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Grave Witch (Alex Craft #1)

by Kalayna Price (Goodreads Author)

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 9,624 ratings · 906 reviews

Grave witch Alex Craft can speak to the dead, but that doesn’t mean she likes what they have to say.

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 hig...more

Mass Market Paperback, 325 pages

Published October 5th 2010 by Roc (first published September 21st 2010)

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Oct 26, 2010 Rane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-pnr, urban-fantasy

It’s a semi- well known fact that am not a huge fan of PNR, after years of reading the genre, I’ve grown tried of the emo-vampires and the pet werewolves. So am pretty picky on what I read when it comes to PNR. When I came across The Grave Witch I liked the few pages I read, and was quickly immersed in the world Kalayna Price created, from witches to fae, bodysnatcher to a cat gargoyle named Fred This book had me on my toes with a race to the last page..

Seventy years ago, the Fae finally told...more It’s a semi- well known fact that am not a huge fan of PNR, after years of reading the genre, I’ve grown tried of the emo-vampires and the pet werewolves. So am pretty picky on what I read when it comes to PNR. When I came across The Grave Witch I liked the few pages I read, and was quickly immersed in the world Kalayna Price created, from witches to fae, bodysnatcher to a cat gargoyle named Fred This book had me on my toes with a race to the last page..

Seventy years ago, the Fae finally told the world they were there, and the world unfolded. Magic is pretty serious business, with many against it and others trying to live their daily life along side it and few whom abuse it.

Alex Craft is a Grave Witch, able to speak to the dead, while this gift can help others; it also had serious side-effects for her. Alex is asked to help with a high profile murder case, but things go wary fast when the body is just that, an empty shell, and victims are adding up, killed the same gruesome way. Alex’s given clues that she’s must follow before time is up and she ends up the next victim.

In some PN books, you always have the main hero; whose badass has all these great gifts to the point their almost disgusting perfect. Not so in The Grave Witch. Magic has big repercussions in Alex case, her grave sight, if used to long can cause her to go blind, and being on the other side of the grave causes her body temp to drop that she’ll pick up some random guy in order to share their body heat. This at times can cause some awkward moments for her. Alex wasn’t some perfect wise cracking heroine, she had her moments. While those around her kept a lot of secretes, Alex played with what she was given and sometimes this ran her straight her into trouble, but she kept her head, and I really liked her for it, she was real and in her shoes I may have done the same thing.

In the Grave Witch there’s many characters that you want to learn more about, none so more, then Death and Falin Alex’s love interests:
Alex’s gift brings her in contact with Death- a soul collector whose protective and caring of her,, but holding back on telling her everything going on. While the author leaves it to be seen what will develop between Alex and Death, in the few scenes Death was in, he seemed laid-back type of guy with a lot of secrets (and he is pretty hot).

The investigation brings her head to head with Detective Falin Andrews, who’s hard Alpha cop, pushy but shows a great protectiveness toward Alex. If Death and Alex relationship wasn’t complicated enough, you had Falin and Alex whom are always dancing around each other trying to get answers to the murders, while fighting an attraction that later bring them somewhat together. Unlike Death whom you don’t get to see too much, Falin is right there, trying to find out what Alex knows and vice versa. Falin really grew on me; I thought he was a total hard-ass period. It’s his actions that really speak for him, and hell, he’s hot guy whom can cook, that’s a win-win in my book! More is later reveled about Falin “job” and leaves the reader wondering how it’ll affect Alex and his relationship. At the moment am rooting for Falin between him and Death to win Alex, but we shall see how that changes as the series goes along (cause if Alex won’t have it he’s MINE!! XD)

The Grave Witch world is ever expanding. The author drops a lot of information about types of witches and fae, along with the magic that encompasses the world. It wasn’t the magic but its effects on people that I found really drew me in. From the First Human Society, that make up humans first- and no magic. This I found very funny in a ironical sort of way, as Alex visits a ball held by said society, many of the members wear charms and such to enhance their looks from bigger boobs to better skin. Reflected very much how politicians in the real world work with their own hypocrisy.
Grave Witch wasn’t without its weakness, as it suffered from the World Building Syndrome, with to much information and things happening all at one time, making the brisk pace of the book a tad slower as the reader keeps up, but if taken in stride it won’t effect the overall enjoyment of the book.

