The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

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 had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping 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.

summary from goodreads.com

This book was suspenseful and unique in many ways, only one of which was the plotline. There were a few instances when I felt myself slipping from Derting's grip--and at the most suspenseful times, which was odd, such as when Violet could sense the echo of the killer, or discovered the murdered girls--but the book definitely kept my interest throughout the whole time I was reading it. I'm not going to lie, I did sneak it under my desk in class for just a few minutes of reading. I loved the subplot of romance because, after all, who doesn't like a book with romance?

I especially enjoyed seeing the story from the killers’ eyes--it drew more attention to the mysterious, dark side of the novel, and gave both of the killers very distinctive qualities. I couldn't help but find myself very intrigued by them and what it was, exactly, that drove them to commit such hideous crimes. Despite its flaws--which, I'm glad to say, there were very few of--I cannot deny that I loved this book, because I loved it so, so much. One thing for sure: Derting has got some definite talent up her sleeve! What an amazing novel!

The characters were all very developed, which, in my opinion, is key to a great book, and there were little to no questions left unanswered by the end, which is the general thing that makes me sad to finish stand alones, and made me especially sad to finish this one. Violet's unique ability definitely increased my interest, because I wanted to know more about it, and Jay is the ideal boyfriend; let's face it, girls, we all want a Jay in our lives.

This book would be a great choice for fans of Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi, The Darkest Powers trilogy by Kelley Armstrong, and the Wake series by Lisa McMann. What an incredible debut from Kimberly Derting! I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next. If I were you, I’d grab this book the second it hits the shelf at your local bookstore.

Grade: A+

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