Underhyped Recommendation: The Body Finder series

The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting

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 best friend since childhood, she's more disturbed by her "powers" 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. 

Violet has never considered her strange taken to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girl he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderers- that Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself. 

I went back and fourth a lot on if I should post this recommendation on this series, solely because I haven't finished it yet. I thought this was going to be a trilogy, so wasn't I surprised (and a little upset) when I found out there was a fourth book. 

I was mad because I had said goodbye to Violet and Jay. I was satisfied with the ending of The Last Echo, and had reread the first two books prior, like I usually do. Plus, The Last Echo?? Really?? DOES THAT NOT SCREAM THE FINAL BOOK IN A SERIES? It would have been better if the third book had been called Dead Silence, and then the fourth book, The Last Echo. I wasn't on Goodreads yet either, so I had no way of knowing if Derting was writing a fourth one. 

So sadly, Dead Silence is on my Goodreads TBR. We all know how never-ending those are. It's like a black hole for books. 

But even with the hurt feelings and miscommunication, I was obsessed with this story. I was 14 when it first came out (that just made me feel incredibly old, bless my 14 year old heart), and this was one of the first YA books with a solid romance in it that I had read. As expected, this was my holy grail for a long, long time. I loved Violet and her unruly, curly hair and her strange ability to sense the dead. I have to give Derting credit for how original her ability was. Even to this day, I've never read a story with a similar gift. 

Plus, those covers? *drops dead from the beauty* 

GORGEOUS.

Jay was you're all american boy with those classic good looks and ugh, if that's not my kryptonite. He was so sweet and thoughtful, always looking out for Violet and sometimes cracking hilarious jokes. He was absolutely perfect. 

These books are definitely an easy read, something you can pick up if you're in a book slump and want something fun and light. They're creepy, entertaining, intense, and swoon-worthy.

(Pictures from Goodreads)