Review: 100 Hours by Rachel Vincent

Title: 100 Hours (100 Hours #1)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release date: March 28th 2017
Source: Edelweiss
Format: eARC

Rating: 3.5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Maddie is beyond done with her cousin Genesis’s entitled and shallow entourage. Genesis is so over Miami’s predictable social scene with its velvet ropes, petty power plays, and backstabbing boyfriends.

While Maddie craves family time for spring break, Genesis seeks novelty—like a last-minute getaway to an untouched beach in Colombia. And when Genesis wants something, it happens.

But paradise has its price. Dragged from their tents under the cover of dark, Genesis, Maddie, and their friends are kidnapped and held for ransom deep inside the jungle—with no diva left behind. It all feels so random to everyone except Genesis. She knows they were targeted for a reason. And that reason is her.

Now, as the hours count down, only one thing’s for certain: If the Miami hostages can’t thwart their captors’ plan, no one will make it out alive.

100 Hours follows two cousins ​​on their spring break vacation in Colombia, Genesis Valencia is the heiress of a large transportation company, so she´s used to get everything she wants and get away with it because of her father's money. Maddie Valencia lost her father a year before and she lives with her mother and older brother with a middle income, so on her vacation she and her brother Ryan end up accompanying Genesis, who travels with her boyfriend and her two best friends, all of them rich.

The original idea was that they would travel to Bahamas, but once in the private jet, Genesis changes their plans and they end up traveling to Colombia, the country where Genesis and Maddie´s fathers were born and where their paternal grandmother still lives, so their family back home in Miami aren´t aware of the change of itinerary.

Once in Colombia Genesis, Maddie, Ryan and their group of friends are kidnapped and taken to the jungle of Colombia where they plan to request ransom.

100 Hours is told from the point of view of Maddie and Genesis and begins in the present when they are kidnapped, and then jumps 100 hours before to see little by little how all their problems started.

Of the two cousins ​​I like Maddie, she´s more focused, less selfish and more likeable, easier to feel some kind of connection or worry about what happened to her. While Genesis is more selfish and unlikeable, but what saves her as a character is a bit her past and that due to that past she´s always on the defensive and prepared for this type of situation. There is a certain type of romance for the Valencia cousins, but it´s on a secondary level, since they have more important things to do ... like survive.

And as this book is part of a duology it ends with a cliffhanger (the last few chapters I was suspecting everyone, I just knew that something was going to happen, I was waiting for the twist and it delivered), so I will have to read the following book to see how the story of the Valencia cousins ends.

Review: Menagerie by Rachel Vincent

Title: Menagerie (Menagerie #1)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Publisher: MIRA
Release date: September 29th 2015
Source: Netgalley
Format: eARC
Reading level: Ages 18 and up

Rating: 4/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Vincent comes a richly imagined, provocative new series set in the dark mythology of the Menagerie…

When Delilah Marlow visits a famous traveling carnival, Metzger's Menagerie, she is an ordinary woman in a not-quite-ordinary world. But under the macabre circus black-top, she discovers a fierce, sharp-clawed creature lurking just beneath her human veneer. Captured and put on exhibition, Delilah in her black swan burlesque costume is stripped of her worldly possessions, including her own name, as she's forced to "perform" in town after town.

But there is breathtaking beauty behind the seamy and grotesque reality of the carnival. Gallagher, her handler, is as kind as he is cryptic and strong. The other "attractions"—mermaids, minotaurs, gryphons and kelpies—are strange, yes, but they share a bond forged by the brutal realities of captivity. And as Delilah struggles for her freedom, and for her fellow menagerie, she'll discover a strength and a purpose she never knew existed.

Renowned author Rachel Vincent weaves an intoxicating blend of carnival magic and startling humanity in this intricately woven and powerful tale.

