Review: Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Title: Desires of the Dead
Author: Kimberly Derting
Series: The Body Finder #2
Genre: YA
Release Date: March 17, 2011
Publisher: Headline
Edition: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Blurb:

Violet and Jay are finally dating, but adjusting to the new relationship is not as easy as Violet anticipated. Especially when she has to split Jay's time and attention with his new best friend, Mike, and Mike's pesky younger sister - who happens to be obsessed with Jay. Meanwhile, when Violet's special abilities lead her to the body of a young boy, her tip to the police puts her on the radar of the FBI. Violet tries to fend off the FBI's questions while maintaining the semblance of a normal life, but somebody's leaving her threatening notes and an echo around Mike's house reinforces that all is not right. Violet is forced to admit that perhaps the only people who can help her figure it out are the very people she's desperate to avoid - the FBI.

I loved The Body Finder so much that I wasn't sure if Desires of the Dead was going to live up to it. In a sense I was right, but this keeps being a great novel nonetheless.

Violet still is an amazing character and this time she has to worry about people finding out about her ability to sense the echoes of the death. She struggles a lot with it but I liked how at the end she's the one who decides what to do and who to tell, although she does get some help and advice from her parents and Jay.

Jay keeps being as awesome as ever and while his relationship with Violet goes through some bumps, at the end they still make a great couple. As the story evolves you can see how their relationship matures and becomes more serious.

There are some new interesting characters like Rafe. He's a quiet and intriguing character and I really hope the author tells us more about him in the next book.

To me, the reason this book wasn't as good as the previous one is the mystery. In the first book I didn't know who the bad guy was until the end but this time around it's pretty clear who's to blame. Honestly, I don't know how the characters could have missed it.

All in all, this was an amazing read with a great cast of characters and a interesting plot. I can't wait to read the next one!

Memorable Lines:
“Your parents asked me to stop by and check on you on my way home. They won’t be back until late. Can I trust the two of you here . . . alone?”
“Of course you can—” Jay started to say.
“Probably not—” Violet answered at the same time. And then she caught a glimpse of the horror-stricken expression on Jay’s face, and she laughed. “Relax, Uncle Stephen, we’re fine. We were just doing homework.”

Previous Book:
1. The Body Finder - Review

Next Book:
3. Untitled (2012)

Rating: