Grave Memory: Urban Fantasy (Alex Craft)

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A suicide and ghost insisting it isn’t sets Alex off on her most dangerous case to date.

Opening Sentence: “What do you think?” I asked, as I fumbled for the light switch.

Excerpt: Yes

The Review:

Alex Craft is back and this time is she finally setting up office and with a new partner. She is also keeping a lot of secrets from her friends, like her being feykin and Holly being addicted to Faerie food. Also, being neither independent or a part of a court is catching up with her, the raids on her apartment are becoming a nearly daily occurrence and Caleb is not happy. So she has to give in and finally accept one of the Winter Queen’s invitations.

When she witnesses a man’s suicide she thinks her day has gotten off to a bad start, however when the ghost insists that he didn’t kill himself things begin to get weird. His wife hires her despite her dislike of magic, and at first Alex can’t find anything that suggests it’s any different than a suicide except he has a weird memory loss. Upon looking deeper into the situation Alex finds that he witnessed a suicide before he disappeared for three days.

When an agent attempts to arrest Alex for making ghouls she knows something is definitely off, and while she doesn’t realize it at first she knows that some how these cases are tied together. After attending the gala, Alex loses all ability to control her glamour, of which she had no idea she had one to begin with. Things are spiraling out of control at a rate that Alex can’t keep up with. Falin is under control of the Queen, and the soul collectors are trying to keep her and Death apart, but as Alex gets closer to catching whatever is causing these suicides it may be that she can’t avoid her own death.

Whew, I love re-reading this series. I forgot how amazing these books are, and I still firmly love both Death and Falin, although I didn’t get nearly as much Falin interaction in this book as I wanted. I love how each book builds upon the last and Alex continues to find out just who and what she is, and I also really love Holly, Tamara, and Rhianna so much, and Roy the ghost that doesn’t go away just add so much to this series. The addition to soul collectors and how it is tied into the grave witch part of Alex is great. Such a delicate balance of Fae, witch and human mystery goes into each and every one of these books.

Re-reading this series makes me wish the newest book was out already, because I am dying to read more. I only have one more to review for the site, but I want to read them all now. If you haven’t read these books, read them now. You are missing out on a great series!

Notable Scene:

My rank in Faerie’s hierarchy was unclear. I was neither Independent nor Court fae. There was no precedent for a completely unaligned fae. In fact, the words “impossible” had come up more than once. Of course, I didn’t quite fit in any of the fae boxes. In all appearance, I was born human but either became fae or the fae in woke under the Blood Moon- I still wasn’t clear on that detail.

FTC Advisory: ACE/Penguin provided me with a copy of Grave Memory. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Alex’s love life is still complicated–she has lots of strong feelings for both Falin and “Death” (why does she never ask him his real name in this one?). I guess it’s supposed to be a love triangle with lots of angst, but instead I find myself thinking she really needs to look into polyamory and have a nice long talk with both of her guys. The sheer volume of back-and-forth emotions and accompanying actions finally hit my annoyance button or I wouldn’t have gotten to that point. At least Alex seems to have more chemistry with Death this time, which is a plus–and did make me smile.

The concept of a creature that can possess bodies, suck them dry over a couple of days, then kill them before moving on, is a good one. It’s made even better by some of the later revelations (which I’m not going to spoil for you). It meshes well with Alex’s evolving powers, her weird relationship with the fey, and more. It’s also complicated by the fact that when Alex raises the shade of one of these ‘suicides’, the shade has no memory of the previous few days. Watching her and her friends slowly put together the details is good–plenty of tension involved (and a little frustration when they missed some obvious non-coincidences).

The pacing in this one is good, and most of the characters have gained some extra dimension along the way. I enjoyed reading Grave Memory and look forward to reading the next book. It’s not such a great series that I’d pre-order the follow-on, but if it comes across my desk I expect I’ll enjoy it.

NOTE: Book provided free for review by publisher

The last 25 percent of this book completely rocked my world. That doesn't mean the first 3/4 wasn't good. It was. But the last quarter took it to an entirely different level. Maybe it's the romance lover in me, but I was so into this book as it drew to a close that I doubt I would have quit reading if my chair caught on fire.

If you've never entered the world of Alex Craft, know these things before deciding whether to give them a try. First: they're really good Urban Fantasy. Second, if you're going to start, you need to begin with book 1. And finally, this series is unfinished. Will it ever be finished? I don't know. Book 4 has been pushed back for years and the store lists its on-sale date as the year 2099. The author is completely radio silent. Take from that what you will, but know that when you finish this book, you will be thirsting for more. And it's a thirst that may never be quenched.

This book picks up about a month after the last one. Both men in Alex's life are MIA. The Winter Queen has her talons in Falin and is trying to use him as a bargaining chip to force Alex into her court. Meanwhile, the soul collectors are keeping Death away because he is forbidden to have a relationship with a mortal. So for a good long while, the love triangle is a non-entity. Instead, Alex is focusing on her business, which now includes her old friend, Rianna. She is also working to help her friend Holly deal with her addiction to Fae food. All this, while Alex, herself, grows more Fae every day.

Of course, these books always have a central mystery to solve. Here, Alex is investigating who or what is causing a string of people to commit suicide. The victims are not ending their lives of their own will and even their shades can't remember what happened. It starts as a case for Alex, but ends up hitting much closer to home. There is a lot of action, danger, and sleuthing to keep the story moving along.

