YRAH Bday: Interview with Rachel Vincent+ GIVEAWAY

YOUNG READER blog is now 2 years old!

And 

THAT

calls for a celebration!

Don't forget to check out the previous posts

Character Interview of Frigid by Jennifer Armentrout

Interview with Kimberly Ann , author of Triangles

Ok I know it's been a LONG time since I posted anything interesting or related to this event but it's because I suddenly have absolutely NO free time!

Also, I'm not exactly the most organised person so I forgot to schedule this...

Anyway without further delay I present to you ,one of my favorite authors Rachel Vincent.

(I can't get over the fact that this is happening ! She's an author that I've been wanting to interview for AGES)

 Rachel do you have any advice for budding authors?

I have only the advice every writer seems to give out. Write a lot to refine your voice and hone your craft. Read a lot to see how that is done.

If there was a zombie apocalypse would you still pursue a career in writing?Also what do you think you would be incharge of?

By definition, if there were an apocalypse, no one would have a career in anything except staying alive, right? After the apocalypse, maybe I would return to writing. But I'm not sure how much value that particular skill would have in a world so devastated.

Can we expect any YA or New Adult novel from you in the coming year? (Preferably next year *gives puppy dog eyes*)

I announced a new YA sale last week. ANATHEMA and PANDEMONIA have sold to Wendy Loggia, at Random House/Delacorte. But the first one won't be out until 2015, so the only YA I'll have in 2014 is the Soul Screamers Volume 4 omnibus, which will contain one original story.

Books you would recommend to adults & children.

I typically recommend Holly Black, Stephen King, Courtney Summers, Scott Westerfeld, Simone Elkeles, etc... 

I don't want to read the last soul screamer novel, how did it feel to actually end such an amazing series?

Draining, but exciting. Bittersweet. It's strange and kind of scary to say goodbye to characters who've been in my life for so long. But I'm pleased to have been able to give them a good ending.

How would you explain what the soul screamers series is about to a person who hasn't read it?

I'd probably direct them to online descriptions of the books, then add that the books are full of complicated family- and friendship dynamics, an array of supernatural beings (some I made up entirely), high stakes, lots of romance, and humor.

All your books in the soul screamers series are based on a certain theme can you tell us about the themes in order?

Each of the seven Soul Screamers books has as its theme one of the seven deadly sins. (Not the plot, but the theme.) In order, they are:

Vanity (MSTTake)

Greed (MSTSave)

Gluttony-as addiction (MSTKeep)

Envy (MSTSteal)

Lust (If I Die)

Sloth-as depression (Before I Wake)

Wrath (With All My Soul)

Rapid Fire(what it the first thing that comes to your mind when I say....)

Twilight

-dawn 

Black

-white 

Harry Potter

-book 

Hot

-cold 

Wings

-fly 

Coffee

yum 

T.V.

-screen 

Tod

-death

ABOUT THE SOUL SCREAMERS SERIES 

Source(couldn't find the original page so linking to image source )

The series consists of 7 books and has been completed. The books in order are:

My Soul To Take     *Goodreads* My Review* 

My Soul To Save      *Goodreads* My Review*

My Soul To Keep      *Goodreads*My Review*

My Soul To Steal       *Goodreads*My Review*

If I Die                        *Goodreads*My Review*

Before I Wake          *Goodreads*My Review*

With All My Soul       *Goodreads*My Review*

GIVEAWAY

I'm giving away a SIGNED copy of With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent.

This giveaway is 

INDIA only 

If you're international and will  pay for shipping you can enter the giveaway as well.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review + GIVEAWAY: With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent

With All My Soul (Soul Screamers #7)

by Rachel Vincent

blurb
After spending the last year undead, Kaylee Cavanaugh has had enough of the paranormal creatures who have plagued her ever since she came into her banshee powers. Now she's ready to take her school back from the evil hellions, once and forever.

To protect her friends, Kaylee will need to find a way to turn the living incarnations of Avarice, Envy and Vanity against one another.

Yet when one more person close to her is taken, Kaylee realises she can't save everyone she loves without making some powerful sacrifices...

ADD TO GOODREADS

SERIES Reviews: BOOK1,BOOK2,BOOK3,BOOK4,
BOOK5,BOOK6


Source: Publisher for an honest review ( I HEART you MiraInk!)

