Before I Wake (Soul Screamers, #6) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Feb 11, 2012 The Flooze rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vanquished_2012, urban-fantasy-paranormal, ya_teen, owned

*3.5*

I didn't realise this was the second-to-last book of the series. Based on that, the pacing makes a little more sense.

Vincent is setting us up for the Big Finale, and leaves us in a bit of a cliffhanger state at the end of Before I Wake. Before I realised that, I was frustrated by the lack of progress this time around. I'm still a bit frustrated.

We've got the typical bickering and repetition in this installment. I had to remind myself several times that in my teen years it was especially har *3.5*

I didn't realise this was the second-to-last book of the series. Based on that, the pacing makes a little more sense.

Vincent is setting us up for the Big Finale, and leaves us in a bit of a cliffhanger state at the end of Before I Wake. Before I realised that, I was frustrated by the lack of progress this time around. I'm still a bit frustrated.

We've got the typical bickering and repetition in this installment. I had to remind myself several times that in my teen years it was especially hard to let go of bitter resentment...or at least hard to keep myself from constantly bringing it up and throwing my anger and blame in the other party's face. Nash and Kaylee, Sabine and Tod (and of course Sophie) all behave as normal teens would given their complicated situations. Though that's certainly a credit to Vincent's writing ability, it does make my adult self cringe from time to time.

I started off thinking the Big Bad was getting overplayed at this juncture, but knowing the series is finishing up changes my view. One more book will be perfect for wrapping up this arc and resolving all the loose ends. There aren't that many at this point, another thing I'm thankful to Vincent for - I do hate coming near the end and thinking the author has backed herself into an impossible-to-resolve corner.

There's a lot of death and drama, tension and surprise in Before I Wake. Vincent assures us with every page that no one is really safe (except for Kaylee, I suppose) and danger can come at any time. It's effective enough for me to mentally mark everyone for death. I like that (how morbid that sounds). It's refreshing to know Vincent is willing to go an unexpected route to get her story told.

Returning to the subject of teens being teens, Kaylee and Tod's relationship (view spoiler)

As I said, we're left on a bit of a cliffhanger with no one's fate really certain. I have no idea at this point how things will wrap up, creating a sense of anticipation few YA series can muster up in me. Congrats, Ms. Vincent, on ensuring I'll be in it to the end. ...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Heather Leonard rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: for-the-kids-young-adult, kindle, fiction, sci-fi-fantasy

I enjoy the story line of this series; it embodies all of the teenage angst I expect from a YA Paranormal Romance. My biggest beef with this book was the repetitive use of phrases. The author used "scrubbed his/her hands over his/her face" at least half a dozen times (which is a lot for a short read). I am also pleased that the author is ending the series after the next book. Sometimes I think series go on long after they've jumped the shark, and it's nice to know some authors know when to bring ...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Kalynn rated it it was amazing

More detailed review later.

From a comment I left on a review of the book:
I loved “If I Die.” It, combined with “Reaper” turned the series from good books to keepers, but, I think, BIW might be better. I also loved IID so much that I expected to be disappointed, and I was most definitely not.

“If I Die” was a brave book, and it turned the series into something above the usual run of YA paranormals. BIW is tightly plotted, and ironically considering it’s the sloth book, it’s the fastest moving inst ...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Steph rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series-completed, author-웃, series-ended, age-group-ya-na, year-read-2012, sos-games-bsb-r6

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Before I Wake takes place a month after If I Die in which Kaylee did just that ... died. Her banshee skills were needed and she was offered a job as an extractor with the reclamation department. Since her death, she's has a hard time acclimating to her new not-completely-dead life.

Adjustment is a major theme throughout the book.

Kaylee is adjusting to her new job, new relationship with Tod (yay!) and her new state of being. She feels disconnected from everything, hollow on the inside. Before I Wake takes place a month after If I Die in which Kaylee did just that ... died. Her banshee skills were needed and she was offered a job as an extractor with the reclamation department. Since her death, she's has a hard time acclimating to her new not-completely-dead life.

Adjustment is a major theme throughout the book.