It's good. But the real magic happens when Death takes center stage. I don't want to spoil too much, but I have been waiting for him to step up since the first book. It's been all Falin, Falin, Falin. And while I understand Falin's position and I sympathize, I don't see how anyone could not be Team Death at this point. Major swoon here. I loved him. I loved this part of the storyline. And though the end made some figurative fire shoot from my nose, it didn't detract from all the good stuff Kalayna Price gave us here. This is actually a well drawn love triangle. I'm anxious to see how it will end. Assuming we ever know how it will end. (*rocks in corner*)

The world-building continues to impress as we delve further into the courts of the Fae, as well as the various planes, and even peeks behind the curtain of those mysterious soul collectors. Alex is not without flaws, but Kalayna Price makes her emotions relatable. I really enjoyed seeing her work to be a good friend. And when her back is against the wall for Death, she really proves herself.

I hope against hope that we will see more of this great series. It would be a waste for such a fantastic story to end without an actual ending.

Rating: B+

Note: Sorry folks, but since every book is like an explosion of revelations, there's no way to write a review for Grave Memory without spoilers from the previous two books, Grave Witch and Grave Dance.

You notice something about my reviews for this series? Yes, they are ALL 5 stars. And they deserved every bit of those stars in my opinion, Grave Memory probably deserves a 6th star quite frankly, because it was THAT good.

I'm addicted to this series because of the world - the magic and the fae are just so well thought out and put together. Take for example, the start of Grave Memory. Alex did some MAJOR magic at the end of Grave Dance. And now that she's a plane weaver, she's SEEING more than just the land of the dead through her grave vision, she's SEEING multiple planes. All that is taking a major toll on her eyesight. So much so that as we begin Grave Memory, Alex has a suspended driver's license. Yep, she failed the vision exam. So she's trying to give the magic a bit of a break to get enough eyesight back that she just might be able to get it back at the end of the month.

Of course, in Alex's world going easy on the magic is easier said than done. She and Reanna (who I love by the way) are starting up the business they used to talk about in school - Tongues for the Dead - now that Reanna is back, at least between sunup and sundown, when she has to be in Faery because as a Changling she depends on the magic of Faery to keep her alive in the mortal world. (See, so complex! I love it!) Alex has been having Reanna handle all the shade raising for a while, so that she can rest her eyes… until she gets caught up in this case where the ghost is determined he didn’t commit suicide. Except that there's bunches of eyewitnesses saying otherwise. So of course, magic must be involved. Except that there's one thing that magic - human or fae alike - can't do. It can't take away someone's will to live. Dum, dum, DUM!

So Alex has that little pickle to solve. Then there's the relationship drama. On one hand you have Death. The events of Grave Dance proved pretty conclusively that a relationship between a mortal and a soul collector is a very bad thing. So Death is avoiding her - sure, you can tell he wants to talk to her. But Grey Man and Reaver (other soul collectors) are keeping him at a distance for the good of pretty much the whole damn world. Ouch. Then there's Falin. Alex's refusal to align herself with the winter court have royally pissed of the winter queen, so she's playing her best card. Control over Falin. He's forbidden to talk to her, except to deal with matters involving the fae. So Alex sees him plenty, thanks to all the raids the Winter Queen is ordering the FIB to do, searching for items everyone knows Alex doesn't have. But he's cold and aloof, not himself. Not seeing Death at all is probably better than the cold shoulder she's getting on a regular basis from Falin.

So yeah, her love life is in the s***ter. Thanks to a bunch of well crafted twists, things get super complicated with both men (yes - even more complicated) and I loved every convoluted minute. We also got to see even deeper into the world of the Soul Collectors, with some pretty soul shattering consequences. And then there's a trip to Faery during the Autumn Solsitice - talk about a total SQUEE moment for the fae obsessed (like me). It was a deeper look into Falin's world, also with some major consequences.

Things with her friends are pretty complicated too. In Grave Dance, Holly was kidnapped and taken to Faery. While she was there she ate fae food, which means that now she can ONLY eat fae food (gah! I just love this world. Sorry, geeking out a bit!). So Holly has this giant secret she's keeping from Tamara. And because of what happened to Holly, she now knows about Alex's part-fae heritage, so that's another secret being kept from Tamara. And then Tamara has her own secrets. I love their friendship and seeing them have to work through this struggle was really great. Sure I wanted to throttle them all and make them spill, but what fun would that be?

Once again Emily Durante did a great job narrating. Her voices are solid, for both the women and men. She's got the pacing down and the personalities are so vivid. I really hope the next book will be in audio…when it comes out.

And now I have to pause for a moment to cry a little. This is the last published book in the Alex Craft series. As I was finishing this book I went to buy the next one, and you can imagine my sadness when I realized it wasn't due until March 26, 2015 according to Goodreads. But there's more bad news. I went author hunting - you know you do it too! - and saw that there haven't been updates from Kalayna Price since 2013 on her blog. Grave Visions, book 4, was actually originally scheduled for release in August 2013. But I'm not giving up hope. There's a title and a cover, so please (oh please!) let their be a book! And despite now having to wait until who knows when for an ending that may never come, I'm STILL glad I discovered Alex Craft. I don't regret a thing.

This is the third book in the Alex Craft series. The fourth book in this series, Grave Memory, is due to release in fall of 2013. This series just keeps getting better. I love how elements of faerie and death magic are entertwined in Alex's character and enjoy watching her struggle to maintain her grip on the different planes of reality.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was very well done. I really love this series on audiobook. The character voices are well done and the emotions are conveyed well. Definitely a series I recommend listening to on audiobook.

