| Title | : | Grave Ransom (Alex Craft, #5) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 384 |
| Publication | : | First published July 4, 2017 |
Alex’s investigation leads her deep into a web of sinister magic. When Briar Darque of the Magical Crimes Investigation Bureau gets involved, Alex finds herself with an unexpected ally of sorts. But as the dead continue to rise and wreak havoc on the living, can Alex get to the soul of the matter in time?
Grave Ransom (Alex Craft, #5) Reviews
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Oddly this felt like a standalone. All the usual characters were there, but all of their roles were fairly insignificant except for Alex. Alex worked on an interesting case with Briar the bitch. Man I hated her! The case was the focal point of the entire book. Only one remotely significant thing happened in relation to the overarching plot. It was weird. All of the drama with faerie and the soul collectors was largely forgotten. It was mentioned but didn't go anywhere. I liked the book but was expecting to get more out of it.
The love triangle drama pissed me off. Actually there was next to no drama. That was part of the problem. Things are clearly going badly with Alex and Death. Why is Alex so blase about it? He's supposed to be her oldest friend, one of her best confidants. They've put their lives on the line for each other several times. I know Alex is afraid of commitment, but this is ridiculous. Couldn't there at least be a valid reason for their ambivalence towards each other? Death is probably doing it as a reaction to Alex's behavior. Alex hates it that Death can't tell her certain things although she knows he has rules he must follow. The situation with Falin is no different. He's beholden to the fae queen. Both of the men in her life are someone else's puppet. Why doesn't she just pick one instead of picking one then doing nothing but focusing on petty bullshit? The whole situation is frustrating. It was handled poorly in this installment. The romance was barely there, which was fine, but when it was, I felt nothing but detached.
I wanted more from this. The world is fascinating, but there wasn't any growth or progress. Honestly I'm not looking forward to the next one. I will read it, but I'm not excited at all. -
There are very few series that focus heavily on the fae that hold my interest and yet, The Alex Craft series has from the very beginning and with each new installment, I still can't seem to get enough of it. I think the blend of witch craft, a different kind of supernatural world, and of course the fae, all somehow make such an interesting read that I can't help but be sucked in by it. And while this series isn't unique in design, it does have some very unique elements and therefore, holds its own in the urban fantasy genre.
With a rag tag bunch of friends and people who aren't quite friends and not quite enemies, this series really is a fun one. With old faces (yay Briar!), new adventures, and a little bit of heartbreak along the way, this was a solid addition to the series and while I still wish somethings about Alex, would finally be mentioned and cleared up, it was nice to see Alex develop her powers and use them in new unexpected ways.
With an ending that was less than happily ever after, it will be interesting to see where the author takes Alex, her love interests, and her friends next. This continues to be a series that I can count on for a fun time and will always give me a bit of the unexpected and unanticipated.
*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.* -
I really enjoyed Price’s storytelling and I love the characters, the gang is all here but I don’t see much deeper developments with anyone in particular…especially after that ending.
New twists and an unexpected turn or two, that are sure to leave a few scars. Price writes vivid and colorful characters, thought provoking plots and adds an imaginative flare that keeps me coming back for more.
I received this ARC copy of Grave Ransom from Berkley Publishing Group - Ace. This is my honest and voluntary review. Grave Ransom is set for publication July 4, 2017.
My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Kalayna Price
Series: An Alex Craft Novel
Sequence in Series: Book 5
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: July 4, 2017
ISBN-10: 0451416589
ISBN-13: 978-0451416582
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Itunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/grav...
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Grave-Ransom-A...
Barnes & Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grav...
Reviewed for:
http://tometender.blogspot.com
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*2.5/5 stars*
This was an okay book. I was interested in the plot and investigation as in every book here. Alex Craft series is always so consistent. Which is both a plus - in the way that if you enjoyed book one you'll enjoy the rest of the series as well, but it's also a bad thing - in a way that there's very little to no actual character development with both the MC and the love interests. The love triangle is ever stratched - shouldn't the romance thing be resolved by now or at least made clear who Alex prefers instead of this jumping around? - and everything kind of lacks depth by now for me.
