Book: Feedback by Robison Wells

Published October 2012 by HarperTeen|Pages: 320

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Variant #2

Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Dystopic/Thriller/Mystery

Goodreads|Robison Wells’ Website

Summary: Benson Fisher escaped from Maxfield Academy’s deadly rules and brutal gangs. The worst was over.

Or so he thought.

But now he’s trapped on the other side of the wall, in a different kind of prison. A town filled with familiar faces. People from Maxfield who Benson had seen die. Friends he was afraid he had killed.

They are all pawns in the school’s twisted experiment, held captive and controlled by an unseen force. And while Benson struggles to figure out who, if anyone, can be trusted, he discovers that Maxfield Academy’s plans are darker than anything he imagined—and they may be impossible to stop.

I have mixed feelings about Feedback.  After really liking Variant, I knew I wanted to read this one.  It just…didn’t grab my attention the way Variant did.

Feedback lost all the creepiness and mystery that I loved about Variant.  There’s still some mystery and some creepiness, but…I don’t know, it just didn’t seem as there.  I think it’s because we learned more about the people who run the school, and there’s the whole thing with the androids, and you sort of learn more about what’s really going on.  I liked that we learned more about the school. but we never got why they’re running Maxfield and creating androids.

I’m still not sure what to think.  I mean, I liked learning more about Maxfield and everything, but at the same time, the mystery surrounding Maxfield was lost.  Here’s the thing with Feedback that’s sort of frustrating.  Things are resolved enough that there really doesn’t need to be a third book.  But the door is also open for a third book.

Feedback really felt like an afterthought sometimes.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book and all, and I am glad I read it but I think I  would have been just as fine not reading it.

I’m not completely sure what to think of Feedback because Variant worked so well on its own.  In all honesty, Feedback probably wasn’t going to meet the expectations I had going in.  It’s such a strange sequel.  Strange in that it’s a sequel that works well on it’s own.  You could probably read Feedback on it’s own and have a pretty good idea of what’s going on.  It picks up where Variant left off, but both books work so well on their own that it’s weird to think of Feedback as a sequel.

I’m feeling pretty neutral about the characters.  They did what I expected but I also didn’t care about them either way.  Plus, it was hard to picture where everything was.  It’s not that you don’t know where things are or what they look like, but with Feedback, I just couldn’t picture the setting in my head.

Final Thoughts:

I did like Feedback.  I liked learning more about the history of Maxfield Academy, and I wish we knew why someone wanted to replace people with androids.  But Feedback was also frustrating because I would have been just as fine not reading it.  Feedback gets 3 stars.

Book: With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent

Published March 2013 by Harlequin Teen|Pages: 384

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Soul Screamers #7

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Vincent’s Website

Summary: What does it mean when your school is voted the most dangerous in America?

It’s time to kick some hellion butt…

After not really surviving her junior year (does “undead” count as survival?), Kaylee Cavanaugh has vowed to take back her school from the hellions causing all the trouble. She’s going to find a way to turn the incarnations of Avarice, Envy and Vanity against one another in order to protect her friends and finish this war, once and forever.

But then she meets Wrath and understands that she’s closer to the edge than she’s ever been. And when one more person close to her is taken, Kaylee realizes she can’t save everyone she loves without risking everything she has…

I am so sad that Soul Screamers is over!  I’ve really come to love this series, and With All My Soul is such a great ending for this series!  I wasn’t expecting to cry…but I did.  That ending really did me in…

Kaylee…I am so glad everything worked out okay.  For a while, I thought that things might end up going horribly wrong, and seeing her experience what she did made me cry.  While I’m not surprised Kaylee sacrificed herself, it was still so dang sad!  With All My Soul being YA, everything works out in the end, and all because of a well-worded negotiation.  Thanks to Ira, of course.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad things worked out because everyone deserved to have some peace from all of those hellions.

I love that Kaylee was willing to make such a big sacrifice in order for things to end.  Seriously.  For a page or two, things seemed so HORRIBLE, but I’m glad that there was a happy ending.  Everyone deserves the happiness that they seem to find, because they’ve had a rough time throughout the series, and it is SO NICE to see them have a more peaceful, normal life.

I’ve grown to love Sabine, and it’s so weird that I started out HATING her…only to love her in the end.  I actually like her with Nash, and I’ve warmed up to them as a couple.

