Book Review: The Prophet

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 (goodreads).

Review: 

based on review copy for MIRA via Netgalley! Thanks!

The Prophet by Amanda Stevens picks up right where The Kingdom left off. Amelia leaves Asher Falls behind to deal with some unfinished business in Charleston. The third installments answers some much needed questions and gives the reader more insight to our complex Amelia Gray. 

Resident ghost seer Amelia Gray returns to her hometown in Charleston to get some answers from her family and to determine if a future with Devlin is a possibility. We meet old friends and are introduced to new ones. While questioning her relationship with the haunted Devlin, Amelia promises to find the murderer of a ghost who has been haunting her. 

I really enjoyed this book, maybe more than The Kingdom. Amelia is back on familiar ground after she receives a mysterious text. In this book, we are reunited with characters from the first novel who are key players in the plot. Like I've stated in my reviews for the preceding novels, Amanda Stevens knows how to make a book spooky. While the plot is not complex nor is it driven by action, it is interesting enough to keep you coming back for more. And the plot is simple enough that you don't have try to remember what happened to who and how. I really enjoyed the pacing of the novel, I felt that it lent itself to the overall creepiness of the novel. 

The characters are exceptional as always. Amelia is a great complex heroine who does not let her emotions dictate how she reacts to certain situations. She is extremely logical but not logical to a fault. I feel like I am repeating myself because the same praise I am giving The Prophet can be found in my last two reviews of the Graveyard Queen series. Everyone is so real and believable, they react as you would expect a person in a situation to react and mirror real life every closely. 

I can't even talk about the writing without copying and pasting everything I have said in previous reviews! The writing lends itself to the creepiness of the novel and the writing style keeps the reader coming back for more even though this is not an action book. Stevens' command with words is such that you can easily digest the book within a day or two. 

I really enjoyed this novel and I hope that it isn't the last in the series! I can never have enough of Amelia and Devlin!

Weekly Wrap-Up: September 9-15 2012

Discussion: EBook Pricing and Amazon

Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Review: The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

                                                                 Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

                                                           

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

Book Review: The Kingdom

The Kingdom (Graveyard Queen #2) by AMANDA STEVENS

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 (goodreads).

Review:                                                         Review based on ARC, Thanks Netgalley and Harlequin/Mira

Amelia Gray is back with more ghosts trailing behind her! This unusual sequel is backed with more action and even more questions that The Restorer.

When Amelia is summoned to Asher Falls, she expected nothing but a restoration project to take her mind off of Devlin and his ghosts. Instead, she find adventure, new companions and a lot of unanswered questions.

The Kingdom picks up right where The Restorer left us except Amelia is immediately called to a new location. Everything about this book is perfect. Like The Restorer, the pacing is what makes this book. It moves at a slow and steady pace which usually bores readers; the opposite is happening here. The best way I can explain this book is to use the word "linger." The book moves at such a pace that all of the creepy interactions and ghostly things linger, transporting you into Stevens' eerie world. I loved the overall plot and loved how Stevens' kept the readers hooked by keeping the Reveal until the very end, but including little clues to make us think.

Amanda Stevens' strength is her characters. She introduces a whole new town full of interesting and quirky characters, they are all complex and honestly feel like real people, not imitations of real life. This is one of the reasons why I think The Graveyard Queen would make a fabulous movie, these characters come to life so easily. We learn more about Amelia's family and her heritage which will leave more questions than answers. I still love Amelia, she is level-headed, curious, and has a big heart; every action she took was justifiable which doesn't happen often with other main characters.

Stevens' writing is flawless as ever and Amelia is still a great narrator. Amelia is interesting, smart and has great insight. Stevens' writing can easily transport the reader into her world and make the reader feel as if he or she is living the actions alongside Amelia. I loved that Stevens' does not treat the sequel as a standalone book, she still references to actions and characters from The Restorer. 

