Brad About Books: Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Read from June 8 to 10, 2012

DESIRES OF THE DEAD
Published: February 15, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 355 pages
Source: Amazon.com
Series: The Body Finder, #2

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.

Desires of the Dead is an electric sequel that surpasses the first book. Kimberly Derting has created another fantastic book.

What I loved the most about Desires of the Dead was how we got to explore the echoes and Violet's ability even more. It was very eerie in the first book, but in this sequel, it turns super awesome and definitely a hooking point of the book. And the relationship between Jay and Violet and how it grew was always tremendously great. It was really great to see their relationship evolve from what it was before; I appreciated how the author mixed that in.

And the chapters that weren't from Violet's POV were great as well. Fresh and definitely creepy, I always got shivers and goosebumps from those chapters. They literally scared me! And it doesn't hurt that they were titled after the Seven Deadly Sins. But the person who's point of view we get from those chapters really spooked me out {towards the end of the novel the most}, and Derting did a great job at weaving together a lush and vibrant new character.

I'm a sucker for murder mysteries, and Desires of the Dead is an excellent one. It was definitely hard to put down, and it's super cool when a sequel is even better than its predecessor. And the ending freaked me out! Oh my gosh! I was biting my nails and on the edge of my seat the entire last bit of the book, and I absolutely loved it!

Overall, Desires of the Dead is an excellent sequel that leaves a mark on YA literature. This is a series not to miss.

MY RATING