Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent

Book: Before I Wake (Soul Screamers #6)
Author: Rachel Vincent
# of Pages: 281 (ebook)
Challenge: 2012 Ebook Challenge
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary
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....

My Thoughts:
Kaylee not only has to acclimate to her new job as a soul reclaimer, but she also has to pretend to still be alive, and it is not as easy as she thought it was going to be. It is a good thing she has her friends to help her.

I thought Before I Wake was slightly creepier than the previous books in the series. And, as always, I just loved Tod. There was one scene toward the end of the book that was a bit confusing. And I'm very curious about Luca.

Overall, Before I Wake was a great book, but I think If I Die is still my favorite.

Being Friends with Boys by Terra Elan McVoy

Book: Being Friends with Boys
Author: Terra Elan McVoy
# of Pages: 226 (ebook)
Challenge: 2012 Ebook Challenge
Rating: 2.5 stars

Goodreads Summary
Charlotte and Oliver have been friends forever. She knows that he, Abe, and Trip consider her to be one of the guys, and she likes it that way. She likes being the friend who keeps them all together. Likes offering a girl's perspective on their love lives. Likes being the behind-the-scenes wordsmith who writes all the lyrics for the boys' band. Char has a house full of stepsisters and a past full of backstabbing (female) ex-best friends, so for her, being friends with boys is refreshingly drama-free...until it isn't any more.

When a new boy enters the scene and makes Char feel like, well, a total girl...and two of her other friends have a falling out that may or may not be related to one of them deciding he possibly wants to be more than friends with Char...being friends with all these boys suddenly becomes a lot more complicated.

My Thoughts: 
Charlotte writes lyrics for her friend Oliver's band. They have supposedly been friends for a while, but it really did not feel that way. I thought Oliver was a jerk.

I did like Charlotte's relationship with her stepsisters. I also liked Benji. He reminded me a lot of Thomas from Saving Francesca. But I did not like Charlotte. She lets people take advantage of her, and she leads on one of her guy friends.

I thought there were too many characters to keep track of. And, the reasoning for the falling out of the two friends was not fully explained.

Slide by Jill Hathaway

Book: Slide
Author: Jill Hathaway
# of Pages: 186 (Ebook)
Challenges: 2012 Ebook Challenge
Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads Summary
Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

My Thoughts: What a fantastic book! I am a huge fan of mysteries and this book did not disappoint. Vee is very unique with her pink hair and her ability to "slide" into other people. Rollins and Zane are both great characters, though I do like Rollins a bit more than Zane. I liked the fast pace of the story, and I absolutely loved the ending.

The mystery, the awesome characters, and a little romance make this a great read. And I was very happy to hear that there is going to be a sequel!

Never to Sleep by Rachel Vincent

Book: Never to Sleep (Soul Screamers #5.5)
Author: Rachel Vincent
# of Pages: 56 (ebook)
Challenge: 2012 Ebook Challenge
Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads Summary
Sophie Cavanaugh is not going to let her freak of a cousin's strange psychiatric condition ruin high school for them both. Not after all the work she's put into cultivating the right look, and friends, and reputation. But then, Sophie sees something so frightening she lets out a blood-curdling scream—and finds herself stuck in a bizarre parallel world where nothing is safe and deadly creatures lurk just out of sight, waiting for her to close her eyes and sleep...forever.

Could this world be real? Or does insanity run in the family...?(

My Thoughts: This is the story of Sophie's brief experience in the Netherworld. She must find a way out of the strange world she has fallen into. She handled the situation better than I expected. She did panic at some points, but she never let her fear take over. Though Sophie is not my favorite character, it was interesting getting to see things from her point of view.

If I Die by Rachel Vincent

Book: If I Die (Soul Screamers #5)

Author: Rachel Vincent

# of Pages: 268 (ebook)

Challenge: 2012 Ebook Challenge

Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary

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.

MyThoughts: Kaylee finds out that she is going to die within a week. To add to the stress, the true identity of her new math teacher is revealed and she is determined to disposeof him before her time is up. Kaylee teams up with Sabine to bring him down. I do wonder if Kaylee and Sabine would be friends if it weren't for Nash. 

If I Die was amazing. I liked how Kaylee stands up for herself. I also like that she is more concerned for the safety of her fellow female classmates than for her own imminent death. I don't want to reveal too much, but I will say, Tod fans, there are some awesome Tod scenes.

This series is absolutely addictive. Each book gets better and better.  I know I've said this before in previous reviews for this series, but if you have not yet looked into this series you really, really should.

