Book Review: The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

Never acknowledge the dead.

Never stray from hallowed ground.

Never get too close to the tainted.

Never, ever tempt fate.

My father's rules.

I've never broken them until now.

My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe. It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer- and to his other victims- lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warm him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.

Wow! I am very excited about this book, even more so because it is the first in a series. The Graveyard Queen series by Amanda Stevens follows Amelia Gray who is a graveyard restorer. More importantly, Amelia can see ghosts, as can her father who has given her a list of rules to follow so that she is not in any danger from these spirits who are stuck between two worlds.
Amelia has been following these rules but when the body of a young woman is discovered in the cemetery she is working on, Amelia's dedication to her father's advice is severely tested. Detective John Devlin is the main culprit, he is leading the investigation and enlists Amelia as a consultant due to her expertise. The problem is that John Devlin is haunted, he has the spirits of a woman and young child with him. Amelia knows that she should keep away from anybody that is haunted but she just can't help herself where Devlin is concerned. As more bodies are found, Amelia becomes more and more involved and the ghosts seem to be getting closer to her everyday. She begins to realise that by ignoring the rules she may have opened a door that she will be unable to close.
I believe that this book is aimed at young adult readers but I think it is similar to Twilight in that it will easily cross over and appeal to the adult market.
Amanda Steven's writing is great, she certainly knows how to send chills up the reader's spine. The Restorer has a little bit of everything, you have a murder mystery, the paranormal element and then of course the romance between Amelia and Devlin. The incredible tension between those two was my favourite part of the book. The author keeps on building it up and I was willing for something to happen but I was torn as I knew that Amelia knows that she should steer clear of the haunted detective.
I really am so excited about this series and cannot wait to read the next one that is out in November. Amanda Stevens tied up all of the loose ends for this particular mystery but she also left many questions unanswered. I know that I will read the other books in the series in order to get some answers and I'm sure another great story.