| Title | : | Grave Witch (Alex Craft, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0451463803 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780451463807 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 325 |
| Publication | : | First published October 5, 2010 |
As a private investigator and consultant for the police, Alex Craft has seen a lot of dark magic. But even though she’s on good terms with Death himself—who happens to look fantastic in a pair of jeans—nothing has prepared her for her latest case. Alex is investigating a high profile murder when she’s attacked by the ‘shade’ she’s raising, which should be impossible. To top off her day, someone makes a serious attempt on her life, but Death saves her. Guess he likes having her around...
To solve this case Alex will have to team up with tough homicide detective Falin Andrews. Falin seems to be hiding something—though it’s certainly not his dislike of Alex—but Alex knows she needs his help to navigate the tangled webs of mortal and paranormal politics, and to track down a killer wielding a magic so malevolent, it may cost Alex her life...and her soul.
Grave Witch (Alex Craft, #1) Reviews
-
VERY rarely do I pick up a book and stay up until 2am reading so that I feel gross and tired all day the next day and I don't regret it one bit. This book did that to me last night, so yay I think? :)
I pick up EVERY urban fantasy novel lately with huge skepticism, because it's like someone wrote a how-to book everyone uses called "how to mix vampires and werewolves and sassy heroines together! Watch them make out too!" I mean, SO formulaic. That's why it's really tough for me to buy into a world that mixes paranormal and reality in that perfect escapist way we all crave, but for some reason this did it for me!
I really enjoyed the world and the plot and the characters. That's all. First, NO VAMPS! It's all faerie and witches. The witch magic was really interesting and has the potential to be filled out in interesting ways. Second, the main character is NOT really mouthy and wounded, she has a relatable POV without being boring, which is super hard to do, she has functional friend relationships...yay. The secondary characters are slow-played, added to the main character's life in a believable way, just a nice mixture that was fun. And then THIRD, the love interests were...REALLY HUNKY IN A NOT GROSS ALPHA WAY AND I LOVE THEM! Yay!
I mean, let's be clear, this book doesn't re-invent the wheel of urban fantasy, but it does what we expect well and that's all I wanted! So immediately reading the next one. Hope I don't stay up too late and feel icky again like I do today. It will probably happen. -
2/7/18 - ON SALE for $2.99:
http://amzn.to/2xSxbOJ
Reviewed by:
Rabid Reads
Hmm . . . I read GRAVE WITCH for the first time back in 2010 right after it was released, and I loved it. I loved it when I reread it before books 2 and 3 came out, too. This time . . . Again, I say, hmm . . .
There wasn't anything wrong with it. It just wasn't OMG, I LOVE IT, like my memories were telling me it was. AND there were a lot of borrowed ideas I didn't remember noticing.
Like how Alex is anecromancergrave witch who raiseszombiesspirits of the dead. Her ability is an embarrassment to her family, and she gets shipped off to boarding school when it becomes clear there is no hiding her magic--if she doesn't deliberately use her gift, it will latch on random dead things of its own volition . . .
YES. That does sound familiar.
Know what else sounds familiar?
I think it's safe to say we have a
Laurell K. Hamilton fan in the house.
Then there's the helpful ghost who can and will go places Alex can't, who's just grateful not to be ignored (
Night Huntress), and the gargoyle who stalks the parameter of her house and the yard of her home (
The Hollows), and in hindsight . . . it's all a little underwhelming.
Most of what's left--a Fae friend and landlord, two girlfriends, a snotty younger sister, and an inscrutable father--is flat and underdeveloped. Even Death (the one unique element) and his feelings for Alex are just tossed out there without much effort put into the backstory.
Blah.
The "snarky" dialogue also left something to be desired.
Like when Alex (a witch) crashes her father's dinner party/political gathering for members of the Humans First party, and her parting shot is:“By the way, George, great party, but one thing amazes me. Why is it Humans First Party supporters hate witches, but sneak in illusion charms for an instant face-lift or boob job?” Turning on my heel, I stormed out of the room . . .
*z snaps*
I'm hoping the next installment is better. I think there's more Fae, and now that is back in the picture, I've got my fingers crossed that things get more interesting.
I'll let you know.
Pre-review:
WELP . . . At least one reputable blogger claims to have read the forthcoming and looooong awaited fourth installment of this series, so I'ma go ahead and get my reread on.
BUT.
If ALEX CRAFT #4 doesn't make its scheduled appearance on February 2, 2016, I will be LIT.
-
► BR with my
MacHalo Freaks starting December 5, 2015.
I am one of three people on Goodreads who thought this book was pure crap *waves at
Asya and
Emma* What does this mean? It means that either: 1/We're nothing but clueless idiots who read it all wrong and should be banned from GR for life, or 2/All you people who loved this are nothing but clueless idiots who read it all wrong and should be banned from GR for life. I know you'll go for #1 and you know I'll go for #2, but in the name of the Holiday spirit and all that crap, let's remaindistant acquaintancesfriends and pretend this never happened, shall we? Good. And a Merry Christmas to you, too.
