Never To Sleep

By Rachel Vincent

Don't Close Your Eyes.

Sophie Cavanaugh is not going to let her freak of a cousin's strange psychiatric condition ruin high school for them both. Not after all the work she's put into cultivating the right look, and friends, and reputation. But then, Sophie sees something so frightening she lets out a blood–curdling scream–and finds herself stuck in a bizarre parallel world where nothing is safe and deadly creatures lurk just out of sight, waiting for her to close her eyes and sleep…forever.

Could this world be real? Or does insanity run in the family…?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Apr 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781743641170

Rachel Vincent

Rachel Vincent is the New York Times bestselling author of several pulse-pounding series for teens and adults. A former English teacher and a champion of the serial comma, Rachel has written more than twenty novels and remains convinced that writing about the things that scare her is the cheapest form of therapy. Rachel shares her home in Oklahoma with two cats, two teenagers, and her husband, who’s been her number one fan from the start. You can find her online at rachelvincent.com and on Twitter @rachelkvincent.

Reviews for Never To Sleep

[mrso822 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This review originally posted on Mommy's Reading Break

This novella is from Kaylee’s cousin, Sophie’s, perspective. Sophie is half-banshee, but she doesn’t know it. I definitely never expected what happens in this book, as Sophie’s scream accidentally brings her into the Netherworld. What happens while she’s there is scary but fascinating at the same time. There’s also an amusing little bit of irony towards the end, which made me laugh. I really liked seeing a little more into the non-bitchy side of Sophie, and some of the scenes in it give me hope for her and Kaylee’s relationship in the final 2 books. Oh, and what seems to be a pattern for Vincent, which I love, is that we get to meet another species of supernaturals!

[laneliterati · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Soul Screamers 5.5 - a new twist on the arc plus ties together loose character ends. Available as an OEP ebook or as part of Soul Screamers Vol. 3.

[melrailey-412132 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novella is set in the Soul Screamers world; however, it does not involve Kaylee (or Tod) for that matter. It centers around Kaylee's cousin, Sophie, and takes place during the events of If I Die. Sophie meets a cute new guy at school and gets introduced into Kaylee's supernatural world. She visits the Netherworld and has an adventure of her own.

I enjoyed getting to see the story from another character's point of view and Sophie has always been a bit of an outsider. Can you imagine how angry she's going to be when she finds out that her family is supernatural? And that not only Kaylee but her dad has kept the secret from her? Although I did enjoy this foray into Sophie's world, I'll be glad to get back to Kaylee (and Tod) in the next full length book.

[eomalley_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rachel Vincent held the information about the point of view for Never To Sleep close to her chest, so it was a shock to find out that our narrator is Kaylee’s cousin Sophie Cavanaugh. Sophie seemed like the least likely choice (I was hoping for Tod’s reaper boss Levi), but she turned out to be a very enjoyable narrator!

If you’ve read the Soul Screamers series (and if you haven’t yet – stop reading this, buy the first book and start reading NOW!) you know that Sophie is one of those characters you love to hate. She is a “mean girl” who is sarcastic and a pain in Kaylee’s rear end. But Vincent managed to add in a few good qualities to Sophie that made me see there might be more to her than meets the eye: she is totally dedicated to the school dance team and would never think of letting them down; she was devastated by the loss of one of those team members in the first book My Soul to Take; and she seems to really love her parents. So, not a totally bad person.

In Never To Sleep Sophie finds herself attracted to a new boy at school named Luca, who ends up accompanying her on an unexpected trip to the Netherworld when Sophie screams. The Netherworld takes guts to survive, and that is something Sophie does not lack. When she becomes separated from Luca and trapped on a Netherworld playground, she is visited by a tortured soul from Kaylee and Tod’s past who provides her with the key to escape.

This book is meant to be read AFTER book five, If I Die. One of the characters Sophie and Luca run into in the Netherworld would not be recognized if you have not read If I Die, and Sophie actually witnesses a scene involving Kaylee that would be spoiled if you read this novella first. Never To Sleep also sets a few things up for book six, Before I Wake (due out June 26, 2012), that you may not recognize the significance of if you haven’t read the books in the correct order. You have been warned…

Never To Sleep gives us a first look at Luca who will be playing a part in book six and, I have to say, I like what I see. He appears to be a handsome, friendly young man who is obviously familiar with the Netherworld, which is a good thing since Sophie hasn’t got a clue. I get the feeling, however, that he may have an agenda we know nothing about yet. We also see for the first time that Sophie has a power of her own – what it is exactly I’m still not sure, but it looks to be a variation on Kaylee’s soul-scream. I’m very anxious to see how this is developed in the next book.

I found Sophie’s head a surprisingly easy place to be; she is more acerbic than Kaylee, but not to the point you can’t stand her. For such a short book, Sophie has an incredible amount of growth. At the beginning of the story it looks like she is unwilling to stand up for a friend, but by the end she has found the strength to do it. I loved that about her. I don’t see her and Kaylee ever becoming fast friends (she hasn’t grown THAT much), but I could definitely see her as someone who might have Kaylee’s back under the right circumstances. When she finds out how much has been hidden from her by her family, though, I think her fury will be a sight to behold.

With its different point of view, strong heroine and glimpses at what the next book might hold, Never To Sleep is a must-read addition to the Soul Screamers world. For such a short book, there is plenty of action and even a touch of romance. Sophie may not have been my choice of narrator, but Rachel Vincent knew what she was doing and managed to provide an extremely enjoyable read that foreshadows what is to come in the series.

[alaiel4kreuz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sophie's biggest dream, so far, was to become the youngest Cheerleaders captain in the history of her school. The only thing standing in her way was her frenemy Peyton. But she knew how to take care of her so it wasn't a big problem.Well, and let's not forget her cousin, Kaylee. Now that was a big problem. And although she had tried to change her last name so people wouldn't think they were sisters the true was that their non-existent relationship was damaging her reputation badly enough.And everybody knows how difficult is it to build the perfect façade. Except for Kaylee, of course... it's like all she wanted was to ruin Sophie's life. And she was doing a terrific job with all the screaming and craziness around her.But something that Sophie didn't suspect was that Kaylee wasn't crazy. And their whole family had been keeping secrets from her for a long while.Now, when a gorgeous new guy arrives at school, the truth will unravel before Sophie, even if she is not ready to handle it.Personal opinion:If you have read the Soul Screamers series (you can find all my reviews of the books here) you already know Sophie and have an idea of her personality.And most likely you hate her BIG time. Or at least you wouldn't mind giving her a punch. Or two.What? No? Seriously? Because I wouldn't mind at all.But (and trust me, I never thought I would write this and it gives me chills just to think about it #justsaying) it was fun, interesting and different to see through her eyes. Heck, I even liked her for a little bit! That is until she began to speak about Kaylee...After reading this novella [picture me on my knees] I seriously can't wait to know what is going to happen next! The possibilities are so many to think about them... I mean, what is going to happen to Sophie? Because looks like we are going to see her a lot now. Or at least she will have a more important role in the series.And let's not forget about Luca, the mysterious new guy who is a necromancer meaning that new creatures will have a spotlight! And trust me, he is funny, handsome and cute... I can't wait to see what is he after.Sigh, I have to stop writing because I don't want to spoil anything but it's SO difficult!