The Body Finder (The Body Finder #1)

This book was creepy. In that blood-shilling, hair raising kind of way. All because of the villain. We got to see segments from his point of view, and I might have to say that those were my favourite parts. The way his mind worked, the thoughts we saw, his plans... *shudder* They were so dark. I loved them.

The rest of the book wasn't bad either. The plot moved along nicely, told from the relatable Violet. Her ability to sense dead bodies is really intriguing and diffferent from anything I've stumbled across before. If I was honest with myself, I'd have to say it--along with the serial killer--was the reason I wanted to read it in the first place. The writing style and characters I met when I read part of it on HarperTeen a few years ago only sealed the deal.

The romance in this book was perfect. Jay was likable and his relationship with Violet (in the friend sense) was realistic. I shipped them from the beginning. And was insanely happy when they got together (earlier in the book than I expected, but I have no compaints XD ). It was kind of a major part in the novel, but didn't smother the mystery plot line competely.

Although the identity of the serial killer and the upcoming events can be predicted if you pay attention to the clues dropped in both the killer and Violet's sections, there were still a couple of twists that took me completely by surprise. And sections where my heart pounded in suspense because of the masterful way Derting connected two separate but sequential scenes.

I really enjoyed this novel. Nice and dark with a wonderful side of romance. Hopefully I can get my hands on the sequel sooner rather than later.

Holy. Wow. The Body Finder was one seriously intense read. It wasn’t about ghosts or things that go bump in the night, but it scared the pants off of me all the same. Some might say since it’s about regular killers it’s almost more scary and I’m thinking I’d have to agree.
So, anecdote time: I finished The Body Finder minutes before running out the door to catch my bus to make it to Kimberly’s signing. I was so freaked out from reading it I almost didn’t leave since I was traveling by myself and it’d be dark by the time I came home. Oh the power of authors ;]

I love that though Violet’s ability can be classified as paranormal, everything else about The Body Finder is real. Real scary dudes, real homework, real parents; the works. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t abhor paranormal or anything, but it’s refreshing to read a book that’s spine-tingling-ly creepy for real world reasons.

I like that besides her ability to sense the dead, Violet’s still a normal girl. She has homework, parents who occasionally annoy her, and a massive crush on her best friend. I also liked that she was determined to help find the killer but still knew enough (sometimes) to be careful and scares.
Sometimes I just wanted to yell at Jay and Violet to come to their senses and realize they liked each other because COME ON, everyone else could see it :P

Slightly Spoilery
I really liked that Jay & Vi didn’t dance around their relationship for the entire book. Of course I enjoy a slow burn, but I also like kissing. And boy is there lots of kissing!
End

The scenes written from the killer’s point of view had me both fascinated as well as creeped out. I found myself wanting more of them, but at the same time disturbed with myself for wanting that :P

I don’t normally put age suggestions on my reviews, but I’d definitely advise this one be read by older teens.

The Nutshell: The Body Finder definitely has the creep factor going for it, but there’s more than that too. If you’re looking for a book with a strong main character, lots of kissing, and will leave you feeling jumpy, this is definitely the book for you.

I found the premise of this book to be unique and intriguing. Violet's ability is well described, as is the aftermath she suffers when she finds something dead. She has strong relationships with her family and with Jay, and I enjoyed reading about those. I also felt the moments when we were in the killer's head were well done.

I wanted a bit more from this book. I wanted more tension, more action, a I wanted the author to dig a bit deeper with the characters to really explore the potential of this premise. I found there were times when I just wasn't completely into the story. However, I do think this book will have fans, and certainly if you enjoy unusual paranormal abilities in your heroines, this might be the perfect book for you.

Reader reviewed by Mysteriousrose

This was a book I couldn't put down. When I opened the book one page took the next until the end.
Violet's ability is different and it creates a lot of tension and uncertainty in her life.
The series killer is very creepy and it's a really nice touch that you get the POV of the killer it adds extra suspense to the story.
 
I'm very intrigued by the relationship between Violet and Jay, how they are best friends and they both secretly want more from each other, be more than friends but none of them is willing to take the final step.
It's very sweet and I like how they watch out for each other.
 
I like how the book mixes real life and the supernatural world. How we follow a teenager who has to balance her everyday life (school, family, friends, love) with her ability to find dead bodies. Its not easy to be a normal teenager so its definitely not easy to be Violet.