Menagerie is the first adult book written by Rachel Vincent that I´ve read (I know she has other adult series), previously I´ve read her Young Adult series - Soul Screamers, which I enjoyed very much, because it introduced a mythological main character that regularly I do not find in YA books, so it was a pleasant surprise reading about the fantastic and mythological characters in this story.

Menagerie is a fantasy novel that takes place in a world similar to ours, or at least the United States has the same states but other countries are different, and this world is inhabited by humans and cryptids (they´re different types of supernatural such as minotaurs, centaurs, mermaids, werewolves, oracles, fairies, etc.) and years before the beginning of the story both races lived in harmony and the supernatural were citizens, but on a fateful day known to all as "the reaping" where many humans children were killed, due to this event the government decided to act against the cryptids and they lose their rights, so that today only the cryptids can be found in menagerie, or in private collections, and all of them are deprived of their freedom.

Delilah Marlow grew all her life thinking she was human, but on her twenty five birthday everything changes when she visits the menagerie with her boyfriend and friends, but when she sees the cruelty with which the cryptids treated, something awakens in her that makes her true self manifest, a creature that no one seems to recognize its origin and Delilah is arrested, stripped of her rights and sold as an unknown cryptid to the same menagerie where her creature manifested. there she will be displayed and treated like all the other "beasts". And there she´ll have to rely on Gallagher her handler and together try to discover what kind of creature she´s, besides being the only human in which she can rely.

Overall, Menagerie is a very original, dark, raw, full of fantasy book and it hooked me once I got the thread to the story (it took me a while to understand the world in which it develops), with good characters, some I liked and others I hated, definitely very entertaining. For those who like romance on their book, I have to inform that this first book of the series doesn´t have romance, because it focuses more on Delilah´s story and her journey.

Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent

Title: Before I Wake (Soul Screamers #6)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Release date: June 26th 2012


Rating: 5 / 5

Buy it at: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

*Spoilers if you haven’t read IF I DIE* 

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....

It's been a month since Kaylee died and she´s trying to fit to her new "life", trying to stay visible is not easy, she feels lost and disconnected from everything and everyone, the only person that makes her feel "alive" is her super hot boyfriend Tod. She never imagine that feign to be alive and going to school would be so difficult, her peers do not leave her alone, watching her and asking questions all the time and her ex boyfriend who does not want to talk to her, Kaylee feels that no longer fits in school anymore. But she must attend as part of the deal for her new job at the reclamation department, her soul was reinstated in her body, but now she should work for eternity rescuing souls that were not programmed to die and have been stolen.


In Before I Wake, Kaylee is facing a new mystery, to discover who is stealing souls and save these souls, and as the thief turns out to be an old enemy of Kaylee, she will have to rally her group of friends (Tod, Nash, Sabine, Emma, ​​Alec, Luca and even a not very convinced Sophie) to help her. 


And by the romance I can not complain, since there was enough. Kaylee and Tod are totally in love with each other and would do anything for each other.

“You're not lost, Kaylee. You can't ever be lost, because I'll always know where you are. And if I'm not there with you, I'm on my way, and nothing standing between us will be standing for very long.”

The Soul Screamers series gets better and better as the story progress in each book and Rachel Vincent continues to amaze me with certain parts of history that I did not see coming and it definitely left me with my mouth hanging open. Before I Wake has romance, has many funny moments, moments with some mystery, very sad moments but especially the last chapter of the book had me biting my fingernails and trying to figure out how would she solve the problem as she was facing, but definitely I NEVER thought it would happen that way (I'm still in shock). Before I Wake has an ending that killed me, and  I´m definitely looking forward to read With All My Soul (seventh and final book in the Soul Screamers series). You definitely must read this book.

If I Die by Rachel Vincent

Title: If I Die (Souls Screamer #5)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release date:  September 27th 2011

Rating: 5/5

But it at: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

The entire school's talking about the gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck. 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.

