Desires of the Dead
by Kimberly Derting
publication: February 15th by HarperCollins
amazon
synopsis from goodreads:
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.
for Desires of the Dead with you ..
cutie: dum dum dum. *winks*
Pros: Well, it ain’t no secret that I did so adore the first novel for its characters, settings, plot, and so on. I am happy to report that I liked this second novel for all the same reasons and then some. I was worried after reading a few sequels lately that Derting would go the same direction (i.e.Beautiful Darkness, Torment, Crescendo, and so on). While Jay and Violet did have their relationship up’s and down’s and there were times I wanted to smack Violet in the head and give her a stern talking to (rant to come), I liked how Derting dealt with these issues, making them character driven and not plot driven. They seems organic to me. Plus, the strength of this story is Violet’s ability, take away the love story (which would make me sad) and you still have a solid, interesting story that I’m dying to read more about.
cutie: Also, I like the set up of something bigger in this second book. What is on the horizon for Violet and her high school sweetheart? And what about this desire of the dead that calls to her demanding that she find them? Will she ever truly understand it? Can she use it for good? And are her and Jay strong enough to tackle anything that comes their way? Who is Sara Priest? What’s up with Rafe?! Only time will tell, and I’m soooo down to take this trip with them.
cutie: Cons: On the not so great side, I did feel the pace of this book was slightly slower. And, as I stated above, there were many times I wanted to shake Violet until she stopped acting like a moron.
cutie: Mini rant: Being impulsive, secretive, and stubbornly denying the help of your loved ones does not make you a strong woman. In fact, it is those who ask for help when they need it, even if it makes them feel weak, that are truly the strong ones (in my humble opinion). Furthermore, leaning on someone, be they male or female, is a good thing. It also does not make a woman weak if she needs the help of a man to “save” her or help her in a time of crisis. And, in many ways, leaning on another person for help gives a person a strength they never knew possible. End rant.
Errr… where was I? Oh yeah… In the end, Violet won my heart over and my eyes were ever so moist at the end of this novel. No tears fell, but there was definitely a sniffle here and there.
cutie: Also, I didn’t have to hard of a time figuring out the big suspenseful mystery of the novel. But, I tend to be freakish when it comes to figuring out mystery plots. Thank you Mary Higgins Clark!!
Danny: I agree with you, it was too easy to figure out and I wished the suspense was bigger though, I missed this.
Danny: Violet and Jay seriously have the sweetest and most romantic love ever. I loved this book – although I think the The Body Finder was much stronger, the suspense was more captivating. Jay is the sweetest boy ever and every girl dreams to have such a wonderful, honest, strong and loyal boyfriend that at the same time is your best friend. You can’t wish for more. Mrs Derting has a wonderful way to describe this love between them and I found myself swooning and sighing so often. So so so sweet!
This book is all about development, Vi and Jay as lovers (leaving behing the best friend part and moving forward) and Vi as a person with a special gift.
Danny: I loved the audio. Vi’s voice was great and Jay’s was strong and believable. The narrator did a good job with the male voices. There was only one voice I didn’t like and that sounded fake, all the rest was a wonderful audio experience!
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I agree with Danny, I would be so upset if there was a love triangle. The love triangle has become SO overused, I'm hoping the new guy will just be a really good friend.
I actually had a lot more patience for Violet in this book than in THE BODY FINDER. I felt her fear and need to protect her loved ones was not because she was trying to be strong, but because she had always been told never to tell anyone about her gift. Violet assumed it was becuase she would be taken away and expermiented on (or something like that), not beause her parents simply felt it wasn't something you go around telling everybody about, but also it was her secret to tell (not theirs).
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I have The Body Finder waiting on my kindle and am glad to know there is a great sequel! Although, you have made me a little nervous about starting Torment now, I loved Fallen so much that it is simply not allowed be bad.
I hate love triangles and second the comment above: overused. What even happened to two people who are happy with each other without some random other useless character squiggling it all up.
In other news, audible is killing me with their sales! So tempting…
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Loved this tandem review! I agree with a lot of what both of you said, I definitely wanted to shake Violet a couple of times for wandering about alone instead of asking for help, but I did understand her fear of involving Jay and her family. I would not be pumped if there was a love triangle situation, I adore Jay and he needs to be around for the duration:)
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Great review, I like the way you guys did this discussion about it and totally agree with both, it did feel like it was a bit slower paced and Violet was kind of infuriating at some points but overall I loved it too! Cannot wait for the next one!! =D
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I loved this book, but I agree that Violet was a little irritating when she refused to share or accept help. But I was very grateful there wasn't a real love triangle in this one. I was a little worried where she would take Violet and Jay's romance and was relieved with where things went.
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I just bought a copy of this over the weekend. Even in The Body Finder the suspense wasn't that intense. I wished for more of that in The Body Finder but I do love the relationship between Vi and Jay.
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