A Book Obsession..: Kalayna Price

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Release Day Review: Grave Destiny by Kalayna Price

, by Kt Clapsadl

Grave Destiny by Kalayna Price

Alex Craft #6

Grave witch Alex Craft can speak to the dead, and that makes her a dangerous enemy for anyone with something to hide. . . .
Alex is still trying to come to terms with her changing powers and her growing ties to Faerie when a case she’d rather avoid falls right into her lap. A fae prince desperately needs Alex to investigate a politically sensitive murder. She reluctantly agrees to the case, taking FIB agent Falin Andrews along as her backup.

But as Alex begins to delve into the mystery, she realizes that the intricate web of alliances and intrigue in the Faerie courts is strained to its limits. War is about to break out, one that threatens to spill over into the mortal realm. This murder is tied right to the center of centuries-old arcane unrest, and if Alex isn’t careful she may follow the twisting path ahead of her right into her grave end.

I really appreciate a series where even after a long absence in-between books, the characters and world are so familiar and well fleshed that the reader has no problem jumping back in. That is exactly the case with the Alex Craft books. While I admit some of the previous events are a bit hazy at this point, I had no difficulty at all falling back into Alex's world. This time around the fae are up to no good yet again, and Alex finds herself in the middle of things. In typical Alex style, she attracts chaos and danger like a magnet, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her find her way out of her latest mess. Falin and Alex's unwanted betrothed shadow prince are her trusty sidekicks as the try to get to the bottom of a murder in Faerie that could push the courts to the brink of war. To say Falin isn't a fan of the prince is the understatement of the century and the sparks flying between them kept me more than entertained while the trio blundered around in this whodunit plot.

In the romance department, there wasn't a whole lot of satisfaction to be had. Death is no longer in the picture (pity!), Alex wants nothing to do with her betrothed, and Falin is still forbidden from courting her as he belongs to the Winter Queen. So in a nutshell, you can say Alex's love life is complicated to say the least. By the end of the book there were glimmers of hope for some real sparks to satisfy this romance lovers heart, but only time will tell.

I'm typically pretty good at ferreting out twists and turns outcomes before they are final (something that drives my husband insane to no end...). So when a book's twist can catch me completely off guard that I didn't see coming at all, I'm thoroughly impressed. I never would have guessed the outcome of the ending of GRAVE DESTINY and I cannot wait to see the long term ramifications of this shake up in the next book. It definitely made for an interesting read!

All in all, GRAVE DESTINY is a satisfying read that will delight fans of the series!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
Between Dreams and Reality
Gizmo's Reviews
Tome Tender

Previous Books:
1. Grave Witch
2. Grave Dance
3. Grave Memory
4. Grave Visions
5. Grave Ransom

Early Review: Grave Ransom by Kalayna Price

, by Kt Clapsadl

Grave Ransom by Kalayna Price

Alex Craft #5

Grave witch Alex Craft is no stranger to the dead talking. She raises shades, works with ghosts, and is dating Death himself. But the dead walking? That’s not supposed to happen. And yet, reanimated corpses are committing crimes across Nekros City.

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 had it's strengths and weaknesses, but the plot is where this one really shines. The whole concept of dead but alive people walking around, but NOT zombie or ghouls was really fascinating to me. The stakes are incredibly high in this one as aside from Alex, and the other few grave witches, no one would ever know these people are actually dead. It made for the perfect batch of thieves for the villain and I really loved watching all the twists and turns in GRAVE RANSOM unfurl. I won't spoil things too much, but suffice it to say this one doesn't head quite where you'd expect!

Now onto the not so strong parts. I have to admit considering the wait in-between books in this series, the overall lack of character development and momentum in this GRAVE RANSOM was a bit of a let down. Like I mentioned, the plot was incredibly enjoyable and kept me more than entertained, but the character department just left things a little to be desired. Don't get me wrong, Alex and crew are all fully fleshed and real characters, but their progression, particular Alex and her relationship with Death seemed stagnant at best. I just prefer at least some focus on characters and their progression in a series, but alas this one was fully plot focused rather than character driven. It's just a personal preference.

