#Thursday Review - The Awakening by @AmandaStevensTX #Fantasy #Horror @HarlequinBooks

Series: Graveyard Queen # 6
Format: Paperback, 416 pages
Release Date: March 28, 2017
Publisher: Mira
Source: Publisher
Genre: Mystery, Paranormal, Fantasy

Shush…lest she awaken… 

My name is Amelia Gray, a cemetery restorer who lives with the dead. An anonymous donor has hired me to restore Woodbine Cemetery, a place where the rich and powerful bury their secrets. Forty years ago, a child disappeared without a trace and now her ghost has awakened, demanding that I find out the truth about her death. Only I know that she was murdered. Only I can bring her killer to justice. But the clues that I follow—a haunting melody and an unnamed baby's grave—lead me to a series of disturbing suspects. 

For generations, The Devlins have been members of Charleston's elite. John Devlin once turned his back on the traditions and expectations that came with his birthright, but now he has seemingly accepted his rightful place. His family's secrets make him a questionable ally. When my investigation brings me to the gates of his family's palatial home, I have to wonder if he is about to become my mortal enemy. 

The Awakening is the sixth and final installment in author Amanda Stevens Graveyard Queen. It has been a rather long road for protagonist Amelia Gray since she first appeared in The Restorer. She has gone from having a list of things not to do while in a cemetery, to accepting that there is more to her than meets the eye test. In this story, Amelia finds herself once again deep in suspicion, intrigue, the paranormal, while also facing a secretive sect she learned about in The Sinner.

They may have finally caught up to what she is capable of. But, what part in all of this does her former beau John Devlin play & why did he really leave Amelia behind? How will Stevens sort out the relationship between Amelia and Devlin who has his own baggage and family history to figure out? Let's start with Amelia taking a restoration job at Woodbine Cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina where she discovers a children's section. Eerie? Hell yes. 

Readers of this series already know that Amelia is a very unique & special individual. We know that she has pretty much ignored all of the warnings her father told her while growing up. We know that because of how she came into this world. We know this because she is a ghost seer, a Death Walker, and a detective for the unquiet. She also has a light inside of her that attracts earthbound entities. We also know that there are malevolent entities who have not only invaded her world, but set their sights on bringing Amelia back to the other side.

I am going to say this to readers who have not yet read this book. Be prepared for anything. I was literally flipping the pages as quickly as I could to find out what happens next. I found myself getting goosebumps and my heart was racing because Stevens doesn't hold back on the horror, or the malevolence that Amelia is forced to encounter throughout this story. I must say that I have always been a fan of this series setting. While I have not been to Charleston since I was in college, I have always wanted to learn more about the historical background of the city, its people, and the paranormal aspects that have long been sought out by ghost hunters, and historians alike.

When all is said and done, and the final page is turned, I am kind of sad that the series is over, but understanding that all good things must eventually come to an end. Stevens is a bloody fantastic writer who will always be on my top # 10 list of authors to follow. Amelia's story may be over, for now, but that ending leaves me with a whole lot of curiosity. I mean really Amanda! How could you leave us like that?!?!  I have read that Stevens may have plans to spin-off this series, or come back to Amelia sometime in the future. If I am alive, and God is wiling, I will definitely add it to my collection.

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#Thursday Review - The Sinner by Amanda Stevens #Horror, #Mystery @AmandaStevensTX

Series: Graveyard Queen # 5
Format: Paperback, 384 pages
Release Date: September 27, 2016
Publisher: Mira
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
Genre: Horror, Mystery


I am a living ghost, a wanderer in search of my purpose and place…

I'm a cemetery restorer by trade, but my calling has evolved from that of ghost seer to death walker to detective of lost souls. I solve the riddles of the dead so the dead will leave me alone.

I've come to Seven Gates Cemetery nursing a broken heart, but peace is hard to come by…for the ghosts here and for me. When the body of a young woman is discovered in a caged grave, I know that I've been summoned for a reason. Only I can unmask her killer. I want to trust the detective assigned to the case for he is a ghost seer like me. But how can I put my faith in anyone when supernatural forces are manipulating my every thought? When reality is ever-changing? And when the one person I thought I could trust above all others has turned into a diabolical stranger?

The Sinner is the Fifth installment in Author Amanda Stevens the Graveyard Queen series. The series is set in South Carolina, and features Amelia Gray as the main protagonist. It has been a rather eventful year since Amelia's ex-John Devlin walked away, and left her behind due to his family commitment to the Order of the Coffin and the Claw. While she misses Devlin and may never be fully over him, she knows that she must put two feet forward. Her job as a Cemetery Restorer takes Amelia to Seven Gates Cemetery in Ascension, South Carolina. 

Ascension is a strange place, with tall tails of murder and mayhem and maybe Satan followers that follows the life of the person Amelia is hired by to restore the cemetery by; Annalee Nash. There is something creepy about the cemetery. While Amelia is working, no longer afraid of ghosts hanging around while she works, she feels called to discover another part of the cemetery where she finds Mort Safe's and the body of a woman who was apparently buried alive. The woman also has the words Memento Mori tattooed on her skin. 

Ascension brings along a powerful new adversary, while also seeing the reunion with an old nemesis who may have information about a lost key that Amelia is searching for. With the help of Dr. Rupert Shaw, Amelia has pretty much accepted that it is her calling to shut the doors to the dead permanently. It is her calling to help ghosts cross over to the next world. It is her calling to expose the evil that infests the world. But, first she must uncover new secrets surrounding the Eternal Brotherhood of Resurrectionists, and an even more secretive group called Conge. 

