Delightful Debutantes #31 - Rebecca Serle & When You Were Mine.

Please welcome Rebecca Serle to the blog for this Delightful Debutantes Q&A! Our latest debutante is the author of When You Were Mine a modern day retelling of Romeo and Juliet through the eyes of Romeo's jilted first love Rosaline.

photo credit: George Billard

 What inspired you to re-imagine the story of Romeo and Juliet through Rosaline’s eyes?

The idea came to me one cold winter night in January at my best friend's apartment. I was heartbroken and we were discussing love, and love stories, and Romeo and Juliet came up. Suddenly it was like "whatever happened to Rosaline?" I knew I had to tell her story--- I understood it. I felt like the girl who had gotten left behind. 

Romeo and Juliet is labeled ‘the greatest love story ever told’ but it’s also a good lesson in what not to do when you’re in a relationship. What do you think the star-crossed lovers could have done differently to make things work?

Well, that's an interesting question, because I believe in fate and destiny and I think this was theirs. But I also believe in choice and I think, unfortunately, Romeo and Juliet were pretty helpless to fate...they didn't do a lot of choosing. Rosaline starts out this way, at the mercy of the powers that be, but I think (hope) that she discovers life is a dialogue...we co-create the reality we want for ourselves. What could they have done differently? I don't know. A lot, probably, but then maybe Rosaline wouldn't have had her ending...

UK Cover

What is your personal favourite ‘greatest love story ever told’? 

When Harry Met Sally. Or The Notebook. I really adore love stories that withstand the test of time. 

If you were to re-imagine any other literary work through the eyes of a secondary character, what book and character would you choose? 

Hmmm....maybe Harry Potter from Ron's POV. That's something I've always wanted to read, anyway! 

When You Were Mine contains a couple characters I loved to hate (namely Rob and Juliet-what a piece of work!) but there are also characters in the book that I grew to love (Charlie). Besides Rose, who was your favourite character to write, and why?

I'm so glad you grew to love Charlie because she's tough, she really is, and I know some people will be put off by her at first. Charlie has her own journey in this book--- she's far from perfect, but she is an extraordinary friend. That being said I think Len was probably my favorite to write. I find him to be deceptively charming. I have a little crush on him. 

US Cover

I was really excited to hear that the movie rights to When You Were Mine have been snapped up with Lily Collins and Deborah Ann Woll linked to roles. Just for fun, what actors would you include in your dream cast list for the movie? 

Honestly, I really never thought about it. Rosaline just felt like me! Could I play her? Hey movie execs, are you listening? :) 

When You Were Mine is a favourite of mine – I loved it! Can you recommend any other books I might also love since I loved yours? 

Well thank you very much! I can tell you what I love to read: Anything by Deb Caletti, Meg Cabot or Ally Carter. 

What are you working on next? 

I have a few projects in the works but what you'll probably see first is another YA novel. It's a bit darker than When You Were Mine, but still very romantic. 

 Find out more:

Rebecca's Website

Rebecca's Blog

Rebecca on Facebook

Rebecca on Twitter

Vote for the Queen of Teen 2012 +++ Giveaway! (UK Only).

www.queenofteen.co.uk

OMG, the Queen of Teen shortlist has been announced!

Queen of Teen is royally delighted to announce the shortlist for the fiction world’s most glamorous award. Thousands of heartfelt nominations have been received from teenagers across the country and voting is now open to find this year’s Queen of Teen.

The ten fabulous authors who have made the shortlist are as follows:

Cathy Cassidy, Maureen Johnson, Sarah Webb, Joanna Nadin, Cathy Hopkins, Samantha Mackintosh, Chris Higgins, Hayley Long, S.C. Ransom and our first ever male shortlisted author, James Dawson.

The award will be presented at a glittering award ceremony in July 2012, when the writers of the best nominations will be invited to mingle with their favourite authors, invited journalists and other special guests. The ceremony is to be held at Queen of Teen HQ in leafy Surrey and will be superbly pink and sparkly – a truly majestic celebration of this thriving and important genre!

