Review: Grave Witch by Kalayna Price

Title: Grave Witch Series: Alex Craft #1 Author: Kalayna Price Publisher: ROC Format: Paperback, 325 pages Published: December 16, 2010 My Copy: The Book Depository Rating: Buy: 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

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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