While there are a few loose ends, Price gives a good ending to this book, leaving the reader satisfied enough but looking and waiting for more. I know I can’t wait for more of this series!
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May 02, 2012 new_user rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Richelle Mead -humor -relationship +action

Shelves: urban-fantasy

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...more 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. ;) (view spoiler) 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.

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20 likes · like · see review

Jul 13, 2011 Amy or "Ames" rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1st-in-series, urban-fantasy, magic-users, death-reapers-zombies, fae, read-in-2011, series-abandoned, love-triangle, to-donate

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 co...more

17 likes · like · see review

Nov 14, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 fin...more

28 likes · like · see review

Oct 27, 2010 Rhonda rated it 2 of 5 stars

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.

9 likes · like · see review

Jun 18, 2011 Maja rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, creepy-love-triangle, i-see-dead-people, never-saw-it-coming, the-fae-are-so-scary, what-does-she-see-in-him

When I chose Grave Witch from my to-read list, I did it with a severe lack of enthusiasm. You see, I just finished two (great) Charlie Madigan books, so any book I chose to read next would have to overcome an automatic disadvantage.
The truth is, while I admit I was still under Charlie’s influence, I don’t think I would have liked Alex anyway. She doesn’t possess the depths of a real person, and I had the impression that she doesn’t know herself all that well. She is a lost puppy by choice and s...more
When I chose Grave Witch from my to-read list, I did it with a severe lack of enthusiasm. You see, I just finished two (great) Charlie Madigan books, so any book I chose to read next would have to overcome an automatic disadvantage.
The truth is, while I admit I was still under Charlie’s influence, I don’t think I would have liked Alex anyway. She doesn’t possess the depths of a real person, and I had the impression that she doesn’t know herself all that well. She is a lost puppy by choice and she doesn’t connect to people very well – not just the men, but her friends as well. I don’t like people that are cold and distant, and Alex is a little bit of both.
The second thing that really annoyed me is the city itself. Price didn’t build her world around a real city. I don’t particularly like that, but I can live with it. Instead she created a whole new city and called it Nekros. Oh, come on! Nekros?! That’s the most terrible cliché she could come up with. It most certainly isn’t something I can forgive easily.

But let’s find some good parts or it will seem I hated Grave Witch. I usually don’t like the fae very much (ok, I’m scared to death of them) but I went through the whole book full of fae and witches really relaxed and comfortable. There was a small part in a fae bar that made me get goosebumps all over, but I lived, obviously. I came out of the experience without a permanent damage of any kind. I’ll probably just have bad dreams for a while.
The plotline was strong and very interesting – the whole story about a crazy fae killing girls and performing rituals to steal their souls kept me interested to the very end.

I’m still not sure how I feel about Death as a character, and even a love interest. And to be completely honest, Falin is a real bastard - and a mysterious one at that. Plus, another love triangle was so not what I needed. But here I am, marking July 5th on my calendar, waiting impatiently to find out where things will go from here.

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5 likes · like · see review

Oct 16, 2010 Mariya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, magic-users, favorites, books-i-own, faeries

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.

This book was seriously amazing! I am so glad that I decided to read it, I have been reading paranormal romance for the last couple of weeks and decided I needed a break and needed more of my lovely urban fantasy genre. I love Alex Craft, she definitely falls into the category of my favorite kick ass heroines. and Death, yes he...more

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 13, 2012 Anzu The Great Destroyer rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: porn-watching dolphins

Shelves: is-it-just-me-goddammit, fat-kitty-judges-you, hop-on-a-broom, fucking-love-triangles, d-oh, paranormal-fix, the-fantasy-of-urbans, dafuq-did-i-just-read, reviewed-2012, a-bit-of-mush, lust-at-first-sight, to-the-mystery-machine, good-guy-greg, casper-ate-my-sandwich

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...more

8 likes · like · see review

Oct 06, 2010 Kt from A Book Obsession.. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: hardcopy

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...more 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.(less)

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Oct 03, 2011 Felicia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: vaginal-urban-fantasy, urban-paranormal

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...more

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May 19, 2011 Emily May rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr, paranormal-uf, mystery-thriller-horror, 2011

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 paran...more 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.

