Review: The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens

Posted June 30, 2019 by Sophia Rose in Reviews / 6 Comments

Tags: Amanda Stevens, The Graveyard Queen, Urban Fantasy

The Kingdom

by Amanda Stevens

Series: The Graveyard Queen #2
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Published by MIRA
Released on March 27, 2012
Pages: 376
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

The Delight

After the stunning introduction to Amelia the Graveyard Queen and the subsequent hair-raising events in the Restorer, you bet your britches I was in for more of this series. Hauntingly gothic and suspenseful where a shadow isn’t just a shadow and the dark brings more than nightmares for Amelia.

Review

The Kingdom is book two in the Graveyard Queen and follows on previous events in book one so doesn’t standalone well. In fact, I think the prequel actually works good between the first two books since I caught a reference to that tale in this book.

The Kingdom takes place months after the first book and finds Amelia headed into the foothills where she was hired to do the graveyard restoration on a small town cemetery. The town is isolated now that a major landowner sold land that was part of a river damming project that buried part of the town and cemetery under what is now Bell Lake. And, Bell Lake didn’t get its name from some sweet and innocent reason. Amelia is uneasy about a graveyard below a lake and the legend of the graveyard bells tolling in the night, but the spooky dying town and its people on the shores of the lake are what really give her the chills. Something dark is there and the people are full of secrets, but Amelia has the oddest feeling that she is personally connected to the place and the past. She is the catalyst for rousing something dangerous.

So, yes, the wonder of book one was not a fluke. The brooding, sensual Devlin may be back in Charleston and Amelia is still pulled toward him though she knows she needs to stay away. But, she has stumbled upon a place and people that she feels she has been sent to help and not just their graveyard. A stray dog, a lonely man, a broken woman who cares for birds, three women nick-named witches, and a rich old family headed by a patriarch who watches her with cunning, knowing eyes. Do they all know about her? About the ghosts and the darkness in this place? I enjoyed the shivers and thrills of being along with Amelia as she dug out the secrets and ripped out the thorns and weeds that are choking things there. The mystery was a nice one, but the author has a gift for painting in the atmosphere and giving the characters a brooding and secretive quality that hovers on the edge of horror without quite crossing the line.

All those questions that Amelia had about her past rise up again in this one as does her concern for her family. She wants to be over Devlin and move on from her sadness, but I loved how she also has a strong sense of what is right and doesn’t shirk it when she faces danger and evil. I can’t wait to get more of this series that I can definitely recommend to others who want ghosts, mysteries, and atmosphere.

Challenges Met

Mt. TBR #42
Library Love #16

Sophia Rose

I was born and raised near Sacramento, CA. I have read since I was four years old and developed tastes that run the gamut of literature. I went away to college and have a degree in education, a certificate in family history research, and a certificate in social work. I worked for a non-profit agency with low income families for 20 years which included being responsible for the children’s library and promoting/teaching adult literacy. I have lived in Southeast Michigan for the last 18 years and I am currently a book addicted homemaker with a cat and husband who keep me grounded. Recently, I made it a challenge to review each book that I have read as a favor to author friends who said reviews are important. I have done reviews for Good Reads, Amazon, eBay, and Smashwords, but mostly at Goodreads and Amazon.

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Melanie Simmons

It wasn’t that long ago that I listened to The Restorer. I really enjoyed it and want to continuing the series as well. I can’t wait to try this book. Great review.

This one doesn’t have the romance conflict in it, but it was just as good. Hope you get the chance soon, Melanie. 🙂

Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

This sounds like a spooky, thrilling, goosebump raising kind of story! All of the spooktastic characters sound interesting as well. This atmospheric mystery has me curious! Phenomenal Review Sophia!

It was all that, Lindy. I was properly shivering. Not quite horror, but still just enough hair-raising for a wuss like me. 🙂

Nadene

It is the first I am hearing of this series. I can see myself enjoying this one. Great review, Sophia.

I heard about it late around the time the last of the series published, but finally am getting around to it this year. So far so fab. 🙂