If I Die (Soul Screamers #5)

If I Die (Soul Screamers #5)
Age Range
12+
Release Date
September 27, 2011
ISBN
0373210329
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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.

Editor reviews

2 reviews
Soul Screamers Just Got Way More Intense
Overall rating
 
3.7
Plot
 
N/A
Characters
 
N/A
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N/A
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What I Liked:
Whoa. I knew this series got better at a certain point, based on ratings from trusted reviewers, but it’s still startling to go from steady 3 star books to a much higher rating. I’ve been waiting for Vincent to bring it, and she totally did. If I Die gets a bit darker and raises the stakes. Also, it’s a much more emotional read than the previous ones.

Up to this point, I really never had any feels about the Soul Screamers series. I’ve enjoyed it, but my black heart felt nothing in particular. Here, the feels appeared. Surprisingly enough, they were pretty much all romance-based. I say surprisingly, because I wasn’t sure how I felt about the romance and from a logical level I’m still not entirely certain. What I can say for sure is that Vincent does a really good job setting up the switchover to Tod. I still find the love triangle with brothers frustrating and am a bit disappointed that she and Tod couldn’t continue to be good friends. At the same time, they’re very shippable. As you can tell, I am conflicted.

The reason this works so well despite my complex feelings on the matter and the source of the feelings is the truth bombs Tod drops left and right. Tod has seen a lot through the course of the series, and he’s gone from a fairly passive observer to a major player in the game. His arguments for why he cares for Kaylee and for why they’re better suited than she and Nash are accurate. In fact, Kaylee suddenly becomes a lot more likable once the door closes on her and Nash. It’s shown that they’re not necessarily a good couple, though they wanted to make it work. Free of him, she’s a better person, more free to carry out those impulses she always had to argue with Nash about throughout the whole book; he never wanted her to help others or risk anything, but that’s the kind of person she is.

The plot follows along the standard mystery lines of the other books in the series. The difference is that the mystery has a more personal impact, because, at the same time, Kaylee’s faced with knowledge of her own impending, irreversible death. I think the plot was also helped by the fact that the adults weren’t kept out of the loop this time. The other books felt a bit like child’s play, no matter how dangerous, because, ultimately, there was always a cavalry of trained adults they could bring in if shit hit the fan. In this case, the adults were informed and the outcome still didn’t look bright.

What Left Me Wanting More:
If I Die had two main downsides. The first is that I totally called the ending in chapter one. Not every detail, but it was pretty obvious how everything was going to resolve. The second is that things do turn out rather conveniently. The ending could have been much more heartbreaking. Then again, this has been a fairly fluffy paranormal series, and its fans wouldn’t have been pleased with the sort of bleak ending I would have loved.

The Final Verdict:
Reading the Soul Screamers has now paid off. I only hope this quality can be sustained through the next couple of books, or even improved on.
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User reviews

2 reviews
Overall rating
 
4.7
Plot
 
5.0(2)
Characters
 
4.5(2)
Writing Style
 
4.5(2)
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N/A(0)
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If I Die
Overall rating
 
4.3
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Kaylee is on the list. You know that list the Reaper’s get so they know who to collect? Yeah, that list! It looks like she’s going to be wailing for herself fairy soon. Is that even possible?! Either way, Kaylee is on a roller coaster of emotions, and I found myself worrying right there with her.

Knowing when you’re going to die is definitely going to mess with your head and emotions. What would you do if you know you’d die in six days? Kaylee is dealing with the news the only way she can: throw herself into some crazy missions! First, she’s investigating the sexy new math teacher, Mr. Beck. He’s not human, but what is he? Did he knock up her classmate who nearly bled to death while miscarrying? Second, she can’t die a virgin!

Sex plays a very prominent role in If I Die, which was a bit surprising. There’s nothing explicit, but the topic does come up quite a bit. I do think the subject of Kaylee being unsure about wanting to lose her virginity was handled very well though. Then of course there’s the whole student/teacher relationship plot going on, which is going to be a hot topic no matter how it plays out.

I almost gave this one 5 stars, but I can’t. I think the ending was a little too convenient. I was just hoping for more. I was shocked at some of the events in the last chapter, but then they were resolved too neatly, taking away from that initial punch to my gut. Sure, happy endings are great, but leaving at least ONE thing messed up could have pushed this one to mind blowing. It’s definitely the best of the series so far though.
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Mind-Blowingly Fantastic!
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
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5 stars? This book deserves a whole constellation!

I was so excited to read this again for the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge; this is my favorite of the series! It is the epitome of a good YA book.

[Minor Spoilers and Fangirliness Ahead]

What would you do if you knew you only had 6 days to live? Probably not save all the girls in Texas from an incubus posing as a teacher in your school, but that's what our girl Kaylee does. When she finds out she is going to die, she doesn't dwell on it and mope around. She just wants to do one last good thing before she kicks the proverbial bucket, which I really admire. Another example of why she is one of my favorite literary heroines!

I love Tod and Kaylee soooooooooooooooo much!!!! (I warned you about the fangirliness) They are my favorite couple hands down. Their chemistry is perfect, and their relationship is kind of unexpected, at least when reading the first couple of books (MSTSteal did hint at some things). They are absolutely perfect! I cannot wait to see how their relationship plays out in the next book.

On a darker note, Nash was just terrible, in my opinion. He annoyed me so much, I found myself almost yelling out loud because of his ignorance. What can I say, I really got into this book.

The ending of this book left me speechless. It was tragic and beautiful and hopeful all at the same time. I need Before I Wake!

Overall: Read it, read it, read it! Did i mention you should read it?
Good Points
Everything!
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