While Alex is out for coffee with one of her girlfriends a man jumps off a buliding and kills himself, but his ghost is convinced that it wasn't a suicide. Alex and Rhiannan now have an office for their company Tongues for the Dead, guess who their first customer is...the pregnant widow of the man who jumped off of the building. As Alex starts to investigate the death more closely she finds disturbing patterns, this might not have been a suicide at all but a serial killer.

Of course added to the above investigation Alex is trying to deal with the fact that Holly can only eat faerie food. She also has her own problems with faerie, Alex has to choose a court soon or declare herself independent. Additionally Falin is still in thrall to the Winter Queen and Death is still... well Death...so her love life sucks too.

This was a wonderful book. It has a lot of complex entertwiing elements that are interesting and engaging. Any one of these things would make a good story on its own, but all woven together it makes for a fascinating read.

I love how each book has a major investigation that needs to be solved, but also continues with the broader story about Alex discovering her Fae nature.

Alex is a great character, she is funny and kind of takes everything in stride. She is resourceful and maybe a bit too impulsive at times, but that makes her even more fun to read about.

I am usually not a fan of love triangles but I have to make an exception for Falin and Death. These are two great mysterious, tortured, and witty male leads. Falin loves Alex and wants to be loyal to her but is sworn to service of the Winter Queen. No matter what, Alex can't trust him until his oaths to the Winter Queen are broken. Sadly he actually isn't in the story a ton, and when he is it's nothing but emotional turmoil for him and Alex.

Death is absolutely wonderful. We finally learn a lot more about the mystery behind his character. If I had to pick someone for Alex it would be Death, he loves her so much, he is so funny, and he knows her so well. I loved, loved, loved the scenes between him and Alex. I love his character and hope he features in future books as well!

Mostly my heart just hurts for Alex...she deserves to have someone, she is just so lonely in this book. The book wraps up with a delightful teaser.

Overall a wonderful read. The plot is complex and interesting, I am completely engaged with the characters, and love this world. I can't wait to see what happens next. This series is highly recommended to urban fantasy fans; it's one of the better urban fantasy series out there!

Alex and her best friend Rianna have finally opened their own PI firm called Tongues for the Dead but their first case is a lot more complicated than they had bargained for. What initially looks like a simple suicide case turns out to be much more when Alex realises that the Shade has no memory of the days leading up to the death - something that should be impossible. As the rate of public suicides continues to rise it becomes clear that something darker is going on but what could be behind the deaths? As if Alex's professional life wasn't complicated enough her personal life is even worse - with Falin under orders from the Winter Queen to keep his distance regarding anything that isn't work related, and Death nowhere in sight since his declaration, Alex is desperately missing both of the men in her life. She is also feeling more disconnected with her friends than ever before thanks to the efforts of the Winter Queen and the latest revelations about her own past. Before she can worry about her personal life she is going to have to deal with whatever is causing the current spate of suicides though, but can she do it before any of the people closest to her end up getting hurt?

Grave Memory is the third book in Kalayna Price's Alex Craft series and in my opinion this series just gets better and better with every instalment. I just wish I didn't have to wait for the next book to be published! This is one of the only series I can think of that has a love triangle that isn't driving me completely crazy, I can see why Alex is attracted to both Falin and Death so although I definitely know which team I'm on (Team Death of course!) I understand why Alex is finding it so hard to make a decision. I don't think Falin is a bad guy but the fact that he is tied to the Winter Queen makes it impossible to trust any of his actions, something that is really proved to Alex in this book. I would like to see him break his ties to the Winter Queen but to be honest I'm really hoping that Alex ends up with Death!

I have been crushing on Death since the first book but so far he had remained very much a mystery man and we didn't know very much about him so I was incredibly excited that he had a much larger role in this story. If I had a crush on him before I am completely 100% head over heels in love with him now - he is such a sexy guy and his actions in this book were completely swoonworthy. There is no doubt in my mind that he loves Alex and would do anything to keep her safe and he proves that time and time again no matter what it costs him. The only problem is that love between a human and a soul collector is forbidden so any future for them isn't going to be easy. There just has to be a way for them to make it work though - I refuse to accept any other alternative!

Although I love the romance in this series it is by no means the main focus of the story which is something I really appreciate. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the suicides and it was great to see Alex and Rianna reconnect after spending so many years apart. Rianna is having a hard time adjusting to having freedom again but I think Alex did a great job of helping her find her feet and start to experience life again. I also enjoyed learning more about the Fae and I don't envy Alex the choices that she is going to have to make when it comes to allying herself with one of the courts or declaring herself an independent. It seems like no matter which way she decides to go she is going to cause problems for herself of one kind or another. One of the things I like the most about this series is the way using magic has a price, that always makes it seem much more realistic to me but I have to admit that I don't envy Alex and Rianna their abilities. The cost of using her gift is becoming greater every time Alex accesses her grave magic and that is just going to make things even more complicated for her in the future. Kalayna Price has created a fantastic urban fantasy series that is fast becoming one of my favourites and I can't wait for the next instalment. If you aren't reading this series yet then I'd highly recommend starting with the first book Grave Witch but if you're already a fan then you're going to love this latest instalment!

Third in the Alex Craft urban fantasy series about a grave witch, a woman who can speak with the dead.

My Take
I am really enjoying this series. It's different from any others I've read and as much as I dislike the name of the city, Nekros, it is highly appropriate. Price has a truly ghoulish sense of humor!

