Title: The Kingdom
Author: Amanda Stevens
Series: Graveyard Queen #2
Publisher: Harlequin
(Book read on November 1st-2nd, from an e-copy acquired through NetGalley from the
publisher, in exchange for an honest review.)
My rating: 5 of 5
Summary:
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.
My Thoughts on the Book:
Wow, Amanda Stevens did it again! The Kingdom is one amazing book, even better then The Restorer, and that one was amazing, too!
I loved The Restorer when I read it for the first time last year, it was one of my favorite 2011 reads, so I even bought myself a copy, because I read it from galley. And since then, I've been dying to read the sequels. I was approved galleys from both The Kingdom & The Prophet long ago, and I actually re-read both The Restorer & the prequel novella The Abandoned in spring in preparation of reading these, but then something happened that made me postpone reading them. What happened? I read somewhere (I think it was in a review on a blog - no idea which one) that Amelia has another love interest, not Devlin, actually Devlin's not there at all, so I became a little disappointed by that fact & reluctant to read it. Sure, the romance is secondary, the spookiness & mystery are the main themes, but I just postponed reading them again & again, until they're finally expiring and I forgot even why I postponed reading them, and I'll admit, postponing was stupid of me. I had no idea what I was missing, and that it's actually something quite different than I thought it will be, and that was a good thing.
The Kingdom is also quite different from The Restorer, too. Sure, it will be better if you've read both the prequel & the first book, but I think it can be read as stand alone, because both The Restorer & The Abandoned are explained, but then if you want to read them, they would be spoiled. Anyway, before I started reading The Kingdom, I thought it would be similar of The Restorer, but early on I realised that this is actually a book about Amelia, about who she is & where she came from.
I love Amelia as a character, and now that we really got to know her, I think that she's an amazing character. And this book, from the beginning was so spooky & creepy & scary, I was really creeped out. The Restorer was really creepy, but nothing compared to The Kingdom. I definitely wouldn't want to be in Amelia's shoes or visit Asher Falls - I got shivers all over me just thinking about some of the scenes.
As for the story, I thought it was amazing. I actually caught on early on on some of the things that will be discovered in the book, but not everything or exactly how it happened or will happen, so there were still plenty of surprises. I don't want to go in too many details so I won't spoil the story, but yeah, there's also another love interest - Thane. I wouldn't say that I liked him or even disliked him, I'm still a Devlin fan and probably always will be, but I could see & understand the attraction between him & Amelia, and let me tell you, Amanda Stevens can write sizzling scenes full of chemistry. Actually, Amanda Stevens is one amazing writer, and she now confirmed her place on my list of favorite authors. I also loved the mention of Ree & Hayden, that was quite an unexpected treat, because I loved them both as characters & of course I loved The Abandoned.
The Kingdom is an amazing sequel of The Restorer that will keep you on the edge of your sit, not being able to stop reading it, although you will have goose bumps all over you. So, I highly recommend this book & the Graveyard Queen series! I'm actually starting the next book The Prophet right away after I finish this review, and yeah, I can't wait!
I haven't read The Abandoned yet. Need to add it to my wishlist. :) Glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI really liked Thane. Like you, I could understand the attraction. If it wasn't for Devlin and the fact Thane lives in Asher Falls, I think he (Thane) could have made Amelia happy.
Yeah, The Abandoned was so good, you have to read it! I've actually read it twice, and loved it both times :)
DeleteAnd yeah, Thane was really likable, and they could've been great together, but yeah, the main point against him - living in Asher Falls - and the 2nd, she didn't met him first, so yeah, as Amelia says, if she met him first, it probably would've been different.