Desires of the Dead by: Kimberly Derting

Desires of the Dead by: Kimberly Derting
Publication Date: February 15, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Count: 368
Format: Hardcover
Series: The Body Finder #2
Buy the Book: Amazon


Summary 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 Review:

The first book in this series, The Body Finder, was spectacular. It was an entirely new story and I had never heard anything like it before. The second book, however, didn't wow me as much as the first.

It started off a little slow to me, but every so often, there was something mysterious that happened, making me get goosebumps. There were a lot of morbid things that happened in this book, which made it seem a bit more indie in parts to me. This wasn't necessarily a good thing or a bad thing, it just was.

The manner in which Violet heard the echoes was really creatively done and I liked that. Her relationship with Jay grew to a point that was really heartwarming to read. Jay is one of those boyfriends who is really protective and is worried about how Violet will protect herself. Personally, I think he should have kept her on less of a leash. But, then again, his protectiveness proved to be extremely important at the end.

Desires of the Dead certainly showed a lot of promise for the next book though, and I have a feeling that it will be better than any of the others. So far it's just been two different stories kind of revolving around a killer with some other stuff mixed in. The plot for the next book , The Last Echo looks to be a lot more personal and suspenseful and I am looking forward to it.

Official Rating:

Three Un-Birthday Cakes

Catching Fire by: Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by: Suzanne Collins
Published: September 1, 2009
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Page Count: 391
Format: Hardcover
Series: Hunger Games #2

Summary from Amazon:

Every year in Panem, the dystopic nation that exists where the U.S. used to be, the Capitol holds a televised tournament in which two teen "tributes" from each of the surrounding districts fight a gruesome battle to the death. In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the tributes from impoverished District Twelve, thwarted the Gamemakers, forcing them to let both teens survive. In this rabidly anticipated sequel, Katniss, again the narrator, returns home to find herself more the center of attention than ever. The sinister President Snow surprises her with a visit, and Katniss’s fear when Snow meets with her alone is both palpable and justified. Catching Fire is divided into three parts: Katniss and Peeta’s mandatory Victory Tour through the districts, preparations for the 75th Annual Hunger Games, and a truncated version of the Games themselves. Slower paced than its predecessor, this sequel explores the nation of Panem: its power structure, rumors of a secret district, and a spreading rebellion, ignited by Katniss and Peeta’s subversive victory. Katniss also deepens as a character. Though initially bewildered by the attention paid to her, she comes almost to embrace her status as the rebels’ symbolic leader. Though more of the story takes place outside the arena than within, this sequel has enough action to please Hunger Games fans and leaves enough questions tantalizingly unanswered for readers to be desperate for the next installment.

My Review:

   I don't know what possessed me to procrastinate in reading this book! It had been sitting on my shelf for like a year. Perhaps I just didn't want the series to be over so fast. At least now I can get right into Mockingjay, because boy, that was some cliffhanger!
  Catching Fire started off a bit slow for me but at about the second or third chapter, it abrubtly caught me on and wouldn't let me go til the end. There is definitely a lot more mystery and wonder in this book than the first. The Capital just seems relentless and  won't let Katniss have the moment of peace she so rightly deserves. She thought that maybe the publicity would die down after the Victory Tour, but President Snow always has some evil plan up his sleeves, it seems.
  There wasn't much Gale in this book, possibly even less than the first, which kind of upset me at first but then I got so wrapped up in the action that Gale didn't even cross my mind much. Just by the ending, I could tell that he is going to be in Mockingjay a fair amount, which made me feel better.
  We meet a lot of the previous Hunger Games victors in this book and that was exciting for me. Some of them were on drugs or drinking like Haymitch and that made me further understand the toll that the Games take on the tributes. But a lot of them like Finnick Odair and Johanna Mason are still young and strong.
  Katniss makes the transition in this book from fighting her own survival as she did in the Games to fighting for everyone elses. She thinks that no one else should suffer from the repurcussions of both Peeta and her winning the previous year. I admire the way she thinks so selflessly like that. I wonder if she would have known what an effect her and Peeta's winning would be on Panem, if she would have let herself survive. I hope so. Because the ending was so plain and simple yet so dangerously hinting at the plot for the last book.

 
  

The Hidden by: Jessica Verday

The Hidden by: Jessica Verday
Published: September 6, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: Ebook
Page Count: 389
Series: #3 in The Hollow Trilogy
Buy the Book: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

A love that knows no bounds.

Abbey knows that Caspian is her destiny. Theirs is a bond that transcends even death. But as Abbey finally learns the full truth about the dark fate that links her to Caspian and ties them both to the town of Sleepy Hollow, she suddenly has some very hard choices to make. Caspian may be the love of her life, but is that love worth dying for?

Beautifully spun, emotionally gripping, and irresistibly romantic, The Hidden will leave you breathless.

My Review:

*****MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS (for those who haven't read The Haunted)*****

      Almost an entire year, I was waiting for this book to come out. Already, the Hollow Trilogy was one of my favorite series' ever, but after reading The Hidden, I know that the last book was just delightful icing on the cake.

      This installment of the trilogy contained a lot more mystery and intrigue and overall tension. The one question was finally answered that we all had been waiting for since the first book. I came to admire and connect with Caspian a lot more in this book. He was clearly going through a lot of mixed emotions about Abbey being his other half. He accepted that she should to live her life and tried, as much as it pained him, to get her to go on living, despite the fact that he would slip away if she did.
      The plot always managed to spark lots of new questions in  my head, moreso than with previous books. The lengths that Abbey is willing to go to to be with Caspian forever and the things she is willing to give up is amazing and heartbreaking all at once.
       So many emotions coursed through me while reading The Hidden. It was a perfect concoction of all bad and good feelings. Ultimately, the ending to the series was more than I could have ever expected. I always dread the ending of a series, concerned that it will not end in a comfortable place for me but this series smoothly ended in a peaceful place and left me satisfied and overjoyed at the conclusion of Abbey and Caspian's story.