My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers, #3)

by Rachel Vincent

Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them.

Until something does.

Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends--one of whom is already hooked.

And so is someone else...

• ISBN10: 0373210051
• ISBN13: 9780373210053
• Publish Date: 25 May 2010 (first published 1 January 2010)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Mills & Boon
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 296
• Language: English

Reviews

[Berls]

For more reviews, see: Fantasy is More Fun

My Initial Reaction...
This series keeps getting better and better! I've grow to love Kaylee and her unfortunate knack for always ending up right in the middle of every disaster.

The Narration...
I'm going to sound like a broken record on this one - but Amanda Ronconi is just an amazing narrator. I've never been disappointed in her ability to bring each and every character to life with their own unique personalities and this book is no exception. She captures Kaylee perfectly and I think she does a much better job than most female narrators at portraying male voices.

The Characters...
Kaylee continues to grow by leaps and bounds in book 3 of the Soul Screamers series. It's almost impossible to believe that a few short weeks have passed since she discovered she was a banshee! She has accepted who she is so easily and has basically appointed herself as the protector of all those ignorant to the supernatural forces that surround her. She is extremely innocent, but that's to be expected from a young adult character. Thankfully she doesn't seem to suffer from the all to typical teenage angst that tends to come with that innocence.

I'm enjoying seeing her interactions with her father as they try to make up for 13 years spent apart, alongside understanding her feelings for her boyfriend Nash. Oh Nash. He's changed quite a lot in this book too, and not for the better. To me this just reinforces the skill with which Vincent wrote his character; we've already seen him to be a weak character that follows Kaylee's lead, but doesn't seem to have much direction of his own, and in this book that feeling continues to be reinforced. I have a soft spot for him, but he's definitely a work in progress.

And then there's Todd. We don't see as much of Todd in this book as we did the last one, but we do continue to see his softer side. He's hurting from what happened with Addison, and his response to her loss is endearing. But we also see the continued willingness to do whatever it takes to care for those he loves, regardless of the lines it means he might be crossing.

The Story...
In My Soul to Keep Kaylee has finally recovered from her injuries after running around in the Netherworld in book 2 and is ready to get into a fresh batch of trouble. Of course she doesn't going looking for it, but she does seem to be a magnet for it. When her car is hit at a party by one of Nash's friends from the football team, everyone assumes it's because he's had too much to drink. But Kaylee knows it's not alcohol she smells on his breath; it's demon's breath.

After her recent experiences with demon's breath and the Netherwold, Kaylee's protective instincts take over as she once again ropes Nash into helping her - this time her agenda is to find out who's using, where they're getting demon's breath from, and how to save them, all while keeping them from hurting their girlfriends who just so happen to include her best friend Emma and her cousin Sophie. All this is happening alongside some strange and scary developments in her own abilities.

Concluding Sentiments...
This is a really fun story, with heartbreaking revelations and unexpected twists. I found myself really invested in what was happening to all the characters and frequently surprised when new explanations presented themselves. Looking forward to the next one!

[littleread1]

Shit hits the fan. Serious issues arise, and many YA books, especially the fantasy books, won't touch it with a 10-foot pole.

Drug addiction is something that can be done in such a way that the story you are trying to tell is ruined by it. But Vincent handles it in such a way that it doesn't overshadow the story but becomes an integral part of it.

Kaylee and Nash are an adorable couple. They are not perfect but who is? But there has always been something a little ... off about them to me. I just couldn't tell you what it was. I don't know if I want them to continue being a couple, especially after this book. Kaylee needs someone to be her equal, not to protect and baby her. But I don't know who that is.

This story is rough to get through, yet addicting. I found myself reading this story in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. It made my heart clench over and over.

[Amanda]

3.5

I wonder if knowing that something HAPPENED in this book actually worked against me. Because yes, it was horrible. But I feel like I may have taken it even harder had I not known something horrible would happen.

Other than THAT BIG THING, I felt that this book was pretty similar in nature to the last two. I'm curious to see how it goes forward, though.

[tellemonstar]

Nash, you rat-bastard. If Kaylee were are real person, she'd definitely need a big hug right now, and not from you.

[Kelsenator]

Originally posted on my blog Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf

This story starts out with Kaylee and Nash going to a party, her grounding from the previous book is finally over, so they want to spend as much time as they can together. Her best friend Emma is dating one of the jocks called Doug, and while at the party they disappear. Kaylee finds them, Doug seems completely drunk and ends up driving off and totaling her car. When she leans over him to rescue him from the wreckage, she can smell Demon Breath on him.

Now the mystery of finding out how he got it, from whom he did, and stopping anyone else from getting it starts. Whether or not to involve the adults comes into question, but they try to see if they can solve it themselves at the insistence of Nash. This stuff is very dangerous, it’s highly addictive, causes permanent damage to your soul, and will either make you go insane or kill you.

So, with that beginning, I don’t want to go too much into details and ruin this awesome story, but a few more people get hooked on it, and one person does go insane. I will also say that Nash changes in this book, just like Kaylee feared he would, but not in the way anyone would have expected. (I wanted to punch him)

I love this series, and these books just keep getting better as I read them. I would recommend this to fans of the series already, and anyone looking for a young adult, urban fantasy and paranormal book.