The fact that my prefered ship sank was the last dig to the grave and I'm salty about it now. -
It was alright, although nothing much happened apart from the standard investigation of the week plot.
Alex spent most of her time being everyone's doormat/punch bag. She couldn't go an hour without someone blaming her for something and she couldn't go a minute before doing the whole self-blame, martyr, always feeling guilty, constantly apologetic, looking for approval from people who think the worst of her, doormat routine. I'd honestly rather Alex was unapologetic and self serving.
Didn't like how Death/Alex's relationship was handled, it seemed like the author just wanted to write him out and make him a bit part character. There was no development or drama between them, it was all very meh.
Still couldn't stand Falin, Alex was an idiot for being all pally pally for him when he was still the winter queen's main bitch and wasn't ultimately loyal to Alex. -
This one was more of a filler kind of book. But oh, how I missed this chick!
Still worth reading, amazing writing and a really great plot (I love me a good mystery!).
Lucky me, I have the next book to read as well, so off I go! -
I enjoyed this book least of all in the series. It doesn’t feel like it’s part of the series and Alex is way stupid in it.
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I always enjoy a book about Alex and the world she lives in but admit it's often hard waiting a year in between each instalment . So I cracked this baby open with glee ready to find out what new cases Tongues for the Dead would be tackling. Right from the offset Alex is dragged into an unusual situation with a soul inside a dead body that clearly doesn't belong to it! As if that wasn't spooky enough soon other animated corpses show up hell bent on theft and pretty soon Alex crosses paths with the reapers whose job it is to claim those souls. You just know it's all going to go pear shaped but still Alex has to make a stand even if that means she's on the wrong side of 'Death' her lover!
I love this series and yet this time it lacked a little something for me. The action and mystery was fabulous because crazy necromancers always have a lot up their sleeves and this time it's both heinous and more than a little poignant. My problem is I wanted more of 'Death' , Alex's protector and boyfriend. He has sacrificed so much for her previously that I'd really hoped they would actually get a happy ending but as this book ends I'm definitely not a happy reader.
Still I do enjoy the crazy family that Alex has created and this time the gangs all here! Plus Alex is learning more about her own heritage and powers which are truly tested here . The fact that her ex lover Falin is constantly around acting as a spy for his Queen just adds to the tension and the word frenemy has never been more appropriate as Alex treads a wary path between freedom and the Fae court. Plus in this book we get a lot more of total bad ass Briar and trust me that's one scary lady. Lots of twists to keep me turning the pages but that end whilst not totally unexpected leaves me wondering just what will happen next?
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are my honest and I believe fair opinion -
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Very nice entry to the series. Price is (so far) staying true to the tone of the previous books. The case this time...well, there's several things going on; but it starts when a young woman hires Alex to find her missing boyfriend. When Alex does find him, it's just in time to see him killed...and a female ghost pops out of his body.
Alex spends most of the book working with the magical crimes agent Briar Darque. There are lots of twists and turns as they try to get to the bottom of the mystery. There are also a lot of weird happenings that left me wondering, even as I knew it would lead back to the original case eventually. It just seemed to take an inordinately long time pulling the threads together. Still, it was all good and I enjoyed the read. It's definitely an inventive tale with very good wordbuilding.
It's taken me until this book to realize what is different about this series from other series of this type. There is really not much in the way of an overarching plotline to the series; there is just a new case to be solved each book. Sure, the gang is all there; and the vagueness of the love triangle, but these things are never deeply explored. It's just the case at hand. Not that this is a bad thing, mind you; it's just an observation. There is an event at the end that portends a change in the next book; but it's something that felt a bit tacked on to keep the reader interest. -
Let me start by saying love triangles suck. Even ones that start out intriguing at first. Even ones where you aren’t immediately sure who you’re rooting for.
