Review: The Taking by Kimberly Derting

The Taking by Kimberly Derting 
Publisher- Harper Teen
Released- April 29th 2014
Pre- Order- Amazon / B & N

A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing.
When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day.
Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men.
Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

My Thoughts: 
It kills me that I couldn't love this book. Seriously, it hurts. One of my favorite series is The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting. It's a great mix of thriller and romance and stars the cutest couple I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I was really looking forward to reading The Taking. The blurb has a very Flight of the Navigator feel to it, which is one of my favorite childhood movies, but at last I just could not love this one.

In a nutshell, this was just to dang fast. I had no time to feel connected to Kyra's life before the flash of white light that changed her life, so I couldn't feel any real sympathy for the time and people she lost. I didn't find Kyra to be very likable and thought she was closed-minded and immature. I totally get that yes, she’s been through this unspeakable ordeal, but I just couldn't understand why she didn't get that the people in her life missed her, loved her and mourned her, but after 5 years of believing she had died, had to go on with their lives. But I think it was the relationship between Tyler and Kyra that was my biggest issue. It was too much to soon and crazy instant. Like 7 days- I love you- fast. I had a hard time processing this new found love since Kyra was so hell-bent and head over heels in love with Austin just a week ago. I did find Tyler to be pretty adorkable -obsessed mind you- but he had some sweet moments. There is also a lot of loose ends, meaning we get zero answers as to why this happened to Kyra and others like her and what her new funky powers mean. I would have liked to have learned a little bit more then what we got.

With that said, I still thought the overall concept idea was fascinating. The storyline was freaky, thought provoking and filled with so much potential. But when it’s all said and done, I just didn't feel emotionally invested or personally connected by any of these characters and while the story had some entertaining factors, it wasn't the solid escape I was hoping for. This one wasn't for me, but keep in mind, this is probably just me. Kimberly Derting is an amazing writer and while I couldn't love this particular novel, it won’t stop me from reading more books by her in the future.

Find the author:
Goodreads / Website                                2 Snowflakes

Review & Giveaway: Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

Publisher-HarperCollins

Release- April 16th 2013

Pre-Order- Amazon / B & N / Chapters

Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.The Body Finder series has been praised as a “delectable blend of mystery and romance” (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books), a “fast-paced, compelling read” (ALA Booklist), and as “imaginative, convincing, and successful suspense” (Kirkus Reviews). With a perfect blend of romance, intrigue, and suspense, Dead Silence continues this gripping series, delivering unexpected twists that will keep readers guessing until the very last page

My Thoughts:

Dead Silence is the latest installment in the Body Finder series and my favorite book since the first one. Violet has been trying to deal with the aftermath of the kidnapping and what she had to do to survive. She is haunted by an ever-present music-box tune that she hears in her head. The imprint that she can't escape from. Still, she goes on and tries to find normal in her life, but when two new students show up at White River high school, Violet is constantly reminded that she is different, special, and has an uncanny ability to sense the echo's of the dead. 

I love how easy it feels to slip back into this world again, like I never left. But I don't know how Derting does it. I'm completely addicted to her world which I find very strange since these kind of books aren't typically for me. I tend to favor paranormal books cause, well, it's not real. But Derting's twisted psychos? They totally could be which scares the bejesus out of me. And yet, when ever another one of these books lands in my greedy little hands I can't help but jump right back in this dark, eerie and morbid world filled with death and echo's and imprints. Of seriously unhinged minds and the length they will go to achieve glorified-craziness. But these books are also filled with the sweetest, hugest grin-splitting romance that I ever did read. It truly is one part mystery, one part romance and all parts amazing.

~Violet has come a long way in this book. I've always had my ups and downs with this character. I love her but sometimes I have a hard time with how she constantly pushes away the people who care about her. But she finally comes together in this book, trusting and opening up and finally owning who she is and what she can do. Despite the fact that Violet has always had a very morbid life, a life that would harden most people or drive them insane, and yet Violet remains strong minded and strong willed. She isn't some damsel that needs to be saved. She has a good heart and has a fierce determination to help people using her abilities. But it's when she finally recognizes that she doesn't always have to do this alone and that people will and want to help her is when I saw this character really grow and mature into someone I can be proud of.

~Jay is still absolutely incredible and amazing. He's still hopelessly devoted, still a knight in shining armor and still a bit whipped, but ya know what? I wouldn't change him for anything. This is Jay in love with Violet. His best friend and the love of his life and it shows in ever sentence and scene and that makes him so undeniably perfect. I lived for those moments. And I'm happy to say that we got a lot of those moments which totally makes up for the last book. 

~Now for Rafe? He's not a bad guy and apart of me always knew that, but it still didn't stop me from giving him a glaring-gaze every time I saw him. To be fair, he didn't do anything wrong in this book. In fact, he actually did something for Violet that was pretty dame amazing, but it doesn't change the fact that I still don't like him even thinking about coming between Jay and Violet. Still, Rafe is good people and I like what he brings into these stories.

In each book Derting cunningly creates a psychotic mental-case as our villain. So far we've had a Hunter, Stalker, Collector and for this book I can only refer to him as the 'Father'. And dammme is this guy out of his flippin' freaken mind. This is the part where I always struggle to read and expect the nightmares that will surly follow, but it's still the best part of these stories. It's where your completely lost in the moment scared out of your ever lovin' mind and you can't wait to see what will happen next and scared to see what will happen next at the same time. Derting definitely knows how to masterfully bring in the disturbingly messed-up and has us gripping the pages for dear life.

Bottom line, I really loved this book. It's deeply creepy but it also delivers some of the best Jay and Violet moments that fans will sigh and swoon over. I heard that this is the last installment in the series, or at lest for now. But I can't really see this being the end. The ending left us on a good note, but it didn't have the closure one would expect in a final hurrah. There is still enough room for one or even two more books which in my opinion would be great. I'm just not ready to let go of these characters and this world yet and here's hoping neither is Derting. Till then, I still have these four books to re-read when ever I need a Jay fix and I'm looking forward to seeing what Kimberly Derting comes up with next!

Find the author:

Goodreads / Website

                                                                  4.5 Snowflakes 

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