We totally need to talk about Tod and Kaylee, who are so adorable together.  I love that Tod is the one to get Kaylee out of the Netherworld and away from Avari.  You see Kaylee missing out on 4 years of everyone’s life, and how much has changed in the time she was gone.  Especially since they’re unaware of the sacrifice she made, and because they all just…moved on.  Which does make sense, because they weren’t completely aware of everything she did for them, but it was also a little sad, seeing that life for them went on while she was in hell so they could go on with their lives.

It really is bittersweet.  But I can’t imagine a better ending for the series, because it all came together in the end.

I wish we saw Alec one more time, and I am curious about what happened to Thane and the 2 hellions Avari was “working” with.  I mean, we know what happens with Ira and with Avari, but not the others.  I thought Kaylee summoning Ira was interesting, and how nobody seemed to know it was possible.  But the Netherworld is never what it seems, and it would make sense that you could summon a hellion.

Random Thought: I love the title, especially having finished the book (and the series). I love how well it fits with the book.

Final Thoughts:

With All My Soul was such a perfect ending for the series.  Kaylee has changed so much since the beginning of the series- I know this is sappy, but I’m glad I got to go on this journey with her.  With All My Soul gets…5+ stars!

Book: Fall Of Night by Rachel Caine

Published May 2013 by Penguin|Pages: 352

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Morganville Vampires #14

Genre: YA Paranormal- Vampires

Goodreads|Rachel Caine’s Website

Summary: Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble…

Claire never thought she’d leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Saying good-bye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane.

Her new life at MIT is scary and exciting, but Morganville is never really far from Claire’s mind. Enrolled in a special advanced study program with Professor Irene Anderson, a former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on her machine, which is designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires.

But when she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire starts to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she’ll ever make…

Is it November yet?  Because I totally want it to be November.  It’s going to be quite a wait.  Just when you think things are getting in THE BALLPARK OF NORMAL…you realize you are nowhere near normal.

Claire finally goes off to MIT.  It’s her chance to figure out if Morganville and Shane are really what she wants.  Morganville is never far for Claire, and trouble (naturally) follows her to MIT.  Professor Anderson isn’t what she seems, and we learn that others know of vampires- and that they want vampires either contained or gone.  I have to say, the title of the next book totally makes more sense, and I have never wanted to know what happens next more than I do right now.

Why?  Because Claire and crew arrive back to Morganville to find that the human population of Morganville have taken control of the town with the help of The Daylight Foundation.  I have the feeling we’re going to learn more about them in the next one, and I was totally taken off guard by a super-secret group that hates vampires.  I WAS TOTALLY NOT EXPECTING THAT.

Like…are the vampires going to be destroyed or used as lab rats or something equally horrible?  Because Michael’s not that bad.  And Amelie and Myrnin have their moments.  Even Oliver doesn’t seem that bad sometimes.

(Super glad Oliver made an appearance because I thought we’d never see or hear from him again.  It was totally silly to think he’d completely disappear).

I sort of get why the Daylight Foundation wants to be rid of vampires, but…I’m very fond of the vampires in Morganville.  I don’t want bad things to happen to them!  I want things to work out and for everyone to have their happily ever after!

I’m going back to Claire at MIT.  I liked her at MIT and seeing her be all paranoid because she’s so used to things being weird and needing to constantly look over her shoulder.  I liked that Shane followed her to MIT because he was worried about her.  I especially loved Claire not taking long to realize that Morganville is where she wants to be, because Morganville is home.

Claire’s project at MIT: I really shouldn’t be surprised that it gets used for…something it wasn’t intended to do.  And yet I found myself surprised.  Mostly because I wasn’t expecting things to go the way they did.  Things (sort of) work out, and I get Claire’s guilt over what happened.

What amazes me is that I’m still surprised after 14 books.  Caine always manages to keep things fresh and interesting- all while being really consistent.  I like that I don’t completely know what to expect.

Final Thoughts:

Fall Of Night might just possibly be my favorite book.  If not my absolute favorite, then it’s definitely up near the top.  I wasn’t expecting The Daylight Foundation and I certainly wasn’t expecting them to help the human segment of the Morganville population to take back the town.  It’s definitely action-packed, and hard to put down.  Fall Of Night gets 5 stars.

Book: Lovely, Dark And Deep by Amy McNamara

Published October 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers|Pages: 352

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Goodreads|Amy McNamara’s Website

Summary: A resonant debut novel about retreating from the world after losing everything—and the connections that force you to rejoin it.

