My Soul To Take
by: Rachel Vincent Book Review by: Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-0373210039 Sub-genres: Fantasy & Paranormal When I saw this book sitting on a shelf at Half Price Books I was intrigued. After I read the back, I was like, "So she's a *******?" (What? You really thought I'd tell you this early on?) To which my boyfriend promptly looked at the book and said, "Yea, it’s a really good series too!" So I bought it. I read it in about two days time; it was one of those books that you really couldn't put down. Every time I did I sat there thinking about what was going to happen next and I just couldn't let it go! So, if mythology and mysteries are your cup of tea then look no further because Rachel Vincent has combined the two beautifully. PLUS there's a little bit of romance, and who doesn't want a sprinkling of that? This story is told through our heroine Kaylee's point of view. She is your typical sixteen year old girl, She has a love interest, an awesome best friend, and her fair share of family problems.The difference between Kaylee and other teenage girls? She can tell when someone's going to die... and worse yet she uncontrollably screams bloody murder when she senses it- and she has NO clue why she does this! As far as she’s concerned, she is just completely insane. That is until one of her predictions comes true... Much to her pleasure two people, her boyfriend and best friend, witnessed it so there is some proof she’s not certifiably insane! But this leads to more questions, as she wonders why she has this ability, does her family know, why did that girl die, and why are more dying every day? Now that you have an idea of what’s going on, allow me to blow your mind! Vincent’s world of screaming girls only gets more insane! If you know your mythology you know that Kaylee is clearly a banshee or Bean Sidhe as the Celts call them. Way cool! Not too many people write about them, much less put such AMAZING plot twists on them. Vincent takes the concept of a famous legend and adds new twists to what Banshees are and what they can do! But it doesn’t stop there, oh no, you have your Banshees, Reapers, family secrets, and sudden deaths. And NONE of it is what you’d think! Her new twists and amazing storytelling makes this book unforgettable! I am a very proud to be Scottish and Irish, our myths are absolutely exciting, but I swear I will NEVER look at Banshees the same way again! All the mysteries, from the little ones making up Kaylee’s direct story, to the bigger picture of why all these girls are suddenly dying is an unforgettable ride! You will try to predict the ending, and trust me, you won’t. Now I would like to make a few notes on this. 1- I've seen a few people talking on other sites saying that this wasn't a good book, that the heroin is too ill informed, etc etc. Seriously? This is book one of a series. She has NO CLUE what she is or why she has these abilities. It all comes as quite a shock to a 16 year old girl. GIVE IT TIME. I plan on picking up the sequel tomorrow and I'm sure it will ONLY get better! 2- Now that I've made mention that this is only the first book, I would like to comment that there are seven books in the series.... PLUS a prequel to the first story and three Novellas being told by other character's. I will not be commenting on those, at least not any time soon, as I don't read Novellas [big let down because they look REALLY good]. Here are the links to Rachel Vincent's sites.
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Rancour
by James McCann Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-1897476116 WOW! What a book! I've read this story before, say seven or eight years ago, so I already knew it was a fabulous read, but re-reading it only confirmed how wonderful this intricate work of fiction really is. This book has so many layers to it! There is a very heavy emphasis on the battle of good vs. evil and as you read the book you will find yourself questioning what is honorable and what is a sin. The novel takes place in a tiny town where a series of mysterious events has started taking place. As the story progresses, we find ourselves with a small town mystery, a werewolf, a vampire, a mortal girl, and a back story to shake the ages! McCann paints a vivid picture of the time period and invokes such raw emotions of his characters. It’s impossible to put this book down. I read it in one night! The story is told from Rancour’s point of view which is what makes the story a MUST read. He is an Irish werewolf who values morality and goodness above pretty much all else. As you can imagine being an ‘immortal’ creature gives you all the time in the world to think. He is a very philosophical creature and his journal entries through the story not only give light to him but give pause to the world as we know it. In his quest to find himself, and the one he loves, he has figured out the difference between mortals and immortals. And it’s not as black and white as you’d think. Their world might not be so different from ours… If you read the back of the book or the quick blurbs online you’ll notice the first thing it talks about is a girl named Alix. The mortal girl I mentioned earlier. And those really do make it seem like this book is about her, but in reality the REAL story takes place around her. She is in the middle of an ancient feud between werewolf and vampire. But it gets SOOOO much better. Turns out werewolf and vampire are not the only ‘immortal’ creatures running around in this world. The plot thickens and memories from the past fly between characters. You will be dying to get to the end and see what becomes of this ancient feud and the characters within. I myself cannot wait to pick up the sequel and see what new wonders McCann has put on paper! Two Quick Notes: 1- If you've read review comments on this book anywhere else you might have seen people saying "If you liked Twilight you'll like this book". THIS BOOK IS WAY BETTER. So if you don't like Twilight just go ahead and put that comparison out of your mind! Because McCann's Vampires and EPIC immortal beings are a WHOLE OTHER LEVEL from Meyers. [And before any crazy twilight fans jump down my throat, I own the series, I read and enjoyed the books but I love this way more.] 2- As I was grammar checking my review I stumbled across a comment from THE James McCann about this book. This is what he said on the 27th of June 2014: "This third edition has many changes in the story from the first and second editions. A new publisher and new editors helped craft a much better book." Now the book I reviewed is a second edition. I had read the first edition BEFORE there was ever a "Rancour Chronicles" but when it came time to buy a copy all I could find was a second edition. In June of 2014 James announced a third edition of the book. I thought this was strictly based on the cover, but based on his comment I am TICKLED PINK to get a copy of the third edition!!!!! I AM SOOOO HONORED TO FIND OUT THAT JAMES MCCANN SHARED THIS REVIEW! I was looking for him to add a link to him on here and I found that instead. |
YA Fiction Reviews |