Overall, character momentum issues aside, I very much enjoyed this latest installment in the Alex Craft series. These characters and world hold a special place for me, and I can't wait to see more in the future!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
The Novel Lady

Previous Books:
1. Grave Witch
2. Grave Dance
3. Grave Memory
4. Grave Visions

Grave Visions by Kalayna Price

, by Kt Clapsadl

Grave Visions by Kalayna Price

Alex Craft #4

Grave Visions by Kalayna Price is the much-anticipated fourth installment in the kick-ass urban fantasy series about Alex Craft, a grave witch who can communicate with the dead.

If you want to hear voices from the dead in Nekros City, you call Alex Craft. She's a Grave Witch with reasonable rates and extraordinary powers, who specializes in revealing the secrets of the dead. But now she's the one fighting to keep her own secret. She's not human—and her newly discovered heritage is causing havoc for her both in the human realm and in Faerie. But her status as an unaffiliated fae also makes her an ideal candidate to investigate a new street drug that has surfaced in several of the spaces between the human and fae worlds.

This glamour-infused drug causes hallucinations that turn real—at least for a while and often with deadly consequences. Searching for the source of this drug—and its purpose—lands Alex front and center in the conflict brewing in Faerie and she must find answers before she's dragged so deep she loses her freedom.

While the wait for GRAVE VISIONS may have been incredibly long, after reading, I'm happy to say it was worth the wait. I had worried after all this time that I wouldn't remember the previous books and be lost picking up the one. However, I was pleasantly surprised at just how fast I slipped back into this world. There was no "re-learning" curve needed. I think that's really a testament to just how well this world is crafted. I love the characters just as much now as I did years ago when the last book was released, Alex in particular. This time around she really shines as she's learning to cope with her newly found Fae heritiage and all of the politics that come with it. Each time I thought she might just have to give in to the bonds and demands placed on her, she preserved and I found myself rooting for her more with each page.

The only reason I didn't give this book a 5 was due to it feeling like a set up book. Don't get me wrong, more than plenty happens and I was completely entertained throughout, but I felt like it was all leading to the next book. It felt like Alex had to over come the certain task/politic issues so she could move onto the next step of who she is becoming. And THAT is the book I really want to read. So that being said, I really hope the wait isn't as long as I simply want more from this world and these characters. All in all fans in the series will be more than pleased with this much awaited installment.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
Red Hot Books
Gizmo's Reviews
a GREAT read

Previous Books:
1. Grave Witch
2. Grave Dance
3. Grave Memory

Early Review: Grave Memory by Kalayna Price

, by Kt Clapsadl

Grave Memory by Kalayna Price

Alex Craft #3

As a Grave Witch, Alex solves murders by raising the dead—an ability that comes at a cost, and after her last few cases, that cost is compounding. But her magic isn’t the only thing causing havoc in her life. While she’s always been on friendly terms with Death himself, things have recently become a whole lot more close and personal. Then there’s her sometime partner, agent Falin Andrews, who is under the glamour of the Winter Queen. To top everything off, her best friend has been forever changed by her time spent captive in Faerie.

But the personal takes a backseat to the professional when a string of suicides occur in Nekros City and Alex is hired to investigate. The shades have no memory of the days leading up to their brutal endings, so despite the very public apparent suicides, this is murder. But what kind of magic can overcome the human will to survive? And why do the shades lack the memory of their deaths? Searching for the answer might mean Alex won’t have a life to remember at all…

Alex Craft, Grave Witch extraordinaire, makes her living solving murders by raising the deceased shade. Her latest case involves an apparent suicide that she was hired to investigate. It should have been an open and shut case, but when she questioned the shade it had no memory of the events leading up to its death, something that has never happened before. When several more suicides pop up with the same circumstances, Alex realizes that these deaths weren't suicides at all but murder. But getting to the bottom of this case may just put her in the crossroads and make her the killer's next target.