Teens and tweens can now vote for their favourite author from the shortlist by visiting www.queenofteen.co.uk. Queen of Teen has attracted tens of thousands of votes from young readers across the globe and last year resulted in the fabulous author of the Chocolate Box Girls books, Cathy Cassidy, being crowned Queen of Teen. On being crowned Cathy said: “I've had lots of fun since being voted Queen of Teen... it's an amazing award because it's all about YOU, the super-cool reader gals out there. Your votes and views really DO count!”

You can also find Queen of Teen on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @QueenofTeenUK #QOT2012

  

Vote for your Queen of Teen at www.queenofteen.co.uk

To find out more about the nominated authors click on their names where mentioned in the article. 

Source for words and image: Press Release.

And that's not all! Thanks to The Book People I have a copy of Queen of Teen  (pictured above) to give away to one lucky reader! Just fill in the form below to enter! 

This competition is open to UK Only and ends on Sunday, May 6th 2012. 

Good luck to everyone who enters!

COMPETITION CLOSED! WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON! 

Winner: Alice (The Reader Room)

Book Review: When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle.

Product details:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Release date:  April 26th 2012.
Paperback, 352 pages.
Rating: 4½ out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Rosaline has been best friends with Rob since they were little kids. Recently, something deeper and more electric has entered their friendship, and when Rob returns after the summer break and asks Rosaline on a sort-of date, it seems they are destined to become a couple, just as Rosaline always knew they would be. The next day at school, a mysterious, beautiful girl arrives: Rosaline's long-lost cousin, Juliet. And suddenly it looks as if Rosaline might be about to lose her best friend AND her new boyfriend…

. 

A modern day retelling of Romeo and Juliet, Rebecca Serle’s When You Were Mine tells the story of Romeo’s first love, Rosaline. If you think Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is the greatest love story ever told, then this book might just make you think again!

Rob and Rosaline have been best friends forever, but lately, Rosaline has been seeing her friend in a different light, a light that makes him looks all kinds of cute, and makes her want to kiss him.  When Rob walks back into Rose’s life after a summer spent apart, it’s clear that he feels the same way about her, and the two are soon on their way to becoming more than just good friends. Everything is falling into place. This is the way things are meant to be.  Everybody, including Rose’s friends Charlie and Olivia have been rooting for her and Rob to get together for what seems like forever. And now it’s finally happening.

Then Rose’s cousin Juliet comes back to town. Rose hasn’t seen her for ten years, not since their dad’s fell out. Since then the families have been estranged, and it’s clear that when Juliet returns she doesn’t want to be friends with Rose. She just wants Rob, and nothing, not even the fact that he and Rose are together, or the fact that Rose is her cousin, will stop her from pursuing him.

A great addition to any contemporary fiction shelf, When You Were Mine is an addictive, fast-paced read filled with great characters and witty dialogue.  All the initial heart-surging hope then crushing disappointment that comes with first love gone badly wrong is beautifully portrayed through the character of Rose, a girl who not only loses  her boyfriend, but also her best friend when Juliet decides to steal him out from under her nose.  Both Rob and Juliet are painted as the villains of the piece, although I have to say that Juliet was really the character I loved to hate here. Oh, she made me seethe at times!  Rob is really no better.  He treats Rose badly and is a weak character who fails time and time again to do the right thing by his former best friend.

Thankfully, while Rob lets Rose down badly, her girlfriends don’t.  Charlie and Olivia couldn’t be more different, but they both stick with Rose through thick and thin – even when she tries to push them away.  Charlie was the character I connected with most throughout the book. She’s got a tough exterior, but she’s the kind of girl who comes through for her friends no matter what. Charlie is the best kind of person to have around in life.

When You Were Mine is a revisionist Romeo and Juliet and so it doesn’t follow the famous play to a tee.  It’s important for anyone who has pre-conceived notions of how Rosaline acted in the play and how she treated Romeo to remember this. This isn’t the Rosaline of the play.  This Rose is very into Rob. He’s the thing she wants above all else, and Juliet takes him away from her. But it’s what happens next for Rosaline that’s really interesting…  

Clever, witty and insightful, When You Were Mine is a great contemporary read and is firmly on my list of recent favourite reads. The movie rights have been snapped up too, and this is one I really can't wait to see on the big screen!

Mini-break!