Since the night of the crash, Wren Wells has been running away. Though she lived through the accident that killed her boyfriend Patrick, the girl she used to be didn’t survive. Instead of heading off to college as planned, Wren retreats to her father’s studio in the far-north woods of Maine. Somewhere she can be alone.

Then she meets Cal Owen. Dealing with his own troubles, Cal’s hiding out too. When the chemistry between them threatens to pull Wren from her hard-won isolation, Wren has to choose: risk opening her broken heart to the world again, or join the ghosts who haunt her.

Holy cow!  So…Lovely, Dark, And Deep…how I loved thee.  I am impressed.  Very impressed.  Lovely, Dark And Deep was so beautiful that I WAS STILL CRYING 5 MINUTES AFTER FINISHING IT.  Me crying is sort of rare, but even more rare is me crying for a few minutes after finishing it.

McNamara doesn’t waste a single word, and it felt like every word meant something and was carefully thought it.  It was very poetic, and I wasn’t surprised when I learned that McNamara has written poetry, because that really comes through.

I thought Wren was an interesting character.  She was really easy to really to, and was a pretty sympathetic character.  Her relationship with her dad, her mom, and her former best friend were all really different, but I loved her relationship with her dad, with Mary, and with Cal.  Her dad’s pretty awesome, and was much more willing to let Wren deal with things in her own way.  It’s too bad Mary was only there for part of the book, because she balanced out Wren in a lot of ways.

Her mom and her best friend.  Good God, they were irritating.  They pretty much thought Wren was selfish because she put off going to college and moved in with her dad and isolated herself from people.  It really seemed like Wren wasn’t grieving the way they wanted her to.  Which is a little sad because everyone grieves differently, and Wren went through a lot.  I mean, she went to a party, broke up with her boyfriend, who was drunk at the time because she was pregnant, had a car accident, and lost both him and her child.  And she had to deal with people wondering how she made it out okay, while he ended up dead…and them not knowing she was pregnant and miscarried.

Lovely, Dark And Deep was so heartbreakingly real and honest, and it’s such an emotional read.  Wren just wants to be in a place where she can JUST BE and grieve in her own way.  It may look like she’s running, but I saw a girl who needs a chance to breathe and let go and process things in her own way.  Was Wren selfish?  Maybe, but grief…it can make you do strange things.

I don’t know how I’ve gotten this far in my review and haven’t really talked about Cal!  I’m not completely sure about his relationship with Wren, but I’m glad he and Wren have each other, because they both really need someone.  They both needed a friend, and they definitely found more than that in each other.  I really am glad they found each other, because with everything they were going through, they needed to have that one person to help pull them out of it.

There’s just something so quiet and reflective about Lovely, Dark And Deep.  As strange as this may seem, it was a nice way to break up a lot of the lighter stuff I’ve been reading…and even stranger is that this book is exactly what I’ve needed.

Final Thoughts:

Words cannot express how I feel about Lovely, Dark And Deep.  I just feel so strongly about it that…5 stars doesn’t seem like a high enough rating.  It’s so FREAKING BEAUTIFUL, and every minute I cried was totally worth it.  I’m totally adding a new rating to the blog: Lovely, Dark And Deep gets 5+ stars!

Book: Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent

Published June 2012 by Harlequin Teen|Pages: 304

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Soul Screamers #6

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Vincent’s Website

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….

The more I read this series, the more I love it!  Where else are you going to get a story about a girl who’s now trying to struggle to fit in with her human friends.

I think my favorite part was seeing Kaylee adjust to life in the human world.  She really has to concentrate on staying visible in school, and I liked that she’d randomly start disappearing in the middle of class.  While Kaylee doesn’t always want to go to her dad when stuff happens, in the end, she does end up telling him, which I really like.  I mean, a lot of times, parents are totally absent, and I like that Kaylee seems to have the good sense to go to him when things get weird…well, weirder than normal, anyway.

I kind of wish we saw a little bit of her training, because I’m super-curious about her training actually entails.  Especially when you learn that Kaylee, her boss and a necromancer are the only people left in her department.  Add in Avari being able to cross over to the human world while borrowing the soul and body of people.  Especially if it’s someone Kaylee knows…because Avari is one twisted hellion.

Kaylee and Tod are so adorable together, and they make a great couple.  It’s nice seeing them together.  The stakes are getting higher with each book, and while the ending wasn’t what I was expecting, I can’t say it was all that surprising.  I’m almost nervous to see who’s going to be next- hopefully, no one, but I doubt everyone will survive.  If they do, I’ll be surprised.

