My Soul to Save

My Soul to Save
By: Rachel Vincent
http://www.rachelvincent.com/

“If she were going to die, I’d already be screaming. I’m a banshee. That’s what we do.”

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls for 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... (from rachelvincent.com)

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This is a book I liked, but didn't love. It had alot of great moments and idea's but I had a hard time getting into it. In fact, when I try to think about what exactly I didn't like, nothing pops into my head. I guess there is something to be said for the fact that everyone likes different things! I think that sometimes the order I read books affects my feelings, since I was coming off a book I really loved and whose story I wans't quite ready to leave. At any rate My Soul to Save is about a girl named Kaylee who is trying to find her way as a Banshee with the help of her boyfriend Nash. Add pop-stars who are selling their souls and Nash's reaper brother Tod and you have all the ingredients for a dangerous adventure.

One of the things I really liked in this book was the company that represented evil- Dekkar Media, tricking bright-eyed ambitious youngsters into selling their souls in exchange for fame and fortune. Contracts are written up and before you know it, your bright eye's have gone blank (literally) and your soul has been replaced by demon's breath. Now what I loved is that Dekkar Media was so clearly Disney (at least in my mind- with the rival being a nickelodeon-esque Teen-network). It wasn't such a stretch to replace pop-star Addison with Brittney or Lindsey and see how, even if the soul stealing isn't literal, the connection and implication is clear.

I also liked the vision of the netherworld, somtimes loosely tethered to reality and sometimes, where the sins of this world filter though, an exact replica. I enjoyed how everything there is dangerous, even something as mundane as grass or vines or a building.

I did enjoy the main charecters, Kaylee, Nash and Tod (and even Kaylee's best bud Emma)- but unfortunately I didn't feel a deep connection to them. I will still pick up Vincent's next book My Soul to Keep, as I have a suspicion that given more time to get to know these characters I will find that connection.