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!

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                                                                  4.5 Snowflakes 

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Review: Touching Smoke by Airicka Phoenix

Touching Smoke by Airicka Phoenix

Publisher-TreasureLine Publishing

Release Date- July 31st 2012

Purchase- Amazon 

For sixteen-year-old FALLON BRAEDEN, being haunted was just another day in the life of a gypsy, like being on the run had always been a closely guarded secret her mother would have happily taken to the grave… if her past hadn’t caught with them.But when Fallon is stalked by fire-throwing demons, nearly killed by rebel mutants and finds a soul mate she can never have, even her normally unusual life is thrown into a tangled web of love, lies and betrayal.As worlds collide, secrets unfold and blood is spilt, Fallon comes to several unsettling revelations: she’s not entirely human, her creator has a bounty on her head and the only one who can save her is the one person she has to keep at arm’s length or risk destroying the world for.

My Thoughts:

Sixteen year old Fallon Braeden is on the road with her mother for what seems like her entire life. Traveling from place to place, school to school, but never really understanding why they are on a constant move. Until one day, when the past and all its hidden secrets catches up to them in a dramatic reveal.

Wow, where do I even begin? There is quite a bit happening in Touching Smoke, so much so that I'm not even sure what I should say. I don't want to spoil anything big since I think half the fun of this book was learning alongside the main character Fallon. However, there are some things you should expect including; haunting dreams, a mysterious guy who seems to have a unreasonable and instant connection to Fallon, inexplicable hunger pains, fireball-throwing demons and an ultimate forbidden love story. I made none of that up!

I really enjoyed the writing. It was creative, vivid and rich with details that kept my imagination in over-drive. Airicka Phoenix crafted this story at such a fast paced by keeping the plot in a whirlwind of motion. In the very beginning of the story, I felt like I was stumbling just to keep up with what was happening, not that's a bad thing. It's almost like arriving late to a movie, missing the first half and trying to quickly figure out what’s happening. But I think this was intentionally done since this pretty much describes Fallon’s life.  It made me even more interested to see how things would play out for this character. We really do learn along with Fallon and once we discover a few secrets everything started to click into place, making it easier to catch the momentum and enjoy the ride. Now I'd be lying if I said that I understood absolutely everything. There were a lot of unanswered questions leaving the character and the reader equally frustrated. But since this is a planned series, what's the fun in learning everything at once?

I really enjoyed these characters. Fallon is such a stubborn little thing.  However, I found her reacting to things the same way I would, which was freaking the hell out, demanding answers and screaming when she couldn't get them. It must be hard to not understand your own life when everyone is always keeping you in the dark for your own protection. A lot of her reactions were very realistic, so she came across as likable.

Isaiah would have to be my highlight in this story. What an intoxicating force! Protective, fierce and loyal. Their love story has a remarkable twist that is warped with danger and need. But it's also laced with doubts for both the characters and the readers. The rest of the cast played their part well. I hated Garrison and his mutated goons, but I couldn't help but be fascinated with the things he's done.

Bottom line, I really enjoyed this one. I thought this was incredibly consuming and intriguing all the way through. I liked Phoenix's ideas. The story line was fresh and unique and this left me curious to see what happens next. Touching Smoke is a good start to what looks like a promising series.

Special thanks to Airicka Phoenix for sharing your story  

4 Snowflakes

 

 

                                                   

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