Book Review: The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

Title: The Restorer
Series: Graveyard Queen #1
Author: Amanda Stevens
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Published: 05/01/2011
Publisher: Mira
Genre(s): Fantasy, Romantic Suspense

DESCRIPTION

Never acknowledge the dead.
Never stray far from hallowed ground.
Never get close to the haunted.
Never, ever tempt fate.


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 these rules passed down from my father…until now.

Detective John Devlin needs my help to find a killer, but he is haunted by ghosts who shadow his every move. 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 headstone symbols lead me closer to truth and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.

MY THOUGHTS

If The Restorer is indicative of Amanda Stevens' previous books I regret not having read her before. From the opening line to the epilogue I found her writing style extremely pleasing and all of her characters intriguing. I didn't feel overwhelmed by the supernatural aspect of the story—rather, I felt it enhanced the more literal goings on. The style in which she concluded each chapter made for a veritable page-turner. I didn't want to stop reading! I was extremely impressed by the authors' knowledge of cemeteries, burial customs, and technology. The dialogue was completely believable and several well-delivered lines elicited chuckles from me. I encountered no lulls in the story and no excessive explanations. The plot was highly compelling and definitely eerie. I was enthralled with Amelia's narration and her plausible reactions. The character of John Devlin could easily have been overly romanticized. Indeed he was not. He was complex and captivating.

The second installment in The Graveyard Queen seriesThe Kingdom, is due to be released in April 2012. The third, The Prophet, in May 2012. Having just finished this amazing first in the series that seems like an excessively long time to have to wait.

Comments

S. Lincecum said…
It's on my to-read list, per your suggestion. I might just have to bump it to the top!
Virginia Hill said…
Well, IF you do read and like it I'll own up to suggesting it to you! ;)