In case any of you were wondering at my whereabouts over the last few days, or even if you hadn't noticed at all (ha!), I'll explain! I'm taking a mini-break from blogging, mainly to prepare  for my Summer Spotlight feature which will be kicking off in May. I also neglect my TV shows in favour of blogging far too often, so I have lots to catch up on (TVD! Gossip Girl! I am so far behind on both!)

I'll be back at the end of this month with a review of When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle (loved this book!) and then in May I have some exciting reviews coming up (Insurgent, Until I Die),  as well as some Delightful Debutante posts and blog tours too! May will also see the start of the aforementioned Summer Spotlight, so you can expect lots of reviews of yummy summer reads, and maybe even a giveaway or two!

I also realised that I totally forgot to post the result of my Valentine's Day giveaway. Ooops!

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Congratulations to Aneta who won a copy of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith.  Hope you enjoyed your prize!

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If you haven't already entered my Blogoversary Giveaway click on the image below, and get those entries in! 

See you soon!


Leanna.x

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Product details:
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Release date:  February 2nd 2012 (first published May 2011)
Paperback, 486 pages.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. 

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

If you’re regular reader of this blog, you might have noticed that I’m not the hugest fan of the dystopian craze that’s currently sweeping YA. It’s not that I can’t appreciate good dystopian fiction (Never Let Me Go is one of my favourite books), it’s just that when it’s come to some of the big YA dystopian releases, I haven’t loved them.  Both Ally Condie’s Matched and Lauren Oliver’s Delirium were okay reads for me, but neither is an absolute favourite of mine.  So, I was starting to wonder if I’d ever find a YA dystopia that I could truly say I had fallen in love with.*  Would a YA dystopia ever get all the stars from me, or were they all destined to reside in 3 out of 5 ‘meh’ land forever?

So, you know what’s coming next, right. I read Veronica Roth’s Divergent, and now I get it. Now I get the YA dystopian craze. Now I’ve fallen in love.

It’s true I put off reading Divergent for a long, long time. I remember everyone going crazy for this book when it released last year, but I was wary of the hype. I’d seen that kind of hype before, and then I’d read those books, and they hadn’t exactly set my world on fire.  This time it was different…

Divergent is an epic read.  It’s one of those books that filled with fantastic world building, lots of action and romance, a badass protagonist, and, in Four, one of the best book boys that YA has ever seen.  And one of the best things about Divergent is that unlike a lot of YA dystopian fiction which I’ve found too slow moving for my tastes, this one never let me catch my breath, not once. It’s intense and exciting and a total page turner from start to finish.

Divergent introduces us to Beatrice Prior who has grown up in a society divided into five factions – Abnegation (the selfless), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful) and Erudite (the intelligent).  Beatrice and her family are Abnegation, but at the age of sixteen, Beatrice, along with all other teens, must choose which faction she will devote her life to.  Beatrice doesn’t want to leave her family behind, but she also doesn’t feel like she can devote herself to a life of blending into the background along with the rest of Abnegation. She wants more. So she makes her choice, and that one choice changes her life forever, because Beatrice is no ordinary girl, and her life just took a turn for the very dangerous.

Firstly though, in order to make it in her new faction, Beatrice, now renamed Tris, has to undergo a brutal initiation process under the watchful eye of her instructor, the enigmatic Four.  We watch Tris as she changes over time and grows in confidence and strength until she is truly a badass character.  But she’s got a vulnerable side too. Tris doesn’t just learn to fight in her new faction, she learns to love too.  Tris and Four are a great combination, and they’re equals, which is something that’s all too rare in YA coupledom. Tris is just as strong and fierce as Four, who is pretty badass himself. He’s also intoxicating combination of intelligence, strength and all round sexiness,  a guy any girl would find hard to resist. So, I’m a big fan of Four, but equally, I’m a fan of Tris.  That’s a little unusual for me. Mostly girls in YA books annoy me. Bella, Nora, Luce –I’ve had my issues with all of them, but not with Tris.

It soon becomes clear that when you scratch the surface of Tris’s seemingly perfect society, all is not well. There is unrest within the factions, corrupt leaders at work and dangerous schemes at play, and when the deadliest of all of these is put in motion, it’s up to Tris and Four to try and save the day before they lose everyone they love.

