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outoftheblue14's review
4.0
Multihued light radiated up from beneath the water, centered among the reeds, and then diffusing outward as it reached the surface. Violet had never seen anything like it, and she knew that the spectrum of light was defying its very nature by behaving in that way.
It could only be one thing.
There was something dead down there.
I've always wanted to start reading The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting, but couldn't track down a copy. I finally read the first book, and it was awesome.
Violet Ambrose is a sixteen-year-old with a secret special ability: she can sense the dead bodies of those who have been murdered. Since she was a small girl, she has been drawn to the bodies of small animals lying around and felt compelled to give them a burial. Only a handful of people know about this - her parents, her uncle (who is the police chief in their town) and her childhood best friend, Jay. As she starts her sophomore year of high school, Violet realizes her feelings for Jay have changed and she is embarrassed at her attraction to him, especially since he seems to have his very own fan club among the other girls.
Now, however, Violet must deal with bigger problems: there's a serial killer on the loose in town who targets teenage girls, and she's the one who can recover their bodies. More to that, she can feel the "echo" of murder attached to people, which means she's the best chance for the police to find the killer before he makes other victims. But the killer has realized that Violet is special, and now might be targeting her.
I found this book very refreshing. It's paranormal YA, which is a genre I'm not very partial of, but it's very close to contemporary, as the only paranormal aspect is the heroine's special ability. Yes, it's a big thing, but the dangers Violet has to face are very real, as much as her feelings and emotions are quite easy to relate to. She's in love with her childhood friend, and increasingly jealous of the attention other girls are paying him, not that he's grown so attractive over the summer. Then she's surprised and happy when she learns he loves her, too. Jay is as good a love interest as they come - swoony, loyal, and fiercely protective of Violet. I love him already.
I thought this was a trilogy, and that the third book in the series, which was published last spring, was going to be the final one. From a quick check on goodreads, it turns out I was wrong, and there's a fourth book coming out in April 2013. I want to go on reading the second and thrid book, but now I'm sort of wary that the thrid book will have some sort of big cliffhanger that is going to leave me biting my nails until next spring.
Anyway, I loved this book; it's the perfect start of a great new series. I'm definitely going to keep reading the next boos, as well as Derting's other series, The Pledge, set in a dystopian world. I'd recommend The Body Finder to thriller aficionados and to those readers who like some tension in their YA books.
Favourite quotes:
"I swear that boy can't function without you, not even at lunch."
“I knew we were going to be together; it was just a matter of time. I kept hoping that you would figure it out. But for a smart girl, you’re a little dense, Vi. I kept bringing up Lissie Adams, and showing you the notes she was leaving me, hoping that you’d get pissed enough to finally admit how you felt about me.”
Cover attraction: I like it a lot. For once, we don't have a girl in a pretty dress, or even a girl at all. The flower gives the book an overall creepy feeling that matches the content very well. The other books in the series have the same flower on the cover, only in a different colour. I love the concept.
It could only be one thing.
There was something dead down there.
I've always wanted to start reading The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting, but couldn't track down a copy. I finally read the first book, and it was awesome.
Violet Ambrose is a sixteen-year-old with a secret special ability: she can sense the dead bodies of those who have been murdered. Since she was a small girl, she has been drawn to the bodies of small animals lying around and felt compelled to give them a burial. Only a handful of people know about this - her parents, her uncle (who is the police chief in their town) and her childhood best friend, Jay. As she starts her sophomore year of high school, Violet realizes her feelings for Jay have changed and she is embarrassed at her attraction to him, especially since he seems to have his very own fan club among the other girls.
Now, however, Violet must deal with bigger problems: there's a serial killer on the loose in town who targets teenage girls, and she's the one who can recover their bodies. More to that, she can feel the "echo" of murder attached to people, which means she's the best chance for the police to find the killer before he makes other victims. But the killer has realized that Violet is special, and now might be targeting her.
I found this book very refreshing. It's paranormal YA, which is a genre I'm not very partial of, but it's very close to contemporary, as the only paranormal aspect is the heroine's special ability. Yes, it's a big thing, but the dangers Violet has to face are very real, as much as her feelings and emotions are quite easy to relate to. She's in love with her childhood friend, and increasingly jealous of the attention other girls are paying him, not that he's grown so attractive over the summer. Then she's surprised and happy when she learns he loves her, too. Jay is as good a love interest as they come - swoony, loyal, and fiercely protective of Violet. I love him already.
I thought this was a trilogy, and that the third book in the series, which was published last spring, was going to be the final one. From a quick check on goodreads, it turns out I was wrong, and there's a fourth book coming out in April 2013. I want to go on reading the second and thrid book, but now I'm sort of wary that the thrid book will have some sort of big cliffhanger that is going to leave me biting my nails until next spring.
Anyway, I loved this book; it's the perfect start of a great new series. I'm definitely going to keep reading the next boos, as well as Derting's other series, The Pledge, set in a dystopian world. I'd recommend The Body Finder to thriller aficionados and to those readers who like some tension in their YA books.
Favourite quotes:
"I swear that boy can't function without you, not even at lunch."
“I knew we were going to be together; it was just a matter of time. I kept hoping that you would figure it out. But for a smart girl, you’re a little dense, Vi. I kept bringing up Lissie Adams, and showing you the notes she was leaving me, hoping that you’d get pissed enough to finally admit how you felt about me.”
Cover attraction: I like it a lot. For once, we don't have a girl in a pretty dress, or even a girl at all. The flower gives the book an overall creepy feeling that matches the content very well. The other books in the series have the same flower on the cover, only in a different colour. I love the concept.
strawberrylimekiwi's review
4.0
intense and so much better than I expected. loved the pov from the killer
nutsacktragedy's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
The second killer was such bullshit too. Seriously? I don't know if I missed anything, but he just appeared out of nowhere. I feel like the author wrote themselves into a corner when Violet found the first killer too quick so they have to write ANOTHER killer to continue the story.