Price has created a great cast of characters with lots of conflict, ranging from the loves forbidden to Alex, the weird estrangement between her and her family, the cops' love-her/hate-her attitude, and the general dislike the humans have for anyone with magic. Then there are the complications Price has created for her primary protagonist, the effects her Gift has on her life and their terrifying complications.

World building-wise, it's an odd place. Price states that Nekros simply came into exist during the Magical Awakening. Okay, I can buy that, but why is there never any mention of other cities, states, countries? The closest we get to inter-anywhere travel is to Faerie. Has the rest of the world...dropped off the face of the earth?

She refers to her father as the governor. I have to assume he is the governor of Nekros, but why would a city have a governor? Wouldn't a mayor make more sense? Then again, if he truly is a governor, what does he govern? In the U.S., a governor usually is the head of government for a state. In England, he could be on a school board. But I do get the impression that we're in America, so, what gives?

Hmmm, Alex's observation about ghost society---with Roy's confirmation---is rather creepy! And so very lonely.

Oh, man, I understand Alex's desire to open her office and couldn't help laughing about her first client. It's bad enough that the woman's anti-fae, and then Price describes how awful the office looks...

I love it! I love it! Bigots are the most amazing hypocrites!! Mrs. Kingly is so anti-fae, so nasty with it, and yet she'll use a magic charm to help her with a problem. 


I was going to whine about why the police couldn't follow the clues as Alex does, but then I realized...well, duh, the cops think it's suicide and they won't open a murder case on it. At least, not until Alex gets a little too caught up it!

I like Alex's ethics. I do not like Darque's. As Alex points out--government-sanctioned theft. Just because the bitch wants her spell.

"Snicker..."That you base your judgment on rumors?"

Oh, sob, I just love the romance between Death and Alex. They both want each other so much and he's so sweet about his wanting. Although, I didn't like Price inserting that bit about Alex questioning why she doesn't want him along at one point. It made perfect sense why he should stay behind, and it felt as though Price was simply using the opportunity to throw in some very badly thought-out tension. Then there's the romance between Alex and Falin. Another case of serious, scarred want. Damn, all this beefcake and she can't touch!

Then there's the oddity of Mrs. B. She's expanded so much beyond a brownie's expected purview. I love finding out what she's up to. That, and I want her to adopt me!

NO. John is being completely unfair. He knows what Alex is like. Why wouldn't the cops bring her in. At least keep her in the loop!

The Story
When crimes and how they were solved get hushed up, the cops get suspicious of anyone involved. And Alex is persona non grata with the police after events in Grave Witch (Alex Craft, #1) and Grave Dance (Alex Craft, #2).

There's one Magical Crimes inspector in particular willing to pin anything on Alex and when the ghouls come to town, well, Alex is perfect for the crime.

You'd think having Briar Darque breathing down her neck would be enough to spoil Alex's surprise for Rianna, naw. The Winter Queen is upping her harassment to force Alex to choose a Court. Falin has a geas on him to only interact with Alex professionally and then sends the FIB in to harass her and her housemates for anything and everything, no matter how ridiculous. Now Caleb is giving her an ultimatum.

To add to her misery, the soul collectors are preventing Death from seeing her as well as demanding that she leave this case alone. A move that will backfire leaving them both with some horrible choices.

The Characters
Alex Craft has recently learned that she's Sleagh Maith, royal fae. Her father had placed a spell on her to prevent anyone, including her from realizing what she was, only the magic won't be denied. A problem her father solves by casting her off. She's also discovered she's a planeweaver and highly coveted by all the courts of Faerie. Roy Pearson is her self-appointed ghostly assistant, acquired during events in Grave Witch (Alex Craft, #1) and he hates Rianna. PC is her Chinese Crested dog.

She lives in an apartment over the garage at Caleb's house; Holly is their mutual housemate, who is also an assistant district attorney. Some of the events in Grave Dance (Alex Craft, #2) are adversely affecting Holly's career. Caleb is fae, a green man and he and Holly are in love and going at it like bunnies. Tamara is another of Alex's friends. She's also the lead medical examiner in Nekros. And she and Ethan have several bits of happy news!

Rianna McBride is her newly recovered college roommate and friend. Now that Rianna's status is set (see Grave Dance (Alex Craft, #2)), Alex has plans to give Rianna purpose and, hopefully, prolong both their lives with Tongues for the Dead Investigations. Desmond is a barghest and Rianna's protector. Mrs. B is a brownie, who goes with the castle Alex inherited from Coleman. Now she's appointed herself as Alex's office manager.

Death is a soul collector. And he's in love with Alex. A hopeless love, we think. The "Gray Man" and "Raver" are fellow soul collectors and extremely disapproving. The mender has some very godlike powers and poses Alex and Death a weighty choice.

Detective John Matthews is Nekros PD and usually the first to call Alex in as a consultant. Now, there's a kibosh on even talking to her! Detective Jenson is John's partner and "a feykin in hiding" and not one of Alex's fans. Briar Darque is an inspector with the Magical Crimes Investigation Bureau. Or, as Alex describes her, GI Jane. A new cast member specifically to harass Alex--from the human side of the law.

George Caine is her jerk of a heavily disguised father, the governor, and a member of Humans First. Casey is her estranged sister.

Nina Kingly is the anti-fae widow, who wants to hire Alex to learn the truth about her husband's supposed suicide. James Kingly is just one of the victims police think committed suicide. Only, his ghost says otherwise. Kelly Kirkwood is another widow, who hires Alex. Daniel Walters, Gromel, and Michael Hancock are more victims. It's Steven, who provides the next clue.

Ryese is the Winter Queen's nephew and thinks he's all that.

