Between the Lines

Everyone can read, but really understanding a book and the story it represents is entirely different. It's important to adopt different perspectives. Here, I offer you mine.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting


The Body Finder
Kimberly Derting
327 Pages


Summary: “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 new 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 the dead leave behind in the world… and the imprints that attach to their killers.”

Positive: 1. Universal appeal.
The Body Finder has pretty much every genre teens are interested in, all bound between a mere 327 pages. Romance, adventure, action, mystery, suspense, drama… There really is quite a lot happening at once in the story, but somehow Kimberly managed to portray it all in a way that kept readers guessing but still made sense. 2. Characterization. I absolutely loved the characters of this book. Jay was amazing; I suspect that he’ll become the new-and-improved Edward Cullen amongst the teenage girl population. Violet seemed to be very relatable, always wanting what she can’t have (i.e., straight hair) and not realizing how beautiful she really is. Her friends were a nice comic relief from the intensity of the book, each with their own quirky personalities. They were presented in a way that made the reader care for them. 3. Captivating. The instant I read the first few pages, I was hooked. The story started out very vague, presenting many questions and provoking curiosity in a way that didn’t confuse the reader but made him/her want to continue reading. Also, throughout the book, Kimberly switches the focus of the story between Violet and the mystery murderer. This really took me by surprise when I read the first chapter focused on the murderer, but once I adjusted to it I found it kind of refreshing. It was nice to be able to switch off between the two characters because it felt like it kept the story feeling fresh.

Negative: I can honestly say that I couldn’t find anything significantly bad about this book. Believe me, I’ve tried! I actually ended up reading it a second time, looking for something negative to write in this review, but came up empty-handed. Sorry to disappoint!

Overall: The Body Finder is definitely one of my top 5 books. It had just the right balance of the intense murder mystery and the dramatic romance, both carefully intertwined. I found Violet easy to relate to, and I enjoyed watching what was happening between her and Jay, though it wasn’t very hard to foreshadow that they would end up together. Kimberly Derting’s The Body Finder is a great read, and I would recommend it, especially to Twilight fans looking for something new.
Kimberly is my mom’ s friend’s friend, and I’ll be flying up to Seattle to meet her on April 7th. I’m SO excited!! She's already sold the movie rights to The Body Finder AND is working on a sequel. The Body Finder's already sold out at my local bookstore, too. Congrats, Kimberly!

Rating: Two Thumbs Up! (And more if I could. Unfortunately, I was born with the average two thumbs.)

CHECK OUT KIMBERLY'S SITE!! http://kimberlyderting.com/

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