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The Restorer (Graveyard Queen, #1)

Amanda Stevens

Start date: February 12, 2013

Finish date: February 28, 2013

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What Members Thought

Jun 23, 2013 Rebekah rated it liked it

Shelves: genre-fantasy, genre-adult, genre-romance, genre-mystery, genre-horror, genre-fantasy-paranormal, genre-fantasy-urban-fantasy, genre-fantasy-supernatural, genre-paranormal-ghosts, genre-romance-paranormal-romance

This is the type of book I love to hate. There is a lot in here that is just dumb drivel. I do not need to hear how the dark mysterious handsome gentleman is so mysterious every few pages. Or handsome. Or speaks with a Southern drawl. Really. I got it. The first time. But I kept wanting to find out the ending so I kept reading...furiously. Not super duper scary but I am a wuss so I was a little jumpy after reading it right before bed. The "bad guy" was easy to figure out but there were some pl ...more

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May 09, 2012 Christal rated it really liked it

Shelves: magical-or-paranormal, ghosts, female-lead, shady-government-agency, pi-detective-cop, mystery-and-thrillers, murder, angels, reapers-and-ghost-whispers, voodoo

The atmosphere of The Restorer was creepy and mysterious. It made me want to read faster and faster to find out whodunit. I enjoyed the world building very much and the characters were interesting. I really want to know the full story with Devlin, what Amelia's father hasn't told her, and of course what's up with Robert Freemont. Amanda Stevens left plenty of routes open for future stories, while still making this story feel complete.

Amelia Gray is a cemetery restorer and she can also see ghosts The atmosphere of The Restorer was creepy and mysterious. It made me want to read faster and faster to find out whodunit. I enjoyed the world building very much and the characters were interesting. I really want to know the full story with Devlin, what Amelia's father hasn't told her, and of course what's up with Robert Freemont. Amanda Stevens left plenty of routes open for future stories, while still making this story feel complete.

Amelia Gray is a cemetery restorer and she can also see ghosts. She's been taught all her life to ignore the spirits, but that becomes very difficult when police detective John Devlin recruits her help on a murder case involving her current cemetery project. Amelia soon finds herself involved in a mystery that spans over a decade and will change the way she thinks about ghosts and the world around her.

I liked Amelia; she was strong in a quiet way and kept her wits about her. Surprisingly, I found her job fascinating and enjoyed reading the restoration tidbits sprinkled throughout the novel. I appreciated that Ms. Stevens left some of Amelia's past hazy; it gives us more to learn about her life and her ability to see ghosts in the future books. I also liked that she did not let herself fall in instalust, even though it was very apparent how attractive she found Devlin. Amelia realized there were other forces at work and detached herself appropriately. While she might not be the funniest heroine around, I think Amelia's somberness and steady determination fit her character and are supported by the way she was raised and the rules she had to follow.

John Devlin was an enigma. He swept into Amelia's life and changed it in ways we (and Amelia!) still don't understand. It was hard to really pin his character down. He is an honorable cop, yet also a member of a shady secret society. He has his own personal pain that he carries always, but there is a definite attraction to Amelia. I hope we learn more about his wife and daughter in the future books. I also hope the way that he physically affects Amelia is further explored as well.

Ms. Stevens created a kooky but intriguing set of secondary characters. I feel like we have so much more to learn about them all, but especially Temple Lee, Rupert and Ethan Shaw, and most definitely Robert Freemont. I think the Order of Coffin and Claw has to come back in the story somehow as well. It doesn't seem like we are done learning about them and their enigmatic and powerful members.

The story clipped along at a good pace and the mystery was intriguing enough that I didn't want to put the book down. I read it mostly in one sitting. Ms. Stevens did a good job of keeping the murderer and his motivation a secret until the end. My only (mild) complaint is that the ending wrapped up too quickly; the murderer seemed to be found and dealt with a little too easily. The ending of the book wasn't super satisfying on the romantic front, but it was a responsible decision for now. I don't think Amelia will be able to stay away from Devlin for long, but at least she realizes she needs some distance from him and time to figure things out.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it more for mystery readers than urban fantasy readers. While the world building was beautiful and the plot well written, it didn't follow the traditional urban fantasy path and those looking for that might be disappointed. This book has the creepiness and detailed plot line of a Hitchcockian thriller. If you are looking for something outside of the UF norm, definitely give this book a try. It was a beautifully creepy and atmospheric mystery. ...more

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Apr 30, 2023 Kelly (Maybedog) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: what-modern-fantasy, what-ghosts, what-suspense-thriller-action, what-female-protagonist, what-mystery, what-uniforms-and-investigations, what-cliffhanger, what-het-romance

2.5 stars

One of the biggest problems for me in this book is that there’s zero comic relief. Nothing funny or even mildly amusing. Not even for the character. She’s always glum. It makes the book depressing. It drags.

I definitely know how different they treat cemeteries in the south. I visited Virginia to meet up with who would eventually become my fiancé and he took me around to see several old gravesites. Unfortunately, Seattle is too new. All of our cemeteries are well-kept, lawns mowed, grav ...more

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