Review: The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Last Echo

Author: Kimberly Derting

Series: The Body Finder #3

Publisher: Headline

Publication date: 29 Mar 2012

Format: Paperback | 368 pages

Genre: YA | Paranormal

Goodreads

 

 IN THE BEGINNING

Violet's morbid ability to sense echoes from the dead led her to uncover dark murders and long-buried secrets. The only people she told were her supportive parents and boyfriend Jay.

NOW SHE CAN FINALLY BE HONEST

Violet hopes that working with a special investigative team will give her the chance to actually save lives - or at least catch more killers. But the instant connection she feels with mysterious partner, Rafe, is both confusing and unsettling and their unique bond creates tension with Jay.

IN THE END, ALL THAT'S LEFT IS AN ECHO

When she discovers the body of a student murdered by 'the collector', Violet is determined to solve the case. With her own relationship on the line, Violet doesn't realise that the serial killer is looking to add to his collection, and that she may have caught his eye.

Will the next life Violet has to save be her own?

My thoughts:

I've said this so much, but sometimes, I really hate the fact that I love reading series. I seriously need to read more stand-alones. I haven't picked up this book because I loved the first two books of the Body Finder series - it doesn't even make sense to my own ears! I was so worried it wouldn't live up to the expectations I'd built up for it in my own mind. The sad thing is, it didn't. 

I wasn't disappointed per se, but I thought it didn't live up to its potential. I wanted to see something different in the story, a big addition. There was for sure, there was Sara's team complete with Rafe and the rest of the gang which I can tell has a lot more to give. I'm sure the next book will focus on them entirely. But, this big addition to the Body Finder series took away from the main story I think. I hated not seeing more of Violet's friends, especially Jay. What happened to Jay? It wasn't the same.

I also didn't find Rafe to be a believable character. I understand what was supposed to happen - he was obviously the bad boy, mysterious type as opposed to Jay's outgoing, heart on his sleeve nature. It didn't work for me. If what I think is going to happen actually happens in the next book I'll be one unhappy reader.

The only other gripe I had was the ending. Towards the end is where the suspense kicks in and things take a very dramatic turn. It was great in that sense. The problem I had was that it was so similar to what had happened in the last two books. It got predictable and that took most of the suspense out of the ending.

Aside from all that, it had all the great attributes the past two reads have had. Violet is a great character and top off that with the addition of new characters that I grew to really like, I found the read really enjoyable. It still had all the creepy suspense I now associate with this series and the added crime solving part brought a lot of crazy action into the story. I liked it.

All in all I enjoyed this read but I thought the past two books were a lot better. I still like this series and I'll definitely be picking up the next book soon.

My rating: 6/10

Kimberly Derting:

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter

The Body Finder:

1. The Body Finder
2. Desires of the Dead
3. The Last Echo
4. Dead Silence