Early Review: The Prophet

The Prophet (The Graveyard Queen 3)

-          Amanda Stevens

Publisher: MIRA – Published on 24^th April 2012

E-Arc Courtesy of netgalley and MIRA

My name is Amelia Gray.I am the Graveyard Queen, a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. My father passed down four rules to keep me safe and I've broken every last one. A door has opened and evil wants me back.In order to protect myself, I've vowed to return to those rules. But the ghost of a murdered cop needs my help to find his killer. The clues lead me to the dark side of Charleston—where witchcraft, root doctors and black magic still flourish—and back to John Devlin, a haunted police detective I should only love from afar.Now I'm faced with a terrible choice: follow the rules or follow my heart.

Returning to Charleston after the revelations about her heritage and past in the mountains, Amelia has been avoiding Devlin and his ghosts, but she can’t stay away for long and soon she has to face not only his haunting past, but also search for a murderer who doesn’t want to be discovered...

In this book, Amelia starts to make decisions and be proactive rather than waiting for things to happen to her. She really seems to take control of herself more and rather than hiding away in her hallowed places, she starts to use her abilities and explores what it lets her do, rather than hiding all the time. I liked this new Amelia with more of a back bone. But this doesn’t mean she doesn’t still hide her powers, remaining introspective and lonely. Even Devlin can’t completely break through her armour.

The setting continues to be lush and beautifully described – at times I feel like I can just walk into the book and be in the graveyard with Amelia. I adore the beautiful prose and invocative descriptions which create a gorgeously gothic and timeless atmosphere. This is a traditional ghost story wonderfully told and will have you checking over your shoulder at twilight for any ghosts following you home. This series just builds with each story creating such a layered and complex world that lingers long after you stop reading. A chilling ghost story wonderfully told. I’m very excited that Amanda Stevens has sold another three books in this series – although I worry what Amelia and Devlin will have to go through next!

Recommended for fans of Susan Hill and Neil Gaimen. 8 out of 10

The Kingdom Review

The Kingdom (The Graveyard Queen 2)

-          Amanda Stevens

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

E-Arc Courtesy of netgalley and MIRA

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.

Amelia is still haunted after her troubled relationship wit Devlin, the Charleston detective we met in The Restorer. Trying to move on, she takes a new restoration project in a dying town in the mountains only to discover that something lurks in this town, something which is attracted to her and her abilities to see the dead...

This is a beautifully haunting gothic ghost story. The writing has a lyrical element that reminds me of Anne Rice at her best, making it difficult to forget or stop reading. The descriptions are beautiful and vividly paint the atmosphere of this dying town. It is always difficult to tell ghost stories well but there is no doubt that with this series Amanda Stevens has succeeded by making a lonely central character that is relatable. Amelia’s history is explored throughout the story and some of the questions raised in The Restorer are answered, yet it feels like this could be read without needing to pick up the previous books. There are more subtle layers that benefit from having read the first book though.  

This is a very evocative story that deals with the questions of nature verses nurture, the darkness of human nature and what ghosts truly are. I loved the poetic elements and the long standing mystery surrounding the town. I honestly wished I could read this book slower so I could enjoy it for longer, but like an ice cream sundae I had to finish it before it melted! Beautiful book.

Recommended for fans of Anne Rice and Deborah Harkness. 9 out of 10

Early Review: The Restorer

The Restorer (Graveyard Queen 1)

-          Amanda Stevens

E-Arc courtesy of netgalley and MIRA Books

Released: 26th April 2011 

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.

Amanda Steven’s written a very eerie book, with a memorable leading lady. Amelia is strong but also lonely. Seeing and ignoring ghosts, means she has taken to ignoring live people as well in case they guess her secret. The ghosts here are menacing creepy presences, who are desperate to feel some of warmth of living and this makes them feel very dark – no Caspers here!  - and means that Amelia’s gift is treated as more of curse.

The central crime is intriguing and mysterious. I particularly liked the way Steven’s has set up the novel that as a reader you are suspicious of many of the characters Amelia meets, but Amelia’s long term friendship and relationships with them mean she isn’t. This made me feel quite tense at times and added layers to the book. The prose is haunting and paints a colourful picture of the South – so much so that I wanted to visit Charleston and smell the flowers.

There are enough hidden depths to the novel to keep you gripped throughout and I’m looking forward to next in the Graveyard Queen series – and especially to seeing how the relationship between Amelia and Devlin progresses.

Recommended for fans of Sookie Stackhouse and Daniel Hecht. 8 out of 10.