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Dec 19, 2012 Petra Sýkorová rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, czech, rc-review, urban-fantasy, supernatural, faes

Kalayna Price se narodila roku 1982 v městě Columbia v Jižní Karolíně. Vystudovala zde také střední školu a na tamní univerzitě promovala v oboru studiové tvorby a malby. Vždycky byla velký čtenář a snílek. V deseti se pustila do tátovy knihovny s fantasy romány a její představivost nabrala pomalu rychlost světa. Nejdříve se zamilovala do epických dobrodružství, mýtických ras a monster hrdinské fantasy, ale vždycky jí to víc táhlo ke tvorům, kteří na vás vyskočí v noci. Nejspíš právě proto má mo...more Kalayna Price se narodila roku 1982 v městě Columbia v Jižní Karolíně. Vystudovala zde také střední školu a na tamní univerzitě promovala v oboru studiové tvorby a malby. Vždycky byla velký čtenář a snílek. V deseti se pustila do tátovy knihovny s fantasy romány a její představivost nabrala pomalu rychlost světa. Nejdříve se zamilovala do epických dobrodružství, mýtických ras a monster hrdinské fantasy, ale vždycky jí to víc táhlo ke tvorům, kteří na vás vyskočí v noci. Nejspíš právě proto má momentálně na kontě dvě temněji laděné urban fantasy série.

Kalayna nachází inspiraci do knih ze svého okolí, svých studií dávné mytologie a také své vášně pro čtení folklóru. Její knihy v sobě nemají jen notnou dávku mystična, ale také příměs romantiky, trochu toho hororu, humoru a velkého množství záhad. Když zrovna nepíše, ráda si hoví při četbě knih, anebo brouzdá po internetu s cílem najít co nejvíce informací ke svým dalším příběhům. Jindy se zavře ve svém ateliéru a tvoří, s vášní sobě vlastní fotografuje a řádí s hulahop. Kroužení obruče na těle považuje za nejlepší cvičení na planetě a je také známá tím, že si sem tam po večerech ony obruče zapálí. Ať je vzrůšo.

Alex Craftová se jako stínová čarodějka jakž takž uživí a za svou práci je spíš odsuzována, než aby ji vynášeli na rukou. Ale jde to. Tedy až do chvíle, kdy ji její sestra, s níž neudržuje osobní kontakt pěknou řádku let, poprosí o jistou službičku. Alex, černá ovce rodiny, se kterou nechce být spojován ani její otec, na to kývne. I když se jí to nezdá.

Netuší, do jakých lapálií se tak dostane. Najednou jí kdoví proč chtějí jistí lidé odstranit z povrchu zemského, za krk jí dýchá otravný detektiv Andrews a smůla se jí lepí na paty. A to ve všem. Jenže i přesto je i nadále na stopě sériového vraha, který má v merku něco hodně zlého a nebezpečného. Pokud se mu jeho plán povede, následky můžou být fatální…

Českému překladu nemám co vytknout. Sice jsem ze začátku měla krapet problém s tím, brát Deatha jako Deatha, protože já mám prostě u Smrti zafixovanou českou verzi “Smrťák”. Na druhou stranu oceňuju, že se o vílácích mluvilo spíše jako o fae. S nimi taky nemám moc dobré zkušenosti, hlavně si pokaždé při slově fae představím chlápka narvaného do úzkých kamaší a pobíhajícího někde po zelené louce. Neptejte se proč. Moje fantazie si žije vlastní životem. V překladu byl krásně zchován spád celého příběhu, stejně jako jeho vtipnost.

Na tuhle knihu jsem se opravdu moc těšila a zároveň se jí krapet obávala. Čarodějnictví a magii v knihách, hlavně tu, co souvisí se záhrobím, mám ráda. Na druhou stranu nejsem velkým fanouškem fae a různých vílích bytostí. A tady je to dohromady. Mé obavy se šly ale vesele brouzdat někam na zasněžený kopec a já si mohla krásně vychutnat příběch.

Hlavní hrdinka mi byla sympatická už od začátku. Její nadání jí ani trochu nezávidím, protože si kvůli tomu už taky svoje užila. A málokdy šlo o něco pozitivního. Někdy sice byla přehnaně umíněná, ale i když měla občas pořádně nahnáno, dokázala bojovat za to, co je správné. Death je otázka sama o sobě a já nemám ani ponětí, co udělá v budoucnu. No a Falin to u mě zatím vyhrává na celé čáře, i když to není žádný svatoušek. U něj se ještě máme na co těšit… možná i čeho děsit.