Okaaaaayyyyyy, now that we've established that this book is, indeed, a piece of crap, let's do the non-review thing. And since I'm feeling lazy as hell today, I might as well treat you to a Super Giffy Non-Review Extravaganza Thingy (SGNRET™). Yay! Isn't today your lucky day?! I really wish I were you right now ☢ sarcasm alert ☢ But I digress. Come on, you People of the Despicable Book Taste, let's do this!
● Soooooo. The first half of this book mostly felt like:
→ Because flat world building. And flat characters (yes, we're in Barnacle Land again: cardboard-like characters with brick-like chemistry). And flat magic. And flat ghosts. And flat everything. Yay. The only interesting thing here is Fred the gargoyle. And he only has one line in the book. That should tell you something right there.
As the flat story progressed, it felt increasingly like this:
→ This is me talking to the nitwit mc. And to the overbearing blockhead of a love interest, too. And to the cast of characters in general. And to the plot. And to the author.And to my lovely neighbor who seems to have fallen in love with his cordless drill.
● Now. For the second half of the book.
We could have stayed in Boredom/I Don't Give a Damn Heaven. I could have kept feeling like this:
But no. This was not to be. Because Kalayna Price is an overachiever, you see. Oh yes, she is. And so thoughtful, too. She thrives to make her readers feel an unprecedented abundance of wonderful, positive emotions such as:
And
After a while, I also started feeling like:
And like this:
Why? Mostly because this:
And this:
And this:
And finally, this:
Okaaaaayyyyyy, I could go on like this for hours but I'm pretty sure we all have better things to do with our lives(like drink a bottle of whiskey or two), so let's leave it at that, shall we?
► So. The moral of this review is:
Boredom Fest + Pathetic Characterization 101 + Predictability Nirvana + Manufactured Drama, Inc + Please-Kill-Me-Somebody-Love-Triangle-Of-Death-Coming-Right-Up + I-Eyerolled-So-Much-I-Lost-And-Eyeball = I'm an idiot. Yes I am. Had I not been one, I would have DNFed this book at 2%.
HEA epilogue: I can now officially send this delightful series to Doom and Oblivion Land. Kalayna Price, my tbr shelf and my little self say THANK YOU, and shall be eternally full of grate. -
There aren't that many older Urban Fantasy series that I have completely skipped, but this was one and I liked it. Fluffy, alternative magic world, a small amount of romance, and a likable main character are all components of an easy read. Since everyone has already read this series, about a hundred million years ago, I won't get into a big ol' boring review. I'll just give a few thoughts, because, well, I know you are all on the edge of your seats, waiting for my
ridiculous, silly, not-at-all-helpfulprofound thoughts on every book I read. Because, let's face it, reading is edutainment.
And some reading is much more educational.
So, we have Alex, a grave witch. What the hell is a grave witch? Think Anita Blake - kinda - without all the whorishness. Well, there is a bit of whorishness, obviously, because Alex has a rep for having one night stands with drunk dudes in bars. She is resisting the guy that wants to sleep with her in this book and he says this:
"You know, for someone with your reputation, you are amazingly difficult to get into bed."
So, I'm guessing that her name and number are on the bathroom wall of a few bars. And, they want something raised, but it ain't no dead body...
Man, kid's books are so different than when I was in school. But, gotta keep with the times and all that.
And, speaking of Menage's, there is a small triangle in this book, but it barely hits the radar. And, for once, I'm NOT on Team Death (Of course, Death has a crush on Alex!). He's kind of boring, in my opinion. I mean, sure, the whole harvesting people's souls is cool, and he probably has some hilarious work-stories, but..... ehh.
His class was kind of boring too. Gimme something new and fresh, death.
Personally, I liked Falin, the hot cop (but that's not all he is. *wink wink*).
No, he's not a father. ... wait, what the hell is going on in this book? Why are the dad and son dressed like male strippers? Why isn't that little girl wearing a top? There is so much wrong here. What do you think they are grabbing out of that bag? I'm guessing it is stripper-glitter. They must have a family business.
But, don't worry about this being more PNR than UF (if you are one of the only other ones on the planet who hasn't read it yet). The focus is on the mystery and murders. I thought it was pretty good and will read more in the series. But, for now, it's on to this next one on my TBR:
I heard that Kenny Loggins is really wise. -
I really, really wanted to give this book four stars. I thought Alex was kind of interesting and funny and the Fae lore was a little different and the prophecy was at least inventive and creative on behalf of the author. The meshing of the ghosts and fae and all that gave a different twist to the usual tale.
I suppose the only reason this book lost stars was because Death started so very cool. Black tee, jeans, mysterious, badass. Then he ended up all emotional in the end and really, when you finish a book with Death almost willing to break the rules and take on his fellow deathdealers for you, then you've almost gone as far as you can go. What is she going to pull out for the next novel? Couldn't we have dragged out the relationship with Death a little more?
This book, whilst I know the comparison is unfair, was just a little too reminiscent of Anita Blake at times for me. To be fair, Price really has written a different character, setting and everything to Anita. She really has! But I swear Anita Blake is like a damn taint that spreads over everything you read!