I really enjoy the framework of this series in that using magic comes with consequences. Alex's vision issues after raising a shade are worse than ever, to the point where it won't be much longer until she becomes fully blind. It would have been so easy to have her new found fae powers to have been a magic fix for this, but that isn't the case and I really appreciated it. In fact there was another opportunity for an easy fix in Grave Memory where Alex was basically completely healed and renewed, yet her vision issues were left alone. I just hate when power comes too easy or there are no real consequences to using such power in books. I vastly prefer there to be responsibility and consequences for power, and this series definitely hits that mark.

Alex's love life is even more complicated than ever, something I didn't think possible. Even though neither man was really a viable option for her due to the circumstances, Falin still seemed to be the more likely of the pair to stand a chance, even if I would have preferred Death to be the victor. Granted, the Winter Queen would be a major roadblock there as she refuses to relinquish her hold on him, but at least Falin doesn't disappear all the time like a certain collector. Even though Death may have said that he loves her, nothing between them could really be called a relationship as he is strictly forbidden from being with her. His constant disappearing combined with the secrecy makes things difficult to say the least, and honestly prior to reading this book, my hope for them together had really started to dwindle. After the events in Grave Memory I have a lot more faith in them, although it is a little ironic as they definitely aren't in any better of a situation than before. That being said, things did finally come to a head, and how they feel about each other is no longer in question. Although what that really means for them in the end still remains to be seen.

Considering the very large volume of books I go through per year (300+) it can be a little difficult to remember past events from a previous installment when I pick up a series' latest release. A lot of the time I have to go back and read the last chapter or so of that earlier book to refresh my memory as to what is going on and who everyone is. So, it is always a sign of a really good series when I don't have to do this refresher and can jump right in because things made enough of a lasting impact on me that I can remember what happened. The Alex Craft series is a perfect example of this as these books are so good that they really stand a step above the rest. Each installment is even better than the last, making of one heck of an entertaining series. Grave Memory is an action packed roller coaster ride that will keep you enthralled from the very start. An absolute must read!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Grave Dance (Early Review)

, by Kt Clapsadl

Grave Dance by Kalayna Price

Alex Craft #2

After a month spent recovering from a vicious fight with a sorcerer, Alex is read to get back to solving murders by raising the dead. Wither her love life in turmoil, thanks to the disapearance of Fae Investigation Bureau agent Falin Andrews and a shocking "L"-word confession from Death himself, Alex is eager for the distractions of work. But her new case turns out to be a deadly challenge.

The police hire Alex to consul on a particularly strange investigation in the nature preserve south of Nekros City. The strange part: There are no corpses-- only fragments of them. A serial killer is potentially on the loose, and Alex has no way to raise a shade without a body, so she will have to rely on the magic of others to find leads. But as she begins investigating, a creature born of the darkest magic comes after her. It is obvious that someone very powerful wants to make sure the only thing she fins is a dead end-- her own.

Alex has spent plenty of time recovering from the outcome of the showdown at the end of Grave Witch, and is more than ready to get back out there. She really needs the distraction from her messy love life and throws herself head first into her latest case. Problem is that there will be no easy solve on this one. They are only finding pieces of bodies, no where near enough to raise a shade. Her investigations put her front and center and she becomes the prime target. Someone wants her dead in a bad way and it will take everything she has to pull out of this mess alive, let alone in one piece.

In the aftermath of the Blood Moon in the last book, Alex has noticed some major changes in herself. Her fae heritage is making itself well know and is definitely complicating things. She has developed new abilities as well as some difficulty controlling her old ones. It is almost as if that showdown unlocked a door to her potential. The downside to that is she now has to deal with the implications of being fae without growing up knowing the "rules." Her new found sensitivity to iron as well as an inability to lie are all part of her growing pains. The lying in particular is going to be a very rough one as it will take time to learn to twist her words around in order to tell the truth yet mislead. That being said I have a feeling that once she comes into her own she will be more powerful than most of the fae put together. She just seems to be able to harness so much raw power as well as break down glamour whereas other fae cannot. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of her journey and hope she is able to stay true to herself.