Plot is mid. The characters are unlikeable. The only thing I like about this is how good the author is at describing how Violet felt in chapter 15. It's scary, humiliating, but unfortunately, too common.
I'm honestly not the target audience, so don't take my opinion too seriously if you like reading this genre. But if you're expecting the story to focus on the supernatural and dead bodies, don't bother. The main focus is the romance and Violet's vapid American high school life.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
ahahebsheik's review
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
narcissia's review
4.0
I think this is the one book that I can say is adorable and creepy as hell at the same time.
Violet is a great protagonist. She's a pretty realistic girl, despite her somewhat morbid ability. Her mortification at her newly discovered crush on her best friend of over ten years delighted me. It entertained me to witness her discomfort and her attempts to continue acting normal lest he discover her changing feelings toward him. This is the part of the book that is adorable. Jay is a great best friend. He's protective of Violet, from homecoming queens and handsy drunk guys as well as from serial killers. Her teasing interactions with her three best girlfriends are endearing. Violet's family is pretty cool as well. Her parents do a good job of balancing worrying over her and giving her some personal space.
The murder plot is the part of the book that is freaking creepy. There's a serial killer running around abducting young girls and murdering them and leaving their bodies all over town. As if that isn't scary enough, every several chapters or so there is one that is from the killer's point of view. These add a significant amount of creep to the book. It's disturbing to read the parts where this sociopath is hunting down the victims and taking them, especially knowing what their fates are. I read this at night and at times it had me scared shitless, particularly during those chapters. Violet sort of makes it her personal quest to keep an eye out for the killer, using her ability to detect the imprints of killings on people. The plot moves along steadily, alternating between the stuff surrounding the abductions, murders, discovery of bodies, searching for missing girls and the everyday life of Violet which mostly involves her attempting to come to terms with her feelings for Jay. The offsetting of the jacked up murdering bits with the fluffy crush bits makes for an enjoyable contrast and keeps the story from becoming just too much bad to handle. You've got all of these terrible things happening, but good things as well and I like that.
This makes for a fun, terrifying, and cute read all at once. I didn't want to put it down, I enjoyed it, and I'll be picking up the next one
Violet is a great protagonist. She's a pretty realistic girl, despite her somewhat morbid ability. Her mortification at her newly discovered crush on her best friend of over ten years delighted me. It entertained me to witness her discomfort and her attempts to continue acting normal lest he discover her changing feelings toward him. This is the part of the book that is adorable. Jay is a great best friend. He's protective of Violet, from homecoming queens and handsy drunk guys as well as from serial killers. Her teasing interactions with her three best girlfriends are endearing. Violet's family is pretty cool as well. Her parents do a good job of balancing worrying over her and giving her some personal space.
The murder plot is the part of the book that is freaking creepy. There's a serial killer running around abducting young girls and murdering them and leaving their bodies all over town. As if that isn't scary enough, every several chapters or so there is one that is from the killer's point of view. These add a significant amount of creep to the book. It's disturbing to read the parts where this sociopath is hunting down the victims and taking them, especially knowing what their fates are. I read this at night and at times it had me scared shitless, particularly during those chapters. Violet sort of makes it her personal quest to keep an eye out for the killer, using her ability to detect the imprints of killings on people. The plot moves along steadily, alternating between the stuff surrounding the abductions, murders, discovery of bodies, searching for missing girls and the everyday life of Violet which mostly involves her attempting to come to terms with her feelings for Jay. The offsetting of the jacked up murdering bits with the fluffy crush bits makes for an enjoyable contrast and keeps the story from becoming just too much bad to handle. You've got all of these terrible things happening, but good things as well and I like that.
This makes for a fun, terrifying, and cute read all at once. I didn't want to put it down, I enjoyed it, and I'll be picking up the next one
yodamom's review
5.0
A sweet and dark YA paranormal romance, written beautifully. Violet, a teenage girl see's/hears imprints left by "murdered" animals and humans. When she was only 8 she found a girl, and never forgot her imprint, this is only the beginning. Her best-friend since 1rst grade is Jay, a wonderful male character. He stands with her not matter what and knows of her "power".( He will steal your heart.) Her feelings for him are developing into something more than friendship. This relationship develops as a possible love story a normal pace, not like most books. It is written from the killer's point of view as well as Violet's, taking you even deeper into the story. The emotions and visual details are so well written, I could feel/see the story. I really, really enjoyed this author's work and will line up to read her work again.
sam_hartwig's review
5.0
Just loved this book! So intriguing, i couldn't put it down! Lots of suspense, mystery and a great love story. Great first novel and can't wait for the second to come out!!
amandalyn's review
4.0
Spoilers!!!!
This would have been a five star read for me, but I hated the way she handled Grady assaulted Violet. Violet just forgave him. That it a terrible message to send out to girls. It doesn't matter that he was drunk and that Jay stopped him. Nothing makes trying to force yourself on someone. She still should have told her uncle at least. If he did it once, he will almost definitely try again on someone else.
Okay. End rant.
This would have been a five star read for me, but I hated the way she handled Grady assaulted Violet. Violet just forgave him. That it a terrible message to send out to girls. It doesn't matter that he was drunk and that Jay stopped him. Nothing makes trying to force yourself on someone. She still should have told her uncle at least. If he did it once, he will almost definitely try again on someone else.
Okay. End rant.
cutenanya's review
4.0
Really 3 stars for the plot as the story drags a bit and nothing really exciting. An extra star though for the awesome Jay!