You know why? Somebody’s got to lose. And there is a 50% chance that the HEA you’re rooting for is going to crumble at your feet.
All that in mind, I hated the ending of this book. It made me mad and it mad me sad and I hate-tweeted about it seconds after I was done. I’m going to try not to let all of that shadow the rest of my review, but I had to give you total disclosure. It’s a day later and I’m still unhappy.
Backing up. I have been a fan of the Alex Craft books since I read book one. Kalayna Price has created a cool premise that mishmashes a bunch of UF elements and made something that stands up well on its own. Alex Craft is a grave witch. She can raise the shades of the dead and learn their secrets. Over the course of previous books, we’ve learned she is also fae (news to her!) and a “planeweaver,” able to see and manipulate other dimensions. All of these elements come together here, and while you might be able to enjoy it as a new reader, why would you want to? The early installments are awesome. Start with Grave Witch.
Basically, Alex is a private investigator of sorts, hired to ferret out information from the deceased. Here, she is hired by a teenage girl to find her missing boyfriend and determine whether he’s dead or alive. What should have been a simple case turns out to be anything but when it reveals someone is abducting people, killing them, and putting other souls in the bodies in order to do his dirty work. It’s dark and there’s a lot of death and decay action happening, but it’s really awesome. I loved the mystery. I also loved how Price tied all the threads together that I didn’t even realize were hanging. It was action packed and kept me engaged from beginning to… (well, you know how I felt about the end.)
I like Alex a lot. I know I’ve said this before, but it –A– bears repeating and –B– is still true. A lot of UF heroines “evolve” so much over the course of a series, they are almost unrecognizable as the characters they were at the beginning. Not so here. Alex may know more about herself, and she can do more stuff, but she is still the same woman. The books still have the same vibe. I really appreciate that.
Both Death and Falin are around in small roles. Neither romantic plot takes up a lot of page time, but it is going somewhere. I’ll leave it at that.
Angry and grumbly as I am, I begrudgingly admit this was a good book and it’s a great series. I still recommend it. But no matter which pairing you ship, be prepared to be frustrated along the way.
Rating: B/B+
*ARC provided by publisher -
Kinda disappointed with the author, I imagined that from the last book this one would have more of a flow in character development or at least the story in itself. But really this just seemed like the author was like, welp I need to keep my readers interested so let's just throw this bland book in and add just enough interest to keep them hooked till the end. Don't get me wrong though I love the story and the characters and was it entertaining, well sure. But it was just like the whole book and characters where stuck in limbo, no actual growth was seen except a small trickle. (You'll have to read the book and see for yourself) just kinda tired I guess of the whole everyone walking all over her, and pretty much fucking with Alex's life. It's like she's in a rollercoaster and someone else has the controls , she's just along for the ride.
Also the whole love triangle thing, getting tired of it too since there's no new information of who death is, what his end goals are, and Falin is the same story. At least Falin is marginally more involved and takes care of her but does he do it for her or because he's the queens bloody hand? I think the only thing that I was really like holy shit that's cool was the castle, wish I had my own faery castle! Also does anyone else think that Briar is an annoying bitch, god I wanted to put my fist in her face a couple times.
I think literally my thoughts after I finished reading the book where, wow this book was sad, and not like oh wow it's heart wrenching sad it made me feels all sorts of emotions. No it was the bad kind of sad that made me feel like I don't really want to read the next book. If it weren't that I genuinely like Alex Craft and her world I probably wouldn't read the next , but alas I do and I'm hoping for a better 6th book. -
I've been a fan of this series for a long time now so it pains me to say that this book was a bit on the disappointing side. It wasn't awful by any means but it definitely wasn't the high standards I expect from this series. To start with the positives I did really enjoy Alex's latest investigation. Things get really complicated for her when she is a witness to a bank robbery and realises that the robbers are already dead. She's seen a lot of things in her life but walking corpses isn't one of them and it looks like she's facing a dangerous opponent this time.