Alex's love life could not possibly be more complicated. One of the side effects of the changes she is going through is that her body temperature has drastically lowered, to the point where most men cannot stand to touch her skin. In fact only two men can handle her "chill," but of course things aren't easy as she can't seem to really have either one of them. Death made the shocking love confession at the end of the last book yet for some reason he seems to be forbidden from doing anything about that. Falin on the other hand seems to care as well, but he disappeared right after the blood moon. Even if he shows back up, he is the winter queen's lover, so that puts a wrench in things as well. Typically love triangles only frustrate me, and while Grave Dance does do a little of that, I also feel that Kalayna Price did a really great job of keeping a good balance. I honestly don't know who I would pick as they both seem to genuinely care but are kept away by something/someone else by force. I can only hope that in time once Alex is ready to make a decision, she will be strong enough to claim the one she wants and won't suffer further heartbreak.

I really enjoyed Grave Dance, especially the new shift into all things fae. I've always loved books that center around the fae, but have found some of them to be a little overwhelming at times due to all the rules and hidden agendas. Kalayna Price did a fantastic job at keeping things detailed enough to feel realistic without ever once stepping over into the realm if too much information. I really felt like I was learning the rules of being fae right alongside Alex. I have greatly enjoyed all of Ms. Price's books, but Grave Dance has ratcheted her up into my top list of authors on "auto buy." If you haven't checked out the previous Alex book, Grave Witch, or her other series, The Haven books, you just don't know what you are missing. I know I eagerly anticipate her next release and hope to see many more in the future.

(Received from Publisher)

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Grave Dance: An Alex Craft Novel

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Outdo Yourself
Horror and Urban Fantasy

Review: Grave Witch by Kalayna Price

, by Kt Clapsadl

Grave Witch by Kalayna Price

Alex Craft #1

Not even death can save her now.

As a grave witch, Alex Craft can speak to the dead-she's even on good terms with Death himself. As a consultant for the police, she's seen a lot of dark magic, but nothing has prepared her for her latest case. When she's raising a "shade" involved in a high profile murder, it attacks her, and then someone makes an attempt on her life. Someone really doesn't want her to know what the dead have to say, and she'll have to work with mysterious homicide detective Falin Andrews to figure out why...

Meet Alex Craft, a grave witch, someone who not only can speak to the dead, but bridge the chasm between life and death as well. Against her better judgment she agrees to help her sister even though Alex's family disowned her a long time ago. However, nothing is as it seems, and she quickly finds herself as a target in a nefarious plot. To complicate matters further, she gets completely tangled up with the new detective who really isn't what he seems. She must quickly unravel the mystery or she stands to lose everything and get that one final visit from Death to collect her soul.

I absolutely love the opening for this book! "The first time I encountered Death, I hurled my mother's medical chart at him. As far as first 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." This is the foundation for the funky relationship Alex and Death have going on. I love how he is portrayed as normal with faded jeans and t-shirts. The idea of him as a potential love interest just spells trouble in my mind, but it would be awesome to see it work out. There is an incredible dynamic of tension whenever he is around because he loves to keep Alex guessing. She never knows if he is there to collect a soul or just wants coffee. I cannot wait to see more of them together!

One of my favorite things about this book is that the magic used has consequences. In a lot of books, things come too easy or there are too few consequences for power. This is not the case at all in this book. After Alex uses her grave sight powers, she goes almost completely blind for a while. She also gets extremely cold, and this chill lasts for a long time. It is incredibly hard for her to warm up, and she usually picks up a drunk to share some body heat with.

I really enjoyed this book. I love Alex's character. However, the most intriguing character is Death. I wouldn't expect anything less when it comes to someone deserving Alex. We have only scratched the surface as to who he really is. If you love urban fantasy, this is a must read! It is fast paced and will keep you completely enthralled from beginning to end. You won't be able to put it down, so be prepared to be entertained for a long time.

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