At this point, Before I Wake is tied with If I Die for my favorite book in the series!  Seriously, Kaylee coming to terms with being dead, and the guilt she feels over a certain event in the book, and trying to hold onto her humanity…I loved that part of it.  I’m sort of amazed at how different Kaylee is now, and how much she’s changed since the beginning of the series.  Her struggle with her immortality was great to see.

Final Thoughts:

I totally can’t wait to read the next (and last) book.  I can’t wait to see where Vincent takes things after the events in Before I Wake, because things have gotten a lot more interesting.  Before I Wake was completely awesome, and gets 5 stars!

Book: Windfall by Rachel Caine

Published November 2005 by Penguin Group|Pages: 352

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Weather Wardens #4

Genre: Adult Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Caine’s Website

Summary: Less than a year ago, Joanne Baldwin was an agent for one of the most powerful organizations in the world, entrusted with the safety of millions of lives on a daily basis. Now she’s a scantily clad “weather girl” for a Ft. Lauderdale television station.

After losing her job as a Weather Warden (those with the ability to manipulate the weather and avowed to protect humankind), Joanne is finding life in the “real world” not as enticing as she once thought. Her job as a cheesecake weather girl is humiliating, especially with a lecherous head meteorologist (deliciously named Marvelous Marvin McLarty) who delights in devising new ways to embarrass her on camera. But with her supernatural Djinn lover slowly dying and a recently divorced, shopping-addicted sister camping out on her sofa, Joanne’s problems couldn’t possibly get worse — or could they? Throw in a highly suspicious detective bent on arresting Joanne on murder charges, a Djinn civil war, and a monster of an approaching hurricane –and suddenly Marvelous Marvin’s antics don’t seem so bad!

Holy cow!  Windfall is totally my favorite book in the series right now, because once the book starts, it doesn’t stop, and you’re left wanting to read the next book to see what happens!

The connection between her current boss, Marvelous Marvin and Bad Bob from Ill Wind, was surprising…but not too surprising either.

Just when you think things can’t get any worse…they do!  At this point, things are going to get really interesting because the Wardens are now at war with the Dijinn.  Based on what I’ve read in the Outcast Season- which is a spin-off of this one- it would seem that we are now starting the events that will lead up to that series.

I just love Joanne, who is such fun and spunky and generally awesome.  Her as a weather girl was really amusing, but seeing her trying to live a normal life was both amusing and interesting.  Trouble seems to follow her everywhere, and with her not being a warden and her powers being almost completely gone because of David as an Ifrit…well, let’s just say things get super interesting in Windfall.  With the Wardens wondering if she’s behind bizarre weather patterns in Florida and people out to get her, Joanne having seriously depleted powers…Joanne really can’t catch a break.  Then again, if she did,

It’s definitely  action-packed, with Joanne nearly dying several times throughout the book.  We also meet her sister, and it wasn’t a surprise that she met the guy Quinn was working for.  I wasn’t expecting it, but I really shouldn’t have been surprised by that particular revelation.

Seeing Joanne’s relationship with David was interesting, and it’s really going to be different in the books to come.  And it’s all because of the end of the book!  I’m also curious to see how things play out with the Wardens, the Ma’at and with Lewis.  Especially Lewis.  I feel like Windfall is the turning point, but I’ll have to finish to rest of the series to know for sure.

Final Thoughts:

I totally loved Windfall and I’m absolutely positive we’re at the point where the other books will be REALLY hard to put down.  Things are changing, and I can’t wait to see how things turn out.  Windfall is a fun, action-packed read.  Windfall gets 5 stars.

Book: That Time I Joined The Circus by J.J. Howard

Published April 2013 by Scholastic|Pages: 273

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Goodreads|J.J. Howard’s Website

A Note: That Time I Joined The Circus was an e-book from netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review

Summary: Lexi Ryan just ran away to join the circus, but not on purpose.

A music-obsessed, slightly snarky New York City girl, Lexi is on her own. After making a huge mistake–and facing a terrible tragedy–Lexi has no choice but to track down her long-absent mother. Rumor has it that Lexi’s mom is somewhere in Florida with a traveling circus.

When Lexi arrives at her new, three-ring reality, her mom isn’t there . . . but her destiny might be. Surrounded by tigers, elephants, and trapeze artists, Lexi finds some surprising friends and an even more surprising chance at true love. She even lucks into a spot as the circus’s fortune teller, reading tarot cards and making predictions.

