Review: Grave Witch by Kalayna Price

Title: Grave Witch
Author: Kalayna Price
Series: Alex Craft #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: October 5, 2010
Publisher: Roc
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Bought
Blurb:

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...

I'm always looking for new urban fantasy series so I was really excited when I heard about this book. Alex is a very likeable character who has a very rare ability and has to deal with all sorts of problems, her family being one of them. At the beginning Alex is a loner, she does things her own way and she doesn't usually ask for help, but all of that changes when she finds herself in the middle of a very dangerous high profile homicide case.

While it's explained why Alex doesn't get on with her family, I wish we could have gotten more information on them, especially about what happened to her older brother and mother. I really hope the author tells us more about them in future books.

At first it seems like Alex doesn't have friends but as the story evolves you get to meet plenty of people that we are told are her friends, but to me it seemed like they were strangers. None of them knows the truth about Alex, she almost never interacts with them and when there's something wrong she never calls them or ask for their help. That to me seemed like very strange "friendships".

My favourite parts of the book, apart of when Alex is using her abilty, are the ones that include Falin and Death. Falin is the homicide detective in charge of the case and he's a very enigmatic character. I didn't really know if he was a good guy or a bad guy but I was sure from the start the there was something more to him that what met the eye.

Then there's Death. He is mysterious, powerful and complicated. I liked how he always tried to help Alex even though it might mean bending the rules. He was by far my favourite character and it's a shame that there wasn't more of him in the book. I really hope he gets a more central role in the next one.

All in all, this was a great start to a very promising series, with an interesting worlbuilding and an awesome set of characters. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Memorable Lines:
Angel of Death, Soul Collector, Grim Reaper—whatever you called him, most people saw him only once. He strolled forward, and Baker stumbled back a step.
Crap. I jumped from the casket platform. "Don't."
Too late.
Death reached into Baker's pudgy torso, and the color leached from my client's face. He swayed. Death stepped back, and Baker blinked once more before crumpling.

Next Book:
2. Grave Dance (July 5, 2011)

Rating: