Confessions of a Readaholic: Kimberly Derting

Showing all posts labelled: Kimberly Derting

Showing posts with label Kimberly Derting. Show all posts

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Release Date: February 15, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: The Body Finder, Book 2
Rated: YA 14+
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Buy: Amazon ❘ The Book Depository
Goodreads ◆ Website

Read my review of The Body Finder HERE.

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 had to end up re-reading this one, because I had The Last Echo but couldn't really remember what happens in this one. WOWIE. That suspense is still there. Even though I started remembering a lot of the details along the way, I was chilled to the bone and freaked out until the end. The suspense was brilliantly built up and crescendoed to the climax, which I did not see the first time round reading this book.

Much like Nora from Hush, Hush I didn't like Violet in the second book as much as I did in the first. She's definitely a great character, but she can be pretty moody at times (who can ever get mad at Jay?!) and it kind of annoyed me at times. Oh well...
Speaking of, JAY JAY JAY. LOVE HIM! Best male character...ever. Oh fine, okay, he's up there in the top ten. Love him in this book. He's just so sweet and protective of Violet! and Oh My GOD, Rafe is amazing. I definitely can't wait to read The Last Echo to find out more about him :)
The stalker in this book is really creepy. It slowly reveals who it actually is, and I thought Derting did this so well with selective detail. The whole twist at the end was such a shocker (even the second time round) and I was totally holding my breath the whole time. THAT GOOD PEOPLE. All of Derting's books (which I've read) have this sudden twist and it's just like, WOW, every single time.

This was a short review, but definitely do not skip over this series! Desires of the Dead is a fabulous sequel to The Body Finder and I can't WAIT to get started on The Last Echo. And if I was freaked out, reading this book the second time round, it's one not to miss.

If you like this, try...

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White ◆ Goodreads
When Lightning Strikes by Meg Cabot ◆ Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday – Week 49

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It's to spotlight on upcoming releases which I'm DYING to get my hands on.

This week's WoW is:

The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

**WARNING: Is spoilery if you haven't read books 1 and 2**

In the end, all that's left is an echo...

Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet's talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it's Violet's job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by "the girlfriend collector" she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new "relationship" and Violet may have caught his eye...

Goodreads

Release Date: April 17, 2012

OHHH EMM GEE. OMG. OH MY GODS. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS ONE! (notice my excitement with the caps lock??) One of the best series EVER. Each one is more amazing than the last. Can't wait! :D

What are you waiting on?

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Release Date: November 15, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Series: The Pledge, Book 1
Rating: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab
Amazon ❘ Goodreads ❘ Website

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

I absolutely ADORE Kimberly Derting's The Body Finder series and cannot speak any less of her fabulous new book, The Pledge!
The Pledge was such an original idea for a dystopian novel. Using something which already kind of segregates us today: language. The future world which Derting creates shows a more dramatic portrayal of our world today, about how speaking what language affects class. But, of course, what if there were one person who knew all the languages? Of course, in the tradation of dystopian and other YA novels, we have a society rebel.

Charlie, I found, was a much stronger character than Violet from The Body Finder. Although they both have their similarities, like the non-mingling, the headstrong and stubbornness, Charlie I felt had more will. More will to move, to protect all she loves, and to sacrifice her needs and wants for others. A totally rockin' rebel, I would say.
Max. Love the way he protects Charlie, love EVERYTHING about him. *Sigh*. And likewise with Charlie, he's also quite similar to Jay from TBF. He'd risk his life for Charlie, and never let any harm come to her. I think we have probably THE best boyfriend ever here people.

I also love the supporting characters in this novel: Aron, Brook, Xander, Angelina predominantly. Love how much each of them would risk their lived protecting Charlie, endangering their own lives. Angelina is seriously the cutest little sister I've ever read about!
And then of course...we have our baddie. The Queen of Ludania is seriously one you do not want to mess with. She really reminds me of The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, with the whole, "off with his head!" thing going on. But seriously, one evil queen? even though she's ancient, still gives me the chills.

The Pledge was an exciting new dystopian, in a beautifully created (future) world, with deadly fates for just a glimpse. Kimberly Derting has certainly set the bar high for dystopians now with her latest novel, and will be one tough to top. Although the ending I felt was complete where it ended in this book, I'm excited to see what happens in the sequel.
If you have not read this book or The Body Finder, you seriously have not read the definition of "awesome" yet.

If you like this, try...

Matched by Ally Condie ◆ Goodreads
Delirium by Lauren Oliver ◆ Goodreads
XVI by Julia Karr ◆ Goodreads
Possession by Elana Johnson ◆ Goodreads
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld ◆ Goodreads

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Release Date: February 15th, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: The Body Finder, Book 1
Rating: YA 14+
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Amazon ❘ Goodreads ❘ Website

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

Before I had picked up this book at the library, I'd been seriously raving about The Body Finder's cover. Gorgeous. Mysterious. Beautiful. All these ran through my head. Of course, when I picked up the book and started on that first word, I was hooked. Seriously? How many paranormal books are there to do with sensing the dead through echoes? Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say.
The Body Finder is truly everything you'd hope for and more. Original, suspenseful, cute and deadly– everything you can hope for in a book!