But then Lexi’s ex-best friend from home shows up, and suddenly it’s Lexi’s own future that’s thrown into question.

With humor, wisdom, and a dazzlingly fresh voice, this debut reminds us of the magic of circus tents, city lights, first kisses, and the importance of an excellent playlist.

I am so glad I read That Time I Joined The Circus!  I think it might be one of my favorites that I’ve read this year.

It took a little time to get into it, because it was hinted that Lexi was doing something horrible the night her father died, but we eventually learn what happened that night, and all the details that led up to that night.  But in the end, I loved how the story unfolded and how we slowly learn all the details of that night.

I thought the role music has was pretty good, and while it had a big role, there were times when I felt like she wasn’t as music-obsessed as I was expecting her to be.  I did like that each chapter had lyrics from different songs, and that every single chapter went along with said lyrics.

We totally have to talk about the setting, because the circus is the main setting of the book!  Where The Night Circus was magical, and Water For Elephants was a little bit dark, That Time I Joined The Circus was fun and sweet and light-hearted.  I just loved the circus and how we saw the midway and the crew and the main act.  Circus Europa had a lot of charm.

There were some serious moments, because Lexi ends up at the circus trying to find her mother after her father died.  I felt like Lexi searching for her mother randomly disappeared once Lexi realized her mother wasn’t at the circus.  I thought that was interesting because Lexi has  no way to find her mother.  She does find her mother in the end, but I didn’t particularly care about the relationship she had with her mother.  Mostly because her mother was absent for a lot of the book, and so it was hard to care.  I also felt that way about her relationship with her dad, who we only saw in a handful of flashbacks.

What I did like was her guilt over being with Eli when she got the call about her dad.  I found it really easy to relate to, and I’d probably feel the same way if I were in her position.  I didn’t find her relationship with Eli too believable, because I never really felt like her feelings for him were really strong.  It definitely seemed like they were there, but it was hard to like her with him when I liked her with Nick so much better.

The circus is such a great backdrop for Lexi’s journey of figuring out she is and dealing with feeling abandoned by her two (ex) best friends, her mother who left when she was a child, and by her father.  I loved seeing her make friends at the circus, where people were not who they initially seemed to be.  Her time at the circus led her to a performing arts college, and I loved seeing how much her time in the circus changed her.

Final Thoughts:

I SO COMPLETELY LOVED That Time I Joined The Circus.  While the flashbacks didn’t completely work for me at first, by the end I was completely in love with the characters and the circus.  The title and the cover go so well with the story, and it’s better than I ever could have imagined.  That Time I Joined The Circus gets 5 stars.

Book: Waifs And Strays by Charles de Lint

Published June 2004 by Firebird|391 pages

Borrowed the paperback from a friend!

Series: None

Genre: Fiction/Short Stories/Fantasy

Summary: Charles de Lint is a thirteen-time finalist for the World Fantasy Award, and eight of his books were chosen for the reader-selected Modern Library Top 100 Books of the Twentieth Century. His best-selling and award-winning work has always featured teenage characters. Here, at long last, is a collection of his stories about teenagers- a book for teen and adult alike. From the streets of his famed Newford to the alleys of Bordertown to the realms of Faerie, this is speculative fiction that will tranfix and delight, that will make readers think and feel and keep reading. Waifs and Strays is a must-own for de Lint fans, and an ideal introduction to his work for newcomers.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Waifs And Strays, but I liked it more than I was expecting.

I really liked the elements of fantasy and myth and how well he blended them with the real world.  I also liked how the main characters were all teens.  Towards the end, they all started to blend together because they all seemed pretty similar to each other.  And this was after reading a couple stories at a time.  Since this book is short stories, it’s easy to have a couple other books going on at the same time, because you can read a couple at a time.

With any collection of short stories, you’re not going to like everything, which is the case with Waifs And Strays.  There were a few that were a little bit too long (like Sisters and Stick, to name a couple) but there were a few I liked (like Merlin Dreams In The Mondream Wood and Ghosts Of Wind And Shadow).

I did like the imagery and I could visualize everything so well.  I’ve never read Charles de Lint before, so this really is a good introduction to his work.  I don’t think I’m interested enough to read his other stuff.

I honestly have nothing else to add.  I liked it, but oddly enough, it’s also not my cup of tea.  Waifs And Strays gets 3 stars.

Book: Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

Published April 2013 by HarperCollins|400 pages

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: The Body Finder #4

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Kimberly Derting’s Website

Summary: Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.

When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.