I always enjoy seeing Alex work a case and previously I've liked Briar from the MCIB but this time I really struggled with her. Briar is totally willing to throw Alex under a bus, she doesn't care how much danger her actions put Alex and her friends in as long as it gets her closer to the bad guy. She can't even be bothered to give Alex a heads up about her plans so that Alex can prepare herself for what's coming. Poor Alex finds herself constantly getting put in harm's way throughout this story and she's also constantly apologising for things that aren't her fault.
I'm also really struggling with the love triangle, I was honestly hoping that by book 5 we'd have more of an idea where the romance was going but so far things are just going from bad to worse. I hate that we still know so little about both Death and Falin, they both have commitments that prevent them from prioritising Alex and that is understandable but it's starting to bore me now. I've never really felt the attraction towards Falin but where I've been totally team Death right from the beginning in this book I ended up feeling ambivalent towards him too which was just sad.
I do still have a lot of love for these characters though so I'm really hoping that this book was just a blip and that the next one will be back to the highs of previous instalments. -
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
The Alex Craft series is one of my favorite urban fantasy book series. So much so that while the last book came out only last year, I felt like it was such a long wait for GRAVE RANSOM. The "wait" was worth it though! GRAVE RANSOM had a wonderfully twisty and unique plot that was pretty fun to work through along with Alex.
Alex, being a grave witch, has a unique way to work with the dead and I love reading the descriptions of just how she is able to see on a different plane of existence, raise shades, and talk to ghosts. What is really neat about Alex's case in GRAVE RANSOM is how a simple missing person mystery snowballs into some complex web involving dead bodies who were alive but not exactly zombies or ghouls of any sort.
Another aspect I love about this series is the use of Faerie and the fae. It would almost feel like too much detail to include a magical faerie castle in a pocket dimension, various magical realms, and fae rules along with everything else in this book. But it doesn't feel like too much. It actually fits neatly into the story and Alex's constant learning about her heritage actually helps her with this case.
GRAVE RANSOM possesses a wonderfully vivid story full of action and magical mayhem that will leave you wanting more. I love seeing how Alex has evolved over this series and after the events of GRAVE RANSOM, I am looking forward to seeing where she goes from here. -
Mon avis en Français
My ENglish review
I always enjoy all the volumes of the series and I was curious to launch myself in this new volume. Well, it’s true that my memory wasn’t that good regarding the story, but I still had a great time.
We therefore find Alex for a whole new story. She, who thought she already saw everything, will face many new problems. Indeed, it would seem that bodies are wandering with souls that are not theirs. And of course, Alex is often around when this happens! Passing from suspect to police adviser, the young woman will attract more attention than she would have liked. She will have to push her powers to the maximum to discover the truth!
I enjoyed following the survey and I was curious to know the reasons for all these experiments. Everything that these bodies do seems very strange and it is true that I did not expect such an explanation. Alex also has to deal with the problems of her personal life and especially with Falin, or even Death. We know that her relationship with Death is tricky and we will see how fine the limits are as well. It was, however, a pleasure to see them both.
The end of the story saddened me but I am curious to see what will happen now. A very good new novel. -
This is a great series and even with the wait we had between books it is worth it. Price is a great writer and you can really visualize what's going on in the story and there are no plot holes or "convenient" twists to make things work. Its obvious events are really thought out and tied together well. I was a little sad at what happened at the end but hey its fiction and just makes me look forward to the next book even more.
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I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.
I am happy to see that the Alex Craft series is back in action! Kalayna Price is an amazing author and I always love returning to her worlds. Grave Ransom is the latest adventure Alex and her friends partake in, and let me tell you, there are zombies!! Okay, they’re considered reanimated corpses, but come on, it’s zombies!!
