This review will include the entire series.
4 stars
I started this series back when Borders was still open out here! It's been a long time coming but I've got to say I love this series.
It had it's ups and downs, but I found myself enchanted with Kaylee, and her strong will. A 7 book series that will genuinely toy with your inner feels.
It had it's ups and downs, but I found myself enchanted with Kaylee, and her strong will. A 7 book series that will genuinely toy with your inner feels.
This series is about "bean sidhes" also commonly known as banshees. A whole new take is given to these screamers, as our story unfolds with Kaylee, unsure of who she is, what her powers consist of, and feeling pretty alone in this big world. She was put into an insane asylum at one point, her father has left her in the care of her Uncle, and she and her cousin do not get along. Especially since the cousin, Sophie, is kind of a bitch, but she doesn't know her father or Kaylee is a bean sidhe so it's kind of like the elephant in the room.
One fateful evening, Kaylee runs into Nash, hottie, popular guy at school, ect. She sees the familiar signs of death approaching and freaks out at a club and runs outside. He approaches her, and she finds out Nash is a bean sidhe, and he wants to help her. It's through this connection that we get to meet Tod, Nash's dead brother who is now a reaper, and Harmony their bean sidhe mother.
The story begins to unfold, as girls begin to fall dead for no reason around Kaylee and after her best friend Emma almost dies, she's determined to find out what's going on. If you want to know more, you'll have to read the book.
I found this series to be unique, funny, a little dramatic at times, but not all that bad. It's especially interesting because a female bean sidhe can sing for people's souls, and to a male bean sidhe this unearthly screaming sounds like a beautiful symphony, not to mention male bean sidhes can use their powers to guide the soul and also manipulate people.
Did I also mention they can read each other's emotions through their eyes?
It's quite enchanting.
4 stars
We pick up where we left off in a whole new story with a new villain.
I was worried since it was the sequel, but it was really good. Avari is a proper villain, a hellion of greed, and we get to know Tod more in this book than we did in the first. In this book we encounter greed at it's finest: girl's selling their souls to Avari for fame and fortune.
But the story gets complicated and emotional when it's Tod's ex Addison and her younger sister Regan, who at any moment, will have to pay the piper. Kaylee puts herself at serious risk by crossing into the Netherworld, another nifty power of the female bean sidhe, in order to help these sisters unseal the deal. She has to make a new deal in order to get their soul's back since they run on Demon's Breath, Avari's to be more exact. Things get sad though at the end, when it doesn't exactly go as smoothly as planned, and Kaylee nearly loses her life in the process.
I was worried since it was the sequel, but it was really good. Avari is a proper villain, a hellion of greed, and we get to know Tod more in this book than we did in the first. In this book we encounter greed at it's finest: girl's selling their souls to Avari for fame and fortune.
But the story gets complicated and emotional when it's Tod's ex Addison and her younger sister Regan, who at any moment, will have to pay the piper. Kaylee puts herself at serious risk by crossing into the Netherworld, another nifty power of the female bean sidhe, in order to help these sisters unseal the deal. She has to make a new deal in order to get their soul's back since they run on Demon's Breath, Avari's to be more exact. Things get sad though at the end, when it doesn't exactly go as smoothly as planned, and Kaylee nearly loses her life in the process.
3 stars
Things get intense, when Avari strikes again!
His breath is being passed around in balloons like deadly party favors, and it's killing humans.
Kaylee once again jumps into the rescue to help save Sophie and Emma's boyfriends before Avari claims two more souls. An interesting twist were the twins, the lampades. You'll find out more about them in the book. We also pick up a new friend near the end of the book.
So why such a low rating?
His breath is being passed around in balloons like deadly party favors, and it's killing humans.
Kaylee once again jumps into the rescue to help save Sophie and Emma's boyfriends before Avari claims two more souls. An interesting twist were the twins, the lampades. You'll find out more about them in the book. We also pick up a new friend near the end of the book.
So why such a low rating?
Well, the plot was good, it's just sad because we lose a few people, and one gets sent to an asylum because he went crazy from all the demon's breath. It's when we find out Nash is using, and his payment is the emotional feeling he gets from memories.
Memories of him and Kaylee. The bitter thing about it is he accidentally got addicted from their adventures in the last book. What's even worse is Nash let Avari possess Kaylee in order to converse with him. Very dramatic, very scum baggy. I gotta say it really lowered my liking for Nash.
2 stars
Ugh....How do I even start?
This book was so dramatic and annoying that I honestly had to keep putting it down to give myself breaks. Probably my least favorite book in the Soul Screamer series.
Nash is trying to get off Demon's Breath, and his relationship with Kaylee is currently in the gray area. Tod is hanging around with the group more, and Kaylee is trying to recover from all the heaping drama in the previous book. And then lo and behold satan's mistress enters: Nash's ex girlfriend Sabine. And she's set on having Nash back since they didn't really "officially" break up. Did I mention she's a mara, or a "Nightmare" who feeds off people's nightmares and helps produce them? Which just makes her all the more a nuisance.