[Angie]

My Soul to Keep is much different than the previous two books. It's darker and more serious. Of course, Kaylee's need to save people is still going strong, but this time it's actually people she knows. Her relationship with Nash also changes. While in the last book their hormones were raging, Nash didn't push Kaylee to go further, but this time around he's not so patient. He actually uses his influence to try to get her to say yes, and says a few horrible things to convince her. But Kaylee's a smart girl and doesn't fall for it.

Anyway, this time the plot deals with drug use. Well, technically it deals with addiction to Demon's Breath, which is probably worse than most human drugs. Kaylee has once again taken it upon herself to save her classmates from impending insanity caused by the "drug," dragging a reluctant Nash with her. While I admire Kaylee for standing up for what's right and doing what she can to help others, I'm starting to feel a little bad for Nash since he never seems to want to get tangled up in these Netherworld problems, but feels obligated to in order to keep Kaylee safe. He does know an awful lot more about the paranormal world than she does. But in this book you can definitely sense the strain this is putting on their relationship, or it something else? Kaylee has no idea just how deep her boyfriend is involved in all this...

While I was suspicious of one of the major plot reveals, I was still shocked when it came out. Poor Kaylee! And dammit, Tod! Even though it's not totally his fault, I just wanted to say it. :P But seriously, the ending of this is a serious page turner. I couldn't believe some of things that happened, and in my eyes Nash is completely unforgivable. Not necessarily, nonredeemable, but definitely unforgivable! I'm nervous to find out what the Netherworld has in store next for Kaylee.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Linda]

This is really, really hard! I wonder if Kaylee will ever be able to forgive Nash, I'm really not sure if I could if I was her. *tear*

Now that I've finished the whole book, I feel thouroughly empty, and so sad for Kaylee, and a little bit sad for Nash. He really screwed up big time, and I really don't see what he can do so that Kaylee can trust hi again and maybe love him again, I just want to curl up in a ball and cry!

Kaylee never lost it, though, she's one tough cookie, and she knows what needs to get done, then she just does it - once she's made up her mind to help someone, she gives it her all, and even when she's really scared, she is still able to do what has to be done.

Sohpie is pissing me off! I am so happy Tod actually knocked her out, she totally deserved that :D

I hope Kaylee will be able to talk everything through with her dad and Harmony, and that they will both help her heal. And of course, I hope that Harmony will be able to help Nash get clean, I couldn't stand it if he didn't.

[Jo]

Oh my god. In my previous reviews of the Soul Screamers series, I have always said how much I enjoyed them, which was and is true. However, as much as I enjoyed them, I did feel they weren't as exciting as Rachel Vincent's Shifters series, which I was reading at the time. I enjoyed them, but there was no urgent desire to read the next ones, I'd just read them when I read them. I was recently sent My Soul to Keep and My Soul to Steal by Mira Ink, and during a lull in my reading where I didn't know what I fancied, I decided to pick MSTKeep up. And WOW! I have said I loved the previous books in previous reviews, but that love comes no where near the love I have for this book! Now this is on par with the Shifters series!

Before I continue with my review, there's something I have big issues with. It's not the contents of the book, it's with the outside: the blurb. The description on the Amazon US isn't too bad - which is the same as the Goodreads one - but on Amazon UK, and on the actual UK edition of the book, there is what I believe to be a major spoiler. I highly suggest that if you plan on reading this book, do not read the back of the UK book or read the description on Amazon UK. As you can see from the description above, you're told enough. There is an extra detail that is on the UK blurb that is simply not needed, and without, would have made a major part of the book that much better for me if I didn't already know it was coming. It is such a big deal to the whole story of the book, and in one sentence in the blurb, they've taken the shock and surprise away from you. It's not fair, and it's really frustrating. Rant over.

Oh, my love for this book knows no bounds! It's creepy! Really! I actually found myself getting fairly freaked out at some points in the book. I am anti-drugs with a passion, and so this book really played to that side of me, and although Demon's Breath doesn't actually exist, the things it did and just how dangerous it was scared me on a normal, real-life level - this drug may not exist, but drugs are dangerous, and the effects they have on people... it scares me! But add on top of that the creepy urban fantasy element, and it's really warped.

What I absolutely loved, though, was how, unbelievably, the fact that Kaylee's school friends are getting high off a Netherworld narcotic ends up seeming so... almost trivial when other events unfold. And they just keep on and on unfolding, until you're on the verge of a heart attack with all the tension and anxiety for these characters and all the stuff that happens. But it's all genius! And the action! It is literally one of those moments when you can't see any good outcome, or any way out of the trouble their in. It's serious edge-of-your-seat, nail biting excitement! And I am liking Tod. I know in previous reviews I've been all about Nash, but I'm changing my mind. Tod, for all his jokes and annoying behaviour, he's actually a really nice guy, and when lives are in danger, or people are being treated badly, he steps up to the plate and he really surprised and impressed me. He's really cool!

Vincent is one of those authors whose mind I'd quite like to take a tour of, because just how she manages to write stories like this that flow so seemlessly and so believably I'll never know. I am just left in complete and utter awe! Incredible book! This is a brilliant, brilliant story, and I've already started the fourth book in the series, My Soul to Steal. If the series carries on like this, I believe I've just found myself another favourite series! Oh, how I love Rachel Vincent!

From Once Upon a Bookcase - YA book blog