Author: Rachel Vincent
Published: March 26, 2013
384 pages
5 Gold Stars
(summary from Goodreads)
What does it mean when your school is voted the most dangerous in America? It's time to kick some hellion butt...
After not really surviving her junior year (does "undead" count as survival?), Kaylee Cavanaugh has vowed to take back her school from the hellions causing all the trouble. She's going to find a way to turn the incarnations of Avarice, Envy and Vanity against one another in order to protect her friends and finish this war, once and forever.
But then she meets Wrath and understands that she's closer to the edge than she's ever been. And when one more person close to her is taken, Kaylee realizes she can't save everyone she loves without risking everything she has...
It's going to be so hard not to spoil any of this book in this review. All I want to do is talk about it, everything that happened from start to finish, and read it over and over again. So I'm going to try my hardest not to spoil anything while also trying to tell you just how incredible this book (and series) is. I still remember browsing my local Shopper's Drug Mart and coming across My Soul To Save on the shelf. I had never heard of the series, but the back sounded cool so I picked it up. And I never looked back. It's surreal that the series is over now, but it'll always have a dear place in my heart.
One of the most underrated YA series out there, Soul Screamers is a unique take on the supernatural stories that flood bookstores. Kaylee Cavanaugh is a bean sidhe, a banshee who sings for people's souls. An boy has she been through a lot. Not only is her school constantly attacked by hellions from the Netherworld, but she's also had to deal with her boyfriend becoming addicted to Demon's Breath, his ex-girlriend getting in the way, her crazy cousin trying to get rid of her, her best friend dying and coming back to life, feelings for her boyfriend's undead, reaper brother, oh and her own death. All before she turns 17. Nothing has ever come easy for Kaylee and this final chapter of her story is no different.
In the fifth novel, If I Die, the tables turned drastically. After her death, she comes back as a reclaimer of souls and tries to live a semi-normal life. No matter what though, the hellions want her soul and they will stop at nothing to get it. They will take everyone she loves from her until they get her themselves. Kaylee knows she has to defeat them once and for all, especially Avari, the one hellion that has tried over and over again to possess her soul. So she comes up with a plan while trying to spend time with Tod, her loving boyfriend, and try to help her best friend, Emma, get used to her new body. But when someone close to her is taken into the Netherworld, suddenly her plan doesn't seem so perfect. Soon she's making deals with hellions, spending way too much time in the Netherworld, and lying to those she loves most. And there's no way she knows if it's actually all worth it.
Kaylee is one of the strongest heroines I've ever read. She is forever my favourite and I'll never forget how brave she's been through these seven books. Yes, she makes mistakes, and some of her actions worry me, but her reasons for doing everything are understandable and I know if I were in her position (which thankfully I never will be) I'd probably react the same way. Her relationship with Tod is perfection in this book. Now that they are both dead, they can spend time completely along together and all the talk about eternity and forever brought tears to my eyes. As much as I've always loved Nash, I know there is no one else that Kaylee belongs with (more Nash for me then.) Vincent is a romantic at heart (even if she won't admit it) and she weaves such lovely words that could sound cheesy but don't when she does it. Talks of soul mates and love make me swoon when leaving Tod's mouth and I will definitely miss his unique humour.
The hellion fighting squad is back in full force and they are just as awesome as they've ever been. Sabine will forever be my favourite side character. Her darkness and bitchy isn't as prominent in this addition, but that's part of her character development. She's still the best though. Emma struggles a lot in her new body, and even though her part is small, she has the biggest impact. I would love to see an Emma novella as her in her new body so I can see how she's handling it. Ira, the hellion of Wrath, is a nice new character and he may just be creepier than Avari, yet I, like Kaylee, kind of trusted him more. Not sure why, but I'm glad with the part he played in her story.
I still can't believe there won't be anymore. The ending was perfect, I couldn't have asked for a better one. I was crying, laughing, and smiling all at once. Everything was perfect, I'll say it now and I'll say it again. The only thing that's keeping me from crying right now is knowing that Vincent has another book coming out shortly (Oath Bound) and that she's working on a new YA series. I know I can visit my friends from Eastlake High whenever I want and that's the best part about fiction, the characters never really leave.
“He was the closest thing to a drug that I’d ever experienced, and I had yet to find a limit to what I’d be willing to do to protect him. To keep us together.”
(This review is part of Fiktshun's Mini Reading Challenge and I won the book through her. She's awesome, go visit.)
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