Book Review: Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.

When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.

My Thoughts:  I've heard this is the last book in the series.  If it is, I'm a little disappointed because it left so many loose ends.  Seriously, I have a ton of questions that were not even close to being answered.

Violet is a senior this year but instead of concentrating on fun stuff like prom, graduation, parties, etc., she is concentrating on ignoring her imprint and trying to get over being kidnapped in the previous book.   Then Violet finds a family dead in their home and her world is thrown upside down again.  Especially when she notices that one of the bodies does not have an imprint.  When one of her classmates is accused of the murder, Violet is determined to find out what happened.

Along with the murder of the family, Violet has been given her grandma's journals.  Her grandma had the same "gift" as Violet and begins to write about a group that called themselves the Circle of Seven.  It's a group very much like the one Violet is in with Rafe and Sara.  

Between figuring out what the connection is between the Circle of Seven and her own little group and trying to find a murderer, Violet's senior year is unlike any other.  

Okay, I realize that if Violet wasn't so stubborn and determined, this would probably be a really boring (and short) book but through the whole book I was rolling my eyes at her stupidity and all the risks she took.  She not only put herself in danger but others as well.  It drove me crazy.  I also think Violet is a little whiny.  She is constantly keeping secrets and then getting upset because no one "understands" her or what she is going through.  She really just annoys me.

Jay is the same as he has been in the other books.  It was actually boring for me.  He is loyal and will protect Violet to the end but the whole romance for me was boring and predictable.  

I really like Violet's team.  Rafe and Sara and Gemma, even Dr. Lee.  They add some mystery and interest to the book.  Dr. Lee was especially interesting in this book and I'm a little irritated that there were so many unanswered questions regarding him and the group. Then, Gemma just kind of disappears from the book.  It was disappointing to me as she was one of my favorite characters.

So, all in all, this was an okay book.  It wasn't great but it wasn't bad and if you have read the others in the series, you should obviously read this one too.   I just don't think it tied up all the loose ends and I still have a lot of questions.  

Book Review: The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

  **I received this book from Around the World ARC Tours for review**

Synopsis (from 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....

My Thoughts:   Okay, I was a little wary of reading this book because while I loved The Body Finder, I was really disappointed with Desires of the Dead.  I am happy to say that this book was much more like The Body Finder than Desires of the Dead and I really enjoyed it!

Violet is now working with "The Company" that she found in the last book.  She has made friends with Sara, Rafe, Sam and Krystal.  Gemma is another story however.  She is spending a lot of time with them and that makes Jay a little jealous but he is still always there for Violet.

When the team gets called to help investigate a serial killer nicknamed "The Collector", Violet ends up spending more time with the team, getting hurt and even getting in some trouble with the police.  Her parents and her uncle want her to quit the team but  Violet does not feel like she can leave in the middle of the case.  

I loved the new character, Krystal!  She was fun, full of life and a great friend to Violet.  I also enjoyed learning more about Rafe and Sara as some of their secrets were revealed.  Violet wasn't so dumb in this book and I am so thankful for that!  Nothing like a character that you know is smart putting herself in numerous dangerous situations that could be avoided.  I also liked that Violet wasn't so needy with Jay this time.  Jay was still awesome!  He is slightly jealous of the time that Violet spends with the team but tries his best to understand.  He is there when she needs him and supports her decisions.  

The ending of this book was fabulous!  It was so tense that I would not put the book down until I finished it.  I thought, for some reason, that this was the end of the series but after the cliffhanger that Derting left us with, there had better be more to come!

Book Review: Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):   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.

My Thoughts:  So I signed up for a tour of the third book in this series, The Last Echo, thinking I had read this one only to find out that I actually hadn't!  So I bought it and read it right away as I loved The Body Finder.

I was sadly disappointed in this one.  There were so many things I didn't care for and many times I stopped to try and remember why I loved the first one so much.  This wasn't a horrible book but remembering how quickly I read The Body Finder and how enthralled I was with it, I was very let down.

First and most annoying was Violet!  She was jealous, put herself in danger SO many times, wouldn't open up to anyone and overreacted to stupid things while not reacting at all to important things.  I seriously wanted to smack her.  She gets phone calls from an FBI agent after finding the body of a dead boy and she won't tell anyone about it.  The FBI agent does not suspect Violet but has some questions for her and Violet refuses to talk to her, even when it could help her.

Now, let me go into all the times Violet went off by herself despite her claims that she didn't want to worry anyone.  Really?!  How completely stupid can one person be?  Especially at the end!  I almost threw the book out the window (which would have been tragic since it was on my Nook Color) because I was so mad at Violet!

Jay is too perfect in this one.  He puts up with all of Violet's secrets, even when he sees her with another guy.  She offers no explanation and while she knows Jay is "upset" he still puts his arm around her and tells her it is okay.  Really?  Hmmm....

I did like the addition of Mike and Megan.  Although their story was predictable and I actually knew "who done it" long before the book was over, they added a lot of new excitement.  I also liked the addition of Rafe and Sara and only wished we could get to know them better.  I am hoping in the next book we will.

So, I will stay on the tour for the last book and hope it is better than this one.  Hopefully Violet gets smart and quits being so whiny and annoying.