Re-Read Review: My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent

My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent 

Soul Screamers #4

(Re-Read Review)

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.

Just like my first three re-read reviews for this series, I feel the need to start off with a warning that this post is NOT a traditional review, and will be quite spoilery. Also there will be a whole lot of ranting and bashing. I'm participating in the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge hosted by Fiktshun. You can either read the books for the first time, or re-read them, and I am doing the latter. I thought it would be fun to do a post of my thoughts about things the second time around with all of the knowledge of the following books. So again, I really would not recommend reading this review if you are not caught up in reading books one through five. You have been warned. ;)

Unlike the first three books, I had already written a full review the first time I read My Soul to Steal, so I had an even better insight into my original thoughts. You can check out that review here to see where my head was the first time around.

It's kinda funny because I was a little annoyed with Kaylee  both then, and now, but for two entirely different reasons. I was annoyed with her last time because she wanted him, but wouldn't give him a chance. This time my annoyance is ten times worse because she won't let him go! I still cannot believe I wanted her to be with Nash. My only explanation is that once I pick a guy in a book, I'm pretty much stuck on him regardless of what he may or may not do. It is only in very very rare cases that I will change my mind. I just hate heartbreak and angst, so for me it's almost always gonna be the first guy that catches my "heart" in a book. I just don't have the ability to "break" up with them mostly. This is why I could never be an author. I couldn't put my characters through the hell required to make a book enjoyable. So getting back to the point of Nash and Kaylee, I know I had wanted them to stay together because of my extreme difficulty with letting go. However, I am now completely over it. I just wanna say "Here you go Sabine, he's all yours!"

I do have to admit that a lot of my ability to finally let Nash go was because of Tod. It is simply amazing to see just how much I missed the first time around because I was too focused on Nash. That talk he had with Kaylee about letting Nash go because he wasn't enough for her, and that their relationship would never be whole, really opened my eyes. In fact, I realized that so much of what he was saying and the emotion behind it was because of how much he loved her himself.

Here's a series of interactions between them that were so much more impactful the second time around.

"Like, maybe there’s someone better out there for him. And maybe there’s someone better for you."

Why yes, Tod, you are so much better for her!

“Just go away, Tod. I have enough to worry about without adding ‘taking stupid advice from a dead guy’ to the list.”

Tod blinked at me, and the smallest cobalt tremor of emotion rippled through his irises before he regained control. Before I could interpret what I’d seen. Then he sighed and blinked out of the room, pizza box and all."

Sighs, if only Kaylee knew how much he cared, than she would have realized how much she hurt him with that statement.

“So…you’re still mad about the other day?”

“Wouldn’t you be mad if I told you to give up on someone you care about? Just…hand her over to someone who doesn’t even deserve her?”

Tod gave me a strange, sad look I couldn’t interpret, and the blues in his irises shifted subtly for a moment before he got control of them. “Yeah. I guess I would.”

Again, if only Kaylee could see the truth. Tod is living this every day watching her with Nash, who absolutely does not deserve her one bit!

Then strong, warm arms wrapped around me from behind. “I’ve got you,” Tod whispered in my ear, as Avari charged us........ 

Tod squeezed me, then let me go, and I whirled around to face him. “Thanks. I totally owe you.”

“No. You don’t,” he said, and the blues in his eyes shifted slowly.

*Swoons*

I cannot wait to dive into the next installment to finally see some real Kaylee and Tod moments!