Líbí se mi, jak autorka propojila výskyt magie s magickými bytostmi nebo bytostmi s magickým nadáním. Nepůsobilo to nijak násilně, hloupě, uměle a nelogicky. I když mám stále několik nezodpovězených otázek, myslím, že se v příštím díle mám na co těšit. Příběh se ze začátku může zdát jako sto jiných, ale když se více začtete, chytne vás a nepustí.

Kniha má vše v té správné dávce, aby mě její četba opravdu bavila. Celková zápletka příběhu byla hodně zajímavá, hlavně dosti krvavá a nebezpečná. Nevěděli jste, co tak úplně od koho vlastně očekávat. Knize tak dávám 4 hvězdičky a tu pátou si nechávám na pokračování, protože se to rozjelo velice slibně. Pokud to další díl nepokazí, mám nakročeno na další oblíbenou sérii. Stojí za to.

---------------Reakce po dočtení knihy---------------
Velice vydarena kniha, pekne jsem se bavila a jsem dost zvedava na pokracovani.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

May 14, 2012 Kitt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2010, urban-fantasy, books-i-own, alex-craft

I absolutely love it when I find that book that I just simply can't put down. When interruptions and chores earn a growling response. Food is all but forgotten along with the Internet and television. Kalayna Price's debut in her new Alex Craft series had me completely glued to it's pages and devouring it in one sitting!

Grave Witch is what urban fantasy is all about: fast paced, mysteries galore, and a main character that is smart yet stubborn beyond belief even in the face of stronger enemies. A...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 01, 2013 Vickie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: booksthatmakemegowow, keeper-shelf, listened-to

Boy, oh, boy! My butt aches from all the kicking I've giving it for waiting so long to pick this out from the nightstand section of Mt Git'r'Read!!!
I saw the interview on BittenByBooks, one of my favorite go-to blogs for all things good readin', and immediately put GRAVE WITCH on the Wanton Wantin' Book List. Then it arrived in the mail and I had a few other books to read...then got in the right UF frame of mind and enjoyed the hell out of Alex, Falin the hot cop, Death (THE Death), Tamara the...more

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May 07, 2013 Komal rated it 2 of 5 stars

(view spoiler)...more

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Oct 21, 2010 Indigo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: changelings, faerie, girl-power, magic, supernatural-detective, urban-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 01, 2011 Diane ~Firefly~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: magic, paranormal, uf, fae, ghost

Enjoyable debut to a new series. Alex is a PI and can raise shades from the dead. She's a loner with a good group of friends (a cop, a lawyer, a medical examiner and her landlord) and a "cute" Chinese Crested dog. After someone tries to kill her, she ends up working with the new cop, Falin, and trying to stay alive long enough to solve the case.

What I liked:
* PC, the dog. He was adorable (and I have a soft spot for dogs).
* Death.
* The surprise at the end.
* Alex wasn't TSTL - she didn't do too ma...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Flail Around rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: uf, d-owns

Overall Grave Witch, by Kalayna Price was 'okay', I liked it enough for 3 stars, but just barely.

It has all the elements of a good UF, and doesn't even cross the 'too much romance line' into PNR. I say that because her 'romantic' life isn't all tied up in a pretty bow as a HEA, even though the bad guy of the main conflict is brought to justice. The pacing in the romantic tension was off for me. I found it annoying that there was such an immediate love triangle set up. Death could have been far...more Overall Grave Witch, by Kalayna Price was 'okay', I liked it enough for 3 stars, but just barely.

It has all the elements of a good UF, and doesn't even cross the 'too much romance line' into PNR. I say that because her 'romantic' life isn't all tied up in a pretty bow as a HEA, even though the bad guy of the main conflict is brought to justice. The pacing in the romantic tension was off for me. I found it annoying that there was such an immediate love triangle set up. Death could have been far less obvious a romantic interest or hell, even Falin could have been. One or the other, dammit. Book 1 is too soon for a love triangle in a non-romance book. Bring that on in book 2 or 3, anticipation is a good thing, I promise. Plus it's fun to point the finger at the text and say "I KNEW it!!! He totally digs her!"

It was also annoying that so many things from different UF series ended up in this book as part of the world building. There is nothing unique here, and no clever twists or standing convention on it's ear. I'm tired of reading about not thanking the fae. Can't we have something new there? Twist it, make it different, make it fun!

I think the action saved this book for me. It does carry on at a nice clip, enough that I didn't get too bored and put the book down and not want to return to it. The mystery was less about guessing who-dun-it for me and more about following Alex's attempts to survive the situations she embroils herself in.

