Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent
The basics
Title: Before I Wake
Author: Rachel Vincent
Series: Soul Screamers #6
- My Soul to Take (August 2009) - My Soul to Save (December 2009) - My Soul to Keep (June 2010) - My Soul to Steal (January 2011) - If I Die (September 2011) - Before I Wake (June 2012) - With All My Soul (March 2013)
Add it: Goodreads
Goodreads Summary:
I died on a Thursday—killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul. The good news? He didn't get it. The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school… Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent "recovering," she's back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend. But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won't keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn't just gambling with her own life….
Read a full summary of Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent below. If you can’t remember what happened in Before I Wake and you need a refresher, then you’re in the right place.
In short
Avari, being the asshat that he is, has found a way to cross over to the human world and is killing people. Meanwhile, Kaylee is trying to come to terms with her immortality. And there’s a lot of Tod/Kaylee. YAY.
What happened in Before I Wake?
- It’s been a month since If I Die. Kaylee just now going back to school. It’s a week before her birthday.
- Madeline comes to Kaylee to tell her about a rogue reaper – a soul thief – who Kaylee will need to extract the stolen soul from when he’s caught.
- Kaylee finds Thane in an alley. He’s obviously meant to be dead and in the Netherworld, but I guess he is stubborn. Kaylee extracts the soul he’s taken. Kaylee doesn’t tell Madeline about Thane because she doesn’t want to get Tod into trouble.
- There have been a few changes at school. There’s a new maths teacher. Emma’s dating a guy called Jayson. Luca, a necromancer, has joined and is dating Sophie.
- Kaylee has to see the school guidance counsellor , Ms. Hirsch. Yay for her!
- Tod and Kaylee go to see Scott in the psychiatric ward. They ask to speak to Avari through him, since Scott can see and hear him. Avari possesses Scott. Kaylee asks him about Thane, Avari says that he is doing his bidding. Avari asks for two answers in return, but Kaylee only give him one before she and Tod blink out.
- Nash comes over to Kaylee’s house – drunk – and whines about Kaylee breaking up with him. Just before he falls asleep, he mentions that he saw Scott – or Avari possessing Scott – outside. Outside where? We don’t know.
- In the morning, Kaylee’s dad tells Nash off for being an idiot and potentially putting Kaylee in danger. Woo!
- Aiden talks with Harmony about Kaylee and Tod. Harmony insists that they are good for each other. Kaylee changed Tod for the better.
- When Kaylee gets to school, it’s revealed that Scott had not been released, but he “died” instead. *air quotes* Tod says his death wasn’t scheduled. Later that night, Tod and Kaylee go to see if Scott is in the morgue. He is.
- Thane turns up at the hospital and attempts to take Kaylee to the Netherworld so Tod would follow. Tod blinks in and knocks him out. Avari has Thane’s soul to they assume that he’s in the human world with the help of Demon’s Breath. They take Thane’s unconscious body to Sabine and Nash so Sabine can read him. He’s basically scared of what Avari will do to him if he doesn’t get Tod, and that Kaylee will take his soul when/if he gets it back. Thane wakes up and grabs Sabine, but she gets away because she’s badass.
- Kaylee drags Nash to school using her blinking powers because he’s refusing to leave the house. He confirms that he loves Sabine, but he also still loves Kaylee.
- Kaylee and Luca are told to leave class by Madeline. They go to the mall because there is a dead body there. Madeline tells Kaylee that she, Luca, and herself are the only ones left in the reclamation department. She also tells Kaylee that if things start to go south then she should run because she’s important.
- Kaylee finds the body, and she also sees Heidi Anderson – whose death was the first she ever predicted back in MStT. It’s Avari. He seems to have learnt how to shapeshift or something. He’s also the soul thief. He makes Kaylee stab him/Heidi in order to get the stolen soul. Heidi’s body disappears.
- Tod helps Kaylee clean up. She tells him she loves him, and he says he loves her. They have sex. Tod has to leave. Emma turns up and the two have a bit of a gossip. Madeline comes to Kaylee’s house for a report. Nash, Sabine, and Luca knock at the door. It’s a party!
- But not really. It turns out that Madeline is Luca’s great-great aunt. Kaylee wants everyone who survived a run in with Avari to help Madeline with the soul thief problem. Madeline doesn’t know about Avari before this, but the gang fill her in. They also call Alec and ask him to come over and join in.
- Avari shows up at school disguised as Meredith, another dead girl. Avari killed Nash’s friend, Brant. Kaylee stabs Avari and he disappears again. Sabine takes Sophie home because she’s traumatised.
- Thane is at Kaylee’s house. Kaylee, Tod, and Nash blink over there. Thane asks for their help getting his soul back in exchange for info. He tells them that in order for Avari to cross over and do this thing he’s doing, he needs a pair of souls. One to get him through the fog, and another to provide physical form. The first has to be a resurrected soul. Avari has been using Thane’s.