Also, Fallin, you were totally badass but you gave in too easily as well. Maybe I'm mean. Maybe I just like the idea of Alex sticking to Prince Charming, her dog and not having too many relationships. Maybe the appearance of two men in love with her and starting to bicker over her makes me shy away before more show up.
Maybe I'm just scared to read on lest I run into another female main character having sex with a wereleopard while a room full of people look on. -
This book was pretty good on the whole, especially when you compare it to some of the other urban fantasy books that I've had the misfortune of reading recently. The genre's taken me all over the place in the last few months: I've been addicted, annoyed, disappointed, I've laughed, I've cried, I've ranted and I've recommended. At the very least, Kalayna Price gave me a real urban fantasy story instead of the typical Twilight-style "I'm-so-obsessed-with-you-if-you-leave-me-I'll-die" kind of paranormal romance with a not very exciting mystery story mixed in to try and make the reader think the author actually cares about characters and plot rather than just filling the blanks between the sweet-nothings and sex.
Grave Witch was a decent story with a decent heroine and a whole lot of decently-written supernatural happenings. But... it just wasn't particularly exciting at all. I found it an okay way to pass a lazy evening but it didn't get my pulse racing once, didn't make me feel the need to go out and buy
Grave Dance, just generally failed to move me in any kind of way. The first book of a series should sell the rest of the series to you - but it didn't.
So, what did I like? I liked Alex Craft (the heroine) for the most part and, I never thought I'd say this in a review, Death is sexy. No, that's not me finally going over the edge and taking up necrophilia, that's me talking about the jeans-clad, dangerous and amusing Grim Reaper that is always looking over Alex's shoulder. I thought he would have made a much more interesting love interest (yes, I know how weird that sounds) than Falin Andrews. Andrews seemed alright, a bit of the old serious and broody kind of attractive... until we find out he's got really long, platinum-blond hair. How many times? It is only okay for men to have long blond hair if their name is Eric and they're from Bon Temps. Only
Ms Harris could sell a look that is better suited to Barbie dolls.
I'll tell you what I'm also tired of that happens in nearly every novel with a witch: long, pointless descriptions of spells, rituals, summonings, etc, etc. Unless I discover my inner witch any time soon, I doubt I have the need to know the exact lengthy process that they must go through when casting a spell. Whatever happened to bibbity-bobbity-boo? Now, those were the days.
I think it's fair to say I need to leave this genre alone for a while, it's giving me a headache. -
This one came highly rated by friends and after seeing it constantly mentioned I decided it must be worth a try. I can say I was completely engrossed and entertained by Alex and Falin's relationship although I am surprised he wanted to stick around. That's my positives. It really says something when the highlights of a book can be summed up in only a couple of lines.
The quirky yet distinctive opener, followed by some intriguing action (Death saved a life -why, and is that allowed?) calmed any concerns that I'd made a mistake buying this one but not long after we're stalled, left waiting for the good stuff to happen.
All I wanted to do was spend time with Death or Falin. Death more-so because I needed to understand what his attachment was to Alex and why he was so close to her when standard grave witch-reaper etiquette states the occasional "hello" when crossing paths is the most that should ever pass between them. What makes Alex so special?
Under normal circumstances I like magic and witches and I understand the need for world building but I was picking things out that I'd read in other places. I know it's hard to be completely original but the grave witchery itself strongly reminded me of
Anita Blake's zombie raising to settle legal disputes and give closure to the families of the deceased. The race against time to investigate and avoid being arrested and branded a grey/black witch was eerily reminiscent of
Rachel Morgan in the the Hollows, as well as the FIB/Inderland policing. For the most part I enjoyed both of those series but here with Alex, the witchiness was over done. The amount of detail about what was happening when she was using magic, the different planes and the consequences was all too confusing and unnecessary at times that I found myself skimming.
Alex's father mentions 'The Long Game' in regards to the fae. I'm not sure if this is part of some general mythology I'm unaware of but it features as part of a long running story arc involving the vampires in the
Kitty Norville series. Talking about the fae, they were tricky bastards. Some appear to be good and others, not so nice. I liked that they weren't all tarred with the same brush.
Alex herself, I didn't find endearing. First of all, she's cursed. Everyone around her goes missing: her brother Brian, her best friend and roommate Rianna, and now people she knew from the witch community. She's also not the sharpest knife in the drawer and she's a doormat. Misunderstanding clues elongated the story. It was obvious things were going to roll back to her family after the discovery of the grey book but we had to wait for her to figure out the connection. The doormat thing annoyed me, it's part of the reason for her money troubles, not demanding to be paid for services rendered but she also has a problem with two tiny little letters, "no". Just say it. It's that easy. If people turn their back on you, you don't jump up to help them move up the career ladder. However, the strained relationships between Alex and her father and sister were interesting to me and I wished Price had delved further into their background and past dealings. In fact, I could probably extend that to all of the characters as they were all towards the shallow end of the spectrum as opposed to fully fleshed out individuals with histories and back-stories but I'm betting that's going to be developed in the following novels.
The dog, I'm sorry but yuck, yuck, yuck. This goes to personal taste because tiny dogs like that creep me out and it's hairless -eww, eww, eww. I wanted the thing to die.