Violet is among the several of perfect paranormal main characters. She's got her flaws and best traits, and that's what makes her so believable. Other than the paranormal aspect of being able to hear the echoes of the dead or the ones who caused death, she's practically normal, which makes everything more contemp and realistic...other than the fact the fact she has an ability.
JAY. JAY. JAY. Okay, LURV him. Absolutely love love love him. Protective though. Really, really, really protective. But still sweet and amazingly hot. I'm a sucker for the whole best- friends-turns-into-something-more thing. :D And what would be a book without the sassy, smart and badass friend? Chelsea was no exception. Loved her little comments, totally made the book have it's little icebreakers.

The Body Finder is a pretty different paranormal. I found that it was quite similar to Meg Cabot's 1-800-Where-R-You? series as the heroine can sense where missing people are. Definitely loved the creepy feel as Violet feels the killer's echoes more and even more as she gets closer to finding out who it is.
I really liked how that it also showed the killer's perspective as he goes around looking for girls to kill. Yes, it's creepy and totally gave me shivers. I really loved how though it's not only through Violet's, as the main character, perspective, but also includes some POV from the opposing "team".

Overall, just by reading a few words and then being pulled into the eerie and dead-filled world of Violet's, I fell in love with The Body Finder and fabulous author. Kimberly Derting had me sitting on the edge of my seat and had my jaw dropping with close encounters and the unveiling of the killer. This is NOT a book to be passed over. The second book, Desires of the Dead is just as good. A review will be coming soon, but for those of you who are not sure about this series, don't think. Just read.

If you like this, try...

When Lightning Strikes by Meg Cabot ◆ Goodreads
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White ◆ Goodreads
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer ◆ Goodreads
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl ◆ Goodreads
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini ◆ Goodreads

Cover Alert (10)

OMGG!! It's here! I just found it today:

THE LAST ECHO by Kimberly Derting!!

Isn't it absolutely GORGEOUS?!

Publication: April 17th, 2012

Amazon ❘ Goodreads

Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet’s talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it’s Violet’s job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by “the girlfriend collector” she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new “relationship” and Violet may have caught his eye...

Love, Love, LOVE this series– can't wait for this one! In the meantime...I really should get Book 1 AND 2's reviews up soon :S AHH well. Are you excited for this one as I am?!

WWW Wednesdays - Week 12

"WWW Wednesdays" is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. To Participate, just answer the following questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you'll read next?

What are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading Haven by Kristi Cook, and I'm around halfway through that, and yesterday I started Bumped by Megan McCafferty. I LOVE Haven, and it's too early to tell with Bumped– I'm only on the 5th page! But it sounds very interesting :)

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting, and if you see the WoW post below, you know how much I'm raving about this series! Totally loved it, The Body Finder and this review will be up soon...hopefully. If I'm still alive making it through the enormous t0-be-reviewed list I have.

What do you think you'll read next?

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross comes out next week...so I'll be reading it this weekend in time for me to review it on the release date (which not to mention, I'll also be reviewing another book released on that day, Angel Burn). It sounds very cool, very different from most type of books! I've also heard very good things about this one, so I definitely need to start reading it!

Well, that was the WWW Wed of this week! What are you currently reading? Leave a link/comment!

Waiting on Wednesday – Week 15

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. It's to spotlight upcoming releases which I would DIE (and then come back to life to read it obviously) to get my hands on!

A Book I Can't wait for is...

The Pledge
by Kimberly Derting
Publication Date: November 15th, 2011
Amazon ❘ Goodreads

Words are the most dangerous weapon of all...

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can’t be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country’s only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE *gasps for air*...well you get the point. I LOVE Kimberly Derting's series The Body Finder (reviews of both books coming soon!). I just finished the second book, Desires of the Dead and It. Was. So. GOOD. I can't wait for the 3rd one, and this one though, is coming before, so I'll need to get my hands on this one while I wait. WHY IS NOVEMBER SO FAR AWAY?! Let's hope time flies here people.

That was my WoW for this week! What are you "waiting on"? Leave a link/comment to your WoW!

Cover Love - Week 11

"Cover Love" is a weekly meme I've adapted from 21 Pages. Here's this week's Cover Love theme: Books with a Black Backdrop on the Cover. I dunno. It seems like I'm running out of ideas :S but here's one I found on my Background (aka the blog header :P). Leave a comment with ideas for the next Cover Love!

Here's the first one, which I've been seeing around a lot. I SO need to get this one :) The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting.

The Body Finder (Amazon❘Goodreads)

Desires of the Dead (Amazon❘Goodreads)

This one also sounds so amazing! I haven't read any of Simone Elkeles books (yet) but this one seems really interesting. The first book of the Leaving Paradise series, Leaving Paradise (Amazon❘Goodreads).

I think all the series on this Cover Love is on my wishlist, so yes, this one is as well. The Dark Divine series by Bree Despain.

The Dark Divine (Amazon❘Goodreads)
The Lost Saint (Amazon❘Goodreads)

Well, actually, I just thought about this book series. I HAVE read this one and it's the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer.

Twilight (Amazon❘Goodreads)
New Moon (Amazon❘Goodreads)
Eclipse (Amazon❘Goodreads)
Breaking Dawn (Amazon❘Goodreads)

...and here's the last one for today, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (Amazon❘Goodreads). I've heard a lot of mixed reviews on this one...what do you think of it?

Well, that's it for this week's Cover Love! Which ones do you like? Leave comment with your opinion of the cover or the book and/or a link to your Cover Love!