by Lorie Lewis Ham
This week we are giving away a copy of both of Kalayna Price’s books in her wonderful urban fantasy with a touch of mystery series featuring grave witch Alex Craft. Details on how to enter at the end of this review! Enter for yourself or for a Christmas gift for a reader on your list!
The main character in Grave Witch and Grave Dance is Alex Craft, a grave witch who can speak to the dead. Using this talent, Alex works as a private investigator and a consultant to the police department to help solve crimes. Alex lives in a world where the mystical has been revealed and witches, faeries and other mystical beings live out in the open.
In Grave Witch Alex finds herself not only over her head in deadly fae magic and a possible serial killer with potentially world ending intentions, but in the middle of the now complicated world of local politics, which includes her father who is part of the Humans First party. Being shunned by her family when they learned she was a grave witch, Alex changed her name and has very little to do with her family now–however in this story she finds herself in the middle of that world again. Alex is also struggling with the very human problems of her car being stolen and no money for food or other bills. Not only does Alex have to solve this mystery and catch the killer for the sake of humanity, but also to save the lives of her friends, her sister and herself. 
In this first book in the series, which came out in 2010, the reader is introduced to an interesting world and a lot of great characters. Alex lives with Caleb, an independent fae, and her other best friends are both witches, one of which works in the coroner’s office. By the end of this book, Alex also has two men vying for her attentions—one of them is Death (basically a grim reaper) whom only she can see and she has known since childhood, and the other is Falin, a fae detective. And we can’t forget her resident ghost, Roy and her adorable dog PC. Alex herself, even though she’s a witch, is a very real and relatable character who is just trying to get by in life like everyone else. She gets scared just like anyone else would when facing danger, yet she plunges in and does what must be done–especially when someone she loves in in danger.
In Grave Dance we find Alex’s business at Tongues of the Dead going well after not only solving the high profile case in Grave Witch, but also because she made it possible for Roy to be interviewed on TV. Alex is also still reeling from having not only come close to death but also discovering some startling revelations about herself and her father. 
Alex is called in by the police to help them investigate a very disturbing possible serial killer who leaves behind only the feet of his victims. Alex hasn’t seen nor heard from Falin in awhile when he suddenly pops back into her life leaving her feeling all the more confused and torn between him and death.
These books have quickly become favorites and I can’t wait for the next in the series. I love Kalayna Price’s writing and the world she has created. The series has witches and fairies, magical and human politics, murder, a body thief, talking gargoyles, mystery and much more. I love Alex’s relationship with Death and hope to see more develop from that as he continues to risk so much to help her. There’s just so much here to tell I really had a hard time figuring what all to put in the review, so I’m just going to stop here and let you discover it all for yourself. I highly recommend this series! Whether you love mystery, fantasy, or a mix of the two like I do you will enjoy these books!
To enter to win a copy of both of these books, simply email KRL at life@kingsriverlife.com with the subject line “Grave”, or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 10, 2011. U.S. residents only.
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Click here to buy this book & support Indie bookstores & KRL
Nice info on the books–good job. Thank you for letting us hear about them; I love finding a new series that keep you waiting for the next!!
We have a winner! Thanks to all who entered please coming back for more!
Lorie Ham, KRL Publisher