*shudders*
One final thing about the ending, unless I'm mistaken and please let me know if I am
Yeah, so basically the last third of the book with Alex and Falin was the only good experience I can take away from this book. It's something, I guess. -
Grave Witch is full of mixed reviews. Some people liked it, others hated it. Most of the people on my list loved the damn thing so there’s no surprise when I say that I was having high hopes for it. And of course life took away my hopes, stomped all over them and threw them in the toilet. Much appreciated.
Why did I have such a hard time reading it?? Ugh why?? I tried my best to find stuff to like about it. Nothing happened. Nothing! And I’m pissed off because I’m still looking at all those good reviews and I can’t seem to figure out why the hell people liked it.
I did not enjoy the story nor gave a shit about any of the characters in the book. And I mean it when I say NONE. NADA. No character was worthy of my love, admiration and not even hate! I did not hate anyone in the book! Do you know what this means?! A hater without hate is like a day without sun! Like a happy meal without a toy! Like a dolphin without its porn!!
Yes, dolphins watch lots of porn.
Alex is a sad excuse of an urban fantasy heroine. She might be good in a paranormal romance, contemporary romance or young adult, whatever – you name it, but urban fantasy? Bitch please. She’s a wimp. She’s not funny. She doesn’t know how to fight, she’s not tough. She’s just.. out there. Existing.. Taking up the extra space that should belong to a fucking good heroine.I’d already activated the charm that blocked my image from cameras, so now I just needed to worry about the two people Roy had seen.
Isn’t this a bit too silly? Am I being too harsh? Of course I’m being too harsh, that’s what I do. But anyway, I watched
Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol this weekend so I had my ratio ofsilly ideasbullshit for this week. Well, at least MI has its own "badass spy" excuse but using a charm to block cameras from seeing you? Really??? A charm?? My mind is having a tough time swallowing this.
Whenever I feel like I’m boring my readers I dress up as a ninja and pretend to have awesome super-powers. This helps me get over my childhood traumas and the insecurities caused by all the badass heroines who are better than me.
And even though I was excited about the Devil being a character in the book, I can’t say that I’m happy with what I got regarding him. Yes, I know I’m the silly one for being excited over something like this but whatever, we all have our little brain gnomes who put weird stuff in our zomg-I-must-have-it shelf. So I have my excuse. And I have my own ideas of how Death can be hot and perfect and the best villain (and yet a hero) deep down in his nonexistent black heart. Death in Magic Graves is a
Good Guy Greg.
One does not simply make Death a Good Guy Greg. Death is a force to be reckoned with. He makes you want him and yet you shit your pants because of the fear you feel when he looks at you. So please cut the crap!
Oh, and it has a love triangle. It’s mild, but still there.
*removes one star from the rating*
I’ll take back my star, thank you very much. -
1st read - March 2012
2nd read - March 2019
Alex Craft is a witch and she uses her grave magic to help her in her job as a Private Investigator. Her magic allows her to interact with ghosts but she is mainly asked to contact shades which are like an echo of the person who died - they have the person's memories but no emotions so they can answer questions about their lives but are unable to lie. Alex works for family members who need some kind of closure and she also works with the police to help allow murder victims to identify their killers. When her latest attempt to raise a shade results in a ghostly attack that should have been impossible Alex finds herself drawn into a web of dark magic with a serial killer at it's heart. The closer she gets to identifying the killer the more at risk her life becomes and she must work with detective Falin Andrews to solve the case before her time runs out.
I'm a big fan of the urban fantasy genre so it is always exciting to discover a new series - particularly one as engaging as Grave Witch was. This was the first book I've read by Kalayna Price but I can't wait to continue this series and I'm also planning on buying her Haven books ASAP. In the world the author has created the public have been aware of witches and the fae for about 70 years and although there is some prejudice between them and the humans in general they are accepted. With the Humans First political party gaining popularity this could change in the future though. I was really interested in finding out about all the different kinds of witches, they each have very different abilities and Alex's grave magic is one of the rarer forms. There are also all kinds of fae creatures to watch out for.
I found Alex a likeable heroine, her power has limitations meaning she doesn't come across as too perfect to be real and she has a lot of the same worries as normal people do which makes her easy to relate to. The after effects of using her grave sight were fascinating - especially the developments towards the end - and I thought Alex was brave to continue using the sight considering what happened to her afterwards. She isn't a perfect PI, in fact she missed quite a few clues along the way, but she is determined and once she sets her mind on something she will do whatever it takes to see it through - even it that does mean bending the rules a little.
Although the story focuses on the murders and the mystery of who is behind them there is also the start of a very promising love triangle. I have to confess I'd thought that I was sick to death with triangles and that I didn't want to read any more of them but Kalayna has me hooked on this one. Normally I find it very easy to pick a team and once I've chosen it is very rare for me to change my mind but in this case I still can't tell you who I want Alex to end up with - she has a choice between two very delectable specimens! First you have Death, a soul collector who she has known since she was a child and has built a friendship with. He is very much a mystery man and definitely left me wanting to know more but I liked him from the minute he stepped onto the page. Falin is a detective who also has his secrets that I think we have only just started to uncover. At first I was annoyed by his attitude but he quickly won me over as you get to see his more caring and protective side. I'll tell you now I swung back and forth between Death and Falin each time they appeared. At the moment we know a lot more about Falin but I'm hoping we'll see much more of Death in the next book and his confession at the end of the book left me desperate for more!
