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Queen of the Dead (The Undertakers #2)

4.3 of 5 stars 4.30 · rating details · 23 ratings · 10 reviews

Twelve -year old Will Ritter and his rag-tag army of teenage resistance fighters may have triumphed over the Zombies last time, but that's the thing about the dead: they keep coming back.

A new Corpse leader has crossed the rift and taken command of the invasion: The Queen of the Dead is even more brilliant and ruthless than her predecessor, and her ambitions are even dead...more

Paperback, 421 pages

Published October 1st 2012 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

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Nov 20, 2012 Kris added it

Shelves: books-reviewed, juvenile-mg

Review by Alice
Will Ritter is a member of the Undertakers, an underground group of children who have the ability to see Corpses as they truly are. In this second installment of the series, the Undertakers realize that the Queen of the Dead has made her comeback and the Corpses have taken an FBI agent hostage. Now, the Undertakers plan to get him back, even if it means breaking into a state prison.

Lilith Cavanaugh, the Queen of the Dead, is brutal and scary. She likes fresh corpses. In fact, she'...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Dorine White rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have a fun middle grade to review today that is creepy and filled with zombies, but with a twist. Let's look at The Undertakers-Queen of the Dead by Ty Drago.

The Story-
Will Ritter believed there was no such thing as monsters, until one killed his father. Now Will is surround by an invasion of the living dead. They aren't your typical zombies either, they are actually dead bodies that have been possessed by other worldly creatures. Will and his friends are the only ones that can see the corpses...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Sensitivemuse rated it 4 of 5 stars

It’s recommended you read the first book (Rise of the Corpses) before you jump into this one. You’ll understand things more and there are a lot of references from the previous book in this one as well. (Besides, it was a great book to read! why not try it?)

This book was just as good as the first one, there’s a lot of action and moments of close calls. It’s very fast paced and one can easily fly through this novel in a matter of days (or day?). The plot itself was really good. The Queen makes a p...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Melissapalmer404 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Book #68 Read in 2012
The Undertakers 2: Queen of the Dead by Ty Drago (YA)

This book picks up right where the first in the series left off--and the action is non stop! Will Ritter is still fighting the Corpses and is feeling a bit smug about killing Kenny Booth. But now the Queen of the Dead has come to stop the Undertakers and Will--and she means business. She will use Will's mother and sister to try to get to him. But the Undertakers hang tough and have some help for a somewhat unexpected sourc...more

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Nov 05, 2012 TheBookSmugglers rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: zombies-aaah

Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers

Queen of the Dead begins a few months after the dramatic conclusion to Rise of the Corpses - namely, after Will figured out by freak accident how to kill Corpses once and for all. With Kenny Booth's highly public death, there's a power vacuum in Philadelphia and a new boss steps on the scene in the form of Lilith Cavanaugh, who is every bit as charming and personable as Booth, but even more vicious. Lilith, the Queen of the Dead, has one goal - to wipe ou...more Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers

Queen of the Dead begins a few months after the dramatic conclusion to Rise of the Corpses - namely, after Will figured out by freak accident how to kill Corpses once and for all. With Kenny Booth's highly public death, there's a power vacuum in Philadelphia and a new boss steps on the scene in the form of Lilith Cavanaugh, who is every bit as charming and personable as Booth, but even more vicious. Lilith, the Queen of the Dead, has one goal - to wipe out the meddlesome Undertakers and to ensure that the invasion of her people (the Malum) proceeds smoothly. Of course, with Will and his buddies now capable of not only incapacitating Corpses, but also killing them indefinitely before they can transfer to another host body, Lilith's job isn't so easy. And as the stakes grow higher, with the involvement of the FBI, with Will's family and the lives of his closest friends in the balance, he's willing to do whatever it takes to stop the Queen and minions before it is too late.

The second in the ongoing Undertakers series, Queen of the Dead is just as fun - if not more fun - than its predecessor. Personally, I love the character of Lilith Cavanaugh and her more cruel and manipulative approach to power. She's less cheesy than Kenny Booth, and far more vicious, ordering the torture of those who have failed her, and the deaths of young women whose bodies she longs to wear after the skins she dons inevitably start to decompose. I also appreciate that Will's remaining family (his worried mother and younger sister) are drawn into the fray in this second book, as his mother is desperate to get her son home after she receives a present from her late husband.

This book also starts to broach some tougher topics than Rise of the Corpses - now that the children can actually kill the invaders, does that mean that they should? Will is older in this book, but feels far more mature than his now-thirteen years. He struggles with the orders and decisions of his leader, Tom, and has to find the balance between playing the hero and playing the martyr. Though he's still a little too good to be true in this book, I do like that he makes mistakes and is forced to pay for them in Queen of the Damned. His relationship with Helene in particular strengthens in this book, as does his friendship with Burgermeister (who proves his mettle, and is so much more than just a large bully now). And then of course, there's the paternal/older brother figure of Tom and his relationship with Will which grows more nuanced in this second novel (believe me when I say that this relationship is one of the strongest - and most heartbreaking - in the book).

