and Before I Wake.
This novella is from Kaylee’s cousin, Sophie’s, perspective. Sophie is half-banshee, but she doesn’t know it. I definitely never expected what happens in this book, as Sophie’s scream accidentally brings her into the Netherworld. What happens while she’s there is scary but fascinating at the same time. There’s also an amusing little bit of irony towards the end, which made me laugh. I really liked seeing a little more into the non-bitchy side of Sophie, and some of the scenes in it give me hope for her and Kaylee’s relationship in the final 2 books. Oh, and what seems to be a pattern for Vincent, which I love, is that we get to meet another species of supernaturals!
Title: If I DieDescription from Goodreads:
The entire school’s talking about the gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck. Everyone except Kaylee Cavanaugh. After all, Kaylee’s no ordinary high-school junior. She’s a banshee—she screams when someone dies.
But the next scream might be for Kaylee.
Yeah—it’s a shock to her, too. So to distract herself, Kaylee’s going to save every girl in school. Because that hot new teacher is really an incubus who feeds on the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend’s needy ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren’t quite human, either.
But Kaylee’s borrowed lifeline is nearing its end. And those who care about her will do anything to save her life.
Anything.
Review
Oh my God. Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod.
Okay, now that I got that out of my way… This book was SO good. I got a slow start due to life obligations getting in my way (stupid life obligations, lol), but once I got a chance to really read, that’s all I wanted to do. It’s a good thing I’m almost done with this series because it’s interfering with my sleep!
When this book starts, we find out that Kaylee’s new math teacher is hot but not human, and Tod informs her she’s going to die in 5 days. Kaylee knows that she can’t do anything about her impending death, so she decides to try to make things better for as many people as she can before it’s too late. At the same time, we see her struggle to accept it and those around her try to do anything to stop it.
This book was excellent in its execution. As I feverishly flipped the pages, I had so many questions going through my head: What is Mr. Beck? How can they stop him? Can they stop him? How will Kaylee die? Will she die? If she doesn’t, who will be the one to circumvent it and how? What will happen if she does die? Will she become a reaper? What’s going to happen to Emma? Will Kaylee ever love Tod as much as I do? It seems like a lot, but they all get answered, and it’s amazing!
I really love the interaction of all the characters in this book, and there were some scenes that had me ready to scream “Yes! Finally!”, but I can’t spoil it. It’s so very hard not to, though, because I want to jump and dance and scream (in a good way) about it!
There were two twists at the end that I completely didn’t see coming, and both had me in tears for different reasons.
I have said this for every one of Vincent’s books since My Soul to Keep, but this is definitely the BEST book so far! 5 very overly enthusiastic stars!
(In case you’re wondering about Reaper, I plan to post mini reviews for all of the novellas and short stories in this series when I’ve finished.)
Mommy's Reading Break 