There is an interesting collection of side characters but I didn't feel I got to know any of them well enough, I'm confident that this will change as the series continues though. What was really nice is that Alex has some supportive female friends, I quite often find that other female characters are shown as jealous and petty so it is nice when there is genuine friendship there instead. I was a little freaked out by Alex's dog PC (although I laughed when we found out what his name stands for), but hairless dogs scare me and that is down to personal taste - if he'd been any other breed I would have been enchanted by him. I would absolutely love to have a gargoyle like Fred guarding my house though!
Overall I thought that Grave Witch was a great start to a new series and it had me so hooked that I will be picking up the second book as soon as this review is written - that's rare with me as I usually have a break between books in a series. I enjoyed the mystery, loved the romance and want to spend more time with these characters. Definitely a series I'll be recommending to urban fantasy fans - particularly if you like witches and the fae. -
Stupid but loyal-- that's Alex Craft. At least one of Grave Witch's questions lasts because Craft misunderstands a mysterious stranger. "She must have meant generic. English obviously wasn’t her first language." More near-misses not quite like this pepper Grave Witch, the first novel about our ghost-whisperer.
However, if Craft's dubious PI skills -she admits magic pays her checks instead of sleuth work- and self-inflicted woes -I sympathize with disowned princess just a little better than drug dealer- irritate the reader, then her loyalty and bravery endear her to us.
Craft will do anything for her friends. If we ask her to jump off that cliff, she'll sigh and say, "Not another cliff?" But she'll do it. You have to admire that sand.
Besides, I like to see a heroine who has to repair her TV and pinch pennies to feed herself and her
Chinese Crested. I even would have liked more about Alex and Daddy dearest.
Detective Falin Andrews, while girly-named, is all right too. ;) Death's sweet, but I don't care for love triangles.
Grave Witch's magic system was sort of novel. Nekros City isn't -witches, etc. have come out to the world- but the regulations and practical witches appealed to my realism obsession. Best fictional witches and +1000 points for fae with muscle mass. I am so sick of Pattinson lookalikes.
Witch's plot -a serial murder investigation enhanced by assassination attempts, bogeymen and faerie adventures, friends (likable UF heroine with friends, call the presses!) and loves- doesn't gallop or crawl, but Kalayna Price's readable prose smooths the way by avoiding long and tedious introspection, overwrought sentences, or self-interrupting internal dialogue.
All in all, don't expect a genre-shaking work but a fun bout of hotties, action, and head-itching mysteries with all the trappings, DAs, MEs, and cops, without a police-procedural-plodding pace, à la Kate Daniels. I want to see more of Falin. [image error] -
I really liked this. It definietly read like the first book in a series but this has potential to be a really good Urban Fantasy series. I'm excited to read the other books
-
What a fun new series! It had a few off notes, but on the whole I was really impressed. The heroine, Alex, was surprisingly relatable. I winced over some of her life choices--the one night stands being chief among them--but that never kept me from liking her. She was pretty friendly and down to earth for the most part.
It was refreshing to have such a normal heroine. She has power, sure, but she also has the same worries as any regular Joe on the street. She struggles to pay the bills and has family issues that she prefers not to dwell on. She has a little dog who is the only constant man in her, and that's the way she likes it. She talks to herself because she spends too much time alone, which is a hard habit to break when she's temporarily stuck rooming with another person. She doesn't like to get close to people, but she has her three best friends, and that's enough for her.
The world that the author created here was very interesting. I won't deny that it occasionally felt familiar, but it was unique enough to please me. I wish we could have had a little more insight into the soul collectors, but I'm willing to be patient and hope we learn more about them in the next book. I'm very curious to see what exactly makes Alex different from a lot of the other grave witches. Why is Death so accessible to her when he isn't to the others?
I liked that Alex's power wasn't without consequences. It's nice to have a heroine that doesn't have an effortless, unending well of power to tap. She didn't always have the bigger power and she came out on the losing side more often than not. Her one effortless talent, her grave-sight, had a really nasty side effect when she turned it off, too. Suffering from blindness after each session, and having her night vision shot in the long run, really went a long way toward making Alex vulnerable. Even if she had a huge attitude (which she doesn't), her weaknesses would help soften her. So good choice on the author's part there. Speaking of her sight--I'm fascinated by the development at the end. I wonder where the author's going with it.
There were two potential love interests introduced in the book, but I pray the author isn't turning this into another lame love-triangle. I didn't like Falin at first, but he grew on me throughout the book. His attitude in the beginning really rubbed me the wrong way and I was praying Alex would withhold information just to spite him. Alas, she is more grown up than me. ;) The further I read on, the more approachable Falin became. He is actually--shocker!--a really nice guy who's willing to put up with a lot of vague answers and a rather hilarious fear of intimacy. Plus, what we learned about who he is has me quite intrigued.