If I Die takes place six weeks after the events of My Soul to Steal, Kaylee is dating Nash and all seems to be going well, then she finds out that she is on the reapers list and she may die in less that a week; that is the main plot of this book, there is a subplot but I´m not going to go into details because this book is about Kaylee and how she handles the news about her possible death and honestly she handles herself very well.

Kaylee throughout the series have followed all the rules, is responsible, as long as it doesn´t endanger the life of someone else and if that´s the case, she´ll disobey him, hiding things to save or help anyone in need. Also she almost never loses patience and tries to get along with everyone (the only exception of this is Sabine). But in If I Die Kaylee we see a slightly different, which I feel is obvious with the news that she could die. She is distracted by a new case and feels that if she isn´t distracted, she could not keep her composure and may collapse, so keeps busy. Another character that I really liked in this book is Kaylee's father obviously he´ll try everything humanly and non-humanly necessary to save her.

I´m glad I decided to participate in the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge, this is a really good series.

If I Die is my favorite book of the series, is an emotional ride; shocking, heartbreaking, with unexpected surprises, this book made me laugh and cry; I LOVE it so much! and now I´m team Tod! (I still love Nash though). Can´t wait to read Before I Wake.

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My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers #4)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release date: January 4th, 2012

Rating: 4/5

Buy it at: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

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.

My Soul to Steal takes place 2 weeks after the events of My Soul to Keep, Kaylee and Nash are no longer dating but they´re trying to overcome it and see if they can be together again. Kayle loves him and misses him very much but is not sure if she could trust him and if she could forget what happened. Meanwhile Nash want to return with her but knows that it is not so easy and he´s fighting every day with his addiction and the guilt. And in this situation arrives Sabine in to their lives, she´s Nash ex girlfriend who moved to town determined to recover him at all cost.

The arrival of Sabine shakes Kaylee a little because she´s not ready to forgive and forget what happen with Nash but she´s aware that if she doesn´t make a decision soon she could lose him. Nash accepts Sabine into his life because he´s in a time when he needs a friend, someone to listen him, someone that give him support and acceptance. And that someone is Sabine.

Outside of the love triangle, we have Emma, Kayle´s best friend, we also get to know a little more about Alec, the "young man" that Kaylee rescue from the Netherworld. And finally we get a little more of Nash´s brother Tod.

I loved My Soul to Steal! I love this series and can´t wait to read If I Die.

Book trailer

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers #3)

Author: Rachel Vincent

Publisher: Harlequin

Release date: June 1, 2010

Rating: 4.5/5

Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them.Until something does.Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked.And so is someone else...

**May contain spoilers if you haven´t read the previous books**
It has been 3 months since Kaylee found out that she was a banshee, the same 3 months of being dating Nash and the same 3 months since she found out that the world wasn´t like she imagined. There are females banshees like her that scream when someone is dying and can help the soul return to his/her body (something not recommendable to do, for its consequences), there are males banshees like Nash that has the power of persuasion and can help to calm their females counterpart when they´re screaming. There are also grim reapers that do not get along well with the banshees except for their "friend" Tod a grim reaper. And there are also the hellions (demons) living in the netherworld and their breath is highly addictive.

In My Soul to Keep, Kaylee discovers at a party that her best friend boyfriend is inhaling "demon breath" which is highly addictive and can cause permanent insanity or death. Kaylee decides to investigate, how such drug got into the human world and will try to prevent that more humans inhale it.

I really liked My Soul to Keep, is my favorite of the series so far. Many things happen in this book, Kaylee investigates with Nash help, how is possible that such drug as "demon breath" is in the human world, which is not an easy task since hellions can´t cross to the human world, co that means that someone is helping the drug to reach the human world and Kaylee is going to try to found out who is the dealer. And she has to do all this without her father finding out and trying to protect her best friend without telling her what´s really happening. And also Kaylee has to go to the netherworld since a hellion found a way to force her to cross. To add to all this Kaylee is having problems with Nash.

My Soul to Keep is highly recommendable.

