My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers #2)

Author: Rachel Vincent

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: December 29, 2009

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies. 

So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn't wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can't cry for someone who has no soul.

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad's ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld--a consequence they can't possibly understand.

Kaylee can't let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk...

The main reason I finally picked up this series is because I decided to participate in the Soul Screamers reading challenge. I rally enjoyed the first book when I read it last month and it was no different with My Soul to Save. I am definitely happy to have finally discovered this series.

Now that she knows who she really is, Kaylee is trying to get used to the idea of being a banshee. And to the idea that someone like Nash Hudson would want to be with her when he could have any girl he wants at their school. Now if only Nash's reaper brother Tod would stop popping up and appearing out of thin air unannounced, things would be perfect. But that's unlikely to happen. So when a teen pop star collapses on stage and dies without her soul, Kaylee starts to worry that something might be terribly wrong. With the help of Tod and Nash, she now has to race against time to stop moe young pop stars from signing away their souls.

When I read My Soul to Take last month I really enjoyed it and I can now say that I think I enjoyed My Soul to Save even more. With this one, it felt like the action started sooner and there was more of it which definitely made me happy since I like my books packed with action. I really like the world Rachel Vincent created where banshees, reapers and Netherworlders coexist, though not quite exactly peacefully. There just seems to be so much to that world and every time I think I have it all figured out, Tod or Nash will throw some other detail my way and it changes everything I thought I understood. On a similar note, I often find that with series the story can have a tendency to repeat itself from one book to the other. It was definitely not the case here. The story Rachel Vincent wrote in My Soul to Save was completely different from the one in the first book. The story was unique, but still brought me back to the world I have come to really like.

Once again, I really loved Kaylee and the fact that she is the one telling the story. With the story being from her perspective, I like that as a reader I only find out things as she does, especially when it comes to the world of banshees and reapers. Though what I like most about Kaylee is her willingness to help just about anyone she meets if she feels that person deserves the help. My one complaint about that though, is how willing she is to put her own life at risk, often much to the dismay of the people who love her. Speaking of people who love her, I find myself sort of being torn between the Hudson brothers. While at first I was all for Nash, Tod has definitely grown on me. He may sometimes be a pain in the ass and quite annoying, he is good at heart...he just needs to work on how he shows it. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Overall, My Soul to Save was a really great read did not let me down like can often happen with the second book in a series.  I am definitely looking forward to the next book, which I should be reading quite soon. 

New Design!

As you may have noticed Emilie's Book World has gotten a brand new design. I'm really happy with how everything turned out and for that I have to thank Linna from lj design studio. If you're looking for a new design I definitely recommend you check her out. Her designs are affordable and she keeps you updated throughout the whole process. So thank you Linna for the wonderful new design!





Blog design by Linna at LJ Design Studio

In My Mailbox (32)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is a post where book bloggers share the books they received for review, purchased, borrowed or were gifted each week. 

Once again this week, I had a fair amount of books come into my home. It felt like every time I came home there were more books waiting for me. In all honesty, I'm starting to wonder where I'm going to put them all. There's still some space on my shelves but not all that much. But it's not like that's ever going to stop me from buying more books. So here's what I got this week.

Review:

- The Night She Disappeared by April Henry - I have yet to read a book by April Henry but it's something I've been wanting to do for quite some time. I've heard that The Night She Disappeared is a really great read and it sounds like the perfect mix between mystery and thriller. I'll definitely be reading this one soon so be sure to look out for my review in the near future.

- After the Snow by S. D. Crockett - I haven't read that many reviews for this book, but the synopsis makes it sound really interesting. Basically it sounds like a dystopian set in an ice age where people have to struggle for their survival. It definitely sounds different and I look forward to being able to read it quite soon.

- Fated by Alyson Noël - I really like Alyson Noël's Immortals series (though I still have to read the last book) so I'm looking forward to reading this new series. It sounds like it has the potential to be really interesting. Hopefully it will be as good as it promises to be.

- The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa - I think I may have started hyperventilating when I came home on Monday and found this book waiting for me. I was ready to drop everything and start reading it right away but somehow manage to restrain myself. Let me just say that I can't wait to read this one and hopefully that will be sooner rather than later.

- Fair Coin by E. C. Myers - This one showed up unexpectedly this week but it definitely sounds really interesting. From the synopsis I can say that it sounds like it is somewhat different and has a lot of potential. I'm really hoping to be able to read it soon.

Purchased:

- Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake - I've been thinking about reading this book for quite some time now but was never entirely sure if it would be worth it. But Ciara from Lost at Midnight finally convinced me with her review of the book so I decided to pick up a copy when I went to the bookstore. 

- Starters by Lissa Price - I have been hearing absolutely amazing things about this book and the premise sounds really interesting. I wasn't expecting to find it at the bookstore, but it was in stock and the employee at Chapters was nice enough to go get it from the back for me. I'm really hoping to read it soon.