BUY: Amazon,Flipkart

My Thoughts:

This is the LAST book in this series.

from Google

I cannot believe that I won't be reading about these characters anymore!

from google

I have been avoiding this book like the plague and I probably wouldn't have finished reading it till next month if not for Fiktshun's reading challenge deadline. Thank you Rachel @ Fiktshun and Shelley @ Tsk Tsk What to Read for the push, I needed it!

It was time to say goodbye to the characters I've come to love and hate over the span of seven books and It was hard! SO HARD!

Tod , Kaylee, Sabine,Emma,Harmony,Nash,Sophie,Luca,Levi,Madeline,Ira,Ben and every single character part of this amazing world... I'M GOING TO MISS YOU!

source

It's hard to say goodbye and I tried very hard to avoid it but once I started reading I couldn't stop! I finished the entire book in one day i.e yesterday .

 Rachel Vincent pulls you into this amazing world and doesn't let you go till the very end.She leaves you wanting more!

Rachel is an amazing writer. Loads of times books loose their pace and allure as the series progresses and writing a story that goes on for seven books is not easy but she manages to pull it off. The last three books in the series have been AHMAZING and If someone asked me which is the best book in the series I think I'd have to think really hard. There were some(to be exact just two) books in the series that were a little disappointing (Especially Book 4 ) but this is one series I would recommend to almost everyone. The character building is great and the author does not hesitate in breaking the rules.

Character building is important and the characters in this series have depth and are more than just caricatures. The relationships are built beautifully and the emotions felt by the characters are experienced by the reader. I could easily connect and form a relationship with the characters even though I didn't have a lot in common with them.

Kaylee is a strong heroine who uses her brain. She may have come across as love struck and a naive girl in the beginning of the series but she's not one anymore. She's selfless and at times willing to go to any lengths to protect the ones that she loves. In a way she's become wise and has realized that the world works in certain ways. 

Nash is a character I've had a rocky relationship with. I never loved his character. He came across as too sweet and understanding at first and that made me suspicious. My suspicions were justified and there were a lot of things that he did that I hated but I understand his reasons.I don't hate him anymore.

Tod is a character I loved   love. I liked him from the very beginning! He had a minuscule part to play in the first book but this sarcastic and funny guy left his mark.Tod is my favorite character from this series and I think I'm gonna miss him the most.

Sabine is a character that at times I HATED with a vengeance but it's hard to hate someone who speaks the truth and calls out people when they're lying to themselves. I think this is one character that I have grown to like and even love as the series progresses. 

All the secondary characters (there are too many to name) are memorable and have a story to tell and Rachel tells that story beautifully.

I don't want to give away spoilers so I'm not going to write much about the story except for the fact that it was gripping but at times I found it to be predictable.I knew that a particular incident was going to happen and that is why I wasn't surprised when it did but that doesn't mean that the book was boring or didn't hold my interest. Sometimes it's the journey that is important and this is one journey that has had a lot of ups and downs.The final conclusion is one that nobody should miss out on.

Overall, this is one series I think everyone should read. It starts off slowly but keep in mind that character building cannot be rushed.The final conclusion did not disappoint me and that in itself is an achievement. I cannot wait to read another series by Rachel Vincent.Anathema release soon PLEASE!

My Rating:

5/5 

*This review is part of the Don't Let It End Challenge and  WAMS  mini-reading challenge hosted by Fiktshun.

GIVEAWAY

You guys might have guessed already but I'm a huge FAN of this series and I wanted to giveaway this book as part of my blog's second birthday!

This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL!

Don't forget to enter the previous giveaways that are still going on.....

Ink by Amanda Sun [NORTH AMERICA only]

The Eternity Cure [INTERNATIONAL]

Up for grabs: One copy of With All My Soul offered up by the AHMAZING peeps at MiraInk!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WAMS challenge!

I'VE BEEN DYING to read this book...

and Fiktshun decided to host this challenge. How could I resist?

I cannot believe this is the LAST book :(

CHECK OUT THE DETAILS HERE: http://www.fiktshun.com/fiktshun/2013/02/19/with-all-my-soul-mini-reading-challenge-sign-ups/?utm_source=rss

Review:Before I Wake

Before I Wake (Soul Screamers #6)

by Rachel Vincent

 blurb:

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….

Note: Younger Readers strongly cautioned.

Source:Publisher for Review(Thanks so much MiraUK!)

US cover:

My Thoughts:

I knew that there was no way that this book could top the previous book ,If I Die even before I picked it up but this book came pretty close.It wasn't as amazing as If I Die because If I Die was a complete gamechanger and took this series in a completely different direction but Before I Wake  doesn't ruin the buildup that develops in If I Die and that in itself gives me a huge sense of satisfaction.


