Ranking My Favorite Spooky Series of All Time: The Gravekeeper Series by Darcy Coates

Hello, Book Nerds! Welcome back to Reading Has Ruined My Life or welcome if you are new. As always, my name is Hannah and I am your captain on this journey into my bookcases.

It has been quite some time since I last posted a literary ranking. Yes, I have a very strong urge to do that today. Part of me wants to rank all of Edgar Alan Poe’s short stories. But his literary canon is quite large so if I did rank it I do believe I would go mad. Perhaps one day I shall, but today is not that day.

Instead, as I was perusing my vast library, my eyes landed on Darcy Coates’s Gravekeeper series. I adore this series, it is one of my favorites, it is my form of a cozy mystery, and I do wish Darcy Coates would continue it. So that’s what I will be ranking today.

Full disclosure, I wrote this during Spooky Season and I know it just ended but I already miss it.

Before I get to my ranking, I have but a few notes. This is my personal opinion, this is all very subjective. My thoughts will likely differ from yours. Don’t get offended when my favorites aren’t the same as yours and I end up ranking them at the bottom. But please drop your ranking in the comment section below. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this series. Also, a spoiler alert is in order. While I try to keep spoilers to a minimum in my ranking posts, I can’t help myself and I do spoil quite a bit, especially with the final book in the series, in today’s ranking. With that, let’s get ranking.

5. Kicking off this list is the third entry to the series: The Twisted Dead. Hey, want to know what I cared about and wanted the story to focus on? Dane Crispin’s parasitic ghosts and Kiera clearing them out of the crumbling manor home. Want to know what I didn’t care about? Pleasant Grove Cemetery. The balance between the plots was off in this one. And I know, I know, Pleasant Grove Cemetery, and more specifically Artec, is what this series is all about; it’s the main story and I care more about it in other entries, but I really didn’t care about it in this one. I wanted more focus on the Crispin house as promised in the synopsis. I really do not know what it is about book three in a five book series, but book three will always be my least favorite. It really doesn’t matter what the series is, book three is never for me. 

4. In the fourth spot is The Ravenous Dead. I quite like this book, but I was very confused by the last reveal/twist the first time I read it. It’s not even that hard of a twist to follow, something in my brain simply did not click over the identity of the ghosts Kiera was helping. So for that reason alone The Ravenous Dead gets to take the fourth spot. In actuality this is a very good read. It holds up in comparison to the first entry. It continues the cozy vibes I felt from book one, and those vibes slowly become darker over the course of the story; and the series at large for that matter. Darcy Coates masterfully sets up important plot points and information in The Ravenous Dead that the readers will constantly be coming back to over the course of the series. This is a great entry, but yet there are better. 

3. Next up is the book that started it all: The Whispering Dead. The Whispering Dead is a fantastic read! It perfectly sets the stage for what’s to come in the series. Each member of the main trio has an outstanding introduction. The mystery is intriguing, and it's honestly heart wrenching at the end. Not to mention, the setting is super vivid and gives me some intense cozy vibes. Everything about The Whispering Dead is practically perfect in my eyes. But there are still better titles.

2. In our penultimate spot is The Hollow Dead. I love everything that happens in the amusement park sequence. There’s action, the stakes are high, sooooo much is revealed about Artec and Kiera’s past, and Harry joining the main trio adds so much humor to the story. Not gonna lie, Harry is one of my favorite characters in the series. He is my favorite character after Zoe. I love the deadpan, dark humor he brings in. Yeah, book four is a great entry to the series and it perfectly sets up the story’s conclusion.

1. Finally, in the number one spot, is The Vengeful Dead. Somehow splitting this book’s time between taking down Artec and revealing a serial killer isn’t a bad idea. I would not recommend including a whole new side quest for the main character in the last entry of a series, yet Darcy Coates made it work in The Vengeful Dead. While I was anxiously waiting for Kiera and friends to take down their archenemy, I also really needed to see Kiera help the spirits of murder victims and for said spirits to get their revenge. The time spent between both plotlines is equal in nature and both stories are wholly engrossing. 10-out-of-10. Plus, I like the idea that Darcy Coates could possibly start a new series with Kiera and friends as the end of the book sees Kiera starting a business to help ghosts move on. I really would like to see that series, Darcy Coates. Please and thank you!

Thus endeth our list! Let me know if you agree with my ranking of Darcy Coates’s Gravekeeper series in the comments below. Also let me know what your favorite entry to the series is.

And with that, I shall bid you all adieu. Thank you very much for joining me today, Book Nerds. I will see you all again next week with a brand new review. If you can’t wait that long then I highly suggest giving Reading Has Ruined My Life a follow over on Instagram (@ReadingHasRuinedMyLife). I post there almost daily so come back often to revel in literary goodness. You can also follow the blog on Twitter and BlueSky (@RHRMLBlog). If you want something not related to book then I do suggest you check out my podcast Nothing to See Hear. The show stars me and two of my dearest friends as we talk everything under the sun. If you’re a fan of Scooby-Doo, you’re in luck cause we’ve been reviewing every Scooby-Doo TV show and film ever made. You’ve got a boatload of episodes to catch up on. You can listen to the show on Spotify and YouTube.

Until next time, stay safe, wash your hands, and read some good books for me.

See y'all then, bye!