I have hopes that subsequent novels in this world will manage to shine. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great. The book walks the line for me. I didn't love the world. I didn't love the characters. In the grand scheme of things, I'd read the next in the series, but I'm not sure I'd buy it. There was nothing in here that blew me away, and yet nothing that made me cringe, put down the book and walk away either.

It was a decent read.

Not a glowing review, and yet really not that much to critisize either. It just didn't 'pop'.

--Oh a personal peeve: In the beginning of the book Alex carries glasses in her purse to help her with her eyes being weak after using her grave sight. She states she only needs them an hour or two, then things go back to normal. Increasingly, she uses her grave sight more and more and ends up temporarily blind. Never once past the first 2 times she uses her grave sight do we see her use her glasses, or even have them ready to use. She 'fumbles' for them, as if she's not used to needing them at all. Which is stupid. It irritated me. Why mention glasses if past the first 2 she's not gonna use them?
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Jul 13, 2012 Aditi (READioactive Book Blog) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: to-read-series

Meet Alex. She is a Grave Witch. And if you haven't read this book - then let me tell you, it is a very cool profession. I wish I was one instead of a being an engineer. I wish I was given a choice.
But I digress, Grave Witch is a story about an investigative Witch. Yep, the world has changed. Witches & Fey & other magical creatures have stepped out of the proverbial closet. The geography of the world has expanded to open up the hidden folds of lands that housed these non-human creatures...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Soo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Soo by: Felicia

Shelves: reviewed

Alex Craft makes a living by summoning the shade of the dead. Cases of varying circumstances cross her path and she has her fingers crossed in hopes of being hired by the police department. It will be steady work, which she needs desperately, and it all hinges on how the murder case of a little girl that she worked on. It's finally gone to trial and verdict for guilty has been reached. Now, it's just a matter of time. Meanwhile, a string of gruesome murders are being found in the city and Alex i...more Alex Craft makes a living by summoning the shade of the dead. Cases of varying circumstances cross her path and she has her fingers crossed in hopes of being hired by the police department. It will be steady work, which she needs desperately, and it all hinges on how the murder case of a little girl that she worked on. It's finally gone to trial and verdict for guilty has been reached. Now, it's just a matter of time. Meanwhile, a string of gruesome murders are being found in the city and Alex is the only one who can sense the cloying black magic. Alex's life becomes much more complicated as the murders pile up, unexpected love interests fall into her lap, her soul is being sucked away by a wicked spell, her cell gets trashed, her piece of crap car gets stolen, avoids getting enslaved, and has confounding secrets smack her the face!

It's going to be a rough few days.

(view spoiler)

The tail end of the story saved this book and I will put the next one on my TBR Everest. This story gets 3.5. (less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-challenge, review-for-vbc, books-i-own-kindle

Originally reviewed for and posted at Vampire Book Club

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Alex Craft is a Grave Witch, using her powers of raising Shades (echoes of the dead) to aid the police and try and pay the bills as a P.I. When the head of the Humans First organization is found dead, Alex is drafted to get some answers. What she uncovers is bigger than anything she has ever been involved in. Caught up in a world of deadly politics, elusive Fae and very persistent ghosts, Alex finds herself in a rac...more Originally reviewed for and posted at Vampire Book Club

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Alex Craft is a Grave Witch, using her powers of raising Shades (echoes of the dead) to aid the police and try and pay the bills as a P.I. When the head of the Humans First organization is found dead, Alex is drafted to get some answers. What she uncovers is bigger than anything she has ever been involved in. Caught up in a world of deadly politics, elusive Fae and very persistent ghosts, Alex finds herself in a race against time to save lost souls, and maybe even her own.

Kalayna Price has woven a world where magic and the Fae may appear to be out in the open but still have plenty of secrets lurking out of sight. Even though magic and the Fae have been known to humans for more than 70 years, there is still a undercurrent of unrest and prejudice. I really enjoyed the alternate reality here, where certain humans are more magically sensitive than others. There was definitely a darker side to the magic being used, but I also really liked that it was used for petty things, like anti-bald charms!

There are quite a few different plot threads, those and nonstop action had me staying up late to see how they all tied together. Alex doesn’t have it all figured out, she’s broke, hasn’t spoken to her family in years and has serious issues with commitment…. And I loved her. She felt real to me, which is something that always draws me toward a character, especially in a supernatural environment. She was brave when she needed to be and asked for help from her group of friends when she was out of her depth.

