Review: Trapped

Title:  Trapped
Author:  Michael Northrop


     From GoodReads, "The day the blizzard started, no one knew that it was going to keep snowing for a week. That for those in its path, it would become not just a matter of keeping warm, but of staying alive....


Scotty and his friends Pete and Jason are among the last seven kids at their high school waiting to get picked up that day, and they soon realize that no one is coming for them. Still, it doesn't seem so bad to spend the night at school, especially when distractingly hot Krista and Julie are sleeping just down the hall. But then the power goes out, then the heat. The pipes freeze, and the roof shudders. As the days add up, the snow piles higher, and the empty halls grow colder and darker, the mounting pressure forces a devastating decision..."


     As I sit underneath my comforter in my relatively warm house and watch the snow fly all I can think of is this terrific book! I can honestly say that I have never read anything like it.
     Three friends are inside school and notice that it is beginning to snow... a little at first and then in great gobs.  School is let out early (I can hear students' cheering), but instead of going home on the buses, the boys decide to stay and work on a shop project.  As they work it continues to snow, unfortunately it doesn't stop for a long while, but by the time they realize it, they are trapped.
     The student that are trapped along with the three friends are as different as night and day.  It was interesting to see whether the dynamics and stereotypes that they have within school would carry over to the story.  The wonderful writing by Michael Northrop made me so engaged in the story that at times I felt as if I was right in there only to realize that I was safe in my own house.
     The story starts with what most of the students think is a mild snow and transitions into a life-threatening dilemma.  Being from the midwest, it was easy to see how this could happen.   I also liked that Northrop didn't hold back from the scarier parts of what might (and in this case did) happen.  Several of the things that I am absolutely afraid of were in this book and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.  Some might think that this book is written for a mainly male audience due to a few of the inside jokes of the boys in the story, but I found it to be refreshingly unique and I think it will appeal to a female audience as well.  There were a few loose ends in the book that I didn't care for, but I predict a snowfall of fans. (Pun intended!)

Review: Desires of the Dead

Title:  Desires of the Dead
Author:  Kimberly Derting


     From GoodReads, "The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.

Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger."

     As a huge fan of The Body Finder, I was very much looking forward to reading the second installment in the series.  I didn't like this book as much as the first book, but it was still an enjoyable read.
     The main character, Violet, is your typical, average, every-day student with the exception of the fact that she can sense dead bodies... they actually call out to her.  I absolutely love Violet's character and her abilities.  I think that she is so expertly written by Derting that a possibility of many books with different plots, twists, and turns would be possible.  In this book, she is being stalked by someone and Derting has added the element of reading the stalker's thoughts along with Violet's, which gave the book a new and different perspective.  I liked the fact that every time I thought I had everything figured out, I was completely wrong.
     In the first book, I liked the budding romance of Violet and her best friend Jay.  In this book, they are still a couple and there are developments to their relationship, some are a little quick for me, but would probably happen that quickly in the real world.  Violet is still unsure, at times, which makes for interesting reading because I really liked her perspective on things.  I also liked the addition of the not FBI, but something characters of Sara and Rafe and think that they will probably play a pivotal role in the next book.    This book is another good read by Kimberly Derting and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next!