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stephlyons's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pewterwolf's review
3.0
Review Taken From The Pewter Wolf
This eNovella follows Kaylee's cousin, Sophie, who won't let her cousin's weirdness get in her way. Not after all the work she has done to get the right look, the right friends, the right life. But when she bumps into a new transfer student, Luc, and they both see something so horrible that Sophie scream and, somehow, both of them are transferred into a parallel world. With no way to get back, Sophie begins to panics... is this real? Or does insanity run in the family?
I liked this. A lot. I always enjoy reading Rachel's eNovella but I enjoyed reading about this spoilt, self-centred character who, when faced with something impossible, somehow manages to keep her head and fight back. Sophie is a funny character and there's a lot of inside jokes that am such fans of the Soul Screamers series. One of which is when Sophie thinks that her "insane" cousin, Kaylee couldn't handle the Netherworld. I snorted at that line.
Oh, if you only knew...!
Luc is an interesting character. This is very much his introduction as, from the other reviews I have read, he's playing a major role in Before I Wake, so I might have to treat myself to that to find out happens.
This is very much a story for the fans so if you're a fan, enjoy. If not but you're curious, go back to the first book, My Soul to Take or the eNovella prequel, My Soul to Lose, and work your way forward...
This eNovella follows Kaylee's cousin, Sophie, who won't let her cousin's weirdness get in her way. Not after all the work she has done to get the right look, the right friends, the right life. But when she bumps into a new transfer student, Luc, and they both see something so horrible that Sophie scream and, somehow, both of them are transferred into a parallel world. With no way to get back, Sophie begins to panics... is this real? Or does insanity run in the family?
I liked this. A lot. I always enjoy reading Rachel's eNovella but I enjoyed reading about this spoilt, self-centred character who, when faced with something impossible, somehow manages to keep her head and fight back. Sophie is a funny character and there's a lot of inside jokes that am such fans of the Soul Screamers series. One of which is when Sophie thinks that her "insane" cousin, Kaylee couldn't handle the Netherworld. I snorted at that line.
Oh, if you only knew...!
Luc is an interesting character. This is very much his introduction as, from the other reviews I have read, he's playing a major role in Before I Wake, so I might have to treat myself to that to find out happens.
This is very much a story for the fans so if you're a fan, enjoy. If not but you're curious, go back to the first book, My Soul to Take or the eNovella prequel, My Soul to Lose, and work your way forward...
bookishvice's review
5.0
Everyone—and by that I mean I—was concerned about this novella. Let's face it, with silly, conceited, and irritating Sophie as the main character in a first person POV the odds were that we (I) would end up throwing our e-readers against the nearest wall. But after reading all the Soul Screamer books, especially If I Die, I trust Rachel implicitly to take me on thrilling story rides and rock my world. So, I gave Sophie a chance… *Bows to Rachel*
I love Sophie. From a character I barely cared about in the other books and often wanted to slap, I know want more Sophie time! She is super stubborn like Kaylee, incredibly brave, and does it all with fashion flair and a sharp tongue. Seriously! This girl cannot keep her mouth shut to save her life. Mouthing off to the big bad hellion, check. That was hilarious.
The novella focuses on Sophie, her encounter with a mysterious young man, and how they accidentally cross over to the Netherworld. Their meeting starts with a bang, in the very literal sense of the word, as Luca opens a door banging it into Sophie's head. I immediately liked him for his charming way of talking.
"Good. I think you're okay, Sophie, but just to be sure—and this is for purely medical purposes—what's your phone number?"
I laughed out loud. "Does it usually take blunt-force trauma for you to score a phone number?"
"This is a first, but a potential concussion does seem to be an icebreaker."
They make a great team. As in, Luca won't take silly crap from Sophie and she will actually listen to him. That’s a first for Sophie. It was very impressive to see her grow through this short novella. Her hate of Kaylee is understandable when one realizes that Sophie really has no idea what the crap is going on. Even when her world is turned over, she will fight this preferring to stay blissfully ignorant. In the end Sophie says that there are things she must find out about her family even if they're not to her liking. And she ultimately realizes that she'll have to deal with it, so that was great.