Alex’s grave magic rituals where very interesting, particularly as Price didn’t get too bogged down with descriptions of rituals. The decaying state of the world around Alex when she was seeing through her grave sight was very vivid and she faced some serious handicaps if she over used her magic.

While Detective Falin Andrews always seems to be there to pull Alex out of the fire, he also seems to do his best to rub her up the wrong way. I adore a love/hate sexual tension relationship in my urban fantasy books and Grave Witch had bags of it. If you prefer more of the tall, dark and mysterious type then you may find yourself routing for the enigmatic figure of Death. Whichever team you decide, both these male leads have plenty of mystery about them that I can’t wait to see unraveled in later books.

Grave Witch is a fantastic beginning to this engaging urban fantasy series. If you are a fan of the earlier Anita Blake books, Patrica Briggs’ Mercy Thompson or Kim Harrison’s Hollows then Grave Witch is one to pick up. I’ve already grabbed a copy of the next in the series Grave Dance and I can’t wait to get stuck in!

Sexual content: Graphic sex scenes
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Mar 23, 2013 Reed rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's hard to gripe too much about this book since I grabbed it for mindless entertainment while awaiting other books to be published. Price creates yet another urban fantasy heroine who slogs through one encounter after another, refusing to communicate with others (because that would make sense and shorten the tale immensely), pining after the asshole/hunky dude you just know she will eventually bone, and suffering, suffering, suffering before she eventually defeats the big bad.

Eh. I won't be gr...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Jay rated it 3 of 5 stars

Here's the thing, this is one of three books I've read in the last three days that has a love triangle or some other "complication". I can handle triangles and complications for the span of 1-2 books in a series, much more than that and I resent the book. Now, when I finish the first book of a series and see a triangle or other complication, I surf the reviews of the other books in the series. If there's still crazy angst and no progression in the major relationship of a story, I don't read the...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Dittyer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: the-bay

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Okay so this is my first review, ever, let's see how it goes.
I can't say I've read tones of Urban Fantasy novels,so I might be wrong about some assumptions.

From my reading experience most urban fantasies involve witches, vampires, werewolves and some sort of other mythical creatures. "Grave Witch" was the first one I encountered that had only a few myth creatures such as witches and Fae. That really got me hooked, finally something different, a different mythological universe with creatures I...more Okay so this is my first review, ever, let's see how it goes.
I can't say I've read tones of Urban Fantasy novels,so I might be wrong about some assumptions.

From my reading experience most urban fantasies involve witches, vampires, werewolves and some sort of other mythical creatures. "Grave Witch" was the first one I encountered that had only a few myth creatures such as witches and Fae. That really got me hooked, finally something different, a different mythological universe with creatures I know nothing about. I enjoyed the different Fae species and their background, though I admit I would have loved to read more about them ( since I am bit fed up with vampire mythologies and the standard witch ones).

The main plot was also interesting and kept me going, probably because I did not find it so straight forward and easily deduced. If this is because it involved creature mythology I was not aware of at the beginning or because Kalayana Price is such a good story teller, I cannot say. Even though I did not expect some minor plot twists ( Alex's sister practicing grey magic for e.g or that Falin was a Fae, or that Roy was actually the owner of Collen's body) they were not totally unsurprising or uber imaginative, rather they had something of a Deus Ex Machina in them.

There are a few things I found extremely tedious about the book and made me want to skip whole chapters. The romantic interesting was not just a classic case of falling for the guy the main character despised at the beginning, but the whole sex scene started off to sudden and on top of that I found it boring as well. There were a few hints that it was bound to happen, the whole Alex-Falin thing, mostly because like I said it's a classic case and we were all expecting this, but I did not find it that obvious. In other book series it took the main female protagonist a few books before she started to change her mind regarding the said bad boy, and giving in to temptation, but Alex took me by surprise, jumping in bed with him half-way through the book. Yes she did find him attractive, but for a loner girl who disliked complicated things, though it might sound plausible to go right ahead and jump the gun, this grave witch did it too sudden, without any warning. Not to mention that the whole sex scene was boring. I am not a big fan of such scenes, not out of puritanism but simply because I find them improbable and they don't rise any particular feelings or sparks. This one seemed written by a very young girl who just discovered the wonders of copulation and is writing the experience down in her diary, trying to make it sound much more interesting than it is.

