The Kingdom - Book Review/Rant

The Kingdom (Graveyard Queen #2)
by Amanda Stevens

What is it about:
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.

What did I think about it:
Warning: spoilers about the romance

If this had been a standalone novel I would have loved it.

The story is intriguing and creepy. There's a sense of secrecy and danger throughout and the main plot is very well thought out. On it's own this would have been a perfect ghostly read with just some minor flaws.

But.... this is book two in a trilogy and looking at it like that I find one major flaw that annoyed me.

In The Restorer there's a romance between Amelia and Devlin. Because he's haunted Amelia decides to take her distance from him. So of course not even two chapters into The Kingdom a new love interest is introduced. Now nothing is wrong with that (apart from the fact that I liked Devlin a lot more than this Thane), but it turns out that this romance is needed to carry a large part of the plot for this mystery. And then in the end things are nicely wrapped up and Amelia and her love interest part ways so Amelia is all set to reunite with Devlin for book three.

Seriously? After all the tension and everything between Amelia and Devlin I'm forced to invest in yet another romantic storyline, just to have the new love interest kicked out at the end of the book so we can go back to the romance between Amelia and Devlin? Talk about convenient.

I really think this book would have worked better as a standalone or maybe as a start of the trilogy instead of the middle book.

Apart from the romance that bugged me there was also a minor plotline that really felt unnecessary in my opinion and that dragged out the ending of the book.

Don't get me wrong: I really enjoyed this book even with those two annoyances and I will certainly read book three to see if Amelia will indeed reunite with Devlin in the end.

Why should you read it:
It's an intriguing and ghostly Paranormal read.

The Restorer - Book Review

The Restorer (Graveyard Queen #1)
by Amanda Stevens

What is it about:
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.

It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer--and to his other victims--lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret.

Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.

What did I think of it:
This is a beautiful story.

For most parts this book reads like a good murder mystery, but the added paranormal aspects give it an extra layer.

I did think the paranormal aspects also gave the story a depressing and sad mood at times. The thought of the ghost of the dead latching on to the living because they can't let go was a very depressing and sad one for me I'll confess.

The murder mystery was really suspenseful and I loved how little clues were found and added up to close in on the killer. The use of graveyard symbolism was really interesting. I myself love old graveyards, so this part of the story really intrigued me.

The growing attraction between Amelia and Devlin was well written although frustrating at times. There was lots of pushing and pulling going on and although that was really intense and emotional at times it also made me fear for the outcome.

All in all this is a sad but also beautiful story and I will need to read the next book soon to find out what happens next.

Why should you read it:
It's a suspenseful Paranormal murder mystery