So that's all for me this week. Leave me a comment letting you know what you got and I'll come check it out!

Under My Skin by Charles de Lint

Title: Under My Skin (Wildlings #1)
Author: Charles de Lint

Publisher: Razorbill Canada

Release Date: March 6, 2012

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Indigo

For the past six months, something has been happening to young people in Santa Feliz. Week after week, there's news of another teen changing shape, transforming from human to wild animal and back again. The federal government has stepped in, running public service announcements calling for affected youth to turn themselves in for "orientation and training".

Josh Saunders has seen the new reports, but he's still unprepared when it happens to him. One minute he's arguing with his mother's boyfriend and the next he's looming over the man, blood dripping from his claws--transformed into a mountain lion. When he switches back to his human body, he knows his life has changed forever. He has become a Wildling.

Trusting only his best friends Des and Marina with his secret, Josh tries to return to normal life. But an encounter with Elzie, another Wildling, brings him unwanted attention from the authorities. And when an accidental betrayal reveals Josh's secret, his carefully constructed cover is ripped apart, forcing his friends to intervene. They must grudgingly put their trust in others, including other Wildlings--and, most challenging, in each other--if they ever hope to save him.

While I had heard of Charles de Lint, I hadn't read any of his books until I read Under My Skin. Let me just say that it was a great way to be introduced to this author. I really enjoyed reading Under My Skin, it was fast-paced and very much action-packed, something that made it into a great pageturner.

Josh knows all about the Santa Feliz teens who have beent urning into wild animals, but he never expected he would end up becoming one of them. And from the moment he changes, Josh's life becomes absolutely crazy. He doesn't know who to trust anymore but still confides in Marin and Des, his two best friends. But as soon as he does so, his life becomes even more chaotic. Josh has to watch his every step, what with Federal agents following him everywhere he goes. And as they often do, things quickly take a turn for the worse. Now Josh may just have to fight so save his won life and to protect the lives of all the other Wildlings in Santa Feliz. Staying alive and keeping the fact that he's a Wildling secret might be more difficult than Josh thought it would be. 

Under My Skin is the first of Charles de Lint's books that I've read, and I absolutely loved it. The story in Under My Skin is filled with action and is very much fast-paced. I find that often with books wehre a character transforms into something paranormal or finds out about being a paranormal, it always takes a while for that transformation to happen or that knowledge to be acquired. Here it was definitely not the case. Josh's transformation into a Wildling happens barely past the first page, which then makes it so the story can take off right away. This is definitely something I appreciated about the story, there was definitely no dragging out of certain parts and something was always happening. Under My Skin is also told from two different points of view, Josh and Marina, and I feel like that also really help create the fast pace of the story. There was always something that one of the two narrators didn't know, but wanted to know, which in turn caused more action. Basically all this to say that Under My Skin by Charles de Lint is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat and there is never a dull moment.

Under My Skin also offers quite a fair amount of characters. The story focuses on Josh, but every other chapter is also told from Marina's perspective. And then through both Josh and Marina, the readers get acquainted with a whole other cast of characters. But in this book, having a large number of fully fleshed-out characters is something that really works and is almost necessary to the story. The book just would not have been the same had it only been about Josh, Marina and their friend Des. The other characters, particularly Chaingang, Cory and Elzie, really added to the story and were often responsible for a lot of the action that was taking place. While those other characters were there, Josh and Marina are still the two that I got to know really well. While the two are best friends, they have quite different personalities, especially when it comes to dealing with the whole subject of Wildlings. But at the same time they complement each other and it was great to see them work together, and with the other characters, to achieve their common goal.

Under My Skin by Charles de Lint was a fantastic read. The writing was addicting, the story will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat the whole way through. I am more than happy that this is the first in a new series because I simply cannot wait to get more of these characters and this world. 

Waiting on Wednesday (38)

For those of you who don't know, Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming book release they are particularly looking forward to reading.

THIS WEEK'S PICK:

ARISE BY TARA HUDSON

Amelia—still caught between life and death—must fight for every moment of her relationship with the human boy Joshua. They can hardly even kiss without Amelia accidentally dematerializing. Looking for answers, they go to visit some of Joshua’s Seer relatives in New Orleans. But even in a city so famously steeped in the supernatural, Amelia ends up with more questions than answers…and becomes increasingly convinced that she and Joshua can never have a future together.Wandering through the French Quarter, Amelia meets other in-between ghosts, and begins to seriously consider joining them. And then she meets Gabrielle. Somehow, against impossible odds, Gaby has found a way to live a sort of half-life...a half-life for which Amelia would pay any price. Torn between two worlds, Amelia must choose carefully, before the evil spirits of the netherworld choose for her.

I really enjoyed Hereafter by Tara Hudson when I read it last summer (my review) and I was left wanting some more of Amelia's story. I'm really looking forward to finding out what will happen next in this sequel. Hopefully it will be as good as the first book was.

Arise by Tara Hudson will be published June 5th, 2012 by HarperTeen.