Review: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Title: The Body Finder
Hardcover, 336 pages
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: March 16, 2010
Source: Purchased
Buy: Amazon
Book Summary:
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.
Review:
I heard many good things about The Body Finder, and was able to borrow a copy of the book from a friend so I could give it a try myself.
I knew that the main plot was based on a paranormal element – mainly, “the body finder,” who is our main narrator, Violet. What I didn’t expect is for the romantic element of her love life to take such a prominent role in the story. Because of this expectation being so off, I was thinking there would be more action and less wondering about boys, which ultimately had me enjoying this book a lot less than many of my friends.
In fact, the romantic elements of this story were so mushy that towards the end I was actually getting kind of tired of it. I am generally one for romance and characters finding girlfriends and boyfriends but some of the interactions between Violet and her boyfriend were just … unrealistic to me. I know how boys act around that age and some of the things he says are definitely not fitting with his age bracket, for the most part. And after awhile it all just came too easy.
BUT, I DID really really enjoy the actual body finder bits of this book. Huge mystery surrounding everything, a character with a paranormal ability that is pretty cool (props to you, Kimberly Derting!), and a murder case that I really wanted solved. The cover is also great.
So, bits I liked and bits I didn’t – overall I would generally recommend, but am hoping for more action and mystery in the second (Desires of the Dead) than we had in The Body Finder. If the second book starts off with chapters and chapters of mush I’m not sure I’ll be able to take it.
Buy: Amazon
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I loved reading your thoughts on this! I read this last month and flet a bit let down. I think some of the hype had built it up for me.
it was good though (I gave it three stars
I know what you mean about the romance in the second half! LOL
I’m glad you feel the same as me! I kind of scanned through my friends on Goodreads to look at their ratings and not many gave less than 5 stars. I’m really wondering how the sequel will turn out! (Seriously, if Jay doesn’t get a grip, it’s all over for me)
I didn’t find it as mushy as you did (I loved me some Jay), but I do agree with you hoping Desires of the Dead focuses more on the mystery and paranormal aspects of the story.