The Awakening (The Graveyard Queen, #6)

by Amanda Stevens

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

Besides The Restorer, The Awakening may have been my favorite installment in this series. The installments that are set in Charleston are always the best. Stevens’ atmospheric writing lends itself so easily to world building that Charleston feels like home for the series.

A lot of things culminated in The Awakening and a lot of loose ends were finally tied up. By the end of the book 5, I was fully invested in the Amelia+Devlin pairing. Although, I still haven’t warmed to Devlin individually, I’m beginning to ship them as a couple. The disconnect I feel with Devlin stems from his refusal to believe in the supernatural, even though it’s clearly all around him. I thought for sure that he would come around by the series’ end, but I was disappointed. It seems that there is still some character growth needed there, which is one of a few things that makes me believe (and hope!) that a spinoff series is in our future.

But the major thing that leads me to believe we haven’t seen the last of The Graveyard Queen is the glaring cliffhanger ending Stevens left us with. It would have been excellent fodder for an epilogue, otherwise. Let’s just say that my “spinoff Spidey senses” are tingling!

Khristine Hvam has got to be one of my most frequently heard narrators. I’ve heard her narration so much that I’ve just about run out of ways to praise her. Hvam does way more right than she’s ever done wrong in the recording booth. And she did 9 out of 10 things right with this series.

The one thing I just couldn’t “cotton” to was her Southern accent. She gave an admirable effort, though. But even though artificial sweetener may be sweet, it’s just not the real thing! And before you think that I (as a native North Carolinian) judging too harshly, let me say that there are southern accents done by narrators that I have approved. Hvam’s definitely wasn’t the worst, but it wasn’t the best of either. There were some minor pronunciation issues and inconsistencies that briefly bothered me (i.e. Goodwine was pronounced inconsistently throughout the series). Because of these issues, this series wasn’t my favorite of Hvam’s work and I’m not sure that it adequately showcases her talent as other titles do, but she still did it justice.

Accent aside, Hvam added so much to the telling of this tale. She truly is a talented and intuitive narrator. Until hearing this series, I think I had underestimated the impact of a narrator’s tone, pacing, and inflection. These are the things I only ever think of when they take away from the story, but Hvam’s interpretation added to the atmospheric presence of the series, making it a truly immersive experience. She was an excellent match for Stevens’ writing.