Quotes:

“I got swirling eyes and the capacity to shatter windows with my bare voice. Tod got teleportation and invisibility. The supernatural world is so far from fair.”

"I was thankful for the possibility he´d shown me: than a man really could love a woman enough that he´d do anything to protect her."

Book trailer 

My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

Title: Soul Screamers Volume One (My Soul to Lose, My Soul to Take and My Soul to Save)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Publisher: Harlequin
Release date: Noviember 22, 2011.

Soul Screamers Volume One(book 1 &2) Rating: 4/5
My Soul to Save Rating : 3.5/5

 Buy it: Book Depository , Amazon
Read Excerpt here

My Soul to Save (goodreads description)
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...

I´m participating in the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge and this month read My Soul to Save , second book in the series.

My Soul to Save takes place 6 weeks after my Soul to Take, Kaylee is dating Nash, and she´s taking classes with Harmony, Nash´s mom about how to control her screams and learning other things that bean sidhe can do.

In this book Kaylee is trying to save a teen singer that has sold her soul,  Kaylee and Nash try to help her at Tod request.  The need to embark in a dangerous journey into the netherworld to recuperate her soul.

I like it, I just I didn´t enjoy My Soul to Save as much as I did with My Soul to Take. There were times when Kaylee annoys me a little, especially with her insecurities about Nash. One moment she´s secure of Nash feelings about her and the next she´s thinking that he´s not taking her serious.

Tod has his funny moments  and I get to know him a little more but the is a moment when I dislike him (when they in the netherworld at the end).

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My Soul to Take Covers


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My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Title: Soul Screamers Volume One
Author: Rachel Vincent
Publisher: Harlequin
Release date: Noviember 22, 2011.
Rating : 4.5/5


Buy it: Book Depository , Amazon
Read Excerpt here

My Soul to Take (goodreads description)
She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

I´m participating in the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge and the first read is My Soul to Take , book 1 of the series. 

Kaylee Cavanaugh is a 16 year old girl, who suffers from panic attacks, caused by the proximity of a certain person when is near her and her way of controlling them is to get away from that person. If  she doesn´t  get away she feels the urge to scream until she loses her voice and also has a hunch that the person will die. 

And when she has a panic attack in front of the hottest guy from high school and he helps her, she at first doesn´t know what to do with this situation once the "panic attack" has pass and Nash Hudson start to pretend her and he had a reputation of changing of girlfriend every week. 

And when her hunch about the girl becames true, Kaylee decide to investigate.

So I´m going start by saying that this book is awesome! I love mythology and this new paranormal character is great, yes I love vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, all things paranormal but I love diversity and this book is a new breather for me.  And I really liked that there is romance, but it is not the main plot and has some very interesting turns. The focus of the story are the girls that  are dying for no apparent cause and Kaylee  decides to investigate.

This book is recommended for all those who like paranormal thrillers.

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My Soul to Take Covers

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Recommendation: Soul Screamers Volume One by Rachel Vincent

Title: Soul Screamers
Author: Rachel Vincent
Publisher: Harlequin
Release Date: November 22, 2011
Paperback: 596 pages
Buy the book: Book Depository , Amazon
Read the Excerpt



This contains the first two Soul Screamers novels (My Soul To Take and My Soul To Save) as well as for the first time in print the prequel My Soul To Lose.

It starts with a scream….
My Soul to Lose
—The prequel: never before in print!—
Kaylee is just your average girl shopping at the mall with friends—until a terrified scream bursts from her that cannot be stopped. Taken to a hospital ward, will she be able to save her mind—and her life?

My Soul to Take
She's always felt different, but now Kaylee discovers why. The screams that cannot be denied mean that someone near her will die—and she can never save them. Because saving one life means taking another….

My Soul to Save
Going on dates with her boyfriend is still new to Kaylee. But when the singer of the band they're seeing dies onstage and Kaylee doesn't scream, she knows something crazy is going on. Soon she discovers souls can indeed be sold….