Review: My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Lose
Author: Rachel Vincent
Series: Soul Screamers:
Challenge: Soul Screamers Reading Challenge
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: July 1, 2009
How Received: Purchased
Rate:5

Summary (as quoted from Amazon)It was supposed to be a fun day, shopping at the mall with her best friend. Then the panic attack started and Kaylee Cavanaugh finds herself screaming, unable to stop. Her secret fears are exposed and it's the worst day of her life.
Until she wakes up in the psychiatric unit.
She tries to convince everyone she's fine--despite the shadows she sees forming around another patient and the urge to scream which comes burbling up again and again. Everyone thinks she's crazy. Everyone except Lydia, that is. Another patient with some special abilities....

My thoughts:
My Soul to Lose is one of the most awesome mini-books I’ve read, ever. The story follows seventeen year old Kaylee, who is just a normal teen, focused on good grades, working, shopping, and crushing on the hottest guy in school. But she also has a scary secret ; she has the horrific tendency to start screaming right before someone dies. Her family thinks that she is experiencing panic attacks, but she isn’t so sure. Holding the scream back is almost impossible, but Kaylee has always managed to do it… Until one fateful day, while shopping at Sears with her best friend, the darkness takes over, and she sees a kid who is about to die. This time, though, she can’t control the scream, and she lets it loose, much to the horror of everyone around her. The pain consumes her to the point that she looses consciousness, and when she wakes up, she finds herself strapped to a metal table, alone, with nowhere to go. When someone finally comes to her rescue, Kaylee finds out that she has been committed to a mental hospital due to the fact that, while trying to stop the screaming, she almost ripped her throat out. Knowing that the only way out of her situation is to lie about her “panic attacks”, (and stop making sarcastic jokes to the staff member assigned to watch her), Kaylee becomes a silent, ideal patient, never causing any trouble, and, luckily, never feeling the urge to scream. But when another patient starts dying, Kaylee gets the urge to scream again - and this time, if she can’t control it, she’ll never see the light of day again. I loved getting to know Kaylee in this prequel ; funny, sarcastic, and smart, she is easy to relate to, and you find herself rooting for her even while she herself is questioning her sanity. I went into this novella with high expectations, and I was not disappointed. With her easy writing style, captivating heroine, and witty plot, Rachel Vincent has created a world that is extraordinarily unique ; if you are looking for a quick read and a new series to start, then I highly recommend picking up My Soul to Lose today!
5/5
~Moujnir