Dead Silence is a great conclusion for this series!

One thing I loved was Violet connecting to her now-deceased grandmother through the journals her grandmother left behind.  I know her grandmother had the same ability, which was mentioned for sure in The Body Finder.  And I can’t remember if it came up in the other books, but I did like the connection between her team and the team her grandmother was on.  It’s all rather creepy, actually, because Violet’s team is comprised of people who had relatives that were part of the team her grandmother was on.  I’m sort of wishing that we got more glimpses of this super-secret group running her team.  We learned enough about them and what they do…and what they will do if you don’t do what they want.  Part of me wanted more, but there’s another part of me that’s okay with not knowing everything about this mysterious group because I love the air of mystery surrounding the series.

I really liked the random chapters following the serial killer.  It makes it more creepy, and it’s always a mystery to see the other person connects with Violet.

Seeing Violet deal with her own imprint was pretty interesting.  And her learning that there’s only an echo if the person has their heart was an interesting revelation- all thanks to her grandma.  Her discovery leads to her not walking around with her imprint, but she’s still dealing with what happened in the last book.  Which is totally understandable because killing someone- even when it’s self-defense- can’t be easy.

It was also nice to finally see Violet open up to her friend Chelsea.  Having the ability to find dead bodies can’t be easy, and sharing it with someone has to be hard, but it was nice to see her come to the realization that she needs to be more open with her friends.  And seeing the entry in her  grandma’s journal where her grandma had to move because of her ability because people found and thought she was crazy sort of put it into perspective.

The ending was pretty open, which leaves the door wide open for more books.  But things were also resolved enough that I’m okay with this one being the last book.

Final Thoughts:

I really liked Dead Silence, and thought it was a great last book.  I didn’t love it but overall, it fit with the other books so well.  Dead Silence gets 4 stars.

Book: If I Die by Rachel Vincent

Published September 2011 by Harlequin Teen|304 pages

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Soul Screamers #5

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Vincent’s Website

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.

If I Die is another great book in the Soul Screamers series.  It’s definitely my favorite in the series.

Kaylee dying…part of me was hoping it wouldn’t happen, but it did.  Seeing how she reacted compared to everyone else- I actually liked that she went about things like she normally would because she couldn’t change her dying.  And distracting herself  by taking out Mr Beck was definitely how Kaylee would distract herself.  Who knew it would turn out so badly?

Then again, there are actually consequences for whatever happens, which is actually NICE to see in a YA book.  This sort of falls into the consequences for your actions category, so I think it is a good place to mention that Kaylee and Nash break up, and that Kaylee and Tod get together.  Kaylee finally realizes that she can’t forgive Nash for becoming addicted to Demon’s Breath, and it’s after she kisses Tod!  Nash…I started out completely loving him, and now I’m not really liking him at the moment.  Demon’s Breath was bad enough a couple books ago, but there are a couple things in this book…goodness, how Nash has changed.

I’m totally trying to not give anything away here, because if I do, I’ll majorly spoil the book, and I really don’t want to do that for anyone who may want to read it!

I’m actually glad she and Tod are together.  They’re a much better couple than Nash and Kaylee.

I can’t believe I just said that, because I never would have thought that after the first book or two.  But it’s totally what I’m thinking right now.

I suppose I have to talk about Mr. Beck and him being an incubus.  I’m always impressed with what Rachel Vincent does in terms of paranormal creatures, and Mr. Beck is no exception!  Sabine helping Kaylee was slightly unexpected, but I ACTUALLY LIKED SABINE.  Sabine was still Sabine, but she really grew on me in this one and I was surprised by how likeable she was.

I thought Mr. Beck being an incubus and teaching high school students because he wants a son was an interesting and different.  It’s totally creepy, especially because he goes for girls who need help with math.  But it also sort of makes sense because he’s going for girls who are more likely to give him a healthy child.  Totally makes sense in this really creepy way.  And I did like how everything connected back to Kaylee and her past.  Not just with Mr. Beck but in general.

I just love so much about If I Die.  I really can’t think of anything bad about it.  Nash comes close, but while Nash was frustrating, I’m totally willing to overlook it.  For one thing, I kind of get why he acted the way he did.  And I think he was headed in that direction for the last couple books.

Final Thoughts:

I seriously LOVED If I Die.  It’s my favorite one in the series so far, and I can’t wait to read Before I Wake.  This is one hell of a journey for Kaylee and her friends, and I like where things are going.  If I Die gets 5 stars.