The FIB is the Fae Investigations Bureau. Headed up by Falin.

The Cover
The cover is a lilac-tinted gray with tone-on-tone scrolls in the corners and bracketing the series name. Color comes from Alex's blonde hair blowing in the breeze and her royal blue tank top as she stands atop a hill overlooking a nightlit city.

I can only imagine that the title refers to the ghouls who are rising up everywhere, a Grave Memory.

Alex Craft, Grave Witch extraordinaire, makes her living solving murders by raising the deceased shade. Her latest case involves an apparent suicide that she was hired to investigate. It should have been an open and shut case, but when she questioned the shade it had no memory of the events leading up to its death, something that has never happened before. When several more suicides pop up with the same circumstances, Alex realizes that these deaths weren't suicides at all but murder. But getting to the bottom of this case may just put her in the crosshairs for the killer's next target.

I really enjoy the framework of this series in that using magic comes with consequences. Alex's vision issues after raising a shade are worse than ever, to the point where it won't be much longer until she becomes fully blind. It would have been so easy to have her new found fae powers to have been a magic fix for this, but that isn't the case and I really appreciated it. In fact there was another opportunity for an easy fix in Grave Memory where Alex was basically completely healed and renewed, yet her vision issues were left alone. I just hate when power comes too easy or there are no real consequences to using such power in books. I vastly prefer there to be responsibility and consequences for power, and this series definitely hits that mark.

Alex's love life is even more complicated than ever, something I didn't think possible. Even though neither man was really a viable option for her due to the circumstances, Falin still seemed to be the more likely of the pair to stand a chance, even if I would have preferred Death to be the victor. Granted, the Winter Queen would be a major roadblock there as she refuses to relinquish her hold on him, but at least Falin doesn't disappear all the time like a certain collector. Even though Death may have said that he loves her, nothing between them could really be called a relationship as he is strictly forbidden from being with her. His constant disappearing combined with the secrecy makes things difficult to say the least, and honestly prior to reading this book, my hope for them together had really started to dwindle. After the events in Grave Memory I have a lot more faith in them, although it is a little ironic as they definitely aren't in any better of a situation than before. That being said, things did finally come to a head, and how they feel about each other is no longer in question. Although what that really means for them in the end still remains to be seen.

Considering the very large volume of books I go through per year (300+) it can be a little difficult to remember past events from a previous installment when I pick up a series' latest release. A lot of the time I have to go back and read the last chapter or so of that earlier book to refresh my memory as to what is going on and who everyone is. So, it is always a sign of a really good series when I don't have to do this refresher and can jump right in because things made enough of a lasting impact on me that I can remember what happened. The Alex Craft series is a perfect example of this as these books are so good that they really stand a step above the rest. Each installment is even better than the last, making of one heck of an entertaining series. Grave Memory is an action packed roller coaster ride that will keep you enthralled from the very start. An absolute must read!

Quite frankly, I was so awed by "Grave Witch" that I immediately purchased "Grave Dance" and "Grave Memory", read them all in a week, and enjoyed all three books. To put this in perspective, sequels usually bore me to tears.

The setting is a fantasy variant of modern day. Other creatures are immersed in a world similar to our own. Everyone knows it, which is a huge improvement from the typical. The main character, A--, is a young woman with witch powers. A-- is changing as a result of events in the first two books and her flirtation starts to change into something that might be serious. I really enjoyed these developments.

The plot is an adventure, with elements of mystery, action, fantasy / world discovery, and romance. The central plot is another mystery, but unique enough to still be interesting. The author introduced yet another whole set of new fantasy elements, each so unique and fun that you don't even need to read them in order for each to be enjoyable. Since this is the 2nd sequel, that really wows me. The book is written entirely from A--'s point-of-view.

Kalayna Price takes a complex ideas and weaves it into a seamless story. Grave Memory begins with Alex Craft picking up the pieces from the last book. She is still slowly losing her vision, and is not allowed contact with either of the men in her life, one of whom has always been her rock and her consolation. But Alex doesn't waste herself on self-pity. She holds on to what is important to her and ends up fighting a fight that no one else is willing to jump into...or even acknowledge. There are so many complexities in her relationships to her colleagues, her friends, the fae, and the death collectors. It would be easy for a lesser person to lose herself in that mishmash. The romance (yes, there is some eventually - albeit short lived) is more "earned" than in any other book I have read recently. And the potentially romantic ending is hilarious in its misery.

Please be warned that this review contains spoilers for books 1 and 2 in the series.

Alex Craft is a Grave Witch meaning she is a witch who has a connection with the dead, she can see and touch ghosts and she can raise a the memory of a dead person, a shade. She has also recently found out that she is half Fae and is coming into new magical powers such as planeweaving meaning she can touch different planes of reality. Alex has now become partners with her old friend Rianna who has been held captive in Faerie for some years. They have just got an office for their PI business Tongues For The Dead and are looking for their first case which literally falls from the sky for them in the form of a suicide. But as Alex and Rianna dig further into the case they discover that they have a serial killer on the loose who is possessing people and eventually forcing them to take their own lives. Whilst Alex is working her first case she is also dealing with the two hot guys in her life. Death her lifelong friend who is a soul collector that has started having feelings for Alex that he shouldn't because soul collectors and mortals do not mix. Then there is the Winter Queens assassin Falin Andrews who is under the influence of the Queen and must obey her orders. Things are never easy for poor Alex.

This is a series that you really need to read in order to get the most from the story, there is so much going on and the story follows from one book to the next. It is quite some time since I read the first book so I can't remember all the details which is a shame, however you do get little snippets here and there of what has happened before so you can pick it up.

