My Soul To Steal (Review)

Soul Screamers: My Soul To Steal | Rachel Vincent

Published by: Mira Ink, July 17th 2011

Genre: YA, Mythology, Paranormal

Pages: 375

Format: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can’t just pretend nothing happened. But “complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn’t just an ordinary girl. She’s a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people’s fears—and craft them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she survives.

And Sabine isn’t above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.

Alternatives to reading this book:

1. Stab yourself in the heart
2. Stab yourself in the heart again
3. Just keep stabbing yourself; it can't hurt you anymore than this book can

I liked My Soul To Steal a lot more than the last book. I found it a lot easier to get into the story, and the drawn out agony of Kaylee and Nash kept me turning every page. This book really, exceptionally, cuts you to the bone with the feelings. But it had the most unsatisfying ending of all time. I thought Nash and Kaylee would talk about their problems, maybe acknowledge their faults? I thought Tod might elaborate on why he was so brutally harsh to Kaylee. I thought there might be more. But instead we go from the crux of action to a fluffy, pointless ending with everything resolved and no working through issues. I really hated that.

Another thing I hated, and spoke about in my reading round up, is the God forsaken rivalry between Kaylee and Sabine. I'm just gonna paste what I said there, because I have nothing else to add:

Enough female rivalry in YA. Enough teaching impressionable teenage girls that it's right and expected of them to fight with their fellow girls over boys. We have to fight so damn hard for everything we do and have and say in life; we have to fight so hard to prove that we're as worthy and capable as any male; we don't need to be fighting each other too. We need to be supporting each other. (plus: have you seen teenage boys? they're gross. don't be fighting over those trashcans.)

Unfortunately this fighting takes up 75% of the plot, but there is a reason for it in the end. They're not entirely in control of the situation. So I forgave the book a little for that.

To sum: another great Soul Screamers book, packed with terrible drawn out heartache and yet another unique threat. In a word: devastating.

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world building ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★★☆