The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens

The Kingdom (The Graveyard Queen Series #2)
Author: Amanda Stevens
Publisher: March 27, 2012
ISBN: 9780778312772
Length: 384 pages paperback copy
*ARC recvd 01/27/2012*
Expected publication: March 27th 2012

The Kingdom (Graveyard Queen #2) finds Amelia Gray accepting new job restoring Thorngate cemetery in Asher Falls, South Carolina. This comes nearly a month after the events of The Restorer where she was nearly a victim of a serial killer and broke every rule in avoiding ghosts at all costs.

Asher Falls is a town that is secluded and reachable only by ferry. The town’s people are a six pack short of a case and there is tension as well as a feeling of foreboding from the moment Amelia hits town. The town’s residents are also hiding a deep dark secret for which Amelia is linked to and from which her true past and upbringing is finally revealed.

Amelia learns from Thane Asher (heir apparent to the Asher Empire) that the original cemetery was flooded to make way for a dam. She also believes that she sees ghosts in the water that appear to be reaching out for her on her way to Asher Falls. These same ghosts seem to be telling her to leave, and leave quickly before something bad happens to her. Amelia also seems more susceptible to dark forces as indicated when a ghost whispers "soon" to her.

I was making fun of this story at one point when I said it reminded me of the Witches of Eastwick with Jack Nicholson as the Devil. In this case, the elder Asher could have been Nicholson's character, and the 3 women who try to scare Amelia away are the witches of Asher Falls.

Amelia grew up around graveyards with her adoptive father, and she picked up the mantle of restoring Graveyards as her main job. She even has a web page called Digging Graves. Her father taught her four rules for which to live by;
1. Never acknowledge the dead.
2. Never stray far from hallowed ground.
3. Never associate with those who are haunted.
4. Never, ever tempt fate.

Naturally, Amelia has broken each of the 4 rules and now there’s no turning back. Her relationship with the John Devlin of the Charleston Police Department is on hold after she learned that he was haunted by his dead wife and child.

Her relationship with Thane was a bit too set up for me to actually care about. There were too many secrets and Thane had to know what was going on with the people he surrounds himself with.

The Kingdom is about much more than just ghosts. It’s a deep look into Amelia’s own background surrounded by mystery, death, and shocking revelations which may explain why Amelia and her father are having issues.

When someone says to you “You really don’t know why you were brought here, do you?” You start to think that you have been lured here under false pretensions and run. Run away as fast as you can and don’t look back. Does Amelia Run? Nah!

Definitely a book I would recommend to everyone.

Thanks to Netgalley.com, I have the next book in the series as well, and can’t wait to see what other secrets about Amelia are revealed next, and how her relationship with Devlin turns out.