Book Review: With All My Soul - Rachel Vincent

Published March 26th 2013 by Harlequin Teen

Goodreads Description

What does it mean when your school is voted the most dangerous in America? It's time to kick some hellion butt...

After not really surviving her junior year (does "undead" count as survival?), Kaylee Cavanaugh has vowed to take back her school from the hellions causing all the trouble. She's going to find a way to turn the incarnations of Avarice, Envy and Vanity against one another in order to protect her friends and finish this war, once and forever.

But then she meets Wrath and understands that she's closer to the edge than she's ever been. And when one more person close to her is taken, Kaylee realizes she can't save everyone she loves without risking everything she has....

Wow. I don't even know where to begin. The fact that this is the last book in the series makes me even more worried about getting this review right. Not to mention trying to keep it spoiler free. Well, here goes nothing:

After the shocking events that happened in the end of Before I Wake (Soul Screamers #6), we were filled with endless questions about the fate regarding our favourite characters, and as well as the big one: "How do you defeat something that can't be killed?"

With All My Soul answers most, if not all, of these questions. However, it is also the most heart-breaking one of the series. So you've been warned.

Kaylee and her friends have been through many tough battles. But the war isn't over for them. Not when there are many hellions out there wanting to take possession of your soul. After the loss of numerous lives, Kaylee has had enough; it is time to make the hellions pay for everything that they've done. Although hellions of the Netherworld are immortal, they do have a single weakness: the emotions for what they themselves represent. By the end, we've met:

• Avari, the hellion of greed
• Invidia, the hellion of envy
• Belphegore, the hellion of vanity
• And a new character, Ira, the hellion of wrath, who was just as intriguing

So, the master plan involves making the demons suffer from their symbols. Which is a lot easier said than done. And Kaylee and her friends risk everything in this last fight. Their homes, their friends, their families and their lives. 

Like with all of her books, Rachel did a fantastic job with her writing. It was smooth, action-packed and full of emotion. Her characters were plausible in terms of their actions and emotions and you couldn't help but feel the same if you were in their place. Each one of them has come a really long way and it makes me proud as a reader and a fan of this series to see how much they've grown since the first time that we met them. Even the characters I thought I hated, I became attached to them by the very end, which I definitely didn't see coming.

First off, I'd like to start with Nash. Out of all of the characters, I think he is the one who has suffered the most. Especially when his life began spiraling downwards after his addiction with frost. But here, the Nash that I loved, broke through once again, determined to protect those he loves. His unwavering courage and loyalty helped redeem him in my eyes. It was heart-wrenching when Nash found out the truth to his life, but it was beautiful at the same time. He saw things in a different light and because of it, he was more determined than ever to keep on living and making the best out of it.

I've always admired Kaylee for her passion, love and courage. And it didn't change here. She is someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to keep everyone she loves safe. And that aspect of her gets taken to the extreme in this book. By the end of it, she realizes that there's a way to win this battle. However, the consequences are mind-shattering. But even then, she knows it must be done and doesn't hesitate to do it, if it meant saving everyone. I didn't agree with all of her decisions in With All My Soul, but I have to say that she is braver than any other heroine that I've ever read.

And finally, my favourite character: Tod. When we first met him in My Soul to Take, he was a cheeky, kind of arrogant character who was too good looking for his own good. I never thought I would have loved him so much, but I do. Despite being a reaper, he was full of light. And he was so strong. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Whenever there were times that Kaylee felt that things were impossible, he was her anchor; Tod kept her spirit going. He loved her more than anyone else and the readers can feel that more than anything. In a heartbeat, he would sacrifice his life as many times as it would take, as long as the people that he loved could keep on living. His love is so beautiful that it was painful. My heart ached for him in Chapter 21, which was beyond anything I would have imagined. If Tod could die again, it would have killed him to let Kaylee go the way he did. But at the same time, he knew that it was what she wanted, so despite what he felt, he couldn't stop her.

I really enjoyed this book, though I have to admit that If I Die (Soul Screamers #5) is still my favourite of the series. But I shed a few tears by the end of the series because of the events that took place here. In all, I say that With All My Soul is a heart-wrenching, beautiful and perfect conclusion to the Soul Screamers series, a series that I was so fortune to have gotten the chance to read.

Source: Owned
My rating: 4 and a half coffee cups (Loved it)