Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Title:  Desires of the Dead
Author: Kimberly Derting
Pages: 368
Genre:  YA/ Paranormal
Source:  Purchased

As with all sequels I always tend to be a little reserved - especially after loving and blabbing to anyone who would listen about the first book so much.  So needless to say, I was happy to see that once again Ms. Derting has not let me down.  I fell in love with Violet and her BFF turned boyfriend Jay in The Body Finder.  And thankfully, they are still one of my favorite couples in YA.

Taking place a few months after the events that transpired in The Body Finder, Violet and Jay are back to living their normal lives now as an official couple.  But when Violet discovers the body of a murdered child and alerts the police, the FBI have a few questions they want answered. 

First of all let's start with Jay - because I may just be in love with him.  He is by far the sweetest, cutest and most adorable boy in YA literature.  I love how he loves Violet.  He's sweet, thoughtful, gentlemanly and protective of her.  I think every girl has dreamt of that perfect boy ... and those that have will find him in Jay.  His relationship with Violet has progressed and although they are now a couple, they remain the best of friends.

Violet continues struggling with her unique abilities and is being extra secretive... causing all sorts of mayhem. in her relationship  Now that she is under the scrutiny of the FBI she is even more secretive.  They want some questions answered but not the one's that she was expecting.  Sarah and Rafe from the FBI seem like they want to learn more about her, but she is unwilling to open up about her abilities.  She forms a reluctant friendship with Rafe - and I'm really looking forward to seeing how big a role he'll play in the future books in this series.   

The mystery aspect of the story wasn't it's strongest feature.  It was predictable and after I was taken down a few wrong paths I figured it out much sooner than Violet did.  Instead I found that the story focused more on its characters.  I felt there was much more character development - not just Violet and her abilities, but also with the relationships between her and Jay, her friendships, her family, etc.  

Once again, I was captivated although I must confess not as much as I was with The Body Finder.  While The Body Finder gave me chills, this one was more subdued.  All in all, this is still a very good book.  Fans of The Body Finder will devour Desire of the Dead and be left pining for the next in the series.  For those of you who haven't begun this series yet, well I guarantee you will love this paranormal mystery-thriller with a whole lot of YA romance. You can't go wrong with this series.

My Rating: