The Body Finder Series ~ Kimberly Derting

The Body Finder debuted March 2010. It was originally recommended to me by a co-worker. So I read it and holy crap. My mind was blown. It was absolutely fantastic. The story was original, it was fresh, and it never let up.

From GoodReads: 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 that 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 the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping 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.

What I loved the most about The Body Finder is that unlike most novels, Violet does not keep her "gift" to herself. She has a support system of her family and her friend Jay. This shocked me and I think is one reason I was drawn to the book. I get so tired of heroines who have a power/gift/ability and they A) hate it and wish they never had it or B) have no one to lean on and keep it to themselves to the point of destroying friendships, etc. So Violet is not a stupid girl. And I love it!

And then there is Jay. He has been friends with Violet since childhood. And she has realized she is in love with him. This is something else in novels that usually irks me. Usually the strong female becomes all gooey and simpering when a guy she loves enters the picture. But Violet didn't. Sure she was a little gooey around Jay but she wasn't annoying. It was sweet. It was natural. It was Violet & Jay. It was nice :)


We come now to book 2: Desires of the Dead.
GoodReads: 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 things are heating up. Violet and Jay are official. There is a new friend in the mix and Violet is targeted by the FBI. Is this good or bad? Violet finds a murdered child, and begins to receive threatening messages from a killer.
To be honest, Violet was not my favorite in this book. It was like she second guessed herself too much. But that is okay. Why? Because next comes

Book 3: The Last Echo which, holy crap, blew books 1 and 2 way out of the water! Starting off, I had trouble getting sunk into the book, but only because of past experience in my life with one of the character's names. But once I got over that BAM! I literally stayed up to 2am reading the book. I could not stop. And more than a couple times I got a little creeped out sitting in the near dark. 

From GoodReads: In the end, all that’s left is an echo.

Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet’s talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it’s Violet’s job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice.

When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by “the girlfriend collector” she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new “relationship” and Violet may have caught his eye...
 
The Last Echo was chock full of suspense and even a MINOR love triangle. But yay, I was not bothered by it at all. It fit the story beautifully and Violet did not let me down. We also are introduced to Violet's new team of psychics. They were fun to get to know, and even more fun was learning about their individual gifts. And all of their gifts intertwined and worked together to solve murders, etc. 

Be prepared have your socks knocked off. The ending is frikking amazing and now I am so excited to see where Violet's story will go in Dead Silence. 

And after finishing book 3, I have come to a conclusion. Kimberly Derting is a master of psychological ickiness. Yes, I'm referring to the interludes provided by the serial killers. Love it! And a nod to the cover designer-I don't know if they read an advance version of the book, or if it was requested, but I love how the lavender flower fits in with the story. Genius cover imo. 

Everneath ~ Brodi Ashton

 Title: Everneath
Author: Brodi Ashton
Pub Date: January 24, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins / Balzer + Bray
370 pages
Author Website: http://www.brodiashton.blogspot.com

From GoodReads: Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her friends—before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki’s time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she’s forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s...

First off, I have to say that I adore Persephone myths. I'm not sure what it is that draws me in, but it never fails. To my delight, that is what Everneath was: a Persephone story! To my un-delight I did not enjoy the book as much as I hoped I would :(

"Why do we hope when all hope is lost?"

After 100 years, Nikki Beckett returns to life after being in an underworld knows as the Everneath. There, Immortal beings feed on human despair. Connected to Nikki is Cole-the Immortal who wants her to be the Queen to his King. 


Now that Nikki is back on Earth, only six months have passed since she disappeared. And she has six months to correct her mistakes/make peace before the Everneath comes to claim her for good. She can go as either Queen or as food. It's her choice. 


As her time draws to a close, Nikki must decide to accept her fate, or find a way out. Either way there will be consequences and lives broken. 