I am not saying this was a bad book all and all, despite it's flaws ( and I think there are a few more but this review is getting waaay to big) I did find it catchy, the characters though not very complex, seemed well balanced. Alex actually seemed too well balanced. Even though she is going through a whole lot of scary stuff, she tends not to question it too much, not to give into the "why meee??" routine, but rather takes it as it is. Finally a character that does not wine all the time that she is different from the rest, constantly trying to coupe with that ( and does it, in the end, after a gazillion books in the series).

Maybe the next book in the series will be more interesting . I wrote this review while still reading the book, but I've read 70% of it. I doubt my opinions will alter much after completion.

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Mar 24, 2013 CJ rated it 5 of 5 stars

I rarely give 5 stars to books that aren't crack-me-up hilarious. This is me trying to turn over a new leaf, because when I had my mouse hovering over those stars a second ago it occurred to me - what reason do I have NOT to rate this book a 5? None. The writing is very, very good. The murder mystery/investigative portion of this novel is just as engaging as the paranormal aspects, which is something you don't always find.

To go into technicalities for a hot sec, this book is superbly structured...more I rarely give 5 stars to books that aren't crack-me-up hilarious. This is me trying to turn over a new leaf, because when I had my mouse hovering over those stars a second ago it occurred to me - what reason do I have NOT to rate this book a 5? None. The writing is very, very good. The murder mystery/investigative portion of this novel is just as engaging as the paranormal aspects, which is something you don't always find.

To go into technicalities for a hot sec, this book is superbly structured. As a reader you know where you are, where you've been, where you're going. The world is complex, has a totally fresh and appealing spin on magic and the paranormal, and this lends itself to a more layered experience. This isn't a book full of ideas that have never been used, but it doesn't feel like I'm rereading another series or another author's work (at NO point, and I've read the Anita Blake series and the Charley Davidson series). Not only will you be fascinated by our main character (dark without being annoying, immature, angsty, clingy or weak), but there is plot and even complex romantic things happening - it's awesome, and I am still smiling thinking about it.

Alex Craft is a totally strong female lead with flaws that make her seem realistic, but never annoying, and maybe a bit more exciting. Her magic is seriously limited, but also reasonably badass. And her magic is transforming and growing throughout the book (even when these transformations leave her with even more serious setbacks - SOMETIMES I HATE NOT SPOILING).

PLUS!!! The climax of this novel totally delivers! I can't tell you how much it sucks when you're really into a read and then the end comes, goes, and it's like a round of sex that is great. Doesn't matter how good the buildup was if the end is disappointing enough. The disappointment will linger. The end to this book is great.

*After reading some of the other reviews for this novel, particularly the negative ones, I want to point out that in reading this, I did not consider it a romance. The novel puts the paranormal world and the murder mystery aspect first, and those are the things driving the book, I think. That said, the romantic aspects are really rewarding, but not if you are going into this expecting a fluffy romance-novel formula progression between two characters. That's really not what's happening here, and I loved it.*

Perhaps this is what happens when I jump from a straight week of reading YA paranormal and YA contemporary romances. OR, maybe this book just has no flaws... I'm exaggerating, but I want to just say that this is a novel where the editor really knew what they were doing, too.

I just started the second novel in the series, but put it down two chapters in to come write this. So far, very promising. I sincerely hope the entire thing is as clean and put-together technically as this novel was - it's one of the reasons I find it a stand-out.(less)

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Feb 12, 2013 Amy Goodloe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

If you enjoyed the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs or the Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison (aka The Hollows), then you'll almost certainly enjoy the Alex Craft series. I listened to the first novel in just over a day and started the second one shortly after finishing the first. I probably won't listen to the third one right away, but that's only because I have dozens of other books to listen to and I'm not due for more Audible credits for a few weeks.

What I like best about these ser...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Christi Snow rated it 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
This book was chosen by Amy to be our Chick-lits January read, and OMG, I loved it. I'm dying right now because I want to jump right in to reading the next two in the series, but I can't because I have review books that need to be read first.

This book features Alex. She's a grave witch and what that means is that she has a connection to people who have died. She can raise their shades (not ghosts, shades are different in this world) and find out what happened to them to cause them to...more My Review:
This book was chosen by Amy to be our Chick-lits January read, and OMG, I loved it. I'm dying right now because I want to jump right in to reading the next two in the series, but I can't because I have review books that need to be read first.