The second love interest is Death, one of the soul collectors. He's been popping in and out of Alex's life since she was little, and although she doesn't know much about him, they're friends. Not close friends, mind you, but their relationship is dependable. Death was surprisingly open about his emotions toward the end. I'm not sure if I liked that or not, but I'm willing to hang for the ride and wait to see where the author's going.
The only real issues I had were the occasional sections of confusion I ran into. Sometimes I'd have to reread an action scene to figure out what magic was doing what, because it felt a little bit confusing and jumbled. Also, I know Alex isn't the best sleuth out there, but some of the obvious clues she missed made me wince. At least she was honest about her magical skills paying the bills, not her investigative ones. It wasn't a huge irritant, but I hope she'll sharpen up a bit in the next one.
Favorite Quote:"Sorry. One handshake doesn't admit you to the good graces club."
"But one phrase said in anger--justified anger that someone was tampering with evidence in my case--is enough to bar me from it?"
I smiled at him. "First impressions suck that way." -
Mystery, surprises, tension, & edge of our seat moments.
Holly Cow, Grave Witch was more then I expected it to be. I was pulled in from the start and couldn’t stop until the very end. We get ghosts, a murder mystery, weird magic, and so much more. It was one thing after another that you never know what will happen next.
Alex is a fun, unique, and powerful character. Everything we learn about her just leads us to wanting more. Her numerous and complex problems change the book into an entertaining and unpredictable read. Her grave sight is a pretty nifty ability, but it comes with a price. I liked how in this world their is a price to having magic. The more Alex is in contact with the dead the colder her body temperature gets and after being in contact with her power she has issues with her eyes. Alex does find ways to deal with the price.
The secondary characters where wonderful. I had fun with all of Alex’s friends. She’s picked a great group of people to be with.
The relationships Alex has with Death and Falin makes me wonder if their might be a love triangle looming in the future. I like the relationship between Alex and Death. As for Falin and Alex they where together to help with the backlash of her power this time around. I’m curious to see where things go on the man front. I will say the relationship comes second to the murder mysterious happen in this story.
Narration: This is my first experience with narrator Emily Durante. I didn’t have any issues with the audio. I was sucked in that I couldn’t stop and when I had to I was a little sad and I wanted to jump back into the audio book. The story comes alive. Their are a lot of characters and Ms. Durante does a good job making them each unique.
Grave Witch is a humorous suspenseful murder mystery Urban Fantasy that’s hard to put down. I can’t wait to dive into the next installment.
Rated: 4.5 Stars
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I tried, but I couldn't care less for it.
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I didn't expect to like this series so much!
What I expect from a great PNR/UF is a really good plot, that keeps me hooked up and wanting more. Well, this book has that! It was fast-paced and damn interesting, I loved the world builder!
The characters were ok too, I love Death. And Falin is interesting too, although I'm not in love with him (yet). There are some weird stuff that I didn't really like about them all, but still, my focus is on the story not on the relationships.
So this series is really worth try, and I can't wait to get to the next one!
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For a first book this book impressed me when it came out, and years later it still impresses me. Grave Witch has an impressive world that is fully thought out, and I loved it. The lore and the city of Nekro are well thought out. I love the idea of the Faye letting their presence be known because they needed humans to believe in them again. Instead of still dying out they're now growing strong in power. There are more inbetween places, or other pockets of reality. I'm intrigued with the idea of these multiple plans of existence presented. Especially with that ending!
Grave Witch presents Alex Craft quite well and I enjoyed that there weren't actually any flashbacks. Instead the reader learns about Alex and her past as the story goes along. It never felt bogged down in an info dump. It was well paced and just enough given at the right moments. Not to mention that I loved that Alex wasn't a newbie in her craft as a grave witch and she had knowledge about the world. Including other magics.
Some Urban Fantasy readers advised me when I started my reread that this would be boring. But the mystery, characters, and world kept me eating it up. True I had forgotten about a lot the book because it had been so long, but I knew enough. And it kept my attention. Maybe it's because it's a different type of UF. The kind where knowledge and sleuthing are required. Alex doesn't approach the situation with violence. She does get to kick booty, but she thinks things through and I appreciate that.
Both male interests were just as fun as I remembered! I knew that Death was a character the revitalized Death as a character, and made him sexy. Spawning many different interpatations in other books after—which I'm thankful for. (Reyes from Charley Davidson anyone?) Sadly he remains a mysterious, dark stranger. With some great one liners. Falin was more developed and I think that's why I liked him more. He started out as the hunky jerk, and thankfully gained a personality as the book progressed. Of course there's plenty of mystery around him, not to mention some of the things discovered by the end of the book.
There were two sticky points for me. The first being the tired old line of parents keeping dangerous secrets from their children. Especially how her father made her suffer, and he was keeping that secret! Then there was Alex being handed the answer to the murders on multiple occasions. No really. People out right told her. But she just ignored it, and then during the revelation she was still an idiot. I hate willful ignorance as a plot line. It only makes the character look bad, and makes the reader think the author doesn't understand that we can pick up on things.
