Review: My Soul to Lose, by Rachel Vincent

Author: Rachel Vincent
Title: My Soul to Lose
Series: Soul Screamers (#0.5)
ISBN: 9781426838675
Publisher: Harlequin Teen (July 1st 2009)

Buy your copy: Kindle 

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“It was supposed to be a fun day, shopping at the mall with her best friend. Then the panic attack started and Kaylee Cavanaugh finds herself screaming, unable to stop. Her secret fears are exposed and it's the worst day of her life.

Until she wakes up in the psychiatric unit.

She tries to convince everyone she's fine--despite the shadows she sees forming around another patient and the urge to scream which comes burbling up again and again. Everyone thinks she's crazy. Everyone except Lydia, that is. Another patient with some special abilities....” GoodReads’ blurb

Super short review, since this is a super short book to begin with!

I got into Soul Screamers thanks to Nicole, from over at The More the Merrier, because she started a series of reviews and I kept thinking, well, I need to get into this – I say the same thing about Mortal Instruments, I know. But then there was the Soul Screamers reading challenge, which seemed like the perfect excuse, so... Yeah.

I’m glad I did begin reading, anyway. I didn’t know it when I finished this novella, but the series is amazing – I’m halfway into My Soul to Take now.

Why didn’t I know it when I finished My Soul to Lose? Well, to be honest, I found it a bit... bland. Saying so sits badly with me, mostly taking into account the really harsh things that happen to Kaylee, but it didn’t grip me like book 1 has.

I think my qualms were the reduced cast and the lack of external conflict – My Soul to Lose is about Kaylee experiencing her screams, nearly loosing control, and then trying really hard to get a normal life back. I liked it, but it didn’t fascinate me.

It did have some clues about Uncle Branden’s... Eh, about Uncle Branden. It made me want to read the next book just to find out about him, and that in turn allowed me to be truly gripped in the Soul Screamers universe. It also had Lydia, a most curious character, and I wonder if we’ll ever see her again, or know more about her.

All in all, this novella was a good add-on to readers, but I’m not sure if it’s the best way to hook new readers. I’d recommend you check it out if you’ve read any of the full novels, or if you’re really determined to read the series anyway, because the mystery of what’s happening to Kaylee wasn’t enough to keep me glued to the pages. After all, I already knew why she screamed.

That said, though, it’s a great insight into Kaylee’s mind-frame, and into her family. And it’s short enough to read through in one sitting, too!