I hated her in this book. Her presence was constant torture, especially since she wasn't entirely helpful in Avari's newest onslaught of evil bidding. Except now he's got two different demons working for him: the demon of vanity and the other envy.
While we know shit is going down, we don't truly get action until the very end. But I will say I was excited to see some romantic conflict arising: Tod seems to be mighty interested in Kaylee!
Memories of him and Kaylee. The bitter thing about it is he accidentally got addicted from their adventures in the last book. What's even worse is Nash let Avari possess Kaylee in order to converse with him. Very dramatic, very scum baggy. I gotta say it really lowered my liking for Nash.
Ugh....How do I even start?
This book was so dramatic and annoying that I honestly had to keep putting it down to give myself breaks. Probably my least favorite book in the Soul Screamer series.
Nash is trying to get off Demon's Breath, and his relationship with Kaylee is currently in the gray area. Tod is hanging around with the group more, and Kaylee is trying to recover from all the heaping drama in the previous book. And then lo and behold satan's mistress enters: Nash's ex girlfriend Sabine. And she's set on having Nash back since they didn't really "officially" break up. Did I mention she's a mara, or a "Nightmare" who feeds off people's nightmares and helps produce them? Which just makes her all the more a nuisance.
I hated her in this book. Her presence was constant torture, especially since she wasn't entirely helpful in Avari's newest onslaught of evil bidding. Except now he's got two different demons working for him: the demon of vanity and the other envy.
While we know shit is going down, we don't truly get action until the very end. But I will say I was excited to see some romantic conflict arising: Tod seems to be mighty interested in Kaylee!
5 stars
Rachel Vincent really made up for screwing us over in books 3 and 4, yes I know it was necessary for plot buildup, by heaping on the romance!
The sad thing is Kaylee finds out she's at death's door; for real this time.
And the reaper set to claim her soul is the asshole who took her mother's. So he of course tortures her day in and day out, without anybody but Tod knowing. Let alone, Kaylee's school has a new math teacher and he's an incubus, desperate for an heir. But apparently, making an incubus baby can be quite deadly for human girls.
Kaylee as usual, rises to the occasion, and everybody tries to team up to help. Meanwhile, Tod is trying to tell Kaylee why she shouldn't be with Nash anymore, while Kaylee is determined to lose her virginity before her mortal time ends. Basically all conflicting ideas, but everything changes when Tod proves himself to be freakin' awesome! Kaylee certainly thinks so too since she kisses him!
I'm of course thrilled, since I was a fan of Tod...point being things begin to progress in a very different direction!
Honestly, I was really nervous for this book, since If I Die was amazing!
To my delight, I was not disappointed.
The story is taken into a new perspective, as Kaylee is now dead, er... undead, and is learning to cope with it. The subject of her being dead, plays a heavy hand in this book. It was understandable how hard it was to come to terms with the fact that living life like she used to, really doesn't matter anymore, and the only thing she cares about is Tod who makes her feel alive with the fact that he loves her and her heart beats for him. Heavy duty Tod and Kaylee fans will love the entire book if they were looking for some action.
The only downfall to Kaylee and Tod's relationship is how it suddenly becomes heavily dependent. Kaylee was saying constantly how she needed Tod to live and to feel and after awhile it gets a tad old...
Besides this one downfall, it was interesting to read how Kaylee is now the Soul Police and takes care of souls that shouldn't be reaped or just saves them from being stolen in general. It especially escalated once Avari stepped into the picture and begins wearing dead people's appearances in order to emotionally torture Kaylee.
We are introduced to a new character, who is in fact, a necromancer! We definitely lose some of our beloved characters...but the ending leaves wanting for more since it's leading up to it's last book.
So I have a lot of mixed feelings for this book, but all in all it deserves every star.
Our adventure continues with a lot of adjusting, the hellions raising...well hell, and Kaylee and crew fighting reigning terror. Rachel Vincent introduces a new concept in this final book about soul mates which was intriguing in my opinion, and we also got to meet Ira the hellion of wrath. He was quite the character and definitely my favorite hellion if I had to choose, not just because he plays a sort of anti hero in this book. But because although he can be creepy as shit, he's got this rocker flair.
The book was fast paced, I honestly don't think events extended beyond a week for our characters but it was the thrilling conclusion to a seven book battle between good and evil, so I can imagine it being pretty fast paced. Kaylee's final deceptive plan was extremely clever and I admired for it but it definitely left the ending bittersweet. Kaylee makes a big plan/deal with Ira that requires a great sacrifice on her behalf. I felt like it was bittersweet, so I found it a little hard to deal with.
All in all, I had been nervous with how Rachel Vincent would conclude her series considering she kind of backed herself up against the wall with such indestructible villains, but I was not disappointed! We get the happy ending that Tod and Kaylee deserve although some part of me longed for an epilogue for the romantic couple, but I am still satisfied, I am a little sad to say goodbye but Vincent has given me a series to cherish that I have enjoyed over the years so no regrets.
I look forward to Rachel Vincent's newest creation, set to be published in 2015, Anathema! Check it out guys!
No comments:
Post a Comment