The Kingdom does not suffer from Sequel Syndrome. It opens a whole new world with new challenges for one of the best heroines I have read about yet.

Top Ten Tuesday [#3]

Hosted by The Broke and Bookish

Top Ten Books I'd Like to See Made into Movies

1) The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa: The world is so beautiful and all of the characters are memorable, I think this would look amazing on the big screen!

2) The Restorer (The Graveyard Queen Series) by Amanda Stevens: I was reading the sequel last night and I couldn't help but imagine how this would look with special effects and a A list cast. The mood to this book is so wonderfully mysterious and creepy I think that a director would have fun with. 

3) Entwined by Heather Dixon: The entire time I was reading this I was thinking how awesome this would be as an animated movie! The humor is charming, the characters are adorable and lovable. It would be the perfect summer blockbuster for kid's movies!

4) Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver: This book made me feel so many things! It's such a good story with a great narrative, I think it would be a hit with young movie goers. Parents too!

5) Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman: This is by favorite Neil Gaiman book and I would love to see this as a movie. Not a television series, a movie. No reason necessary, It's Neil motherloving Gaiman. 

6) A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux: This is one of my favorite romance books ever. Although this plot has already been done (Kate and Leopold), I think the love story will leave the other "copy-cats" in the dust!

7) The Dark Hunters series by Sherrilyn Kenyon: This might be cheating because I don't want a movie, I want a TV series. I would prefer a TV series because THERE ARE SO MANY BOOKS AND I CAN'T JUST CHOSE ONE and also because the sex. This would be a FABULOUS HBO series!

8) Angelfall by Susan Ee: BADASSERY. That is all. I just want to cry in the theatres I think. 

9)  Remembrance by Jude Deveraux: I would prefer this to be a like a two or three part TV series. Regardless I want to see this! I want to cry millions of tears and yell at my boyfriend about why we aren't soulmates like Talis Callie. 

10) The White Cat (Curseworkers series) by Holly Black: I just recently finished the first book and I think this would make for an awesome action movie! I really do think this would bring in the crowds! 

And you guys? 

The Restorer Review

The Restorer by AMANDA STEVENS

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.

Review: 

This book is so charming and so original. Stevens does an amazing job with her characters and their environment (as make me want sweet iced tea with every page I turned). The story was well developed and moved at just the right pace, and all of the characters were so memorable and the best part of all, no cliff hanger at the end!

Amelia Gray sees ghosts, which makes her job as a graveyard restorer a bit difficult. Luckily for her, her father gave her a set of rules to abide by in order to live a ghost-free life. Don't make contact, ignore those who are haunted by ghosts, and stay on hallowed grounds. These are all very easy rules to follow until she meets the mysterious John Devlin whose personal haunts are desperate to make contact with her. This paired with the finding of two (new deceased) bodies in the graveyard that she is working on, makes for a very case. 

Amanda Stevens treated this novel like it was her baby. Everything was so well thought out, the subtle hints of what's to come were in the right spots, and the characters were engaging. Every character brought something special to the plate which made the read so enjoyable. Amelia is also a remarkable character. She is strong, independent and appears to be very in control regardless of her environment. While this novel hints at romance, the book isn't about their love story. It's about Amelia first and foremost which is refreshing. 

The plot is also exceptional. I was kept guessing about the mystery murders until the last chapter and I was still blown away. The entire plot is original with great side stories that are sure to be revealed later on in the story. I also loved that Stevens mentioned the voodoo culture because I am fascinated with it. 

In short this is a lovely book that I recommend to anyone. Well, unless you're looking for a love story centered novel then maybe this wouldn't be your first pick. Steven's writing and storytelling is flawless and the plot keeps you guessing. 

Teaser Tuesday (#4)

Hosted by Should Be Reading

"Even if he couldn't see them, his ghosts had kept that torment fresh. For as long as he was haunted, his wounds would never heal."

The Restorer by AMANDA STEVENS

page 148