- Alec calls Kaylee and tells her he’s in trouble. She goes over to his place. She comes across Avari in Alec’s body, and assumes that her friend is dead. Kaylee stabs Avari, and it turns out that Alec wasn’t already dead, Avari had been possessing him. Kaylee killed Alec.
- Tod takes Kaylee to his place. Apparently he has a place. Kaylee takes a bath while Tod gets Nash. Tod needs to go and deal with Alec’s body, so he asks Nash to stay and be a friend to Kaylee while he’s gone. Kaylee breaks down.
- Everyone sleeps over at Kaylee’s house, and in the morning they call in sick. They go to spend the day at the lake, and Emma invites Jayson. Uncle Brendon and Harmony are dating, FYI. For her birthday, Tod gives Kaylee the address to his place. No one else knows – or can know – the address. Aw.
- Tina, Sabine’s foster mother, shows up at the lake. Except it’s not really Tina. Not!Tina stabs Aiden in the thigh with a pocket knife. Tina breaks Sabine’s arm, and then Nash stabs Tina with Kaylee’s dagger.
- Harmony takes Aiden and Sabine to the hospital while the others stay at the lake. Luca senses a dead body in the parking lot. They find Jayson dead in the trunk of his car. So someone – Invidia – is impersonating Jayson. Kaylee goes to stab Not!Jayson, but he pulls Emma in front of him and Kaylee hits her instead.
- Invidia – as Jayson – promises to release Emma if Kaylee crosses over. Of course Kaylee does. Invidia lets Emma go, but in the Netherworld instead of the human world. Oops. Invidia lets both Kaylee and Emma cross back over to the human world. When they get back, Sophie and Tod are missing.
- Belphegore turns up disguised as Aunt Val, Sophie’s mum, and she grabs Sophie. Tod returns with Addison latched onto his arm. Except it’s not Addison, it’s Avari. Avari grabs Emma and moves away from Tod and the others. If Avari and Belphegore were to cross over to the Netherworld, Val and Addison’s souls would dissipate and be doomed. Or something.
- Thane appears at the lake with Lydia. Worst. Birthday. Party. Ever.
How did it end?
Belphegore crosses over to the Netherworld with Sophie, and Avari follows with Emma. Tod, Kaylee, Nash, and Luca follow. They see the three hellions arguing. Belphegore, being the hellion of vanity, wants “the pretty girl”, Invidia is jealous of Belphegore’s choice, and Avari is arguing that he should get first choice.
Avari wants Kaylee and Luca to bind his life force with one of his resurrected souls and put it into Lydia’s body. Belphegore and Invidia want the same, but with Sophie and Emma. It turns out that Luca can reanimate bodies – he did with Kaylee’s – and Madeline can reinstall souls, like Kaylee apparently can.
Invidia snaps Emma’s neck and Kaylee lets out one of her screams. She puts Emma’s soul into the amphora. Nash and Tod rush at Belphegore and Avari and them both in the back. Tod and Kaylee cross everyone back over to the human world, leaving the hellions to sort themselves out.
Thane returns and tells them that he took all of the souls that the hellions had in their possession. He says that Lydia was syphoning Emma’s pain when she died, and so part of her soul went with Emma into the amphora. Lydia is now a living body with no soul. She’ll die soon if she doesn’t get a soul. So Kaylee gives her Emma’s.
Anything else?
Bean sidhe (female) – They scream when someone is dying, and suspend the soul in the air so it can’t move on to the afterlife.
Bean sidhe (male) – They hear the females’ screaming as singing, and can put souls back into the body in exchange for another’s life. They can also Influence people’s emotions.
Reaper – take the soul once a person is dead.
Hellion – A kind of demon that resides in the Netherworld. Quite powerful. They feed on emotions and souls.
Netherworld – Where all kinds of hellions, faeries and things live.
Avari – Hellion of greed.
Crimson creeper – A poisonous plant.
Fiend – Creepy little buggers in the Netherworld.
Proxy – Non-humans that the hellions keep alive for many years so they can snack on them.
Lampade – Exist in both worlds at once. “Liminal light” runs through their bodies like blood. Can use the light to create doorways between worlds.
Nightmare or Mara – Feeds on human energy/dear while their “victim” is asleep.
Hypnos – Feed through human energy through the barrier between the worlds. Cannot cross over from the Netherworld.
Incubus – A male psychic parasite that feeds from human energy, specifically lust.
Syphon – Take feelings and emotions and physical pain from other people.Amphora – A locket type thing that holds souls.
Necromancer – Senses the recently dead and restored.
This is a full plot summary of what happened in Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent. Check out our recap list for more recaps. If you can’t find what you need, you can request a recap from us!
