Quickie Review: My Soul to Lose

My Soul to Lose was released in the U.S. on July 1, 2009 in eBook format only. It is currently available to order online in eBook format at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by Harlequin TEEN, the novella is 63 pages.

My Soul to Lose is a prequel novella in the Soul Screamers series by author Rachel Vincent.

My Soul to Lose is also available as part of the Soul Screamers Volume One omnibus edition in print and eBook formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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My Soul to Lose is a novella set in the world of author Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamers series prior to the events that take place in the first full-length book in the series, My Soul to Take.

Told from the perspective of the main character in the series, Kaylee Cavanaugh, it gives readers a short glimpse into her life prior to her discovery of who and what she is. In this story both readers and Kaylee are unaware of just what is wrong with her and why she has debilitating “panic attacks” that cause her to scream uncontrollably, to see things that shouldn’t be there, and that leave her hoarse, terrified and questioning her sanity.

And while the novella creates more questions than provides answers, it does introduce readers to Kaylee and gives them a look at a heroine who is in many ways a normal, frightened teenage girl who just wishes none of this was happening to her, but who is also strong and selfless and who manages to retain her sarcasm and sense of humor through it all.

My Soul to Lose is an exciting and immensely entertaining introduction to this series. It develops the main character and teases the world enough for readers to want to know more. It gives readers a feel for the author’s writing style and gives them a peek at several characters who will make an appearance in later books in the series.

Whether the novella is read prior to having read any or all of the full-length books in the series or not, it will be captivating and intriguing, humorous and heartbreaking, a little bit shocking and most definitely eye-opening.

While My Soul to Lose can be read at any point during the series, reading it prior to the first book offers a very different experience for readers than reading it at any point thereafter. But for new readers and fans of the series alike, this novella is an absolute must read.

Reviewer gives this book…

On a personal note:

I absolutely loved this story. And while I didn’t read it prior to having read My Soul to Take, I was just as riveted as I would have been not knowing what was happening to Kaylee.

I loved getting the chance to get to know her before she met Nash and before the rest of her world turned upside down. And I loved getting a peek at a few of the characters that would play more of a role in later books in the series.

There were parts to this novella, when Kaylee was locked up, that were absolutely heartbreaking. But I loved seeing her fighting spirit and getting to witness her witty and sarcastic banter, which kept this story from being too grim.

And having read it after reading My Soul to Take, I loved that I was able to notice things that I wouldn’t have known meant anything if I’d have read it first.

I am so glad that there was a novella written about this particular time in Kaylee’s life, as what happened in this story was pivotal. And getting to see it through Kaylee’s eyes rather than just hearing about it made it feel that much more important to the story and made it that much easier to see Kaylee as a sympathetic character and not just a tough one.

I thought it was the perfect length to give me the chance to get pulled into the story, to keep me hooked, to make me surprised when I reached that last page and to leave me wanting more.

And without a doubt I definitely want more.

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Even in this short novella, there are passages that I consider favorites. As there are quite a few funny and sarcastic passages I adore, I decided to choose the beautifully written one that left its mark instead.

My dreams were a jumble of violent chaos. Thrashing limbs. Bruising grips. Churning shadows. And through it all was that never-ending screech, now a hoarse echo of its former strength, but no less painful.

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