I was a bit down on book 2 Grave Dance so whilst looking forward to book 3 I was also a little apprehensive, however I needn't have been as I really enjoyed it. There is a lot happening in this book but for me it wasn't as disjointed as I found book 2 to be. The case that Alex and Rianna are working on is exciting and unusual but not overwhelming in information to the point of confusion. Alex's friends Tamara and Holly who have been constant in the earlier books take more of a back seat in this as the characters seem to grow apart a little bit as their lives change and they have secrets from each other. For those of you like me who are Team Death we do get to learn more about him as Death takes up a starring role in the second half of the book. Falin is under the compulsion of the Winter Queen so we get to see a different side to him but like Holly and Tamara we don't see Falin that much. I have mixed feelings about the love triangle. I am Team Death but I also like Falin too so I can see why Alex doesn't know who to choose and I am intrigued to see shich way Ms Price will go with this storyline. I am also really enjoying the introduction of Alex being Fae and I loved it when they venture into Faerie.

There was some re-hashing of the story from time to time which always annoys me in a book. I also found the big climatic ending to be rushed and I must admit I was confused by events that take place so for those reasons I am going to give this book 4 stars. I would recommend this book to those of you who like Urban Fantasy. It really is a great series and this has been my favourite book of it so far.

Alex Craft is a grave witch. She solves murders by raising the shades of the dead. A shade is unable to lie because it is (basically) just the memory of the body. Alex has been on friendly terms with Death himself since very early childhood. Their relationship has been heating up and becoming more personal; however, due to recent events, a romance between them is forbidden. They can have no direct contact. The only other person that Alex has any interest in is Agent Falin Andrews, who is completely bound to the Winter Queen, making him untrustworthy.

As the story opens, Alex is showing one of her best friends (and soon-to-be business partner) the new office for "Alex Craft and Rianna McBride: Tongues for Dead Investigations". Rianna has been forever changed by her time spent captive in Faerie, but she is looking forward to this new venture in life. They do not have to wait long. Alex is hired to investigate the death of James Kingly. The shade has no memory of his death or for the three days prior in which he was missing from home. Despite his public suicide, this is murder. Could some sort of magic - a type unknown to Alex and Rianna - overcome the human will to survive? Or perhaps it is some type of virus that is causing the sudden rise in numbers of recent suicides? Whatever the cause, searching for answers may very well cost Alex her own life.

**** FOUR STARS! Kalayna Price has crafted a magical world filled with a cast of such intriguing characters that readers may wonder if they have been glamoured. (I sure did.) The author does not just stick magic in Alex's world and then stop. Instead, the magic has its own set of laws - much like physics does - and the author explains them so logically that they make total sense. Very believable. And down-right bespelling! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Able to raise the dead to solve homicides that baffled the Nekros City police, Alex Craft the grave witch finds it ironic that the cops resent her success that they believe make them look inept. However, Alex is more concerned with the side effect of chatting with the dead and ponders whether someone who has known Death personally since she was five years old and whose main lover Fae Investigation Bureau agent Falin Andrews who is owned by the Fairy Winter Queen can have a love life.

Meanwhile Alex and her friend Rianna McBride, recently rescued from Faerie (see Grave Dance), open Tongues of the Dead Investigations. The pair and others watch as James Kingly commits suicide. However, his shade immediately claims to Alex that he was murdered. Alex investigates and learns her client vanished for three days just before his death; questioning him he says he has no recollection of disappearing or for that matter any of his activities prior to his dying; except witnessing someone else commit suicide. As the grave witch follows clues, she finds a string of suicides that make her fear she may be magically coaxed to kill herself.

The third Alex Craft Grave Witch urban fantasy (see Grave Memory) is a super investigative thriller that focuses on apparent suicides that increasingly prove to be homicides. Alex struggles with the concept that a shade cannot remember its last few days of life as this is a new phenomenon for her to chew on and that powerful magic has healthy contented people killing themselves. Readers will enjoy her inquiry into the unknown as the heroine knows whoever is behind this could add her life as one more dead bead on a growing string.

Harriet Klausner

"You can't disbelieve the truth away. You can cover the truth, you can create something new, but either way you have to believe what you are creating."

Grave Memory is the 3rd book in the Alex Cross series by Kalayna Price. The plot of these books always revolve around a murder mystery with Alex Cross doing the investigating. I will do my best to keep spoilers out of this review since this is the 3rd book of the series.

Alex Cross is a "Grave Witch" which means she can raise the shades (ghosts) of dead beings and communicate with them. She can also talk to ghosts and transfer energy to them and give them the ability to be temporarily corporal. Alex is also recently discovered that she's part fae and she's still getting used to that idea. Alex is just starting her business, Tongues of the Dead, with her good friend Rhianna and they haven't taken on any cases yet. When they get involved in a suicide case, it isn't long before Alex realizes there's some more paranormal going on here.

This book holds the most significant changes for Alex Cross so far. She is learning more about her fae side while determining which fae court she is going to align with. Her love life is up in the air with Falin under the control of the Winter Queen. Her long time friend ,and possibly something more, Death has been unusually absent from her life. By the end of this book, everything Alex has ever known is changed and there's a huge cliff hanger!

One of my favorite paranormal genres is the necromancer/raising the dead magic. While I'm generally not a fan of the Fae/Fairy books, this one is a perfect meld and still remains very dark. Alex is a very flawed character and she knows it. You can't help but feel bad for Alex because she gets dealt such a bad hand with her family, relationships and her career. That's probably why reading about her triumphs makes the book so much more enjoyable. I'm not giving away any spoilers about the relationship progress in this book but, I have to say I didn't expect what happened.

