MY SOUL TO KEEP by Rachel Vincent Contest WInners

My Soul to Keep

Rachel Vincent

Harlequin Teen www.HarlequinTEEN.com publication date 06/01/2010
E-ARC provided by publisher through Netgalley.com with no expectation. Reviewer has option to read and or review.

Read July 26 to 28
Appearing Friday, July 30 in http://fangswandsandfairydust.com
steph@fangswandsandfairydust.com

Marketing Copy

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. To save their friends from insanity--and possibly death--they must figure out how the Demon's Breath got into their world and somehow dispose of it, as well as cutting off the supply--without socially alienating themselves. And in the course of their investigation, Kaylee discovers a deeper plot by a powerful Netherworld demon to open a path between the worlds and pull humans into the Netherworld so that he can steal their souls and imprison their bodies. Along the way, she also discovers someone close to her has been hiding a deadly addiction as well...


I was fascinated by the species Kaylee and Nash represent (also his mom, her dad and uncle) are Bean-Sidhe. You may have heard of the Banshee, as in the "The cry of the," the howlers in Irish tradition who announce the departure of a soul from its earthly existence. In the book, I didn’t quite understand the varying functions of the male and female Bean-Sidhe, but it is a symbiotic, and while the female calls to the soul, the male apparently guides it towards recycling.

It is only with a female Bean-Sidhe or with a reaper that a male can cross over to the underworld. One of the characters Nash’s brother, Tod, is a reaper. Kaylee is a Bean-Sidhe. When a toxic drug from the underworld starts to appear at their high school, Kaylee is adamant at figuring out how it is getting out of the underworld and into their friends. That is the crux of the story.

Anyone who loves an addict will understand that to an addict betraying their loved ones is not as important as getting their fix. It doesn’t make being betrayed any less awful. It can still be hard to walk away from the person.

Kaylee grew up without knowing her heritage, and I felt about the same not having read the two earlier books. Some series give enough back story that each book can stand on its own, some really need the other books in the series. This is the latter type of series. I would have understood and gotten more out of My Soul to Keep had I read the other two volumes and the prequel in Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamers series.

The character who develops the most is Kaylee herself. She learns a lot about trust and maturity and sadly, about betrayal. She is a nice teen, middle class economically (her economic status is mentioned a lot), smart enough, not unpopular but not the “it” girl. The supporting characters are developed in direct proportion to their importance in the story, but their development may have occurred in the previous books.

There is some sexual tension and talk, not crude; there are parties with alcohol and other drugs, and minor violence. I think it is a story edging out of YA toward adult.

It was an enjoyable read but I was not glued to it. I may go back and read the earlier books, but they aren’t at the top of the TBR list.

Kaylee, Nash, her dad and friend Emma, and his mom and dead brother are likeable characters. You really want to see Nash and Kaylee work out as a couple. Maybe they will.

DAUGHTERS OF PERSEPHONE by 

JULIA RACHEL BARRETT CONTEST



Yesterday, Julia R. Barrett was kind enough to guest blog and provide three copies of Captured and one of Daughters of Persephone.

FIRST PRIZE                                                                                     

A signed copy of Daughters of Persephone
A mermaid bookmark (see photo above) and a copy of Captured (another fun book by Julia)
Julia will be mailing Daughters of Persephone and I will mail the bookmark and Captured.

THIS WAS WON BY: T. of http://finalcutediting.viviti.com

SECOND PRIZE 

Two second prize winners will each receive a copy of Captured and each have been sent an email.


Diva's Bookcase and Loretta C. were each winners of a copy of Captured




If you see now the folly of your ways in not entering yesterday's contest and want Julia's wonderful stories scroll up to the Amazon link and buy it here!