Naturally I couldn’t really remember what’s happened with Alex lately. Even though I’m back on track with being a year in between reads, this was before my notorious notetaking! Thankfully, though we do get some continuance of personal details with characters, this is still a series where every book is a fresh start. At least in the continuity area, the series continues to have a one and done mystery per book with just a few little things that carry over through each book, so my memory loss isn’t the death of me with this one, thankfully! LOL!
Alex soon discovers that there’s someone around town who is raising shades and putting them into other dead bodies. Basically ghosts are inhabiting bodies that aren’t their own and are running errands for this mysterious necromancer. When Alex also takes a case to locate a missing person, a teenage boyfriend from the girlfriend who says he’s gone missing, she’ll quickly learn that the cases are related. And as more and more reanimated bodies continue to show up, committing crimes, no less, the hunt for the alleged necromancer takes underway.
I love how fresh and different this series is! It’s not like any other I’ve read before. And I read a lot of paranormal books! Lol! It’s sad to say that the Urban Fantasy genre is slowly dying down. It had its heyday a few years back and I was in heaven! And then suddenly the books all started coming out less and less. Sometimes it’s authors wanting to write something different after so many years and other times it’s due to low sales. This saddens me. I frequent between my YA and adult read and seeing a lack of Urban Fantasy books, the genre that I turned to once I saw a lack of Paranormal YA books, kills a piece of my soul. It’s just not fair. But I am pleased that I have series that are still in the running like the Alex Craft series!
This is Urban Fantasy at its purest! You have a kickbutt heroine who’s got a bit of snarky side—which is my personal favorite kind of trait, a world filled with magic, there’s ghosts, fae, Death! It has so many wonderful paranormal elements! The plots are always engaging and are always more than what they appear to be at surface glance! There’s great relationships between friends and lovers. Alex is still trying to make a relationship with Death work, while also knowing her former lover, Falin, still works for the faery queen! It’s rife with tension.
Also being Urban Fantasy, the romance and its many complications, is only a vague part of the story. And this is why I turned to Urban Fantasy all those years ago. I kept finding Paranormal Romance books and expected Urban Fantasy out of them instead they always surrounded the plot on the romance, here in Urban Fantasy the romance is merely an element of the story. Although, that being said, I was kind of upset Death wasn’t around more. Sure he’s busy being an agent of Death and all. And it’s not that I was looking for the “lovin” moments, but just Death himself. But as I recall he was an infrequent visitor to Alex’s life which can be a problem.
Alex continues to navigate her newfound fae nature (that might have been more than a few books back, but it does seem she’s still learning the ropes and is coming into her own) with her friends beside her. She’s adapted to some of the new things pretty well, though sometimes the urge to say “thank you” still comes up! I know I would likely never be able to get over that one! I was raised to be polite, what can I say?! LOL!
Grave Ransom is the latest in the incredible Urban Fantasy series, Alex Craft, by Kalanya Price! This is not one to be missed for it’s an epic and smashing read! I cannot wait to read more from this series as Kalayna has already been cemented as one of my favorite authors years ago with her other series Haven!
Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars -
![julia ☆ [owls reads]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1636739475i/5520447._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
2 stars
Grave Ransom felt like more of the same? The mystery plot followed the exact same beats as in the previous novel, but it took too long for the pieces to come together. I also reeeeeally didn't like everything that happened involving Death. And I still didn't enjoy the romance. -
I wonder if the damage is going to get real sooner or later, and why they survived worse, but can't survive this...
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4 1/2
So this one was really good for me. A true UF. It didn't concentrate on the triangle of her death and Falin. As I've always said, neither is good for her as Falin is owned by the Queen, and death never can be open with her. They are good transitions but nothing more IMO.
So with the love life not the center of attention we get a great mystery that has lines on multiple fronts. If you read the anthology Kicking It, you would've been introduced to Briar and her partner. I really like these two but think that Briar did some thing really questionable in this one. I still really like her character and wonder if the side series will every emerge.
