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vicrine's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
cathybruce208's review against another edition
4.0
Amelia Gray is a cemetery restorer. What is that? You've seen crumbling, moss-covered tombstones in old graveyards, right? It's Amelia's job to clean them up or, ideally, keep that damage from happening in the first place. She is a one-woman archaeological whirlwind. She's more comfortable around gravestones than people. She's wound pretty tight and lives her life by a strict set of rules (given to her by her father.) Why? Because Amelia can also see ghosts. And if those ghosts see her, she's in big trouble. And then a (fresh) dead body is found in one of the graveyards she's working in...
I think this book did a great job of introducing Amelia and the "love interest." More on him later. Amelia is smart, resourceful, slightly obsessive, and more than a little repressed. She says she's "quietly pretty" in a don't-look-at-me way. She's the sort of quirky heroine that you want to spend time with, slowly getting to know (which bodes well for the future of the series). The book needs to convince us that this woman has seen ghosts her whole life, and I think the writer does a good job with Amelia's personality.
The object of Amelia's affections is John Devlin: cop, widower, smoldering hottie with a tragic past. Devlin didn't float my boat, but I can see why Amelia becomes obsessed with him. Some women like a fixer-upper. Personally, the whole "haunted by the ghosts of my ex-wife and child" thing would send me running in the other direction, but some girls like a challenge.
The book also did a great job of describing the setting. I've lived in the South, but only visited Charleston a few times. It's a beautiful city with an old-world charm. This book conjures the smells, sights and sounds of the city. It makes me want to move there (even with all the ghosts, killers and back-stabbing Steel Magnolias).
BTW, did I mention this is a murder mystery? It is. It's a good story and I won't give any of it away. I will say that the answer is in front of you the whole time. It doesn't come out of nowhere the way some do. I missed some clues, but then, so did Amelia. She's not perfect, but she is someone you'll root for.
I'll be reading the sequel to see what Amelia does next.
I think this book did a great job of introducing Amelia and the "love interest." More on him later. Amelia is smart, resourceful, slightly obsessive, and more than a little repressed. She says she's "quietly pretty" in a don't-look-at-me way. She's the sort of quirky heroine that you want to spend time with, slowly getting to know (which bodes well for the future of the series). The book needs to convince us that this woman has seen ghosts her whole life, and I think the writer does a good job with Amelia's personality.
The object of Amelia's affections is John Devlin: cop, widower, smoldering hottie with a tragic past. Devlin didn't float my boat, but I can see why Amelia becomes obsessed with him. Some women like a fixer-upper. Personally, the whole "haunted by the ghosts of my ex-wife and child" thing would send me running in the other direction, but some girls like a challenge.
The book also did a great job of describing the setting. I've lived in the South, but only visited Charleston a few times. It's a beautiful city with an old-world charm. This book conjures the smells, sights and sounds of the city. It makes me want to move there (even with all the ghosts, killers and back-stabbing Steel Magnolias).
BTW, did I mention this is a murder mystery? It is. It's a good story and I won't give any of it away. I will say that the answer is in front of you the whole time. It doesn't come out of nowhere the way some do. I missed some clues, but then, so did Amelia. She's not perfect, but she is someone you'll root for.
I'll be reading the sequel to see what Amelia does next.
brisamar's review against another edition
3.0
La autora alarga demasiado el libro y lo más emocionante ocurre en los capítulos finales.
luciearan's review against another edition
4.0
Pro mě je tohle rereading po několika letech a přiznávám, že jsem se ho tak trochu bála. Mám slabost pro duchařiny jako takové a tahle série se pro ně stala docela srdeční záležitostí.
Nakonec jsem se ale bála zbytečně. I po opakovaném přečtení se mi tento díl líbí, i přes to, že některé z dalších dílů série jsou lepší, tedy alespoň co si pamatuju. V každém případě i na jejich znovupřečtení se chystám před tím, než se pustím do dílu posledního.
Nakonec jsem se ale bála zbytečně. I po opakovaném přečtení se mi tento díl líbí, i přes to, že některé z dalších dílů série jsou lepší, tedy alespoň co si pamatuju. V každém případě i na jejich znovupřečtení se chystám před tím, než se pustím do dílu posledního.
nerdyholler's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was recommended to me by a family member and it sounded like it was going to tick a lot of boxes for the kind of easy relaxing books I like. Sadly I didn't click with this one.
I enjoyed the twist on the paranormal aspect of the series where communicating with spirits isn't really a good thing and I thought her job as a graveyard restorer was fascination. In fact, I would have liked more information about that. I also enjoyed the mystery even it was too dark to be cozy but it also wasn't dark enough to be thriller/horror.
Where things fell apart for me were the FMCs personality and the the chemistry with the MMC. First person isn't my favorite POV to read and there seems to be a certain kind of female character that goes along with it that I don't gel with. I really don't need to know about every outfit she wears, how tall dark and handsome she thinks the MMC is or how he's so bad for her every single time she sees him again. The rest the series seems even more focused on their relationship and less on the other aspects so I'm giving up here which is disappointing because I was really absorbed in the mystery focused sections.
I enjoyed the twist on the paranormal aspect of the series where communicating with spirits isn't really a good thing and I thought her job as a graveyard restorer was fascination. In fact, I would have liked more information about that. I also enjoyed the mystery even it was too dark to be cozy but it also wasn't dark enough to be thriller/horror.
Where things fell apart for me were the FMCs personality and the the chemistry with the MMC. First person isn't my favorite POV to read and there seems to be a certain kind of female character that goes along with it that I don't gel with. I really don't need to know about every outfit she wears, how tall dark and handsome she thinks the MMC is or how he's so bad for her every single time she sees him again. The rest the series seems even more focused on their relationship and less on the other aspects so I'm giving up here which is disappointing because I was really absorbed in the mystery focused sections.
birdloveranne's review against another edition
5.0
Not usually my kind of book....it was a paranormal mystery. Very good, though. 4.5 stars.
kimlynn77's review against another edition
The most boring ghost story/mystry. I could not bring myself to finish it.
sunshine_in_sc's review against another edition
4.0
I love ghost stories, and this book does not disappoint!
morallygreymuse's review against another edition
4.0
A paranormal romance novel where the romance isn't the main story. Thank goodness!
Mystery, Suspense, and Creepy graveyards. I really enjoyed this book. I went looking for a book I could fall into and The Restorer not only did just that but sucked me in and kept me wanting more. I eagerly await the next book in The Graveyard Queen Series.
Mystery, Suspense, and Creepy graveyards. I really enjoyed this book. I went looking for a book I could fall into and The Restorer not only did just that but sucked me in and kept me wanting more. I eagerly await the next book in The Graveyard Queen Series.
bookish_caprice's review against another edition
5.0
Thrilling
I love this series. The story involves paranormal activity - ghosts in particular, and the atmosphere of the book is gothic, thrilling and mysterious. The romance is on the background and even though the MC thinks about it sometimes, it's still a slow burn throughout the series.
I love this series. The story involves paranormal activity - ghosts in particular, and the atmosphere of the book is gothic, thrilling and mysterious. The romance is on the background and even though the MC thinks about it sometimes, it's still a slow burn throughout the series.