The Last Echo

Review Time! The Last Echo is the third book in The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting. The Last Echo was published in June 2012 by Headline in Australia. This series is absolutely amazing and I was so excited to read this! You can purchase a copy of the book at Fishpond | The Nile | Booktopia | Dymocks | Angus and Robertson. Thanks to Hachette for the review copy!

(Goodreads) In the end, all that's left is an Echo.

Before, Violet's morbid ability to sense the dead led her to uncover dark murders and long-buried secrets in her small town. Now that she's working with a special investigative team, Violet hopes she can help even more people--whether by saving a life or catching a killer.

Although she's relieved to finally be honest about what she can do, her instant connection with her mysterious partner, Rafe, is both confusing and unsettling, and their unique bond creates tension with her boyfriend, Jay. When she discovers the body of a college student murdered by "the collector," Violet refuses to give up on the case. With her own relationship on the line, Violet doesn't realize that the serial killer is looking to add to his collection and that she may have caught his eye. Will the life Violet has to save be her own?

The Short Story? - Derting does not disappoint with the highly anticipated third book in this heart pounding series! Filled with mystery, suspense and action, The Last Echo is hauntingly beautiful. A dark and twisted plot, characters that you'll love and a narrative voice that's rich and powerful, Derting couldn't have done a better job, continuing Violet's adventures as she grows to understand her "body finding" ability!

The Long Story? -  This is probably my favourite novel of the series so far. The Last Echo was just absolutely amazing. Violet's engagement in the plot was deeper than ever and as a character she's just developed so much from where she started. The plot was definitely my favourite part of the novel, it was so detailed and twisted and attention-grabbing. Derting's plots are always morbidly interesting with mystery and suspense. Her writing is beautiful, it's a comfortable read once you've adjusted to the third person perspective and to the strong narrative voice. In terms of romance, this novel was a little lacking which isn't exactly a bad thing but Jay and Violet's relationship is so wonderful, it seemed like a shame that Derting didn't play it out a little more. All in all, it's still a brilliant novel, if you're a follower of the series, you should read it as soon as possible and if you're not a follower, this series is absolutely amazing!

As I mentioned previously, Violet as  a character has developed so much in this novel. She's more engaged into the plot in terms that she's getting a better understanding of her talent and she's using it for a greater good. She's a lot tougher in this novel, in previous novels I have found that Violet occasionally suffers from the Bella Swan Syndrome where she's a damsel in distress but in this novel, she's really taken it upon herself to save herself and I really liked that about her. Rafe definitely plays a bigger role in The Last Echo, I'm intrigued to see where Derting takes his relationship with Violet in the next novel because there is so much chemistry between two yet Jay is so perfect for Violet. I really wished Jay had a bigger role in this novel, he really just wasn't all there and that was really a shame because I love Jay as a love interest. Overall, good characterisation!

In a nutshell, The Last Echo is definitely a book that comes with a tick of approval! Derting is such an amazing author and this series is the very definition of unique! A YA thriller with a touch of the supernatural, The Body Finder series will leave your heart pounding. The Last Echo was such an excellent read, great character devlopement in Violet, fantastic plot that was interesting and engaging and as always fantastic prose from a talented author! This is not to be missed!

What's it Worth? - Hand Over the Paycheck

Badass Bookie xx