I can safely say that Grave Witch is not heavy on a love triangle. It actually doesn't even make itself known until the end of the book, and it's very mild—a vague idea. The book centers on Alex solving the mystery. Alex is on a time line and I appreciate that the book evolves mainly around that. While I felt like Alex's friends were more show then real, I look forward to getting to know them all more. The world is fantastic, and I can't wait to know Nekro city more! Not to mention sinking into Alex, she's a great character and I enjoy that she's unique from other Urban Fantasy character even after all these years.
Sexual Content: There is a sex scene, frank talk about sex and stuff. I enjoy that Alex is well rounded on it, meaning no self hate. Plenty of sexual humor and some minor dark themes.
4/5- Great! Really enjoyed it.
Originally reviewed at
Book Whispers. -
*** 4 ***
This was a buddy re-read with the MacHalo Freaks.
Alexis is a "grave witch", she can communicate with the spirits of the dead in different shapes and ways. The Fae and other magical practitioners are out in the open and life has changed for mundane folks. So Alex finds herself in the middle of a serial killer investigation which goes very wrong and cuts too close to home...
The writing is solid, the pace a bit slow at times, the story is reminiscent of other stories in the UF genre. It is not mind blowing, it is not unique, but it is engaging and a good read nonetheless. It reads fast and you want to know what happens at the end. Would recommend it to those who like their UF a bit tamer, blending of this and aesoteric worlds, and with a chick who can keep the story rolling... Have fun reading! -
1.5 stars
I've been looking forward to this book for a really long time. I bought it when it first came out, and then it languished on my ever-growing to-read shelf. It wasn't purposeful, but I had so many other things to read that I just never really got around to it. So, when some friends of mine decided to do a buddy read of the series, I jumped in!
Unfortunately, this book let me down on multiple levels. The biggest of which was Alex, herself. She's just not a heroine that reaches out and grabs me, connects with me. I like that she's got some stuff going on, that she's strong and powerful - even more so than she realizes, as is pretty normal in UF books, but she still has some weaknesses to work out. I imagine they will be worked out, to make her even more strong and powerful, but for right now there are some pretty significant drawbacks to her using her Sight. And yet...she's boring. I'm not connecting to her. I don't care.
Then there's the love triangle. On the one hand, it's a better than most love-triangle, but on the other...well, I just don't buy it. Falin is an asshole, that I kind of hate. And Death just isn't there enough for me to buy his 'I love her' moment. Though, I'm currently rooting for Death. Weird. I don't know what to do with that. But I can't get behind a guy that says 'For a woman with your reputation, you're incredibly difficult to get into bed,' like she owes him something. Ugh. Rage-inducing moment, there.
The world set-up suffers in weird ways here. There's both too much set-up and not enough. Then you have the fact that every single thing that happens in the book feels contrived, I could feel the author's hand in setting up and pushing the characters through to the desired storyline. Nothing felt organic. Yeah, yeah, I know that this is fiction and the author actually makes this up, but I want to lose myself in the story. And I can't do that if nothing feels real.
I'm thinking that this probably suffers from first-book-syndrome. A lot of first books in series do. And I'm slightly curious to see if it gets better in the second book, if things pick up and I start to actually care about any of the characters, but not enough to actually pick it up at this point. I'll read some friends' reviews and see what they have to say before I jump back into this world. Finishing the first book was hard enough because I only had moments where I was actually interested. I don't want to do that to myself again. -
Three and a half stars. It's a light piece of urban fantasy that has the potential to become even better. Stays true to it's tone, with a heroine that does not indulge overmuch in witty banter at the expense of mood development. I thought it built suspense well, with an initial investigation that lead into more problems with every discovery. Lots of world building that isn't always explained, but doesn't leave me drowning without any familiar stepping stones. A building attraction to Death and the introduction of male lead Falin should satisfy paranormal romance fans, leading to a ex scene near the end. I have a few quibbles after re-reading, which I share with other reviewers.
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Reviewed by:
Rabid Reads
On the surface, Grave Witch has a lot of similarities with Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series (before it got weird) but once I got a little deeper; I discovered a rich story filled with unusual characters. Alex's numerous and unbelievably complex problems transform this book into an unpredictable but fun read. You never know what's going to happen next. Kalayna Price caught my interest early on and held it the whole way through. Grave Witch is entertaining, "out there" and moving; a weird combo I know, but it works!
I really enjoy reading books that feature Death as a character. An author can go in so many different directions with this one! Kalayna's version is flirtatious, wears jeans and a t-shirt, and Alex can't quite figure him out. Craft is a rare exception and can see him out and about in broad daylight. Imagine just being able to see Death lurking around waiting for someone to die. Okay, well he doesn't exactly lurk but still... Creeeeepy! Plus, this guy's a stickler for the rules. He kinda has to be when souls are on the line but he breaks the rules a few times for Alex yet doesn't stick around long enough to have a conversation about his reasons. Needless to say, I got a kick out of his character and I'm hoping for more of him in future books.
