Review of Desires of the Dead

My review of Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting is based on a hardcover copy of the book that I borrowed from my local library. The following review is my honest opinion and has been in no way influenced.

Goodreads Summary: "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."

I really enjoyed reading The Body Finder, the first book in the series, and before I had even finished it I had put a hold on the sequel. When I finally got a hold of it I devoured the book. I was exhausted the night that I started reading it, and home alone so suspense probably wasn't my best choice, but still managed to read over a hundred pages. That is how good this book is. In fact, had I not had to run to Wal Mart with my boyfriend to pick up some fabric to make bean bags I probably would have been up all night reading it.

Violet was a little different in this book, the same girl and yet not. One slight disappointment was the fact that her parents were not as involved in this book, something that I had praised about The Body Finder. The fact that in the first book they stood by her, they knew her secret and Violet was able to go to them for help really resonated with me because it's not always that way in YA where the parents are always disappearing or just out of the way. In Desires of the Dead they were present but more like background noise then anything else, appearing only occasionally and never to be confided in. I was happy to have Chelsea back. As obnoxious as she can be I have to admit I'd love to have a friend like her. She's loyal to a fault and just plain hilarious with her blunt comments and tell it like it is style.

Not quite as suspenseful as the first, but a great book of realizing that you're not alone. I'm giving Desires of the Dead a four out of five stars review while really looking forward to seeing what the third installment has in store for me.