The final book in The Queen of the Dead trilogy brings Emma and her friends to the queen's city in an attempt to free the enslaved spirits and put an end to the Queen of the Dead's reign.  I found this book hard to get into - in the real world it's been 3 years since book 2 and 5 years since book 1 - so the plot isn't as fresh in my mind as it could be and there isn't really any recap in Grave.  There are many different perspectives presented and not enough context to figure it out.  If the reader was reading these successively, I don't think the disconnect would exist.  I do remember really enjoying the first book (Silence) and would encourage readers to start there.

I just absolutely loved reading this trilogy! I've loved her Chronicles of Elantra series, and yeah, reading this YA series was just fantastic! I enjoyed it so, so much, and it just makes me want more of her books!

The covers were really fantastic! They're eerie, and they represent these books so well! Like, Petal on the first book, Nathan on the second, and Emma in the circle in the 3rd and final! They were really fitting for each book! Love them!

I loved how much depth there was in these books! Like, I thought that there was something strange what with Eric's bad driving. And there's the world building, of Necromancers and ghosts, and the lantern! And Emma's relationship with her friends and with Nathan and her dad! And the complicated past that led to this present! So fascinating and complex and amazing!

There was an over 3 year gap between Touch and Grave. Which is a statement of facts, not a condemnation. Between the acknowledgments and having been watching her website blog posts, I know that Grave was a beast! The wait that I didn't have to have is totally worth it!

I just loved reading these books! They were just stunning!

Michelle Sagara completes her Queen of the Dead YA trilogy with Grave.  Emma has to defeat Reynah, the Queen of the Dead, and release the dead from her thrall, including Nathan her dead beloved.  Emma has al the powers over the dead of  a necromancer, but chooses to use her powers for good.  Enthralling paranormal story set in Toronto.  Michelle Sagara always delivers a quality tale with excellent rounded characters.

Grave is the third and final installment in author Michelle Sagara's The Queen of the Dead trilogy. 17-year old Emma Hall found out that she has a unique ability. She's a necromancer with the ability to see, guide, and when she touches them, other people are able to see the dead as well. She's also a conduit. Emma hasn't exactly had a smooth ride since her boyfriend Nathan was struck and killed. Being a necromancer has come with consequences. 

There have been hunters like Chase, and Eric who were supposed to kill her, but chose to protect her instead since she didn't go evil on them. Chase, most especially, has many reasons for hating Necromancers and wanting them dead. The Queen sent men to kidnap her, and in the process, put an innocent boys life in jeopardy. Emma will never be free to have a normal life as long as the Queen is alive & reigns over the dead, preventing them from moving on. 

This story takes Emma and her allies straight into the heart of the most dangerous woman in existence and a floating city in the sky that is only accessible via portals. What they find there will either save them all, or make them permanent residents of the city of the dead. Emma picks up even more interesting allies, not including Helmi, and her mother who gave Emma a powerful lantern instead of her own daughter. The search for answers to bring down the Queen, takes Emma face to face with the one person she loved the most while he was alive. 

Speaking of Nathan, Grave opens up with Nathan and Reyna, the Queen of the Dead, giving him something that gives him pause. Nathan finds himself on a Floating city made from the dead. What exactly does Reyna want from Nathan, and what does the Queen's sister Helmi really want? Nathan is a confused character. He remembers dying. He remembers Emma. He hasn't a clue why Reyna has chosen to give him such a precious gift. Plus, Reyna's sister Helmi seems to have hitched her saddle to Nathan for some yet unknown reason.

Thankfully for readers, and Emma's allies, she is still a rather amateurish necromancer with plenty of power to spare. But, the little knowledge she does have, will be tested to its limits over the course of this story. She's definitely not as obsessed with power as Reyna. She doesn't use cruelty as a weapon like Reyna. And, she doesn't leave her friends behind, even though she probably should have a long time ago. Emma has been surrounded by her best friend Allison, Emma's half deaf dog Petal, as well as Michael who I adore because he's really special, Amy, the Queen B of their High School, as well as the previously named Chase, and Eric who will never forget himself for falling in love with Reyna. 

Let's also not forget about Margaret who tried to teach Emma about her abilities, and bonded herself to Emma by choice, not by Emma's hand. I do have some general issues with not only this story, but with the series itself. Silence released in 2012, followed 2 years later by Touch. That is a rather long time between books. So many new series have come and gone, especially for those who read more than 100 books a years. It is always a good thing to remind readers of where things are and how the characters reached this point in the series.

Yes, I do know that Emma and friends went on the run after a devastating turn of events in Touch. Yes, there is the POV from Reyna which gives you an idea about how this powerfully trained woman turned to the dark side after things go horizontally on her. Yes, there is a flashback which shows what led Chase down his path. Readers really have to make a decision on whether you can or can't forgive Reyna for her actions, her obsession with Eric, and her desire to keep the dead from crossing over.

In the end, I'm kind of sad at the ending, and yes I did get a bit misty eyed. After what Emma has been put through, & the actions she took to keep everyone safe, she should have had a happy ending. Perhaps this is for the best. After all, Emma is still learning. She figuring out her powers, and perhaps one day in the future, she will have her own happy ending.

Grave was just Wow.  This book was so good . In this book we see Emma and her friends take on the  Queen. We  get to see so many different  perspectives in this book  and I felt that it was  so very necessary  to do this  because it  always wonderful in  to see where all the character are coming from and why they do what they do . Michelle Sagara  world building was excellent . Between the magic, the  danger , the drama , the love stories  Michelle Sagara creates an excellent book and conclusion to the  Queen of the Dead Trilogy .I  felt  ever character got an ending that was absolutely  perfect for them and I cannot wait to see what Michelle Sagara writes next. If you look for a Unique Paranormal story you should definitely pick up a copy of Grave.

In the third installment of this series, Emma and company survived those who were sent to kill them and now are trying to survive the dead and their Queen.  Emma wants to free Nathan from his torment of living a half life, both dead and alive.  But she cannot accomplish this without coming face to face with the Queen herself.  But she cannot do this alone, which she is not.  Even with the hunters and her own army of dead, will she have enough power to defeat the dead Queen.




I had the honor of reading this book from the publish through Netgalley.  As I stated before this is a great way to find new books and help publishers and authors get some honest opinions.  

I had wanted to like this book so much, but it feel short for me.  I think part of the issue is that I had not read the previous books prior to trying to read this one. So I was a little lost on what was happening.  Sometimes you can jump into the middle of a series and still understand, but other times you need to read the series from the beginning and this is one of those series. That being said I will focus on writing because I had more questions regarding the story than I should have due to my own silliness of not reading the other books beforehand.

The way the story is broken up is through character perspective rather than chapters, that made it a little more difficult to follow along and understand what is happening to which character at what time.  It did not feel very fluid for me but that could also be because I didn't read the prior novels.  The book is classified as young adult and it definitely reads that way.  It didn't feel like there was much depth to the characters, but I get the feel that this is a story where the characters grew from the beginning so the characters I got where the deepest they could get for the story, like they hit their mark if that makes sense.

I do recommend the series and I will go back and read the series from the beginning.  Once I do that I will add to this review.  For now my rating is a 3 out 5 stars, and I imagine when I read the whole series that rating will increase.

OH,WOW! This was the Second book in the series!
I didn't realize this until i started reading,, i quick;y stopped and read the first one, when i was done with that i read this, and i am pleased to say this was a great new to me series, and am happy to say i am excited to see where this author will take us.

The is the conclusion to Michelle Sagara Queen of the Dead trilogy and she has done an amazing job in creating characters that her readers will relate to, connect with, and continue to think about long after the story is done.