Grave Witch An Alex Craft Novel

► 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 remain distant acquaintances friends 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.

Alex Craft is a grave witch. She can raise the Shades of the dead. She is also a consultant for the police. When asked to raise the Shade of a murder victim, Alex quickly agrees, since it seems like a simple case. But, this case is anything but simple. Not only is she attacked by the Shade, it quickly becomes clear that someone wants her dead. I loved this book!! I must binge read the rest!

Check out my review at The Book Geektress

I'm wavering between three and four stars on this one. I enjoyed reading the book but I'm not sure if I'll read the next right away. The story was interesting - some original worldbuilding around the wyrd/witches and the murder/mystery/investigation was well developed. Set in Necros City, part of the 54th state of the US, the story revolves around a series of ritual murders and the mysterious murder of the Govenor. Enter Alex Craft, a tough (and broke) Grave Witch, something akin to a necromancer - but not quite. She gets involved in the investigation of both sets of murder and teams up with the mysterious new detective and a geeky ghost. Although this one is told in first person, I didn't really get a great sense of Alex and the other characters didn't have a lot of development either. As the first book in a series, the characters and Alex may become more fleshed out. The murders/mystery were well done ... didn't figure it out and there were enough surprises and twists to keep me turning the electronic pages. The worldbuilding was also well done - some elements you see in a number of books that involve witches and fae but there was enough originality in the magic and other specifics that kept it fresh.

This was so much fun. I absolutely loved it. I thought Alex was an amazing heroine, with her snark and her stubbornness. I loved how there seemed to be so many twists and turns, and that the story was a murder mystery at its heart, tied in with magic and witches and fae and ghosts with a big bow on top. I love a good murder mystery. I love it even more with a unique take on magic involved. The world building left a little to be desired, but it is a first book in a series. I like how the author chose to describe the world as she proceeded through the story, a little history here and there, rather than choosing the boring info-dump that seems to be so common among urban fantasies. I hope I'm not disappointed by expecting more world building in the future. And a love triangle. Really? Just... really? Ugh. I actually picked this book up in the first place because I was in the mood for a girl-falls-in-love-with-death-himself story. But... that's not entirely what this is. There is a love triangle, and although I really wanted Death to win because, you know, that's why I picked up the book, I'm not so sure anymore. Death's presence in this book was sparse, and when he was there, I was incredibly disappointed. Like, come on. A little more effort from you, sir? But there are three more books to read, so far, so I think (hope) I can look forward to more substantial appearances from Death. Maybe. Hopefully? Regardless of my qualms, I still think this book is on the upper tier for the urban fantasy/paranormal romance - related books. It was so much fun, it was well written, and it was fast-paced. I read the last 65% of the book in one day, when I meant to only read a chapter. I've been desperate for a book that would make me so excited and obsessed that I couldn't put it down, and I finally got it in this one. Which I realize may be the reason I loved it so much. The book itself could very well not be that great, but you know what? I thought it was great.

I love paranormal books. I love the idea that there is more out there than what we currently know. Many paranormal series tend to be more romance than mystery. Those series are not what I am referring to. This series, while having a little romance, is not focused around that. Alex Craft is a badass, awesome woman. She has a very strained relationship with her family. She is broke more often than she has money. She has "grave magic". But above all else, she relies on herself and trusts her own judgment. One of the things I loved about this book was that my predictions while reading it were incorrect. I absolutely love when this happens which I realize is probably not common. But I have never said I am normal. If you like paranormal mysteries, you will love this book. Magic, fae, shades, ghosts, and so much more. However, if you are looking for a paranormal romance, you probably will not enjoy this book. Personally, 5/5 stars! This book is well-written, quick and engaging, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. From beginning to end, I struggled to put it down and I read it within a couple hours. Please keep in mind that I am a quick reader! I can't wait to read the rest of the books in this series!

Written by Kalayna Price, Grave Witch follows Alex Craft, a Grave Witch – someone who can raise shades, sees ghosts, and all of her big powers are related to the grave – as she hunts down who is sacrificing witches and who is body jumping, leaving corpses behind. Alex sees Death, a man who sounds very interesting, and is working with the newest detective on the force, Falin Andrews, who she just can’t seem to shake and keeps helping her. An important person to have around, considering that after she uses her grave sight she can’t see a thing. Fair warning now: THIS IS A ROMANCE AND MAKE NO MISTAKE THIS IS NOT FOR YOUNG ONES. With that, I really enjoyed this novel. The characters were interesting, though the supporting characters came off a little flat considering how little we saw them and really how short this book is. BUT, the main characters were interesting and now I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. The writing was smooth and kept you moving. Very modern, very urban fantasy in a good way. The plot was interesting and more logical than a lot of others, particularly since Alex is actually a PI, and she goes to places she knows or is lead there by a ghost. The pull and tug between the two potential romances is a fun thing to through in too. Overall, I really enjoyed this urban fantasy. Well written, with a bit of romance without having too much throughout it, and deaths that actually felt like there was something to lose. Highly recommend it if any of that sounds like your cup of tea.