Kaylee is adjusting to her new job, new relationship with Tod (yay!) and her new state of being. She feels disconnected from everything, hollow on the inside. Tod , is the most well-adjusted character in the book. He's over the moon about his relationship with Kaylee. But, his brother Nash is still brokenhearted and refuses to speak to him. Nash is adjusting to a sober life without Kaylee. Or rather, he's trying to adjust but failing badly. He was setup for her murder even though he had nothing to do with it. All charges were dropped, but he can't drop the fact that it happened. "How long am I going to be paying for the fact that I didn't kill you, Kaylee?" Sabine , Nash's Nightmare ex, is his shadow. She is still in love with him and thought for sure that once Kaylee died she'd get his love. She's adjusting to the fact that one didn't automatically make the other true. Kaylee's cousin, Sophie , is adjusting to the fact that Kaylee's not as crazy as she always believed her to be and the knowledge that monsters do exist.

Thane, the reaper who killed her mother and tried to kill her, is back. Somehow he's escaped the Netherworld where Tod dumped him in an effort to protect Kaylee. Kaylee and gang gather together to battle against Avari, a hellion of greed, who has found a way to crossover from the Netherworld. He's somehow walking around wearing the skin of people who have recently died. Avari is bound and determined to get Kaylee's soul. He's found a way to make her suffer until he does. Can they keep him from getting what he wants?

As fans of the series, the best part of this book for me was Tod. He thought, when he fell for Kaylee, that he had no chance at a life with her ... his dream has come true and he's doing everything he can to keep her safe and let her know how much she's loved. Convincing dad is proving to be another issue altogether, but he's straightforward about his feelings and intentions where his daughter is concerned.

"Mr. Cavanaugh, I know this isn't the future you wanted to Kaylee, and I know I'm not who you wanted for her. And I'm not even going to pretend to think I'm good enough - I know I've made mistakes, and I'm probably going to make more. But I love her with every single cell in my body. She's the reason my heart beats - literally. There's nothing I wouldn't do for her. There's no one I'd put ahead of her. And I will never, ever leave her, as long as she wants me. Kaylee's the strongest person I've ever met. She can make it through eternity on her own. But I swear on my soul that as long as I'm here, she'll never have to."

With All My Soul, due out in March 2013, said to be the final in the series. I'm excited to see how Rachel will end things with these guys. They have all grown since we first met them in My Soul to Lose (prequel). There are definitely times while reading that I need to remind myself that they are teenagers. Though none are "typical" teens, they do suffer from typical teen issues (boys, friendships, school, parents), but also creepy crawlies from the Netherworld. ...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Kay rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, ya-fantasy-paranormal, series-completed

Spoilers for earlier books!

Before I Wake was just an absolute treat. We're six books into the Soul Screamers series now, and I can firmly state that none of the characters we met in the first book are the same - Kaylee most of all.

And thank God for that! Kaylee is one of those characters that has rather frustrated me over the years. She always feels pathologically responsible for the decisions of others - which leads to books and books of guilt, guilt, guilt. It's been frustrating beyond bel ...more

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Jul 07, 2013 Crystal S rated it really liked it

Shelves: e-book, first-person, paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy, usa-texas, 6th-in-series, demons, ya-paranormal, friends-then-lovers, virgin-heroine-or-hero

Wow. The last book ended in a way I didn't expect, so I might call this book a game changer. This series is certainly is keeping me on my toes. I don't know of any other series quite like it. It's pretty unique. Can't wait to read the next one! ...more

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Jun 07, 2011 Lauren⁷ 💜 marked it as to-read

Shelves: romance, fantasy-sci-fi-romance-romantasy, young-adult-teen-new-adult

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Jun 22, 2011 Melissa-The Book Addict rated it it was amazing

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Sep 04, 2011 Allison marked it as to-read

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Sep 19, 2011 Sarah Dizon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, acquired-in-2013, read-in-2015, 5-stars, own

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Oct 21, 2011 Crissa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, 2012

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Oct 27, 2011 Trish marked it as to-read

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Jan 02, 2025 Midu Hadi rated it liked it

Shelves: middlers, reapers-and-the-underworld, banshees, premissing, us-author, read-in-january, soul-screamers-series, female-protag, read-in-2024, hellions

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