I enjoyed the mythology the most. There was a little bit of Greek, a little bit of Egyptian. And what I consider new mythology for the book itself. Even descriptions of Everneath confused me somewhat. It was a wonderful storyline, I just feel that some of the execution was not for me and what I was expecting. (I may have put it on too high a pedestal.) I did not feel connected to any of the characters. At all.I found Nikki to be stupid. And in the end, that stupidity didn't hurt just her. She had so many opportunities to explain and get help, but she chose not to. I did not feel she was a 'wounded' character, but just a stupid one. Her friends? Yeah, didn't like them either. As it is, I'm writing this less than a month after finishing and I cannot remember her best friend's name O.o

Okay, on to the part I just love...The Dreaded Love Triangle. This one was majorly annoying. Jack and Cole. Mortal and Immortal. Yes, Jack = very doting and was crushed when Nikki disappeared, and doesn't really know how to handle her being back. I felt that at first Jack wanted nothing to do with her, then all of a sudden bam! he has to! Then there is Cole, who in his own special Immortal way does care about her. He is trying to save her from the Everneath. But in the end, neither guy is worth it. (Although, to be honest, if I had to choose: Cole all the way.)

I do want to read the sequel, and even the novella to see how the story continues because seriously? Even though I knew how the book was going to end, Brodi Ashton wins an award for Cliffhanger of EVILNESS! Ugh so not cool to leave us like that!

And now, time to look at the beautiful cover of Everbound!  Sooo pretty. I hope book 3 follows in the same vein. I would show you the cover to Neverfall, which takes place between book 1 and 2. And from Cole's point of view.

"Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with."

In keeping with the mythology, I am curious, what is your favorite myth? Your favorite hero? 

Anna Dressed in Blood ~ Kendare Blake

I actually read this book last year when it debuted. And LOVED it! Recently, I listened to the audio, and I found that even though I knew what was going to happen, I was still surprised, I still got lost in the story, etc. And I still LOVE the story!

So for grins and giggles, I thought I would share my GoodReads review, and status updates for the book from October 2011.

 10/28/2011 "Just in time for Halloween..."
 10/29/2011  "Okay, totally loving this one so far! The first Anna encounter and my jaw drops. YES!"

 So I finished this one around 12:30 am Halloween Day (yay for perfect timing) and towards the end, as it was all dark and dim in my room, I got a little creeped out. The red ink used in the book felt as if the book was dressed in blood.




The story was fabulous and haunting. The gruesome bits were gruesome and shocking! Very enjoyable. 

Anna'a audio was provided by Sync. So yay them! While I downloaded a couple others in previous weeks, Anna is the first audio that I have finished.

The narrator, August Ross, did a great job giving voice to Cas and Anna. (I was not too fond of some of the jock type voices, but meh.) I am still amazed that even though I knew what was coming, I was still icked out by some of the scenes. For example, the first encounter with Anna...it was gruesome. And knowing it was coming, and HEARING it was a little different. But very cool.

Have you listened to Anna Dressed in Blood? Read it?
And are you excited for Girl of Nightmares? Let's look at the gorgeous cover...

Is this Anna, beckoning to Cas to save her? GAH! I cannot wait till it comes out next month! And I know I have mentioned the cover artist in the past, but I just have to send you to his website again. He is amazing!  
Nekro www.nekro.es

Treachery of Beautiful Things ~ Ruth Frances Long

Title: Treachery of Beautiful Things
Author: Ruth Frances Long
Pub Date: August 16, 2012
Publisher: Dial Books
384 pages
Author website: www.rflong.com
ARC provided by author/publisher and DAC Tours

From GoodReads: A darkly compelling mix of romance, fairy tale, and suspense from a new voice in teen fiction. The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.

The Treachery of Beautiful Things first caught my attention with the cover. Absolutely gorgeous! The dress, the flowers, the light cutting in through the trees. 


The trees. How can trees consume a person? Did it happen? Did Jenny imagine it? Is her brain making an excuse for something else that happened? Seven years after her brother Tom disappears, she decides that it is time to go look for him again. And then she hears it-a flute, much like Tom used to play before he disappeared. And with that, Jenny's whole world gets turned upside down.

