Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting – Advance Review

Book Jacket:

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.

You can read an excerpt here.

Review:

Lushly romantic with a side of peril, Desires of the Dead (The Body Finder #2) is sure to satisfy fans of breathless YA romance.

Much like Twilight, Desires of the Dead is told in first person narrative, and the ways in which Violet’s abilities mess with her mind and her perceptions imbue the story with an interesting surrealistic flavor. To Violet, each body’s imprint has a unique color and sound, and each seems to affect her in different ways, some even pulling her into crippling obsession. I really like how Violet’s ability is well definied and unique; it gives the story an interesting paranormal tinge.

Violet makes for a perfectly nice, unoffensive lead, but I found that I didn’t entirely understand her decision making process; why she waffled, why she kept some things secret, or why she (stupidly, I thought) went off on her own at times (and I even found myself wondering if it was all in service of creating conflict between Violet and Jay). She just seemed to regularly stall out in her own head, and I never quite understood why. I also wish there was a bit more to her, beyond her boyfriend and her ability – honestly, I thought Violet’s freind Chelsea had more personality than Violet herself.

But the core of this story – and the reason I think this book is going to be a rousing success with the teen set – is the romance between Violet and her best friend, Jay. They are the epitome of a cute couple, and while they might be a little light on personality – Jay is just a little too unbelievably understanding of Violet, and a little too much the perfect boyfriend – there is much sweet billing and cooing. I also enjoyed how Derting explored both Violet and Jay’s insecurities with this new stage in their relationship.

In terms of plot, Desires of the Dead isn’t quite as tight as The Body Finder. Of the two mysteries in Desires of the Dead (who the murderer is, and who Violet’s stalker is), neither is ever really in question, and though there is a nice sense of suspense in waiting to see how and when Violet will uncover them, there is no appreciable sense of increasing danger. I like that Derting mixed it up, and made this book’s peril different from the first book (where the killer was targeting Violet), but even as I liked the change, I still found myself missing that clean drive of The Body Finder. In Desires of the Dead, even though there is a killer on the loose, and even though Violet is definitely going places at night she shouldn’t, there is just no immediacy to Violet’s investigation. It also doesn’t help that the plot is very straightforward – there is no twist this time around. It’s to Derting’s credit that she dared to write a different kind of mystery, but the separate subplots  – the murderer, the stalker, Jay and Violet’s relationship, and the FBI – never quite came together well enough to be as satisfying as the arc of first book.

I also have to admit I found the FBI subplot to be a bit on the nose – it’s kind of the obvious, logical next step, the hero deciding to use her abilities for good, and Violet’s resistance to the idea never quite came into focus for me – I guess I had a hard time believing the idea had never occured to Violet before, and I found myself frustrated with Violet’s inability to speak up for herself, let alone make up her mind. I almost wish the FBI plot had been more bullying, more exploitive, such that Violet finally had to stand up for herself, but I do like the way this development will open up the series as it moves forward. After all, only so many bodies can show up in a small town before it gets a tad ridiculous.

So while I felt this book didn’t quite pack the punch of the first, the strong romantic core and interesting paranormal take still makes for a quick and easy read. I whipped right through it, and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series when it comes out, so yes, I think fans of the first book will enjoy this one. And if you like Twilight, or Lisa McMann’s WAKE, this is definitely a series to check out.

Byrt Grade: B+

As Levar Burton used to say – you don’t have to take my word for it…

25 Hour Book says:

I’m sure some will say that the mystery is super predictable. I’ll argue that it wasn’t about who was behind it. I was just as nervous not knowing what they’ll do next. While the book wasn’t perfect, I really enjoyed it and I’m extremely interested to see where the story goes from here.

Confessions of a Book Addict says:

My only pet peeve, and it is slight, is the fact that Violet kept putting herself in crazy situations and not telling anyone. I have issues with this often in YA.  I was confused why Violet wouldn’t let Jay in on a few things and tell him what’s going on. Or what about her uncle? Her parents? I kept yelling at the book wondering why Violet would travel alone to a scary location by herself without letting anyone know where she was going or why she would go outside in the middle of the night alone, especially after what happened in book one.

Bibliopunkk says:

I love these books. They are creepy in all the right ways, tender in all the right moments and…better yet…have a wholly believable female character helming the ship.