Review : Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent
Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent
Pages : 339
Genre : YA, Paranormal
Series : Soul Screamers, Book 6
My Rating : 4/5
From the Back of the Book :
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 :
I just received my copy of With All My Soul this week, the last of the Souls Screamers novels (sob), and with it came a terrible realization : I had yet to review Before I Wake, the previous novel. Which is pretty much how my review of the previous book started, too. You can therefore call me Kay the Unoriginal Procrastinator. And now, to the review!
It has become incredibly more difficult with each book to review it without spoiling too much about the previous ones, but if I had to make one comment about Before I Wake, it’s this : prepare for an incredible ending.
I thought Before I Wake had a bit of a slow beginning. Coming after the surprising ending of If I Die, I had no idea what to expect. And it was good, with still that mix of twists and humor and incredible plotting that Rachel Vincent achieves with excellence. But that ending, oh! It was so cruel not to have the next book waiting for me just as I finished it! I was surprised like I rarely am when reading urban fantasy. And that soul thief story was incredibly riveting.
I think I love Tod more and more with each book. He’s an incredible, sweet, loving character, with a strong personality, too. I couldn’t have guessed he would have taken as much importance at the start of the series. In fact, the cast of characters was all still incredible, the heroes as much as the villains; I thought I couldn’t wait to see how the story would end for them all, but after reading Before I Wake, I am actually a little scared for them. Vincent doesn’t hesitate to torture/sacrifice/kill her characters, and this is something I am possibly not looking forward to.
Also, mad props to the author for writing some of these scenes with so much emotion. Very few YA paranormal and urban fantasy authors seem to successfully create a world that is both exciting and emotional, but Rachel Vincent absolutely does (the only other author with a similar talent that comes to my mind right now is Cynthia Hand). Kaylee’s journey in this book proves that, tenfold.
So, here ends this review that wasn’t really a review. Just some thoughts on my reading, as I am getting ready for the final trip. I’ll be back to you (soon, I hope!) with thoughts on the series’ conclusion!
Series Reading Order :
- My Soul to Take
- My Soul to Save
- My Soul to Keep
- My Soul to Steal
- If I Die
- Before I Wake
- With All My Soul
I am so glad that you enjoyed this one, and that you are looking forward to the next book so feverishly. It sounds like a series that I need to read, since you love it so much. Excellent review today. I will be excited to see what you think of the next in the series!
I do hope you will enjoy it if you get to try it. It definitely improves over time as Kaylee matures, too. Can’t wait for the conclusion!