Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

I have been waiting for this book for what seems like forever! I reviewed the previous book The Body Finder and recommend reading it prior to attempting the second book in the series.  Here’s the description from Amazon:

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 have greatly missed Violet and Jay so I was really excited to download this book on release day. I spent the entire drive to the Mardi Gras ball we went to an hour and a half away reading this book.

I can tell you it was worth the wait. I like the introduction of Mike’s character into the story line. It brings a new level to the budding relationship between Jay and Violet. While Jay is utterly devoted to Violet in a way I’m sure no real guy is, he still has friends and Violet will still be jealous of anyone taking her spot as Jay’s best friend.

One of the things I enjoy the most about Kimberly’s writing is that she infuses an aspect of mystery in the story. You see some thoughts of a dangerous obsession from the perspective of the “stalker” (not really sure if that is the right term) then things begin to happen to Violet as someone is trying to get to her. I really like that I had a hard time figuring out who was causing the problems and had to keep changing my mind. It kept me interested in the story and unable to put it down.

I loved the fact that Violet comes to terms with who she is and her ability in this book. She doesn’t completely reconcile it. However, she begins to see the potential that she has to impact people and seems to accept that normal will have a different meaning for her. I think that will make her a much stronger character in the future books.

I am not sure what to think of the mysterious male agent with abilities that is introduced in this book. While it doesn’t appear that he and Violet have a romantic connection it seems possible that something might develop since they have an ability in common. I am hoping Jay is able to hang onto his girl :)

The only criticism I have for readers is that there was a “Bella” section to the story (I couldn’t stand to read most of New Moon while she was moaning over Edward). There is a period in this book where Violet experiences the same thing. If you aren’t one to want to read all the angsty parts of YA you can likely skip a lot of that and just focus on the plot.

Overall, I give this book a 5/5. It was so worth the wait. I am just sad that I now have to wait for the next book in the series. On a side note I LOVE the covers for this series they are amazing! Click the amazon link below to order your copy today!