Treachery, lies, betrayal, love. This is the novel in a nutshell. Out of a nutshell? Beautiful. Just an absolutely beautiful and elegantly written story. At times, the folklore was confusing, but it was also so nicely wrapped together in one package. We have Titania, Puck, Mab, Oberon, the Green Man, dragons, and fairies. There are even some mythical creatures that I've never heard of before! 

• Foletti
• Nix
• Leczi

With everything going on, at times I had a little trouble staying under the thrall of the story. But in the back of my mind, it was always there, whispering to me. Midway through, there was a turning point. I could not stop reading the book! At this turning point, I was completely lost to Jenny's story. Unfortunately there is one aspect of the book that I was not too fond of, but it is a personal preference more than anything else. Because keep in mind, I still really liked the story! Jenny was such a confusing character. She was strong enough to go into the forest to hunt for her brother. But then she became a damsel in distress. (I don't like distressed damsels.) She was always being rescued by either Jack or Puck. But then she will also be defiant, or face down dragons, etc. So odd..and let's not forget that Jenny also gave a kiss to some strange man-come on.  You're there in fairy world-DON'T KISS ANYONE! So yeah, if not for the confusing behavior of Jenny this book would have been damn near perfect.


Okay. Now on to my favorite quotes from the book!

"Stubborn and impossible, not beautiful, but...compelling. And with that, more beautiful than any I had ever seen."

"She was like the sun, the thing he needed, like earth beneath his feet. She was breath and strength, everything."

So. Something that very rarely happens. In fact, I can count on one hand how many times this has happened. I was 120% COMPLETELY satisfied with the ending. It was perfect. Thank you Ruth for a perfect book ending! 

"They're only trees." 

Dearly Departed ~ Lia Habel

Title: Dearly, Departed
Series: Gone with the Respiration
Author: Lia Habel
Pub Date: September 2011
Publisher: Del Rey
Author Website: www.liahabel.com

From Good Reads:
Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.


DEARLY
Dearly, Departed starts off with a young man, Bram, running from a mob of the dead. He ends up trapped with a friend who is bleeding to death. Hm...Doesn't bode well.Skip to Nora Dearly. She is just ending her mourning period for her late father. And now she is an orphan living with her greedy, money mis-management, social climbing aunt. 

At this point, it be explained that Dearly, Departed is a mix of dystopia, steampunk, and Victoriana. I don't want to go into too much detail because Nora does a beautiful job explaining how this arrangement came to be in the year of 2190something or another. She explains via a school assignment. This turned out to be a great way to introduce readers to a new world. It does two things. First-It doesn't assume you know what happened, and second, it doesn't feed the knowledge to you in a boring way. (Can you think of books that do this? I sure can...)


So, in the New Victorian world, there is advanced technology, but there is also what made the Victorian era what it was: the social customs, class breakdowns, clothing, manners, etc.  Dearly, Departed was truly something new and different. 


DEPARTED
Onto zombies. There are two types. The first, the Grays, are your classic zombies. They are NOT GOOD. Then there are the others. With the help of medication and a strong sense of self preservation, they talk, function, and do just about anything they used to do while living. They are just ... dead. Nora learns all of this when there is an attempted kidnapping by the bad zombies. But then she is rescued/kidnapped by the good ones! 


And there she meets Bram. And begins to trust him and not be so scared of him. He is like her own personal bodyguard-she hides behind him. It is so cute. Through the course of the story, they begin to have feelings for each other. 




So what did I think? I enjoyed the hell out of this book! I loved the fusing of dystopia, steampunk, zombies and Victoriana. It felt fresh. My biggest issue was my squick factor. Falling in love with a zombie? Um...yeah, I just don't know about that. But I guess it's no different than falling in love with a vampire! My other issue was the points of view. There were waaaay too many. All we really needed was two, three at most. It got a bit distracting, and took me out of the story. 


The characters were quite fun. Nora's friend Pamela was hella fun! In my opinion, she deserves her own zombie hunting story! There was a scene with a parasol...but you'll have to read to know what happened! The other good zombies were entertaining as well, especially Renfield and Chas. Zombie with manners, and a sassy girl zombie who likes parties!