Alex has to find out how and who is putting souls in other bodies and keeping alive with magic. And the end game of why? I thought the over all plot was really good and it kept me interested throughout. Very happy after the last one that really was Meh. -
5 Stars... This was an intense read from the start... Alex Craft is a grave witch and part fae, her life is anything but normal, but when the dead are literally walking around and talking, even she has to wonder about the parameters of normal... This story twists and turns leading readers in one direction only to turn around and move in another... All the while, it provides intense magical sequences and an emotional component that adds depth and complexity... These characters can be raw and honest one moment and sarcastic and witty the next giving a great mix of salty and sweet... Each book in this series provides an intriguing mystery wrapped up in the supernatural element taking readers on a wild ride into this dynamic world Kalayna Price has built... I absolutely love this series and this book in particular was fantastic from start to finish!:)
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*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 4.0
*MY Thoughts*
Grave Ransom is the fifth installment in author Kalayna Price's Alex Craft series. Set in the fictitious world of Nekros City, Alex is a character who is a grave witch. She can raise shades & talk to ghosts in order to solve cases. Alex and her partner Rianna run a business known as Tongues for the Dead which more often than not deals with mundane issues like finding lost things or people. The issue at hand for Alex in this story, is that the dead are walking the streets causing trouble wherever they go, and it's just in ways that you might imagine.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201... -
Despite a big gap due to the personal problems of the author in the middle of this series, it really is a most enjoyable urban fantasy tale of grave witch Alex Craft her friends, associates and love interests.
Although I wasn't on board with one of the plot developments in the romance department at the end of the book and really hope it is resolved in the next book Grave Destiny to be released in April 19... does the name suggest it may be the end of the series?? -
“Al, what did you do now?” Caleb’s agitated voice asked in the message. “Why did Rianna just walk out of a castle that materialized in my backyard?”
Oops. Apparently, now that I had my independent status, Faerie had moved my castle out of limbo and into my new territory: the mortal realm.
-The end of book 4-
I really really reaaallyyy truly need book 5. NOW -
well, yeah, excuse me if I'm a bit sceptical about the 5th book releasing in 2016 :D
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Fifth in the Alex Craft urban fantasy series set in Nekros City, Texas, and revolving around a witch who feels the presence of corpses.
My Take
I appreciate that Grave Ransom is all about doing the right thing, of loyalty, in spite of a number of betrayals. And yet I'm annoyed with Grave Ransom, and not because Price uses first-person protagonist point-of-view from Alex’s perspective. Instead, it was all the tell. The only time Price pulled me into the story was Remy’s tale. For the rest? It was simply words to get through.
Past stories in the Alex Craft series have been rich with action and characters. This one not at all. It’s bare of much of this with only a small core of characters and settings, and even that is sparse with very little said about them. Nothing about their lives or what they are. Let alone last names…?? I think the final cap on my disappointment was Price’s treatment of Death. Or, rather, Alex’s abuse of him. I get why she did it, and Death’s behavior is partly to blame. Lord knows I don’t remember him being so intransigent before when Alex needed help! But it was a weak effort that Price should have put more thought into to make it believable. Taylor's only reaction at the end was also weird.
Alex’s condition also annoys me. And, that is totally not fair of me. She can’t help being a grave witch. Nor can she help what those ramifications are, although I do wish, again, that she hadn't gone on and on and on about it.
Yeah, it’s an interesting story with some horrible ramifications, and Alex does makes a leap in her understanding (and use) of her abilities. It’s too bad that Price never did make me feel much of any emotion for it.
The Story
The dead are walking in Nekros, stealing, robbing, and more. When Alex gets caught up in their crimes, the police aren’t interested in hearing her side. Not until Briar Darque steps in.