Kalayna pulls many slight-of-hand moves throughout the story which kept things interesting and me on my toes. Just when I thought I had the whole thing figured out, Price would add an extra layer that'd throw everything off kilter. Multiple plot lines can be risky business but it was pulled off beautifully in this instance. Kalayna had a plan for Grave Witch and she executed it perfectly. There were even a few surprises thrown in that helped to lay the foundation for Grave Dance.
I liked how magic has a price in Alex Craft's world. The more the heroine is in contact with the dead the colder her body temperature gets. She's had this gift since she was a child so a normal 98.6 °F is no longer feasible for her. Instead, Alex warms herself up the old fashion way; by sharing body heat with someone else. Luckily for her, Falin comes into her life and is ready to help! Grave sight was also a pretty nifty ability but like all magic in this universe, it also comes with a price.
The relationship between Alex and Death was the star of this book for me. I'm eager to see where Kalayna takes these two and how Falin fits into the equation. Is there a love triangle looming in the future for these three? Only time will tell! Grave Witch is a humorous UF murder mystery that's hard to put down and makes for a great intro to a new series.
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Felicia made me do it.
UPDATED:
So, Grave Witch was actually a pretty fun book. It reminds me a little bit of
Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, though with a female lead and with an extra bit of sexiness thrown in.
There were some exciting moments (not just exciting in the sexy-sense) and I found Alex Craft to be a likable and relatable character. Who hasn't only had a hot dog left in their fridge during rough times?
Overall, a fun quick read. Some of the writing was a little repetitive, but I was able to overlook it for sexy faerie-men detectives. -
I was really excited to read this book, and I wanted to love it. I really didn't develop a connection with the characters, however I liked the story/plot, But I found the dialogue exhausting at times, just talking, talking and alot of doing nothing. To me the author spent too much detail on the magic and not enough time developing the characters. I need to have feelings for my characters!! And not enough action.
But hey, this is just me. -
Good. Lots of deaths and bloody crazy things. And she’s friends with Death.
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Weakly written, no depth and things just occur with no meaning or reason why.
Death was hot though. -
These days it seems like I only make it past the first chapter in about 1 out of every 4 or 5 urban fantasy books that I try to read, so the fact that I actually liked this enough to read the whole thing is pretty amazing. It was still a little bit slow, but it's the first book so I'm hoping it will pick up in the future. I liked the world it was set in and Alex is in an interesting and un-annoying main character. I'm sensing a potential love triangle on the horizon but I actually don't mind Falin and I really hope to see more of Death in the next book, so even that isn't really a setback here.
The world kind of reminds me of a simpler version of the Dante Valentine series [which I had to quit a few books in because of horrible love interests] and her whole relationship with Death is a bit like the Niki Slobodian series [which took awhile to warm up but I absolutely loved by the end, so I'm hoping it takes more after that series as I continue it]. It's not necessarily anything groundbreaking, but it's a fairy fast and fun read so I plan on continuing the series at this point. -
DNF at 73%
And it starts...
I really didn't want to start so soon DNFinishing books, but I'm really not into anything in this story, and if I keep this up, it will be 2017 all over again; with me wasting time on books I'm not enjoying.
The worst part about this, is that when I started reading it... I thought I had found another series to follow. The first paragraph is really good:
The first time I encountered Death, I hurled my mother’s medical chart at him.As far as impressions
went, I blew it, but I was five at the time, so he eventually forgave me. Some days I wished he hadn’t— particularly when we crossed paths on the job.
Thing is, when I'm reading an urban fantasy series I need to... you know, understand the world I'm reading, and why things are the way they are... and basically what makes the magic work for the characters?
For instance, Alex Craft taps some reservoir of power in a ring she uses; a ring that needs to be recharged and did I miss that? Did she connect an usb cable to the thing and to a power outlet?
o_O
Because I was left wondering how the hell the thing was charged!
Sorry peeps, but I need to know these things; otherwise my brain just disconnects.
Then the world building...
Eh... so magical beings came out of hiding seventy years ago because humans were start to forgetting about them, and their power was diminishing as a result of that...
Honestly when I read 'that', my first thought was, "what, no blaming tomatoes?" *see Rachel Morgan for answer to that*
Look, I still haven't read all my Rachel Morgan booksmainly because some vampire gets on my fucking nerves with her stalking, but Kim Harrison's books are way better than this; they give the reader answers, and everything is perfectly detailed. This, as I have been saying over and over, is not.
Then there's this douche-bag character with long blond hair and Fae origins and I was like, two Trentons? -_- No
Fallon, unlike Trenton, reads as this one dimensional douche-bag, with the respective sports car and a tendency to boss Alex around.
As for Alex, it's like she doesn't know the world she's living in, so she's always making mistakes.
It was frustrating to read about.
As for another character, Death, he reads as a fluffy kitten.
I give up. -
4.5 damn Detective Andrews is hot stars!
I LOVED THIS BOOK. I think I've found new awesome UF series *fist pump* Review to come after I finish next two books. -
Definitely one of the better UF offerings around at the moment. I thoroughly enjoyed this and read it through in a couple of days. Not sure about her relationship with Death, but we’ll see!
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If you liked
Moon Called ,
Magic Bites and
Skinwalker series then this book is for you. Maybe even better that moon call or skiwalker.
*review to come*