The one thing I was worried about after If I Die got over was the fact that Kaylee would still lust after Nash and would drive me insane but I'm VERY happy to say that Kaylee did not act in the way I had predicted.It is established that Kaylee and Tod are an item and are going to remain one  in the near future .(YAY!!!! ) 


Dear Nash fans, I'm happy to say that Nash was great in this novel.I actually liked him in this one and found him to be only mildly irritating.Nash grows as a character in this novel and I'm happy to FINALLY see some growth in him.


One thing I loved in this novel was the fact that even though Nash and Tod weren't on good terms when it came to Kaylee's welfare they didn't argue and sided with each other against her.


Sabine was also great in this novel. She was her sarcastic self as usual but a lot more bearable as she wasn't out to kill Kaylee.There were some parts in which Sabine broke my heart .


One of my favorite quotes from the novel is from Sabine.


“The three of you are enough to drive a mara mad.'She can wear my shirt," she growled in an imitation of Nash."No,she can wear my shirt,"she said switching to Tod's smoother tone.Then Sabine took off down the hall without a glance at any of us."I have a spare.Come on, Kaylee,before I choke on testosterone and melodrama.”




Tod


I didn't think it was possible for me to love this guy anymore but I do.Also, he kind of scared me a little with his devotion to you-know-who  but it was so sweet!

Then I remember that he's a fictional character,,,,(Plus he isn't single but that doesn't matter)

But I'll settle with this....

The concept
Before I picked up this novel I didn't think much would change with Kaylee even though she's dead now. I thought it was pretty cool that now Kaylee is invincible and nobody can KILL her but it comes at a price.In almost all novels authors hardly pay attention to how people miss their humanity(like when people become vampires they're too busy not killing people and trying to live a normal life to actually miss being human and you barely notice the fact that they aren't human anymore).Rachel Vincent isn't most authors and I loved seeing the consequences of being almost invincible in this novel.


The story
The author had me hooked and as usual I finished this book in one day and couldn't put it down.There were a lot of twists and turns but the best part of the novel was the ending.It was amazing and now I'm dying to find out how it ends in the LAST NOVEL.


At the end of the novel there is a great surprise ..instead of a sneak peak into the next novel there's something else.Something I REALLY ENJOYED.(Won't ruin the surprise for you )


Overall, this was a fine addition to the series,can't wait for the last one.


My Rating:

I would have given a 5 but I'm comparing this to If I Die so in comparison to If I Die it's a

4 - 4.5/5


Giving it a range .


Just couldn't decide.

Some of my favorite quotes(Couldn't post the really good ones because of spoilers) :


"Not much scares me anymore,but I'm terrified of losing you,Kaylee."His lips skimmed my stomach again,and I closed my eyes as my hands curled in his hair."I don't want to let you go long enough for that to happen."
-Pg.188

"Do you take anything seriously?

"Only you.I take you seriously.Everything else goes down better with a joke-the verbal equivalent of a spoonful of sugar."

Pg.195

"The realm? The whole realm?" Em was close to panic.
"Stop saying the word realm,"Sabine said."I'm having sci-fi convention flashbacks."
"When were you at a sci-fi convention?" Alec asked and the mara shrugged.
"Nerds give good nightmare.They're afraid of everything."
Pg.213

"You know there's a much easier,simpler way to sedate her,"Tod whispered as Sophie downed half the shot,then gulped the soda Nash handed her.

I rolled my eyes."No.you can't knock her out."

Pg.235

Sabine rolled her eyes."Because you're the beautiful fairy princess and the evil Lord of Hell can't secure his kingdom until he's feasted from your flesh and slaked his thirst with tea brewed from the ashes of your incinerated bones."
Nash groaned,and Tod laughed out loud.
Sophie hiccuped  and turned to me, frowning "Is she serious?"
Pg.236

"No,you should stay right where you are,or my estranged brother and I will settle our differences by seeing  who can break more of your bones."

Tod glanced at him,brows raised,"You want to settle our differences?"

Nash frowned."No,I want to break every bone in his body,and I don't think you'd let me do it alone."

Tod nodded."Good call."