Let the fun begin!

Divergent is a truly epic read.  Roth’s prose is taut and succinct, in keeping with the society portrayed in Divergent where everyone walks a tightrope and one false move might mean the end of everything.  Furthermore, I am so totally invested in the characters of Tris and Four that I literally read Divergent in one sitting. I just had to see how it all ended, and all I can say is that it was intense with stunning plot twists, and some hard hitting brutality that I loved. Oh yeah! I’m glad I left it late to read this one, because I would have had a hard time waiting a whole year for Insurgent, the next book in the series.  As it is I’ve already delved right back into the world of Tris and Four, and I can already tell it's going to be another epic read!

 * I should point out that I still haven’t read The Hunger Games (I know, I know, I know!!)

UK Cover Reveal: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

Here's the UK cover for the paperback release of Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I posted this one up on Facebook a couple days ago, but in case you missed it, here it is again for your viewing pleasure!

You can check out the original UK cover for Daughter of Smoke and Bone in: this post.

I loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone when I read it last year, and I think both covers are great! I just might be tempted to pick up a paperback copy when it releases in July to add to my collection!

What do you think of the new cover?

Daughter of Smoke and Bone will be available to buy in paperback from July 5th 2012.

Book Trailer: Immortal City by Scott Speer.

How fun does this look!

I haven't read an angel book in a while (not since Hallowed, I think). It seems to me like I was reading a whole lot more angel books last year than I am now, but I will be checking Immortal City out. Hot angel boys! Yay!

Have you read this one?  What did you think of it?

Immortal City by Scott Speer
Publisher:  Scholastic UK
Release date: April 5th 2012
Ages: 12+

Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them. He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery.

Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.

Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat … and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.

Book Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver.

Product details:
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release date: March 1st 2012.
Hardcover, 329 pages.
Rating: 3½ out of 5
Ages: 14+
Series: Delirium #2
Other books in series: Delirium, Hana.
Source: Received from publisher for review.

I’m pushing aside
the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana
and my old school,
push, push, push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.
.

Please note: This book is part of a series. There may be spoilers for previous book in the series in this review.

Beautifully written in Lauren Oliver’s inimitable style, Pandemonium the second installment in the popular Delirium trilogy initially disorients its readers, taking us out of our comfort zone, with characters and settings that are a world apart from the structure and order of the first book.   Family and friends are no more as Lena Haloway finds herself living in the wilds amongst the invalids following the disastrous escape attempt that provided the heartbreaking conclusion to Delirium.  Lena must learn to survive in a world where nothing makes sense, and where Alex, the boy who showed her how to love, is no longer by her side.

But where there is life, there is hope, and we soon come to realize that while Lena has lost Alex and has left her family and friends behind, there are new friends to be made in the wilds.  With the help of a formidable character called Raven, Lena learns how to survive in her new world, where the threat of danger is never far away and enemies are all around.

While I enjoyed Delirium, for me it was a sometimes slow read, and I experienced the same problem with this book, which is told in alternating chapters detailing Lena’s harsh life in the wilds, and her present life, six months on from her escape, which sees her once again living as a member of society. While I had a difficult time connecting with Lena in Delirium, she is an altogether more likable character in this book and one we can really root for as she struggles with her grief and raw emotions over the loss of Alex and tries to come to terms with her new life without him.

Alex, the boy who fought for freedom, who fought for love, is gone, but that doesn’t mean the end of love in Lena’s life.   Pandemonium sees a new love interest take center stage.  Julian Fineman is a very different creature to Alex, a boy who believes in the cure above all else, Lena initially resents everything that he stands for, but then, when they are thrown together in dramatic circumstances, both find it difficult to fight their growing attraction to one another.  Alex fans won’t be pleased at the developments in this book, and it does all happen pretty quickly for Lena and Julian.  Remember though, Lena lives in a world where love is outlawed, and you know what they say about forbidden fruit!

Delirium was all about Lena’s coming of age, and her personal fight for freedom. In Pandemonium we see the consequences of her choices and also the effect that the DFA (Deliria Free America) has on society as a whole as it strives to control the spread of Amor Deliria Nervosa.  This book is darker than the first showing us the true extent of the malicious totalitarian policies operating in Lena’s society and just how far the powers that be will go to keep the spread of this ‘disease’ under control.