This novella left me supper excited. I want more of Sophie's snark, more of Luca's wit, and more Sophie and Luca time! I so can't wait to when Sophie finally realizes that Kaylee has been battling the Netherworld for a while now and that none of it was theatrics or attention seeking gimmicks. My brain has been working overtime trying to figure out what role Luca will play in the upcoming Before I Wake. That book scares the crap out of me because I honestly don't know where this is going to go! *excitement overload*
I love Sophie. From a character I barely cared about in the other books and often wanted to slap, I know want more Sophie time! She is super stubborn like Kaylee, incredibly brave, and does it all with fashion flair and a sharp tongue. Seriously! This girl cannot keep her mouth shut to save her life. Mouthing off to the big bad hellion, check. That was hilarious.
The novella focuses on Sophie, her encounter with a mysterious young man, and how they accidentally cross over to the Netherworld. Their meeting starts with a bang, in the very literal sense of the word, as Luca opens a door banging it into Sophie's head. I immediately liked him for his charming way of talking.
"Good. I think you're okay, Sophie, but just to be sure—and this is for purely medical purposes—what's your phone number?"
I laughed out loud. "Does it usually take blunt-force trauma for you to score a phone number?"
"This is a first, but a potential concussion does seem to be an icebreaker."
They make a great team. As in, Luca won't take silly crap from Sophie and she will actually listen to him. That’s a first for Sophie. It was very impressive to see her grow through this short novella. Her hate of Kaylee is understandable when one realizes that Sophie really has no idea what the crap is going on. Even when her world is turned over, she will fight this preferring to stay blissfully ignorant. In the end Sophie says that there are things she must find out about her family even if they're not to her liking. And she ultimately realizes that she'll have to deal with it, so that was great.
This novella left me supper excited. I want more of Sophie's snark, more of Luca's wit, and more Sophie and Luca time! I so can't wait to when Sophie finally realizes that Kaylee has been battling the Netherworld for a while now and that none of it was theatrics or attention seeking gimmicks. My brain has been working overtime trying to figure out what role Luca will play in the upcoming Before I Wake. That book scares the crap out of me because I honestly don't know where this is going to go! *excitement overload*
oldemort's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
sparassidae's review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
berls's review
4.0
My Initial Reaction...
I wish I'd known about Never to Sleep back when I first read the Soul Screamers Series. It was a really enjoyable quick read and gave a lot of background on Sophie, a character I always wished I'd known better.
Note: There are spoilers for book 1 in the series in this review.
The Good...
Getting into the head of Sophie, Kaylee's cousin, was great! She's not anyone's favorite character I imagine, because she's fairly shallow and really mean to Kaylee. But I know that by this point in the series, I also felt kind of bad for her. Her mother died extremely suspiciously and all kinds of crazy things are constantly happening around her and to her - but no one has deigned to explain to her why. She may not be a banshee, but she deserves to know what's going on IMHO!
Well, just like Kaylee - no one's going to tell Sophie until she gets herself into heaps of trouble and finds a cute boy to spill the beans. In this case it's necromancer Luca - who you'll get to know better in book 6. I found that Never to Sleep explained so much about their relationship and some of the changes you'll see in Sophie in upcoming books - I really think it's a must read for fans of the series. I loved seeing Sophie confront this world she's been teetering on discovering for so long, and to face it with the same kind of strength that I've come to admire in Kaylee. And she had a great sense of humor that made reading Never to Sleep lots of fun.
The Bad...
Well, the only thing I have a problem with in Never to Sleep, I had a problem with in the series in general. Sophie is not a Banshee. Her scream is not a Banshee's scream. This has been firmly established. She's not the first daughter of a Banshee and human ever - so why is she the first one we've ever heard of that can scream and end up in the Netherworld? It just doesn't work for me at all, even if I do like the changes it brings about in Sophie and the story. It just doesn't jive with the mythology already established in the series.
Concluding Sentiments...
I really enjoyed Never to Sleep and definitely recommend you read it if you're reading the Soul Screamers Series - or if you're a fan that missed it like I did the first time around!
kanha's review
2.0
Sophie has got to be one of the most annoying characters in the world. I couldn´t make myself enjoy reading this, due to her character.
bullfly7's review
3.0
2.5 stars
I hate to say it but I don't think this made Sophie look any better at all. She's still a bitch, she's still ignorant and after what she went through, you would think she'd understand her cousin Kaylee just a tad better. Instead she calls her crazy but she's clearly sane. Right
I hate to say it but I don't think this made Sophie look any better at all. She's still a bitch, she's still ignorant and after what she went through, you would think she'd understand her cousin Kaylee just a tad better. Instead she calls her crazy but she's clearly sane. Right
shadowmaster13's review
3.0
Uh, that's got to suck the whole