Tori's Review: Grave Witch by Kalayna Price

Released: October 5, 2010
Paperback: 336 pages
Price: $7.99
Publisher: Penguin
Source: Bought
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Alex Craft 
Buy: Amazon


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 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...

My Rating:

My Opinion:
It's been a few weeks since I finished reading GRAVE WITCH, but even with the passage of time, my adoration for this book has not waned in the slightest.
The characters are well-balanced, witty, and likable. While Alex has her moments--like any heroine--she easily bounced back into my good graces a page or two later. The love interests, Death and Falin, were equally likable. In one of those rare moments while reading about a love triangle, I am surprisingly torn about which character I'm rooting for. Both have their faults, and both have their qualities that make me swoon.

At one point, I thought that Alex was going to choose one over the other, but I was horribly (thank goodness) wrong about that assumption. I think I'm starting to like Death a little more--especially after some of the things we learn about Falin.

Other support characters had moments where they seemed three dimensional, but then at other times, I felt they were kind of just there. It would have been nice to form more of a connection, but with the wide array of characters, it is sometimes difficult to incorporate them all on such an intimate level without distracting readers from the plot.

As for the plot... there was a little bit of running around, but it wasn't a bad thing. Kalayna kept me engaged and guessing while I read GRAVE WITCH, so between the mystery of both "who dun it" and "who's she gonna choose?!" I was invested.

While witches may seem to be overdone in the UF genre, I am glad to say that Alex's special abilities are unique--and that definitely gives her and this series an edge when compared to all the other withcy UFs out there. I was pleasantly surprised upon cracking open this book, and definitely do not regret the purchase I made months ago. I do regret not reading this sooner, though.

Story of my life, isn't it?

Highly recommended UF for those who love witches and the fae. And if you don't? Well, read it anyway, because I'm sure that you'll fall in love with witches and the fae anyway--especially with Kalayna's kick ass writing.


Series Order:
1. Grave Witch
2. Grace Dance (Tori's Review) 
3. Grave Memory (Tori's Review)