This book is not stand alone so I highly recommend reading the first 2 books in the series first.
Book 1 Grave Witch (Alex Craft, Book 1)
Book 2 Grave Dance: An Alex Craft Novel

Originally Posted on: [...]
What an emotional ride! K. Price is forcing her readers on a roller coaster. My emotions were all over the place, as soon as I get some footing underneath me, she pulls the rug away.

Grave Memory begins on a hopeful note. Alex survived the events of the previous book and is moving on with her life, opening an office and making Tonges for the Dead legit. Unfortunately, Death has all but disappeared and Falin is forbidden to talk to her. Add to that the fact that she has two best friends tied to fairy and a third who has no idea the changes she's going through.

This is another solid book in the series. I noticed that many reviews have said this book is disappointing, but I disagree. I did not love the first book, but am steadily falling in love with Alex and her none stop drama. I have to compare Alex to Rachel Morgan in the Hallows series. These two ladies keep stumbling into trouble, have a unique desire to stop the bad guy no matter what, have horrible luck with men and always seem to be in bad standing with law enforcement. I also spend a lot of time being legitimately angry for both characters.

I kind of hate the author for what she's doing to us with this love story. I have made up my mind that I am team Death and hate, hate, hate the ending. So much hope and then it's lost. Honestly book 4 better end the triangle, I can take but so much of this flip flopping . Also, I hope Alex gets to defeat the winter queen. Death would be nice, but I would settle for dethroning.

****possible spoilers****

I read a lot of urban fantasy/romance and I must say this series quickly became one of my favorites! I love that there are TWO men who fall for Alex. The first and second book both I was rooting for Falin just a little bit more because he was "around" and because we got to go on the journey of her falling for him. However, after this third installment I cannot honestly imagine her with anyone but Death. I mean she kisses him FIRST when she realizes she can. She promises not to run the morning "after," and he has been her closest friend since she was 5. I really hope it works out for them. I really felt their connection in this book. She's just so comfortable with him. But, I don't want Falin hurt. I know Alex cares for him and he's being an a$% right now because of the Winter Queen (I REALLY hope Alex gets to kill the b#@$% next book), but I don't think what she has with Falin is as deep as what she has with Death.

Ok, now for the problems of the book. I LOVE that Rhianna and her open their own business. I loved getting to know more about all the characters, BUT COME ON it was over a hundred pages in before there was anything with Death and Falin. Don't get me wrong I love the world Price has created, and I know Alex was going/is going through a hard time, but the romance is the BEST part!!!!! I cannot wait to read the next book. Especially with that ending. Now, that was epic!!! I just hope the next book contains more Falin and definitely more Death! That's really the only problem with the book.

And did anyone understand Alex's father's statement????? Is Alex his only real daughter???? What's up with that? And I'm hoping her brother returns soon, maybe in the next book ;)

I recommend this book immensly! Actually the whole series!

I strongly suggest you read the previous books in the series (Grave Witch and Grave Dance) prior to reading this installment.

This was another great installment. It wasn't the best in the series but it's still a worthy read.

This installment devoted a considerable amount of focus to the love triangle aspect and a bit less focus on action than previous books. However, the plot still delivers a healthy dose of excitement and intrigue.

The unfolding of Alex's fae awakening is fascinating. I can't wait to see where her evolution takes her next.

I recommend this book to fellow dark urban fantasy readers. I hope this is not the end of the series and that there are more books slated for release in the near future.

I also recommend:
The Taken: Celestial Blues: Book One
The Renfield Syndrome (Rhiannon's Law, Book Two)
Immortal Rider (Lords of Deliverance, Book 2)
Night Seeker (An Indigo Court Novel)
Black Wings (Black Wings, Book 1)

The Winter Queen really knows how to throw a wrench in situations. She sucks and I cant wait to see Alex take her down (Please tell me that day is coming). I love that Alex has decided to open up her PI firm, I enjoy reading about all the trouble she gets herself in as she investigates. I enjoy reading about all of Alex's friends and how they are pulled in to the story, and the support they provide when needed. Death actually play's a big role in GRAVE MEMORY and we get some info about him and the other reapers. I'm excited to find out more. There are a lot of characters throughout the story but one that sticks out the most was Briar. She is definitely going to be in future books and I don't think she will be on Alex's side in the future.

The love triangle is getting a bit tedious. One second She is with Death and things are going great and the next she's with Falin. One Second she's with Falin and things are going good, the next she is with Death. The whole thing is why I took off half a star. It gets frustrating and kinda silly the way her situation keeps swapping. (I'm secretly Team Death though so I'm rooting for him).

I have a feeling Faerie will play a really big role in book 4 and I'm not entirely sure if that is a good thing or not but I will continue to follow the series. Any fan of the first two books will be happy with book 3.

Alex and Rianna have their office "Tongues for the dead" finally open and they need clients. When a man throws himself from the top of a building and his ghost firmly denies he killed himself, Alex and Rianna get their first client. In the meantime, Nekros is assaulted by more suspicious suicides and Alex cannot understand what is going on - what kind of magic can force someone to take its own life? To make things worse, Death is avoiding her and Falin barely speaks to her because he's a pawn at the hands of the Winter Queen.

