Book Review: Desires of the Dead (Kimberly Derting)

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.

So I have been waiting forever for this book - since, admittedly, The Body Finder is my favourite debut of 2010 and Jay and Violet ranks as one of my favourite YA couples. The Verdict? Definitely on the good side.

Again, Kimberly Derting manages to deliver the perfect blend of mystery and romance. As in every sequel, Desires of the Dead narrates the continuation - including the repercussions - of everything that occurred in The Body Finder. Violet's abilities continues to 'haunt' her. This time, her actions lead a powerful government organisation to her (the FBI no less). Simultaneously, she endangers herself once again, the compulsion to answer to the echoes of the dead pulling her towards peril. At the same time, she and Jay becomes closer, more intimate in their relationship and as with any couple, they must face the trials and tribulations that land in their path.

I love how everything fits together in Desires of the Dead - recurring and new characters play intercolliding roles, how the new plot and mystery blossoms, and how - without neglecting the thrilling ride that is the plot - the romance is carried out. Kimberly's writing is superb and fits in just as perfectly as the rest.
Let me say this - the romance was amazing. I reveled in Jay and Violet's love - sweet, intimate and deep feelings anchor this two to each other, and it made me melt! There is a lot of adjustment to Violet in their platonic-to-romantic relationship. Although very much in love with Jay, there is a lot of adjustments made from him being Violet's BFF to boyfriend. It was very well played out. I would have been extremely happy if Desires of the Dead was only purely romance! At the same time, a new character lurking in the shadows will clearly return in succeeding books to make it even more exciting for everyone involved! Caution, to those expecting a lot of jealousy from Violety with regards to Jay's closeness with Mike - there's hardly any conflict in this. The blurb is slightly misleading here, but no worries, it'll make up for it!

Despite the slightly predictable outcome, it was still a thrill following Violet's brushes with the authorities, the new students in school, and the danger that seems to stalk her. The plot was constructed well, with hints and clues that lead you to one person while suspecting the other. And again, as with The Body Finder, we get a glimpse into the very emotional POV of the 'villain', feeding a very different aura to the book.

Although it was saddening to reach the last pages of a book I have waited a year to read, Desires of the Dead definitely lifted my spirits in that I'm pretty certain there will be more books to follow. It's once again exciting and patience-wearing to wait for the next installment in Violet and Jay's story! I am very much looking forward to what Kimberly Derting has in line for these two!

Four Stars.

Book Review: Scarlett Dedd (Cathy Brett)

You're dead Scarlett...Previously a poor taste jibe from school frenemies, now a statement of fact. Scarlett is absolutely mortified (in more ways than one) to discover that she's accidentally killed herself while trying to get out of a school trip. Even worse, she's taken her entire family with her. Life as a ghost is pretty dull - if only some of her friends were dead too...

Cathy Brett's Scarlett Dedd is the first graphic novel I've read in years. I do not have a lot to compare Scarlett Dedd to, but even for a non art enthusiast, I was blown away by the illustrations in this book - so brilliantly done! It's very detailed, very vivid and so real to life. I can look at them over and over again and never tire.

Scarlett Dedd is not only one of the best illustrated novels I've ever come across, it's also one of the funniest. Scarlett, our protagonist, dies in the stupidest (her words, not mine!) way, and or the most pathetic of reasons - you have to read the book to discover how, as doing so is one of the fun things about this book. Scarlett Dedd feels like an interactive novel, as I was always looking forward to the next illustration and find myself examining all the details and matching it with the text when I do. I also hugely enjoyed the conversations in this book - they are genuinely british, what with the British slangs. I absolutely love it!

I'll have you know that I probably damaged my guts laughing my head off at all Scarlett's antics. She's such a fresh, vivacious and infectious character, I wanted to pull her pictures off the page and bring her to life. She's determined and resilient, albeit a little misguided. Her naivety sometimes grated at my nerves, but this book shows an in depth character development and maturity, in which Scarlett discovers the thin line between right and wrong, her own strength and weakness and ultimately her place in life (afterlife?). The supporting characters are just as fun. Teens and adults alike are just as mischievous and entertaining as Scarlett.

There appears to be a lack of emotions from the secondary characters though -interestingly, apart from Psycho (lol!), who both fancies and is fancied by Scarlett, her friends seem to find it fascinating that she's dead rather than mourn her death the traditional way. That, and the way they used Scarlett's haunting as a means to popularity rather than to communicate with Scarlett, are one of their traits that I disliked but nevertheless enjoyed. There was little tension in the book and I was not particularly drawn to the climax, but I found myself giggling with fun anyway - there's a huge potential for a sequel for more of Scarlett's ghostly adventures, and it would be quite fun to accompany the Dedds on another fun-filled episode!

Three Stars.


* Thanks Sam from Headline for my copy!


Want to know more about Scarlett? Or perhaps you need an advice from the afterlife? Visit her blog and say Hi! - www.scardeparted.blogspot.com