Excellent Echo

The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

* Book will be released April 17, 2012
* ARC read via Around The World ARC Tours

4 out of 5 gnomes
This book is chock full of action and some major problems for the main character, Violet.  At first things seem to be going smoothly but then things really intensify with a serial killer on the loose. 

I really liked the pace of the story and felt that there was much more at stake then what was portrayed in some of the previous books.  This book just had more of a menacing vibe to it.  I was very happy that I ended up liking Violet as a character a lot more because she shows more of a range here and just seems to have the most character growth so far.

Once again there's a hinting at of a love triangle but it doesn't really materialize fully.  Her relationship with Jay seems pretty solid but he also seemed a tad too jealous to me.  My new theory is that her and Jay will eventually end up as just friends or that something horrible will happen to him.  With Rafe on the other hand she has an actual tangible spark.  They seem to compliment each other, I think that Rafe challenges Violet more and could be the one that helps her discover the full extent of her powers.

It's great to see more of the team and their different powers in this book especially Krystal.  I like that we learn more secrets about them and how this group came to be.  There are of course plenty of mysteries and secrets that have yet to be explored.

The bad guy was much more creepy in this book.  Getting to see things from the bad guys point of view in some chapters really adds to the story.  This is by far the creepiest villain in the series so far.  It just makes you feel a bit icky while reading, let's just say that this guy has a very twisted view on what a relationship should be.

I love the ending of this book because it really makes me look forward to what's going to happen next.  The ending also leaves Violet herself changed and in quite a bind.  This twist looks like it will lead the series in a potentially exciting new direction.