The Characters
Alex Craft is a grave witch who’s part fae and feels the bones of the dead; she’s also discovered she’s a plane-weaver. PC is her Chinese crested dog. Her castlemates include Rianna; Caleb who used to be her landlord, and now his place is merely a conduit to the castle; Holly who is his lover; a garden gnome; Fred, who leads the audacity of gargoyles; and, Falin Andrews, the Winter Queen’s Bloody Hands, ordered to live with Alex.
Tongues for the Dead is…
…Alex’s and Rianna’s private investigation business. Rianna was Alex’s best friend before she was taken. Now she’s a changeling with physical challenges. Desmond is a fae who can shift into a barghest. Roy is a ghost and wanna-be junior detective. Icelynne is a fae ghost who haunts Alex’s castle and with whom Roy is in love. Ms. B is a brownie with high standards who came with the castle and chooses to act as their office manager.
The FIB is…
…the earth-based fae law enforcement bureau. Lead Special Agent is Falin Andrews. Yep, the queen’s knight.
The Magical Crimes Investigation Bureau is…
…charged with cleaning up magical messes. The ruthless Briar Darque is an inspector. Her partner is a premonition witch and touch clairvoyant, Derrick Knight.
Nekros law enforcement
Tamara is one of Alex’s best friends and the lead medical examiner. John, a homicide detective, used to be friendly with Alex. Jenson is his partner. I think the Anti-Black Magic Unit is part of the police.
Rachael and Rue Saunders want to hire Alex to find their six-year-old daughter, Katie. Taylor Carson is a high school student looking for her college-going boyfriend, Remy Hollens. Colin is Remy’s skeptical college roommate. Annabelle McNabb. Rodger Bartlett had been a museum thief. Rosie Cranford had been homeless with a fascination for runes. Elsie Lambie is a runner; Linda is/was her training partner. Angela Moore had been a student.
Dr. Marcus Hadisty, Dr. Marcus Vogel, Dr. Marcus Basselet, and Dr. Moyer were conducting studies. Gauhter and Tiffany Bates (as “Bruiser” she sometimes needs tweaking) are some of his friends. James and Becky didn’t function too well.
The collectors are…
…what we think of as reapers, grim reapers. Alex has named them: Raver, Gray Man, and Death who happens to be her boyfriend. The Mender is in charge of the soul collectors, and he’s furious with Death for his associating with Alex.
Magic-eye is an insulting term for a private investigator who uses magic and no real investigative work to close cases. The Dead Club Forums is an Internet site for grave witches. Wyrd magic is inherent and must be used. Xandra Lundahl is a reporter for a local station. Witch Watch is a popular news program; Lusa Duncan is one of their reporters. The Eternal Bloom is a fae bar built around an amaranthine tree in Nekros. The Sleagh Maith are fae nobility.
The Cover and Title
The cover finds a white-haired Alex, holding a knife in one hand and wearing black leather pants with a belt hung with rings and knives and a purple sleeveless top with a silver necklace of large chain links around her neck and big silver hoop earrings. Her body is facing into the cover but her face is turned to us, as if daring us to enter that spooky wrought iron gate standing ajar, leading into a misty, grayish-blue-purple graveyard. The author’s name is in a shadowed white roman font at the top. The title is in italics in a pale lime green with its own shadows, crossing Alex’s torso. The series information is in white at the bottom right and framed by purple scrollwork, top and bottom.
The title is the “bribe” used on the volunteers, a Grave Ransom that holds false promises. -
Check out my review at
Girls With Books -
OHH I loved this one! Kalayna you did it!! I love this series so much!
Great , interesting paranormal case. I couldn't put it down until I got to the end.
Alex, Falin and Death where little OOC.
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OMG JULY 2017???????????? I'M SOO HAPPY
my only hope
ALEx AND FALIN are endgame
i love the cover!!!!!!!! -
SO GOOD. Like, want to re-read it right meow. 😂
