"Before I Wake" by Rachel Vincent

Okay, so I was extremely excited about Before I Wake (BIW), before I adore Rachel Vincent as a writer, and I'm a huge fan of the Soul Screamers series. And when I got my ARC from Mira Ink, I was super happy, almost jumping around with joy!

But.

This book was nothing like the rest of the series. The plot was confusing from the very beginning; no resolution (even a momentary one) was provided; there was too much murder and blood spilling; and because of all that I felt very very disappointed.

To be fair, I might have had very high expectations about BIW, because the previous installment, If I Die, was simply smashing! But I believe that Rachel should've known that she raised the bar, and that she had to exceed that bar in BIW. Unfortunately, in my opinion, she didn't manage it.

Now, don't get me wrong, I did like the writing, as usual. It was flawless, so no problem there. It was the plot that disturbed me, as it appeared to be confusing and somewhat pointless. I didn't really comprehend the whole deal with what was going on and why, and there was a moment of time where I actually wanted to just leave the book and never finish it.

Still though, I pushed on, and I was slightly gratified. The last 100 pages or so was where the interesting things happened, and where the third star in my rating came from. I won't say more because I don't want to spoil the book for you. In fact, you may end up totally loving it, so don't take my word for it.

Anywho, let's discuss the characters.

*Kaylee - I can't say I liked her here at all. I truly adored her in the previous books, was fascinated by her character, but now... not really. In my eyes, she wasn't Kaylee anymore. And perhaps it was somewhat right for her to be so, since she was dead and all. I guess her personality couldn't remain the same in some areas. Still, to me it felt too much of a change, and it was sort of unrealistic. Those things she did... well I don't think that Kaylee would've done them. And yet, I read of her doing them. It was just... it didn't feel right.

*Tod - I got to like Tod in If I Die. Here he sort of lost me. He acted strange, said weird things, took nothing seriously, and I felt like he wasn't dependable anymore. It honestly felt like all he wanted to do with Kay was make out. Not that I have anything against that, but seriously, I didn't see any depth. Disappointed.

*Nash though is a totally different story. He came back! I loved him! Every bit of him! From his misery, to his love, to his very existence. His personality, how it changed, was completely realistic. I couldn't have explained his turmoil and pain better. For him is that forth star. And to be honest, he's better off with Sabine. She's much more versatile and real, and you know, honest.

*Sabine - she totally rocked the boat this time. She was as straight forward and honest as ever. Only now there's a thin string of insecurity around her, which to me made her even more realistic. I loved how devoted she was to Nash, and even to Kaylee (who, in my opinion, didn't deserve it.)

*Sophie - even she has grown some backbone and some positive qualities here. I honestly don't hate her anymore (though I did in the first 50 pages or so).

*Emma - she's still the sweet girl, and best friend and I loved her for it.

So, in conclusion I can say that everyone should form their own opinion about Before I Wake. I was pretty disappointed by it, and I really truly hope that the final installment doesn't sink the series even more.

NOTE: I received this book for review from MIRA INK. Thanks for the opportunity to read BIW!