There's some craziness that goes down in the book's climactic final act, and I wish we had more answers than we are given. That said, there is so much room for more and it's clear that The Undertakers are just getting started in their fight to save Philadelphia (and the world). I'm eager for much more.(less)

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Nov 03, 2012 Bill Preston rated it 4 of 5 stars

Given the reported popularity of The Waking Dead series on TV, Ty Drago's series about an army of teen zombie killers should be a natural among the junior high set. These are engaging novels with a reluctant set of heroes that master all adversity using ingeniuty and courage beyond their years. There's an underplayed element of romance along with all the action, but the action definitely dominates in these fast paced novels. I should probably report that the zombies are not really zombies but be...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Amy Fournier rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

This is a sequel and though you could read it without reading the first one, you will be missing a lot of information from the first. This was a very fun, action packed book. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. Will is a tough kid, and The Queen of the Dead is one awesome villain. This book had me completely sucked in. With more danger and higher stakes, this was one heck of a ride!

Will is still getting used to things as an Undertaker. He really misses his family and is scared of what th...more This is a sequel and though you could read it without reading the first one, you will be missing a lot of information from the first. This was a very fun, action packed book. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. Will is a tough kid, and The Queen of the Dead is one awesome villain. This book had me completely sucked in. With more danger and higher stakes, this was one heck of a ride!

Will is still getting used to things as an Undertaker. He really misses his family and is scared of what the future holds. He knows that The Corpses are trying to take over and that they need to try to stop it. He is somewhat of a legend being that his father was the one who founded the Undertakers. He was the only adult to have the Sight. He was also victim to them two years ago, and now Will is part of the fight. Will really grows in this one. He takes more chances and he is very selfless when it comes to others. He doesn't even give a second thought to putting himself at risk if it means saving someone else. For a thirteen year old boy he is facing a lot tougher things than most adults face and dealing with it all pretty well.

The other characters are just as great. I really loved Helene, Dave, Sharyn, and Tom. They are so great. There are plenty of others too and I really like that we get to know such a wide variety of characters. They all play a major role in things. Then there is Lilith Cavanaugh, who is the Cover that The Queen of the Dead takes on. That is one brutal and scary woman. She likes her corpses fresh so she actually has young women killed just so she can take over their body when the one she is using decomposes too much. She plans on taking over since Kenny Booth failed that mission when Will stopped him months ago.

This book is almost non-stop action from beginning to end. It's one battle after another, break-ins, recon missions, and the most important, stopping The Queen of the Dead from succeeding in her takeover. Now remember, the Undertakers are all kids and teenagers, but they are very smart, super dedicated, and most of all really brave. They don't let the fear rule them. They are dedicated to the cause and will keep fighting to stop The Corpses from taking over. I really connected with a lot of the characters even with them being so young. The writing is just so fabulous that I felt like I fell right into the story and I didn't want to climb back out. A solid second book in the series! I will be looking forward to the next one!(less)

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May 09, 2013 Ron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, ya, zombies

A solid sequel to the first Undertakers book. I'll definitely read the next one. Readers who like Darren Shan, Kirsty McKay, and Pittacus Lore should like this.

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May 07, 2013 PWRL marked it as to-read

Shelves: may-ya-fiction, z2013-may-new

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Feb 03, 2013 Meghan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: zombies

Brilliant book! I highly recomend this series, I finished this book in 3 days and can't wait for the next.

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May 23, 2013 Stuart rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 19, 2013 Christine Ditzel rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Shelves: zombies, young-adult

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Apr 27, 2013 Chad rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Shelves: lainey

Mar 14, 2013 Neem rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: s-s-picks

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Shelves: 2012

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Mar 08, 2013 Richard Schumacher rated it 5 of 5 stars

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About Ty Drago

I'm a twice (soon to be THRICE) published novelist who makes his home in Southern New Jersey with my beloved wife and son. I also have a beautiful daughter, but she makes her home elsewhere these days (sniff!).

My short fiction has appeared in SPACE AND TIME MAGAZINE, HAUNTS, AFTER HOURS, PANDORA, MIDNIGHT ZOO, PLANET MAGAZINE and AMAZON SHORTS. Another story snapped up the Grand Masters spot in a...more

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Rise of the Corpses (The Undertakers, #1)

Undertakers: Rise of the Corpses, The: Rise of the Corpses

Secret of the Corpse Eater (The Undertakers, #3)

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Queen of the Dead (The Undertakers #2)

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