All in all, Dearly, Departed was greatly enjoyed. I'm curious about the sequel and where it will go next.




And for something different-the author. She is an absolute doll. And lives the Victorian life. I love when authors write something that they embody. Let's take a look shall we?

Photo credits:
WinterWolf Studios
winter@winterwolfstudios.com

Want to learn some Semi-Interesting Facts about Lia? (Taken from author's press kit page)


(Semi-)Interesting facts!
1.     I wear wigs. I lost quite a bit of my natural hair back in 2009, due to a combination of stress and mysterious medical factors. I’m a very all-or-nothing personality, so when it got to the point where I was going to have to rock a comb-over, I said, “Screw it. I’m going to buy a wig in EVERY COLOR.” And I did. I own scores now, in all shades and styles, but I don the brunette ones for professional gigs. I call it “Lia brown.”

Photo credits:
WinterWolf Studios
winter@winterwolfstudios.com

2.     Nora, Bram, and most of the (only vaguely outlined) plot for Dearly, Departed were dreamed up on an eight hour bus ride to New York City for a neo-Victorian event. Despite this promising beginning, I did little planning before beginning to write. Most characters were nothing more than a first name and a random hair color before they first hit the page. Their personalities and backgrounds came to me on the fly.
3.     I wrote the first draft of Dearly, Departed in a little over a month. During my most prolific week, I was writing upwards of 10,000 words a day. I have no idea where it all came from. (It took me three months to write the first draft of the upcoming sequel, Dearly, Beloved.)
4.     Most hilarious edit made to date: My first editor was fine with the zombie who carts around his own useless eye, the headless zombie, the jokes about human boxed lunches, the guy with his throat ripped out, and even the zombie/living kiss – but, “Can Bram not be green? Can you make him really pale instead?” I happily obliged.
5.     I’ve watched over 100 zombie movies, read tons of zombie books and comics, run through the Monroeville Mall, cuddled zombie toys, perched on a tombstone in the cemetery where the original Night of the Living Dead was filmed, and even held a real human brain in my hands – but I have never worn zombie makeup.




For more info clicky here

The Space Between ~ Brenna Yovanoff

Title: The Space Between
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Pub Date: November 2011
Publisher: Razorbill
365 pages



Before, when Lilith left, she'd been stony and remote. Now, she trembled, outraged that a man could refuse his son. She spit in Adam's face and cursed the day she ever saw him. It was the day she'd been born. Then she took Obie and left, pelting away through the dark.
In the dark is where she met my father. 


Daphne is the daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Half-demon, half-fallen angel.She has two teeth made of steel. She lives in Pandemonium where everything is made of steel-including the flowers. Below their city streets is the Pit-hot melting fire.


When her brother Obie goes missing on Earth, Daphne goes in search of him. And to do that, she must find Truman-a human who can help her. But Truman is not going to be easy. He is broken, and his soul is being fought over. In the hunt for her brother, Daphne and Truman are being hunted. He by someone in his dreams. She by Dark Dreadful. 


Navigating Earth, human emotions, jealousies, etc is a new experience for Daphne. In order to survive, she must be strong and do what needs to be done. On her journey, her mother appears to her through glass and mirrors to help Daphne.


The ending, and all of the revelations in this book are absolutely amazing. I was hooked from the first descriptions of Pandemonium and Lilith. Come on, it's Lilith! This was also an ending that sat in my mind and marinated for a few days. There is so much more that I want to know..what happens later? But, as an awesome turn of events: Brenna Yovanoff gives us a stand alone! (YAY!) Therefore you have to make up your own conclusions. Granted, there may be one coming later...


But yes, such a beautiful world and writing. And the cover. Can we please stop and look at this cover again, here, much bigger for you.

The artist is Nekro www.nekro.es 
He has done the covers for Anna Dressed in Blood, Girl of Nightmares, Blood Magic, Article 5, and many more. Wow. 


And as an aside, I love Raymie. I would love a book just for her.   :D

Love is when you care more about something else than you do about yourself.