Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Review: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting


The Body Finder (The Body Finder, #1)

THE DETAILS:
Pages: 325
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy
Release Date: 2010
Publisher: Harper Collins
I bought this book online.

THE SYNOPSIS:
A gripping tale of a girl with a morbid ability that could lead her to a killer . . . and the boy who would never let anything happen to her.

Sixteen-year-old Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her unusual so-called gift. While her confusing feelings for her best friend are new, she has been able to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered—and the imprints that attach to their killers since she was a little girl. Violet has never considered her ability useful, but now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Fiercely protective of her, Jay agrees to help Violet search for the murderer. But even as she's falling in love, Violet is getting closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

THE REVIEW:
'The Body Finder' by Kimberly Derting was a book that I could not wait to read... It's kind of silly really, the book has been sitting on my shelf for ages, but I just haven't had time to read it. There was always some other book in the TBR pile that had taken priority over this one and I was a little apprehensive about starting a scary book. I think this book was definitely worth the wait, but when I get my hands on a sequel I certainly won't be waiting to have a read!

The reviews I have seen of this novel varied. There were a lot of people who thought it was OK and there were a lot of people that thought it was AMAZING. I'd have to agree with the latter. Call me soft, but there is something about a story with a small town, that's got a girl with a sixth sense, a dangerous killer and a blooming romance that makes my day.

I really, really liked the concept in this story. A girl that can sense dead bodies. Not a necromancer, not a ghost whisperer, not a grave minder, but a chick who can sense human remains. It was so original. Or, at least I think it was. I actually thought it sounded original when I read the synopsis, but thought that the idea might not seem so good when I read the book in detail. After reading the book I still think of the idea as cool and original. I thought the author used the idea effectively in her writing and made the idea seem realistic.

During the course of the story- the finding of the bodies and all that- there is a bit of a romance. Violet (the main character) is discovering feelings for her best friend that she's known since child hood. A guy named Jay. I thought this bit of romance contrasted nicely with the dangerous serial killer aspect of the story.

I thought that the writing style was pretty cool. I learnt as much about the characters as I needed to know without getting bored and there were some cool phrases and analogies used that I hadn't heard before. The majority of the story was written in 3rd person and focused on Violet's life, but occasionally there was a chapter written from the murderer's perspective which was both creepy and insightful. It's not until I got further into the book and learned something( a spoiler so I can't tell you what it is) that I realised how well the author wrote those chapters from the killer's perspective, because I didn't suspect anything.

And... That Ending! WOW! I felt like I was holding my breath in those last two or three chapters. I was worried and scared and I was mentally coaching the characters with my loud inner voice. There were a fair few surprises, that's for sure.

Overall, I gave this book a 5/5 star rating and a favourite. Either I am getting soft (not likely) or this was a super duper fabulous book! The minute it starts to get boring, something interesting happens! Can't wait to find out more about Violet's unique powers and see how her relationship with Jay fares!

Your Favourite Blogger,
Natalie

2 comments:

Katja Weinert said...

I've heard of The Body Finder, but never gave it much thought. Will add it to my list of books to get out at the library (have neglected the library). Thanks for sharing.

Zoe said...

In retrospect, I think it would have been easy for the sensing dead bodies ability to turn out really cheesy in the novel, especially since the rest of the setting doesn't hint at the supernatural. However, like you said in your review Natalie, "...the author used the idea effectively in her writing and made the idea seem realistic." Very perceptive and well-written. Great job!