My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent

Book: My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers #4)
Author: Rachel Vincent
# of Pages: 264 (ebook)
Challenge: 2012 Ebook Challenge
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads 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.(

My Thoughts: Kaylee does not know what to do about Nash. She wants to get back together with him, but she is having a hard time trusting him. While she is pondering, a new girl, Sabine, comes to their school. She is Nash's ex and a mara, a literal walking nightmare who feeds off fear. Since the first day Sabine appeared, bad things have been happening at the school and worst of all she wants Nash back.

As always, Tod is hilarious, but we also see a serious, wiser side to him in this book. I like Sabine. She is catty, determined, and a bit intimidating.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

Reaper by Rachel Vincent

Book: Reaper (Soul Screamers #3.5)
Author: Rachel Vincent
# of Pages: 51 (Ebook)
Challenge: 2012 Ebook Challenge
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary
Tod Hudson was a typical teenager. He liked girls, sports, food and tolerated his younger brother, Nash. In fact, he had his whole life in front of him--and due to his bean sidhe heritage, it was going to be a very long life indeed. And then the car accident occurred. 
                                                                                               Suddenly Tod's future wasn't so sure, and he had to make a choice. Life... Death... or something Between..
                                                                                                                             My Thoughts: I loved this novella! It is told completely from Tod's POV. It is the story behind his becoming a reaper. His sarcastic humor is entertaining and enjoyable. Though it is short, Vincent crams a lot of Tod info into this story. We also learn a little more about Nash.

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

Book: My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers #3)
Book: Rachel Vincent
# of Pages: 246 (ebook)
Challenge: 2012 Ebook Challenge
Rating: 4.5 stars

Goodreads Summary
Kaylee and Nash discover that one of his football teammates is addicted to Demon's Breath, a dangerous Netherworld substance that shouldn't even be available in the human world. Now they must somehow dispose of it and cut off the supply--without socially alienating themselves.

My Thoughts: This contains a couple spoilers. This is my favorite book of the series so far.  We do see a different side of Nash. He is a total jerk to Kaylee. Weirdly enough, I liked seeing this side of Nash. I liked seeing that he isn't flawlessly perfect. It makes him more likable, more relatable. I like how Tod plays a big role in this book helping Kaylee in her time of need. And I like how both Tod and Kaylee stand up to Nash.

This really was a great book. If you have not read this series yet, you really should do so!

Soul Screamers Volume 1 by Rachel Vincent

Book: Soul Screamers Volume 1: My Soul to Lose, My Soul to Take, My Soul to Save
Author: Rachel Vincent
# of Pages: 471 (ebook)
Challenges: 2012 Ebook Challenge, 2012 TBR Pile Challenge
Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads Summary
My Soul to Lose 
— The prequel: never before in print! — 
Kaylee is just your average girl shopping at the mall with friends—until a terrified scream burst from her that cannot be stopped. 
Taken to a hospital ward, will she be able to save her mind—and her life? 

My Soul to Take 
She always felt different, but now Kaylee discovers why. The screams that cannot be denied mean that someone near her will die—and she can never save them. Because saving one life means taking another... 

My Soul to Save 
Going on dates with her boyfriend is still new to Kaylee. But when the singer of the band they're seeing dies and Kaylee doesn't scream, she knows something carzy is going on. Soon she discovers soul can indeed be sold...
                                                                                                                           My Thoughts: I heard that this series was good, but I honestly did not expect to like the first couple books as much as I did. The writing is witty, and I really like the characters. Nash, the strong football player, the sarcastic and mysterious Tod, and Kaylee whose panic attacks turn out to be something more complex then she could ever imagine.

The last few chapters of My Soul to Steal did drag a bit. And we don't know too much about Tod. But, I thought these first couple books were fascinating, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series and finding out more about Tod.

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Book: Fracture
Author: Megan Miranda
# of Pages: 176 (ebook)
Challenges: 2012 Debut Author Challenge, 2012 Ebook Challenge
Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads Summary
Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine

—despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.
                                                                                                                         My Thoughts: This book is nicely written. It has a great first sentence that grabs your attention instantly. Troy Varga is a great character that had me intrigued from his first appearance in the story. He is creepy and mysterious and I'm curious about what the story would have been like if it had been told from his POV.

I admit I am not Delaney's biggest fan. She keeps changing her mind about her feelings toward Troy and does not appreciate her best friend, Decker. After her accident, Delaney refuses to share what she is experiencing with him despite the fact that they have been friends for such a long time. Poor Decker. This is supposedly a standalone novel, but I think it should have been a little bit longer. I felt that there were a couple questions left unanswered.