Pg.(you'll just have to figure it out) 

Review: If I Die

If I Die (Soul Screamers #5)

by Rachel Vincent

 No one wants to be this teacher's pet…

The entire school’s talking about the gorgeous new math teacher, Mr Beck. That is, 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


Source: Bought


Note: Younger Readers cautioned


Warning: This is more of a rant and less of a review


My Thoughts:


After the disaster that was Book #4 (see my review) I picked this book up after a LOT of reconsideration.I was very close to abandoning this series but someone  told me that there's more Tod in this book and that pretty much convinced me to pick this one up because I LOVE TOD .

This book was SO GOOD!  I thought no book could top My Soul To Keep but this one was AHMAZING!

There were so many parts where all I could think was "OMG!!!!"

^This pretty much sums up my expression

Then there were parts when I was like 

FINALLY!

I even did the Happy Dance!

AND  Towards the end....

Ok now let's get down to the proper review

 I was beginning to give up on Kaylee ,but in this book she reminded me why I loved her so much... She knows she's dying and instead of curling up in a corner and weeping ,she decides to track down an evil bad guy.KAYLEE I RESPECT YOU SO MUCH ! There were parts when I thought Kaylee would  be a bit too mature about her impending death but she wasn't .She asks Nash for an unexpected favor as soon as she finds out that she's going to die.Which annoyed me at first but then I realized that she's DYING and she's never going to experience that ever if she doesn't do it soon.So I understood and supported her decision even though I absolutely hate Nash with all my body and soul.

Nash started to grow on me a little in this novel because you can clearly see the boy cares for Kaylee and is willing to do anything to make sure she is happy but by the end of the novel I still don't like him.He did some pretty unforgivable things in this novel.*Sigh* Right when he was beginning to grow on me too.Looks like Nash and I are not meant to get along.I'm sorry Nash but I continue to despise you more and more...

I actually liked Sabine in this novel.She does grow on you.

Emma was amazing in this novel.I wish I have a friend like her someday who would be able to take things in so coolly.

Tod was the best in this novel.He was sarcastic as usual but we got to see his sensitive side.Plus he was so supportive of Kaylee and we realize that he's always going to be there for her.

So many emotions were felt by me while I was reading this book. The story also had so many unexpected twists and turns.I loved every moment of this book and  I'm SO GLAD that I own it because I'm going to re-read it many times. 

Overall,this book is amazing and completely worth your time.Dying to read the next book (Before I Wake)

My Rating:

5/5

LOVED!

Note : ALL BOOKS IN THE SOUL SCREAMER SERIES ARE BELOW $10 IN BOOK DEPOSITORY (last time I checked) So you can easily win a copy of any ONE book in the series if you enter my 500 followers Giveaway.

Don't forget to check out my 500 Followers Giveaway!

Review: My Soul To Steal

My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers #4)

by Rachel Vincent 

 Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can’t just pretend nothing happened. But “complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn’t just an ordinary girl. She’s a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people’s fears—and craft them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she survives.

And Sabine isn’t above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.




Source: Borrowed from Friend


Note: There may be spoilers from previous books in the series 


My Thoughts:


This is by far the most disappointing book in the entire series.
Remember how I was so happy with Kaylee's decision to let go of that dirtbag in My Soul To Keep.
Well,I was happy with Kaylee because she did something different and  something that required a lot of guts.I thought that she would keep her distance from Nash till Nash did something to redeem himself but Kaylee ALMOST runs into Nash's arms as soon as she sees that she has competition.

A new addition to the series, Sabine is one woman I don't like... I'd heard a lot about this girl and I was expecting a b!#$# but she's a little too mean,desperate and  focused on Nash for my liking.I couldn't relate or connect to Nash and Sabine's extreme relationship at all.

Looking into everyone's fears was a little creepy and there was very little Tod in this one.So you can see that saying I was pretty disappointed with this book is an understatement. I always thought Rachel Vincent's characters would be different and they have never disgusted me (except for Nash) but I am really beginning to doubt where Rachel Vincent is going with her characters after this novel.I really hope that she doesn't make Kaylee run back into Nash's arms in If I Die.

Overall,I'm very scared with how the series will progress after this .I've been a huge fan of this series for a long time and if If I Die is as disappointing as this novel I'm afraid I might stop reading this series.

My Rating:

On the Rachel-O-Meter (comparing this to other novels by Rachel Vincent) this book is a SOLID 2/5.

but compared to all other novels I give it 

3/5

Side Note: I finished reading If I Die and there's no need to fear guys.That book is AMAZING and ROCKED MY SOCKS OFF.Don't give up this series after this book.The next one more than makes up for the disaster that this book is!