Reader reviewed by Gaby B

The Body Finder deals with a premise that weve seen a lot in paranormal novels, having a connection to the dead. But what I like about The Body Finder
is that it manages to take a different spin on that kind of connection,
while blending the paranormal and real world almost seamlessly.

The Body Finder is about Violet, a girl who can sense the
bodies of the dead, especially the unrest. Her secret is known by her
family and best friend Jay; all of who helped her cope with her gift.
When girls from Violets small town go missing and are found murdered,
Violet takes it upon herself to find out who the serial killer is.

Along with the mystery comes some romance between her and Jay. Its
one of those Best friends are in love with each other, but too clueless
to do anything about it things. Yeah, we have seen it before, but I
found that it complimented the story well. Plus, Jay is the guy every
girl should fall in love with. He isnt the bad boy, or the kind that
leads girls on. Hes genuine, sweet, and reasonably protective. I was
getting so sick of reading YA fiction where a girl falls for the bad boy
or someone that doesnt exactly treat her right. Jay isnt perfect. He
has his moments where he does wrong, but hes one of the more realistic
love interests in todays YA fiction.

The different spin on the dead connection is another thing the
author, Kimberly Derting, does right. Instead of having Violet see
creepy visions of the dead or hear the dead speak their last wishes,
Derting gives Violet the power of finding the bodies through sounds,
tastes, lights, etc. Violet gets these impulses that make her follow the
sound or taste she senses until she finds the body of the unrest. Each
body has its own identifier, a certain sound or taste, and whoever had a
hand in their death gets an imprint of that identifier. Hence, Violet
has the ability to find and track down the murderer.

The Body Finder is a great read. Its perfectly paced; it
had me reading from beginning to end almost non-stop. I was happy to
find out that its the first of a series of Body Finder novels. The
second book, Desires of the Dead, was released two days ago, and I cant wait to go to the bookstore to pick it up.

Reprinted here with author's permission. Original: http://www.theyoungfolks.com/?p=1156

Reader reviewed by Meghan

Reader reviewed by Ruthie

Reader reviewed by Courtney Rae (Courtney Reads)

Violet Ambrose has a secret. She hears sounds, tastes foods, feel
touches that she calls echoes. Where do these echoes lead? To murderers
and the murdered.
The first time she came upon a dead body, she was 8
years old. Now a junior in high school, the ability has yet to go away.
Easily causing her to find dead animals.
No one knows about this
except for her family and best friend, Jay Heaton.
Violet and Jay
have been best friends since they were 6 years old. But now things have
changed. Jay has pysically developed and all the girls have noticed,
including Violet.

That's not all. Girls have been disappearing
left and right. Some bodys have been found, others have not.

What
will happen with Violet, her secret, Jay, and the missing girls?

__________



ATTENTION EVERYONE!!!!

If
you have yet to discover Kimberly Derting and her fantastic creation, The
Body Finder, do yourself a favor and read it. NOW.


This
is Kimberly Derting's debut novel and the fact that she hit it out of
the park makes it that much better. That is why the Author Appreciation
Week spotlight shines on her today.
She writes amazingly. Causing you
to get sweaty palms and you heart racing as Violet deals with her
ability and falls in love.


I enjoyed this book so much that I
bought it yesterday evening and finished it this morning. My mom had to
steal it from me and hide it so I wouldn't finish it all in one night.
As soon as I got it back, though, I ran to my room and completed the
fantastic book.


Also, I was lucky enough to be part of The
Body Finder Street Team. I was so ecstatic that I got to spread
the word about this book of awesome around North Carolina. I'll try to
post some pictures of what I did sometime this week. :)


So,
class, what have we learned today? *IN UNISON* We should all read The
Body Finder!


Class dismissed.

Reader reviewed by Christi

The Body Finder

The Body Finder is the story of a girl, Violet, who- you guessed it- finds body. She can only find the ones that have been murdered however. From that, mystery and suspense ensues. Thus, it gives us one of the most beautiful and touching books I've read in a long time.

Violet is a relatable girl with a very strange gift. She's hopelessly in love with her best friend, Jay, and only hopes for a normal senior experience. But when a serial killer starts lurking near her hometown, preying on young girls, that dream is shattered. When the police find it hard to track him down, Violet feels it is her responsibility to find him. She must now hunt the hunter, but when she gets too close, the hunter comes for her.

 Throughout this blood-pumping, page-turning race, is a beautiful love story. The sweet romance of it is perfectly balanced with the suspense, that you won't stop reading until the very last page. The perfect ending throws you for a dizzy loop.