This book features Alex. She's a grave witch and what that means is that she has a connection to people who have died. She can raise their shades (not ghosts, shades are different in this world) and find out what happened to them to cause them to die. This is especially useful when it comes to murder investigations. When the governor of the state dies, things suddenly get very mysterious. Alex comes in to consult on one case and also sees the governor. Something is off with both bodies and Alex ends up being attacked by one of the Shades....something that should never happen. There is dark magic at work here and it's threatening Alex's and several other lives.

Then there are the guys:

**Falin Andrews is the lead investigator on the governor's case. He is NOT happy to find Alex meddling with his case, but he's also an extremely protective guy so when she's attacked over and over again, he ends up as her caregiver/protector. I love the fact that was such an integral part of his personality that he just can't help himself. In one scene, he starts out by handcuffing Alex to arrest her and in the end, takes her to bed to warm her up. This is a guy who's definitely torn about what to do about her....and he has his own secrets. Which I loved, by the way, when they came to light. I think that's going to add some really unique twists to the stories as the books move along.

**Death is the other guy in Alex's life. With who she is, she's come across him a lot in her life. He's always been this mysterious, sexy guy in black who comes in and out of her life. She considers him a friend and understands that there are just a lot of things that he is not allowed to tell her. As the story moves along, you get the feeling that there's more there than Alex sees and I was thrilled with how that segment of the story evolved. Yummy!

Seriously, I want to just drop everything right now to read the next book in the series. Definitely the start to a great Urban Fantasy series...
I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.(less)

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Dec 30, 2012 Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars

All right, I must admit that I wasn't expecting much from this book based on the cover. Yes, it's a paranormal romance/urban fantasy. See, I prefer the urban fantasy genre to the paranormal romance genre, and the cover made me worry that was more the latter than the former. However, it was a free (library!) read, so I thought I'd give it a go. I could always abandon it at any point without feeling that I'd lost money.

Reader, I didn't abandon it. I kept reading. I even read the romance sections w...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Asya rated it 1 of 5 stars

Нужна е само една дума, за ви опише тази книга - 'поредната'. Нищо не отличи Grave Witch от многото истории за свръхестествени същества с криминални елементи и жена в главната роля, които съм чела. Всъщност ми се струва, че Прайс нарочно е заела елементи от популярни книги и е положила голямо усилие да накара Алекс да звучи като други харесвани героини, същото важи и за останалите герои. Резултатът е един безличен миш-маш.
Бих могла да изпиша още много, но ще са само оплаквания колко ограбена се...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Pat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, always-worth-re-reading, mystery, romance, series, series-r-us, ya

What’s a witch to do??!!

The complicated world of Alex Craft, Grave Witch is one where witches and fae are a way of life. It’s all in a day’s work as this origin story takes us through the challenges of Alex’s daily grind of raising shades while trying to solve a mystery, unravel herself from an accident, not crush too hard on Death or get too involved with the mysterious new detective, support her injured friend, keep herself and her pet fed and get some new clients!

I enjoyed this start of the...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Round Lake Librar...: Vampires and Werewolves: Pro or Con?	10	9	Jan 07, 2013 04:05pm
Round Lake Librar...: Spoilers: Grave Witch	4	8	Jan 07, 2013 12:40pm
Round Lake Librar...: Grave Witch	1	5	Nov 29, 2012 06:25am
Vaginal Fantasy H...: * VFH01: Grave Witch Discussion	13	283	Nov 11, 2012 01:08pm
Urban Fantasy ser...: August BOTM: GRAVE WITCH	31	56	Aug 30, 2012 07:54am

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About Kalayna Price

USA Today Bestselling author Kalayna Price writes the Alex Craft Novels, a new dark urban fantasy series from Roc, and the Novels of Haven from Bell Bridge Books. Her works have been translated into several languages and are available (or have been contracted for release) in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, France, Poland, Russia, and Germany. Kalayna draws her ideas from the world around her,...more

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“I'm not just a warm body.” — 29 people liked it

“No bit of tail ever comes between you and Prince Charming. He must have entranced you."

"Prince Charming?" Falin asked, the question barely a whisper. "What did you think PC stood for? Politically Correct?” — 21 people liked it

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Grave Witch (Alex Craft #1)

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