Nash | Living An Eternal Fairytale!

Title – My Soul to Steal

Series – Soul Screamers #4

Paperback – 343 pages

Published on January 4th 2011

Publishing House – Harlequin

Characters – Kaylee Cavanaugh , Nash Hudson, Tod Hudson, Sabine Campbell, Emma Marshal, Alec

Summary

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.

Review

“Then strong, warm arms wrapped around me from behind. “I’ve got you,” Tod whispered in my ear.”

I have to say I am completely hooked on this series. Like the previous books in the series My Soul To Steal did not disappoint. These books are getting irresistible with every installment.

With the introduction of a Mara, a creature that reads your darkest fears and creates nightmares for you to have while sleeping so they can feed from your fear, the story knocks the creep-factor up a level. What makes it even more intersting is that the Mara in this story is Nash’s ex-girlfriend, and he is absolutely certain she is not behind the bad things that happen in the book – which means that what she does might not be because of some evil scheme, but because she simply wants to torment Kaylee. She complicates everything for Kaylee, because although Kay doesn’t want to lose him, she can’t be with him right now, whereas Sabine is quite happy to accept he’s done some bad things and loves him anyway.
Kaylee can’t deny that Sabine and Nash obviously have a strong bond, and is terrified Nash will turn to her if she doesn’t take him back soon, but how can she take him back so soon when she’s still struggling with her trust issues? Add to this that Sabine is happy to play dirty by tormenting Kaylee with seriously freaky nightmares among other things, and you will have yourself one seriously stressed out bean sidhe. I know a lot of people hated Sabine but I kinda liked her character.

Sure, she goes about trying to get Nash back completely the wrong way but I have to admire her determination, and was impressed, along with sometimes shocked and angry, at how far she was willing to go to get what she wants. She has had such a tough life, and for all her tough front, she just seems so insecure. Nash may belong to someone else, but he is all she has in the world, and she really does need him. And beyond Nash, Kaylee has absolutely everything Sabine doesn’t – a family, friends, people who care about her, and a generally good life. Sabine is just a really complicated character.

And, if I’m reading things right, I believe the current love triangle might actually become a love diamond (sounds much better than a square or rectangle, don’t you think?)! There might just be a certain someone who also has feelings for our little beansidhe. Another incredible book, and I cannot wait to read the next installment.

Favorite Quotes

“Whoever said it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved was full of crap.”

“Anger is great. It’s powerful, when you need something to hold you up. Something to steel your spine. But in the dark, when you’re alone with the truth, anger can’t survive. The only thing that can live in the dark with you is fear.”

“I don’t have you, and without you, it feels like what I do have doesn’t matter.”

Title : My Soul To Keep

Series : Soul Screamers #3

Paperback– 296 pages

Publishing House : Harlequin Teen

Published June 1st 2010

Characters : Kaylee Cavanaugh , Nash Hudson, Tod Hudson

Summary

Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them.Until something does.

Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked.

And so is someone else…

Review

My Soul to Keep is the third novel in Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamers series. In the previous two books, Kaylee and Nash met, fell in love and realised the lengths they would go to prove their love for each other. Without giving away the plot, My Soul to Keep is a whole different matter as Nash fundamentally betrays Kaylee and her character is tested to the limit as she must overcome her shock and pain to push forward nevertheless and save the lives of Nash and her father.

My Soul to Keep starts with Kaylee and Nash at a party where a classmate is using Demon’s Breath. It’s deadly and highly addictive and of course, it’s from the Netherworld; Kaylee is going to find out just how this dangerous substance ended up in the hands of kids at her school. What Kaylee finds out is shocking and puts her life and those she loves in grave danger.
As with all the books in the series, the best character in the book is Tod and I cannot wait to see more of him. I felt every emotion that Kaylee felt throughout the book. Betrayal, shock, hurt, fear… All those emotions are so cleverly written into the story along with a strong sense of being there. The ending was fierce although I expected nothing less from Kaylee; she’s a strong independent young woman and has really grown into her character.
Rachel Vincent has a terrific style of writing, and is able to convey humour, sarcasm and descriptions effortlessly, without weighing down the flow of the story. I’d recommend My Soul to Keep to all fans of young adult, supernatural fiction. Fans of Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy will love the banshees and demons in this series.

Favorite Quotes

“Regret couldn’t fix what he’s broken. Apologies couldn’t bring back what he’s lost. What we’d lost.”

“Damn it, Tod!” He glared in the reaper’s general direction. “Do not sneak up on me in my own house–I don’t care how dead you are! Show yourself or get out.”
Harmony and I shared a small smile, but my father didn’t notice.
The reaper shrugged and grinned at me, then blinked out of the chair and onto the carpet at my father’s back, now fully corporeal. “Fine,” he said, inches from my dad’s ear, and my father nearly jumped out of his shirt. “Your house, your rules.”
My dad spun around, his flush deepening until I thought his face would explode. “I changed my mind. Get out!”

“But before I could come up with an answer, Tod appeared in the desk chair, where I’d sat minutes earlier. ‘Hey. Am I interrupting something?’
‘Yes,’ Nash said. ‘Get out.’
But Tod was watching me, and I could tell from the angry line of his jaw that he’d been listening long before he showed himself. He’d heard what Avari had done to me. What Nash had let him do.
‘You want me to go?’ Tod asked me, his back to his brother.
Nash implores me silently to say yes. Tod waited patiently.
‘No,’ I said, looking right at Nash. He scowled, and his shoulders sagged.
‘Good.’ Tod stood and kicked the rolling chair out of his way. ‘I just checked on your friend in the straitjacket. But first…’ The reaper swung before either of us realized what he intended to do.
Tod’s very sold first slammed into Nash’s jaw. Nash’s head snapped back. He stumbled into the wall. Tod shook his hand like it hurt. ‘That’s for what you let him do to Kaylee.”