ARC Review - The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens

Book Summary from NetGalley

Deep in the shadowy foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains lies a dying town…

My name is Amelia Gray. They call me The Graveyard Queen. I’ve been commissioned to restore an old cemetery in Asher Falls, South Carolina, but I’m coming to think I have another purpose here.
Why is there a cemetery at the bottom of Bell Lake? Why am I drawn time and again to a hidden grave I’ve discovered in the woods? Something is eating away at the soul of this town—this withering kingdom—and it will only be restored if I can uncover the truth.

My Review - 4 Great to the last Drop
(I chose to read from NetGalley)

Amanda Stevens has a way with words, she creates a euphoric creepy atmosphere that you can visualise and at times feel.  Such a great build up with the mystery tension weaving around as you read.  I enjoyed taking my time and being fully engaged in the story, blocking everything else out.

Amelia knows she is different, not an outcast but different.  She has been requested to go restore another cemetery and when she gets there she doesn't understand the natural pull of belonging but in a scary way.  She is there to do a job and will fulfill it even though she knows she is not from breaking her fathers rules she is no longer safe and has put herself at mysterious risk.

Asher Falls has the feel of a ghost town, is it deserted or not, why does everyone stay in after dark, trying to stay safe when dusk falls.  All these questions and those around her purposely trying to make her uncomfortable.  If they are not they are either saving her from troubled situations or possibly manipulating her in some way.

Amelia continues to think about her forbidden feelings she has for Delvin, the haunted detective from The Restorer.  This causes guilty feelings when she starts to have a connection with Thane.

I would highly recommend reading this series in order, a great flow from one to the other but great on their own also.

The outcome of the mystery was perfect, the dark family secrets and Asher Fall, the overall pull Amelia felt while there and why she was the chosen restorer.  There were a few small unfinished business scenarios for me but they didn't take away from this fantastic creepy mystery.

A favourite quote

As I hurried along the path, my nerve endings tingled with an awareness I didn't understand.  It was as if some long-dormant instinct had suddenly come alive, and I could feel the forest reaching out to me, hear the leaves whispering to me once again. 

You can read the first chapter of The Kingdom and see the trailer here.

My Review

 Aren't all the covers lovely.  The Prophet due out April



The Restorer (The Graveyard Queen) by Amanda Stevens

Book Summary

My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.

My Review - 4 1/2 Great to the last Drop

The Restorer is a great mystery with a creepy theme.  We learn about Amelia's job, how she restores unkept, abandoned cemeteries and the rules she has to follow to live safely because she sees ghost.  She is 9 when she realises she can see ghosts and her father tells her not to acknowledge them or tempt fate.  She grows up playing in cemeteries and loving the unique beautiful side of them but realises ghost bring with them an energy that you do not want to experience. There are moments I held my breath, chills down my spine and I wanted more.

She is requested to restore a cemetery and during the beginning of her work a body is found.  She is recruited as a consultant to assist the police with the murder investigation.  This was my favourite part of the book, the mystery surrounding the murder, why no one are answering all the questions, the history of a secret committee which may know all the answers but also it is a secret on who is and was a part so getting answers is impossible.  Amelia becomes the middle woman for many, detectives, police and of course the ghosts.

She also finds herself smitten with Detective Delvin and doesn't understand why she is drawn to him, if he is haunted then she needs to stay away, but how.  He called her 'strange, stunning and practical' which she loved.  She is naive to relationships and with the additional baggage they both bring this was an interesting forbidden romance. I thought this was executed well in the mystery.

There are so many sad, beautiful, creepy, entangled moments in this book, it really captures you in an eerie way while trying to figure out all of what is going on.

This book was a winner to me because it was so involved in a mysterious way.  I love murder mysteries and we did get closure but there is more than enough to keep this series going, more victim stories, the history of the ghosts, relationship with Amelia and Delvin, secrets around her parents and more. 

I read the prequel last week, The Abandoned which was a great lead in but now both have left me wanting to know so much more.

A great start to the RIP Challenge.  I recommend this one to Mystery fans that can handle the paranormal ghost story part, perfect creepy read to keep you up at night.  I swear I saw a spider, woke, turned on the lights and realised my mind was playing tricks on me from the book, now that is what I call perfection, lol.

Review - The Abandoned by Amanda Stevens


Book Summary

There are rules for dealing with ghosts. Too bad Ree Hutchins doesn't know them.


When her favorite patient at a private mental hospital passes away, psychology student Ree Hutchins mourns the elderly woman's death. But more unsettling is her growing suspicion that something unnatural is shadowing her.

Amateur ghost hunter Hayden Priest believes Ree is being haunted. Even Amelia Gray, known in Charleston as The Graveyard Queen, senses a gathering darkness. Driven by a force she doesn't understand, Ree is compelled to uncover an old secret and put abandoned souls to rest—before she is locked away forever....

My Review - 4 Great to the last Drop

The Abandoned wan an ebook exclusive prequel to The Graveyard Queen series.  I was unsure if I would enjoy this kind of story but I am so glad I read it, it completely drew me and I immediately downloaded The Restorer which I am reading and enjoying now. 

The prequel was 4 chapters about 4 characters.  Ree, the main character in The Abandoned, Amelia, the main character in The Restorer so far and another 2 whom play an important part with the presence and history of ghosts, Violet and Ilsa. 

I was enjoying the eerie feeling, completed curious on the on goings of the ghosts and how they wanted to interact with people than bang a murder.  How I loved that, the mystery on why, who, what and how the history plays into everything.

Ree continued to say "I don't believe in ghosts", I think she was trying to convince herself.

The Abandoned makes you want to know more.  More about the dark, the unknown, why a cemetery was abandoned and what is the history of those that were abandoned themselves.

I can't wait to finish The Restorer and tell you more.  The Kingdom comes out Nov 2011.  The perfect start for the RIP Challenge.