Before I Wake explained…
Well. The internet beat me (and my publisher) to the punch. Again. These things happen. Repeatedly, apparently. So there’s no reason not to show you the (super spoilery) Before I Wake plot synopsis now:
[MAJOR SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't read If I Die, please do not read the blurb below. Reading spoilers out of context is NOT the same as reading the book itself, and you truly can't tell whether or not you're going to like a book just by reading spoilers.]
June 26, 2012
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….
On a personal note, let me say that Before I Wake is a book about consequences. There are lots of consequences in the Soul Screamers world, and they’re all permanent. Sometimes you may think that Kaylee’s catching a break, like what happened at the end of If I Die, but in the Netherworld, no good deed goes unpunished. Afterlives must be earned. Kaylee and her friends and family have been inevitably, irrevocably changed by what happened in If I Die.
If you haven’t already figured it out, My Soul To Take’s theme was vanity. My Soul To Save was greed, My Soul To Keep was gluttony (addiction), My Soul To Steal was envy, and If I Die was lust.
Before I Wake is the sloth-themed book. I’ve interpreted sloth as depression, but the book is really about fighting depression—almost literally in Kaylee’s case. It’s a book about change. About learning to live in your new reality. About accepting what you’ve lost and embracing what you’ve gained. Aside from that, the book is also kiss-heavy, and the most action- and trauma-filled Soul Screamers book to date.
If you’re familiar with (at least one interpretation of) the seven deadly sins, you’ll know what that leaves for the seventh and final book, and after you’ve read Before I Wake, you’ll understand why I left rage for last.
Oh, and one more thing. At least one major character will die in Before I Wake.
Make of that what you will… 
27 Responses to “Before I Wake explained…”
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Soooooo excited and I can not wait!!!
Oh love the spoiler blurb. Old foe, hmmm, I wonder if I’m right with my guess. Of course that bombshell at the end… NOOOOO!!!!!! As much as like certain characters less than others, I don’t want any to die. Even that hellion.
oh boy…. I physically cannot keep still thinking about getting my hands on this next book…. however, I am starting to get sad, knowing that there is ONLY ONE MORE left…. but on the happy note…. *sqeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel* yay!!
I sooo cannot wait! I think I know who the Old Foe is. But we’ll see.
And I’m pretty sure I don’t want any of the main characters to die! Not even that awful girl that grates on my nerves. 
June can’t come fast enough!
Katrina, the funny thing is that I don’t know whether you mean Sabine or Sophie.
Holy crap, Rachel! Why must you do this to us! This looks like it’s going to be such a good book! June can’t get here fast enough! I’m dying to know who’s going to die!
Holy cow! Now I’m gonna go even crazier. That book is going to be in my hands the second it hits shelves. There are some characters that definitely rub me the wrong way, but the books wouldn’t be the same without them. I hate to see anyone die but I have a terrible feeling about who it might be and I can foresee tears in my future. I hope I’m wrong!!! Excellent blurb! I cannot wait for it to come out. In the meantime I’ll be rereading all of the others… again!
OMG Rachel!! You leave us hanging in a post now!! For shame!
Now I’m contemplating why rage will be perfect for the next book and just who will die…
The last book is rage?! And someone dies!!!!!!!!!!! Oh no!!!!!!!!! *Runs and hides in corner* I’m dying for this but the sad thing is once I read it I’ll probably just die all over again waiting for the last book. I think my first choice for death would be Sabine and second choice would be Sophie lol Actually I really wouldn’t care who died as long as it wasn’t Tod or Kaylee and since they are both already dead they should be safe? Right? OMG *Bites nails*
I can’t wait now! As long as Nash doesn’t die, I’ll be ok! June can’t come fast enough!
Oh you are evil!! I can’t wait for the book to come out!!! *squee*
It would be lovely to know whether or not already being dead exempts a character from dying, but we all know anything is possible in the SS world.
That said – please not Tod, please not Tod, please not Tod…!
Wow. If I wasn’t looking forward to Before I Wake before…
AHHH I am so excited for this book! I can’t wait to read it. It sounds even more amazing than If I Die, if that’s even possible!!
I’m so excited for this book! I’ve made so many people read the series, and they’re all catching up with th series at this point. But, I hope that it’s Sabine who dies. She isn’t really a main character though.. not like Kaylee, Todd, Nash, Emma, Sophie or their parents. I have a feeling I’ll need a box of kleenex for this book! CAN’T WAIT!!
OH MY GOD!
Really? Here I am all calm and collected reading your post until I get to the end and NOOOOO! But on the other hand, death is always interesting. On a book.
Wow, I’m feeling like a total serial killer right now.
You know, I never really got a connection with the books to the deadly sins so now it looks like I will be heading back to re-read them again with a whole new perspective! You are really a wicked writer with teasing us with all of these things that are going to happen and then making us wait so long to actually get the book into our hands! I’m with everyone else here. Now June can’t come quick enough!
Oh I love the pattern! The themes of the seven deadly sins. I did get the ones about envy and greed, but I didn’t put it together. I think it’so cool. I can’t wait for BIW.
Just reading your post gave me goosebumps! Specifically the fact that a major character will die. My heart is already torn and I don’t even know who it is! Oh Rachel Vincent just thinking of your upcoming books makes me emotional and they aren’t even out yet!
Ahhh!!! That line, ‘at least one major character will die’ just ripped me apart. I know how good your work is, and how bad it gets when characters die. I know this is going to be a really hard book (was already, after IID, but more now) and now I’m scared before I even get my hands on it! So excited and nervous for BIW. I utterly adore the books, but ack!!
Wow I just finished If I Die and it was AWESOME!! I sooooo can not wait for this to come out. And Rachel Vincent said on her FB page that both Nash and Tod spend half the book SHIRTLESS! YAY! *SO EXCITED*
OMG! You gotta be kidding me! “Oh, and one more thing. At least one major character will die in Before I Wake.” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WANT THIS BOOK NOW!!!!! BTW i have a feeling it’s gonna be Emma. Please don’t let it be Emma! Please don’t let it be anybody!
@Susie SHIRTLESS!!! I think after i read this book i’ll die and go to hell (Since i’m sure as hell won’t be invited to heaven and maybe i’ll meet Tod <3 )! But don't worry, i will find some way to get my hands on the 7th book, even if i have to come back from dead (i won't mind if i come back with a scythe;) )
[...] Soul Screamers series and just where the series will go after the big changes in If I Die? Well, Rachel Vincent has laid it all out alongside the blurb for Before I Wake. Caveat: If you haven’t yet read If I Die skip this, [...]
Okay I’m thinking it can’t be Kaylee because of obvious reasons. Don’t think it is Tod or even Sabine. I really hope it isn’t Nash or Emma or maybe even Alec. I really don’t want any of them to die.
Do NOT kill Tod!!!!
hmmm…. my money’s on Emma… and if i get a second option… i also put money down on Kaylee’s father if he counts, i mean i doubt he does but he might.
i really hope Sabine doesn’t die, she and Tod are my favorites.
i don’t care much if Nash dies, other than that will break Sabine’s heart probably.
eh poor Sabine… i really hope she comes out on top of this whole thing somehow, or that she gets her own series or something, she’s cool.