Name: The Twisted Dead
ISBN: 9781728239231

Darcy Coates

Keira is ready for her life to return to normal. Though, to be fair, normal is a tall ask when your ability to see ghosts has landed you the job of groundskeeper in a small-town cemetery. Still, she has her new friends and is finally beginning to feel like she belongs. But then Keira receives an invitation to dinner at Dane Crispin's crumbling ancestral estate.

The mansion is steeped in history that is equal parts complicated and bloody—and at its center is the man who once tried to kill her, now begging for her help. Dane believes his home is haunted—and that the unquiet dead clawing through the ancient house are after him. Unnerved but intrigued, Keira opens her second sight and discovers he's right: resentful spectres cling to him, draining his energy... and if she can't find a way to stop them, threaten to overwhelm everything in their path.

There's something dark happening in the world beyond most peoples' vision, and if Keira isn't able to sever the ties between the living and the dead, it may be more than the chained spirits who become twisted beyond saving.

Gravekeeper, #3

The Twisted Dead

Gosh, I know I want to write a review for this, but this far in, I can't say much because I don't want to spoil anything. This is seeing both a mix of what is happening in the town and the underlying plot that is going to be seen in the whole series. I think it is doing a fantastic job of wanting both of those in the books. I think I may be addicted to this series, and I think I'll need everyone to read it.

Priscilla Stanfield

4.25⭐️

Gosh, I know I want to write a review for this, but this far in, I can't say much because I don't want to spoil anything. This is seeing both a mix of what is happening in the town and the underlying plot that is going to be seen in the whole series. I think it is doing a fantastic job of wanting both of those in the books. I think I may be addicted to this series, and I think I'll need everyone to read it.

A middling installment in this series that was spread a little thin

 is the third book in the Gravekeeper series about a woman who wakes up in the woods with amnesia and the ability to see ghosts. With a secret, dangerous organization hunting her, Keira takes refuge in a small, remote town and collects a band of misfit sidekicks.

“A neglected grave struck her as an achingly sad sight; it was like saying the person inside the grave had been forgotten too. Many of the markers were so old that any close relatives were long gone. But as long as Keira was there, they didn’t have to remain forgotten.”

As I mentioned in my reviews for the previous books, this is billed as horror, but it is basically a cozy mystery. It just doesn’t have that creepy atmosphere even with the ghosts and danger.

The plot in this one felt underdeveloped and scattered. The story started one plot then ignored it to go off on a completely different tangent.

While I like Keira, there isn’t much character development for her and pretty much none for the side characters. Zoe’s character is a bit too much. She was that perky & quirky side kick stereotype that is so predictable in the attempt to be unique. Then there was goody-two-shoes Mason whose wholesomeness felt increasingly bland. The revelation of his secret was anticlimactic.

One more small gripe: by this third book, I am so burnt out on reading the phrase "she pulled on the muscle behind her eyes" every single time Keira used her powers to view ghosts. It has gotten so repetitive since it is almost verbatim every single time it is described.

Despite these critiques, the series is still enjoyable enough. So far, each book has had a serviceable murder mystery as well as the overarching plot about Keira’s past. This is the sort of series that is a good in-between read. I do have some complaints about it, and it is far from stellar. But it is entertaining enough.

Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars

Colleen

A middling installment in this series that was spread a little thin


The Twisted Dead is the third book in the Gravekeeper series about a woman who wakes up in the woods with amnesia and the ability to see ghosts. With a secret, dangerous organization hunting her, Keira takes refuge in a small, remote town and collects a band of misfit sidekicks.

“A neglected grave struck her as an achingly sad sight; it was like saying the person inside the grave had been forgotten too. Many of the markers were so old that any close relatives were long gone. But as long as Keira was there, they didn’t have to remain forgotten.”


As I mentioned in my reviews for the previous books, this is billed as horror, but it is basically a cozy mystery. It just doesn’t have that creepy atmosphere even with the ghosts and danger.

The plot in this one felt underdeveloped and scattered. The story started one plot then ignored it to go off on a completely different tangent.

While I like Keira, there isn’t much character development for her and pretty much none for the side characters. Zoe’s character is a bit too much. She was that perky & quirky side kick stereotype that is so predictable in the attempt to be unique. Then there was goody-two-shoes Mason whose wholesomeness felt increasingly bland. The revelation of his secret was anticlimactic.

One more small gripe: by this third book, I am so burnt out on reading the phrase "she pulled on the muscle behind her eyes" every single time Keira used her powers to view ghosts. It has gotten so repetitive since it is almost verbatim every single time it is described.

Despite these critiques, the series is still enjoyable enough. So far, each book has had a serviceable murder mystery as well as the overarching plot about Keira’s past. This is the sort of series that is a good in-between read. I do have some complaints about it, and it is far from stellar. But it is entertaining enough.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 2 Stars

Jasmine

Keira is back and ready to eff up some ghosts! The Twisted Dead is the third book in the Gatekeeper series and probably my favorite so far. You need ghosts? Got that. 
Need the slowest burning romance in all of space and time? Definitely there. 
The best part? The inability to put this book anywhere close to down. All three Gravekeeper books have been the same in that you can’t stop reading. Granted, the beginning parts in the first novel I wasn’t sure about, but that was a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. 

The thing I love most about reading a Darcy Coates book is that they are typically more cozy mystery/horror. Sometimes you need a break from all the heavy everywhere, and Coates provides this through her writing. The book forgoes a lot of the romance, too. I kind of find it refreshing that a main female character isn’t just a love interest, but more her own entity. 

It’s four stars from me. I’ll be waiting (semi) patiently to catch up with Keira, Zoe, and Mason on their wacky ghost quest. 

The Twisted Dead is releasing on February 7th, 2023. Huge thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, Edelweiss+, and Darcy Coates for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Twisted Dead Gravekeeper, #3

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