While I found Pandemonium an interesting read, it wasn’t an exciting page turner for me.  I found the plot a little too predictable, even clichéd at times.  I know that Oliver can shock with her conclusions, (Delirium, Hana) but that didn’t happen for me here, and I predicted a lot of what happened in Pandemonium, right down to the very last twist.  However, I am looking forward to seeing how things work out for Lena and Julian in Requiem, the third and final installment in the Delirium trilogy, because with that aforementioned final twist, things suddenly just took a turn for the very interesting indeed!

Bite-Sized Book Review: Hana by Lauren Oliver.

Product details:
Publisher:  Hodder & Stoughton
Release date: December 19th 2011
ebook, 144 pages
Rating: 3½ out of 5
Ages: 14+
Series: Delirium #1.5
Other Books in Series: Delirium

In the world of Delirium, love is a disease. And like all eighteen-year-olds, Lena and Hana must take the cure.

At the start of their last summer of freedom, they were the closest of friends. Until Hana made a decision that tore them apart... In Delirium, we heard from Lena. Now, Hana gets to tell her side of the story. And nothing is what we first thought.

Hana is a powerful, moving and beautifully told original eBook short story, with a shocking twist that will leave you with your heart in your mouth.

 While reading Lauren Oliver’s Delirium last year, I didn’t immediately connect to its main character, Lena. Like a lot of people, I found her best friend, Hana, easier to relate to, more interesting, even, with her lust for life, her anti-establishment values and her rebellious nature.  I liked love interest Alex, a lot, but Hana intrigued me. I wanted to know more about this girl, and with this novella, I found out all I needed to know.

Hana, which recounts the events of Delirium from Hana’s perspective, gives us an insight into Hana’s character that we never would have seen through Lena’s eyes.  We see the Hana that Lena knows, but another girl too, a girl that the outside world doesn’t get to see – a girl who has fears and insecurities of her own, a girl who wants something more from the boy she meets up with at forbidden parties, a girl who can be hurt.  We find out the truth about Hana, and it is a shocking truth.

Delirium tugged at my heartstrings with its heartbreaking final scenes, but nothing could have prepared me for the shocking conclusion to Hana.  The perfect accompaniment to Delirium, especially for readers who were fans of Hana, this story may be short in length, but it packs an almighty punch, and is definitely worth checking out!

Bite-Sized Book Reviews: A review in approx 200 words for when I need to play catch up on reviews/when reviewing short stories/novellas etc.

Reviewed by Jen: Seizure by Kathy Reichs.

Product details:
Publisher: Arrow.
Release date: January 5th 2012.
Hardcover, 464 pages.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Series: Virals #2
Other books in series: Virals
Source: Received from publisher for review.
Reviewed by: Jen

Ever since Tory Brennan and her friends rescued Cooper, a kidnapped wolf pup with a rare strain of canine parvovirus, they've turned from regular kids into a crime-solving pack. But now the very place that brought them together - the Loggerhead Island Research Institute - is out of funding and will have to shut down. That is, unless the Virals can figure out a way to save it.

So when Tory learns of an old Charleston legend about a famous she-pirate, Anne Bonney, whose fortune was never found, she can't believe her luck - buried treasure is exactly what she needs to save the Institute on Loggerhead! Trouble is, she and her friends aren't the only ones looking for it. And this time, the Virals' special powers may not be enough to dig them out of trouble . . .

Please note: There may be spoilers for previous books in the series in this review.

The Virals are back and this time it is their pack that is in danger of being destroyed.  In Seizure, the sequel to Kathy Reichs 2010 hit Virals, teen sleuth Tory Brennan has finally settled into her new life in South Carolina when suddenly everything she loves is threatened.  Not one to back down from a challenge Tory decides that she and her fellow pack mates: Sheldon, Ben, and Hi, must act quickly before it is too late.