Amelia encounters Detective Lucian Kendrick who brings out an urge in Amelia to put her former lover Devlin behind in the past where he truly belongs. Lucian brings out a curious feeling in Amelia that can't be ignored. A feeling that she'll need to figure out, sooner, rather than later. With her former nemesis urging Amelia to find the identity of the killer, and put a stop to him, or her, the creep factors crawls up to level 10. Now that she has broken all the laws her father laid down for her as a child, now that she knows a whole lot of truths about her past, and perhaps her future, she is free to discover her new abilities and her calling and saving her own life from yet another villain out to destroy her is just the start.

I would be so brave as to say that this series has gone to the dark side of horror and that peeks my curiosity. It is less about the romance, and more about Amelia exploring the reaches of her abilities and powers and making right what was made wrong. It is about the relationship between Amelia and her dog Angus, while also interspersing other secondary characters like Rupert Shaw, Tom Malloy, Annalee Nash, and even Temple Lee. This story kept pulling Amelia away from Ascension, and back to Charleston to search for answers. It also uncovers even more head scratching mysteries surround Devlin and what he is really up to. 

The Sinner leaves readers hanging on a really intriguing question about Devlin, and what he is really up to. Hopefully, that question will be answered in the next book called The Awakening.

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#Thursday Review - The Visitor by Amanda Stevens (Urban Fantasy)

Series: Graveyard Queen # 4
Format: E-Galley, 400 pages
Release Date: March 29, 2016
Publisher: Mira
Source: Publisher
Genre: Urban Fantasy

My name is Amelia Gray. I'm the Graveyard Queen.

Restoring lost and abandoned cemeteries is my profession, but I'm starting to believe that my true calling is deciphering the riddles of the dead. Legend has it that Kroll Cemetery is a puzzle no one has ever been able to solve. For over half a century, the answer has remained hidden within the strange headstone inscriptions and intricate engravings. Because uncovering the mystery of that tiny, remote graveyard may come at a terrible price.

Years after their mass death, Ezra Kroll's disciples lie unquiet, their tormented souls trapped within the walls of Kroll Cemetery, waiting to be released by someone strong and clever enough to solve the puzzle. For whatever reason, I'm being summoned to that graveyard by both the living and the dead. Every lead I follow, every clue I unravel brings me closer to an unlikely killer and to a destiny that will threaten my sanity and a future with my love, John Devlin. 

The Visitor is the FOURTH installment in Amanda Stevens Graveyard Queen series. Since it has been FOUR years since The Prophet (Graveyard Queen, # 3) was released, I would suggest that you brush up on your knowledge of this series and the series protagonist Amelia Gray before diving into this book. Trust me folks, I am not just saying this to bust your chops or make work for you. At the beginning of this story, the author does a brief summary of certain events that happened in the last book. But, the events of the previous THREE books have fundamentally changed Amelia's life perhaps not for the better.

One could say that Amelia, who is a graveyard restorer called the Graveyard Queen, and can see ghosts, has finally begun to learn what her actual calling is. Amelia has pretty much destroyed all the rules that her grandfather taught her and opened a door to the other side where darkness awaits. Papa's rules were: (1) never acknowledge the dead. Don't look at them, don't speak to them. Don't let them sense your fear; even when they touch you. (2) Never stray too far from hallowed ground. (3) Keep Your distance from those who are haunted. If they seek you out, turn away from them, for they constitute a terrible threat and cannot be trusted. (4) Never tempt rate, and never ever remove anything from the cemetery you didn't bring along with you. 

The Visitor starts out with Amelia being visited by a blind ghost, and strange happenings in her home, to finding a 19th century Stereo Gram with a familiar face staring back at her in her basement, and later ends up taking a trip to Kroll cemetery where victims of a mass suicide are buried. Kroll is a place where the ghosts of the past seem to be luring her to visit so that she can unlock the actual mystery to what happened there decades ago. Kroll has so many hidden and terrible secrets that it will take a strong constitution to survive until the end. Anyone Amelia meets can be her savior, or the villain. Everyone has an agenda, and Amelia is the key that they are trying to stop from opening old wounds.

While on a personal level, Amelia's relationship with the once haunted police officer John Devlin is not exactly swimming along smoothly. Even though Devlin's dead wife Mariama has moved on, he still has enough baggage with him to drag the relationship down bit by bleeping bit. Especially when he is off on some secretive trip to visit a supposed ailing Grandfather who belongs to the Order of the Coffin and the Key. There is a really interesting road ahead for the couple and whether or not they stay together. 

If you like a book that is filled with secrets, well enjoy, because The Visitor is filled with secrets, and revelations, and revelations that have been weighing Amelia down for awhile now. I have always loved when an author writes a book with Charleston, South Carolina at the backdrop. If you haven't yet visited the city, make it part of your bucket list. If you love to visit ghostly places, what better than one of the most haunted places in America?

One of the positives coming from the release of this book, is that the FIFTH book in the series, THE SINNER, will be releasing in September, 2016!  I applaud Amanda Stevens and the publisher for not giving up on this series even though it has been a very long wait between books. Having a chance to continue reading about Amelia's exploits is a very, very good thing!

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