Early Review: Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

*This title will be released on February 15, 2011*

Title: Desires of the Dead Author: Kimberly Derting Series: The Body Finder #2 Cover Art: N/A Genre: Paranormal YA Excerpt: Yes Source: Publisher Reviewed by: Abigail Reading level: Young Adult Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: HarperCollins (February 15, 2011) ISBN-10: 0061779849 ISBN-13: 978-0061779848 Sexual Content: Kissing. A scene of mild sensuality. One sex scene with almost no description. My Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & pre-order the sequel.

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Description

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.

 

Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

 

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

Review

THE BODY FINDER was one of my favorite Paranormal YA reads from 2010.  I loved the subtly supernatural story and fell head over heels in love with Jay, who is, if possible, even more perfect in DESIRES OF THE DEAD.

 

Here’s irony for you: I miss the serial killer.  The thing about THE BODY FINDER that made me the most uncomfortable were the scenes written from the POV of the serial killer, and yet that was the element that I missed the most in DESIRES OF THE DEAD.  I hated reading them before but they had a huge impact on the tension and genuine panic I felt throughout the whole book. In DESIRES OF THE DEAD we do still get chapters told from the POV an antagonist, but where do you go after a serial killer?  The new threat was drastically not as terrifying as in THE BODY FINDER, drastically.  We’re talking Cujo and kittens here.

 

Jay, on the other hand, was every bit as swoon worthy as I remembered.  He and Violet are still transitioning from being best friends to being a couple, and I loved the scenes where Violet would tease Jay in front of her uncle about them making out.  Violet had some moments where she crossed into pissy mode, and the way she sulked after the fight she and Jay got into was far from attractive, but she won me back by the end. On a small note, I wasn’t a fan of the increased intimacy between Violet and Jay, especially given Violet’s extremely immature behavior soon after, it just proved that she wasn’t ready.

 

As with the previous book, there are several flawlessly executed bait and switch moments that completely blindsided me even though I was looking for them.  It was nice to finally break out of my slump and read a book that kept me guessing and surprised me at the end. One big surprise involved a couple new characters and the possibility that Violet might not be as unique as she always assumed.  I’m really looking forward to seeing how that story line is developed in the future.

 

Overall, not quite as amazing as THE BODY FINDER, but if you want a step down in the scary department, you might disagree.  Me? I miss the serial killer for the abject terror I was kept in while reading.  This time it was just mild alarm.  I do love how the author has set up this book to expand The Body Finder world.  It’s a brave choice to shake things up that way, but ultimately I think the payoff will be worth it.   So my question is, when can I pre-order the next book?

 

Previous Books in Series	Also Reviewed By:
The Body Finder	Confessions of A Book Addict Shannon Whitney Messenger A Good Addiction