The state of South Carolina was hit hard by the latest economic downfall and the most logical way to climb out of debt is to sell the costly Loggerhead Island Research Institute.  After the unsavory things uncovered there recently (read Virals to find out exactly what illegal things were transpiring) it seems to be the most logical solution.  Unfortunately for Tory and the boys it also means splitting up the pack as their parents will have to scatter across the world looking for new jobs.  Just as the pack is beginning to understand and harness their powers, which they gained from being exposed to a mutated form of parvovirus, the idea of being broken up is unthinkable.  They know that it is up to them to save Loggerhead Island.  Their plan is quite simple really; find the hidden treasure of female pirate Anne Bonney.  If only it were that simple!  The Virals are not the only ones on the hunt for the treasure and as the bodies start to pile up they will be lucky to escape with their lives. 

Reading Seizure was definitely an adventure.  I loved the pirate aspect to the plot and thought it was quite original.  The mystery was fast paced and kept me wanting more.  Although the story is not mired in romance there is definitely some romantic tension between Tory and one of the boys in her pack.  This added another aspect to the series that I hope gets explored in the next book, although I think Tory is a bit too naïve that she hasn’t figured it out herself. 

One thing I would like to see as the series progresses is the character’s maturing a bit more.  Currently they come across as very young, yet they are entering their sophomore year in high school (although Tory is actually a year younger than her fellow pack mates, having been promoted a grade in school).  Some of the dialogue can come off as a bit unauthentic.  Voice is one of the most important aspects of a young adult novel and aspects of Tory’s narration bothered me, but the plot is so well executed that this is just a minor complaint. 

While there is a touch of fantasy in both Virals and Seizure, the kids having super human powers, the overall genre of these books is mystery and that is what I love about them.  These are fun books definitely worth reading for anyone who loves a good adventure!

Book Review: The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting.

Product details:
Publisher: Headline.
Release date: March 29th 2012.
Paperback, 368 pages.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Series: The Body Finder #3
Other Books in Series: The Body Finder, Desires of the Dead.
Source: Received from publisher for review.

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....

Please note: There may be spoilers for previous books in the series in this review.

The Last Echo, the latest pulse-pounding installment in Kimberly Derting’s Body Finder series sees the stakes raised higher than ever for Violet Ambrose when she joins a special investigative team in order to put her morbid ability to greater use than ever before.  The missing dead have always called to Violet, but now the ability that has served her so well in setting countless tortured souls free might lead her straight into the arms of a truly twisted killer….

The Last Echo is a thrill ride of a book.  A true page turner, it ups the intensity of The Body Finder, and is darker and more sinister than Desires of the Dead.  While the storylines in those books were creepy, they have nothing on this truly twisted tale which sees a killer, dubbed “the collector” due to his penchant for collecting, and then killing his girlfriends, on the loose, and worse still, he’s set his sights on Vi.  This is definitely a shivers down your spine kind of tale and in terms of stellar plotting and page-turning intensity, it is the strongest of the three books.

But it’s not my favourite.

In The Body Finder, I fell head over heels in love with Jay Heaton, and the relationship he and Vi shared.  They have the kind of best friends turned boyfriend/girlfriend relationship that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and their pairing is truly one of my favourite in YA.  I didn’t mind that their growing romance dominated the plot in The Body Finder, in fact, I loved it, but here, I felt that Jay was pushed into the background in favour of Rafe, and anyone who’s on Team Jay is not going to be happy about it (and who’s not on Team Jay, right?!)

Violet’s life has changed a lot in this book.  She’s trying to do good things, great things with her ability, and naturally it takes up a whole lot of her time. Time, incidentally, that’s spent with Rafe, not Jay.   Okay, so there are a couple of cute Jay moments in The Last Echo, but I wanted more.  I’ve been waiting a whole year for my Jay Heaton fix, but instead I got too much Rafe and not enough Jay.  I was prepared. I knew Rafe and his secrets were going to take center stage in this one, but hopefully by the next installment Violet will have sorted out her work-life balance, and she’ll be back to spending lots of time “doing homework” with Jay!

Despite my not-enough-Jay gripes, The Last Echo is a great read, and one that kept me turning the pages right to the end.  And, oh, the ending of this book left me screaming for more! What an ending, that’s all I’ll say – it truly shocked me, and I loved it!  I’m already counting down the days until my next Body Finder fix, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed for more Jay in this one!