I looooved this book, it's definitely my favourite so far! Alex is clearly tired of everything she went through, not only physically but also emotionally since she feels abandoned by both Death and Falin. She tries to concentrate on her new office and the case she has in hands: a handful of suicides that sound a lot like homicides. But how? And why? Not to mention her true heritage that is getting more and more obvious, which brings a lot more problems for Alex as she dreads Faerie. Thankfully Alex's best friends are there willing to help her, I was really glad to see the whole group fighting together. What a great book! It still leaves a lot of open questions, but it's very hard to stop reading because the action never stops and the suspense builds enormously with a lot of twists! Can't wait for the next one!

I have enjoyed every book in this series thoroughly. Well written, great characters, great editors which means minimal errors (a pet peeve of mine), thorough plotting, consistent and well thought out world, and lots of action with a generous dash of humor.

FYI, while the book is complete on its own, it has a lot of backward reaching plot points. Start at the beginning of the series. You'll enjoy it more.

So I have been putting off reading this for awhile but I am glad I finally started it.
It was slow for me at first which I hate. But then it started moving. I love Alex she is so awesome. I wish that Death and Falin where there more. I do think I am going to go back and read the first two again. But It was a good fun read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest installment in the series. Just when you think that things can't get more crazy and complicated, things get even worse for poor Alex. There's a lot of darkness in this story but also lots of dark humour. Can't wait to read more of this series.

If you're considering reading this book, then I have to assume that you've read the prior two books in the series. I won't give any of the story away, but Grave Memory does not disappoint. Just as good as the first two books and I'm loving Death & Falin more and more. I just really hope Kalayna Price doesn't ever make Alex choose just one (and also I hope she doesn't ever introduce any more love interests because anything more than a love-triangle is just too much -- a common probably with a lot of urban fantasy novels).

The characters, the plot, the romance..everything was perfect. Faerie and Nekros City are intriguing as ever. If you loved the first two books, don't hesitate to pick up this latest release. Can't wait for more!!!!

I'm a huge urban paranormal fan. I especially love urban paranormal that isn't vampires/werewolves - since that's gotten old. And truth be told, while I didn't find this book particularly great among many of the others of its ilk, it was still pretty good. Plot was on the average side, and character development this round was pretty minor. Despite that, I still enjoyed the book overall.

What I did NOT enjoy was the ongoing ridiculous love triangle. I'm not a fan of love triangles normally, but I'll put up with it if the world building is good, the plot is well written and the characters are interesting. I really feel like this series could have potential, but the triangle is really dragging it down for me overall.

Alex can't make up her mind - or rather she does, then something happens two seconds later and circumstances force her to recant and wallow in hypocrisy. Three books in, and it's getting old. She doesn't have to make a choice, but if she's going to, it'd be nice if she'd throw on her big girl panties and stick with it. It doesn't feel like it contributes to the story - but is rather being used as a plot device to keep the romance from petering out to keep fans of both love interests happy.

Three stars - because I still like the world and the story, but I'm just about done with the back and forth romance.

Alex Craft is a witty, fun and believable character. This installment is a fast read that really catches you in Its grip and wont let go. The romantic interests become more intense without losing site of the character's intent and it had me laughing and crying. The story is solid and conclusions are not arrived at without actual resolution. I am really looking forward to any additional books in this series and/or from this writer.

After the previous 2 books in this series being so amazing, I held off reading this book for about a week, I was unsure it would be as good and that would almost ruin my life
Luckily for me it was awesome, I really enjoyed getting to know more about Alex and Death and although from reading other reviews I can see people are choosing teams, I am just going to enjoy reading whatever happens.

Being very selfish and not a big Haven fan I would like more Alex Craft books but I guess I can hold out for another year for next one!

I have really enjoyed reading the first 2 books in this series but there was something missing in this installment. Perhaps it started off poorly due to spelling, syntax, and other grammatical errors that completely distracted from the story. Speaking of which, the story was also a disappointment. The plot moved at a much slower pace than the prior 2 books and the world building was severely lacking. There is no clear delineation between the powers of grave witches, ghouls, soul collectors, fae, etc. In fact, by the end of the book it is never explained what species the antagonist was, what kind of magic he used, etc. There are some vague notions and hints thrown around but nothing substantial to wrap your brain around. I also grew tired of the love triangle. Alex has very little personal growth in her relationships from the prior 2 books, and seems to instead be regressing. She finally sleeps with Death and we learn what she is willing to sacrifice for him. But at the same time Falin continues to be a player despite his repetitive betrayals of Alex on the Winter Queen's behalf. Alex seems to have no conscience about having romantic interludes with both of them. She has yet to stand up to either Death for his continual abandonment of her or to Falin for his repetitive betrayals and abandonment of her. Alex comes across as whiny, pathetic, and whorish when it comes to her relationships with both men. It is very hard to relate to or admire such a weak protagonist. Finally, I hated how the book ended. Hopefully, Alex will grow a backbone by the next installment and not just roll over to the Winter Queen and Falin's demands.

I initially LOVED this series. I am an avid reader, and I have rarely found books that were able to pull me in so fully. However, I am exhausted with the back and forth with Falin and Death. I was so excited for this book, and on the edge of my seat when Alex and Death FINALLY were able to act of their feelins....and then the book ends with Falin moving in and Death getting screwed again?! Come on... I was loving this series, but now I believe I have had enough. I can find a mystery in other books, what I loved was the romance between these two, and since that isnt going to me there I am unintersted. If you don't like Death and are team Falin this book will be another great on for you.

I initially LOVED this series. I am an avid reader, and I have rarely found books that were able to pull me in so fully. However, I am exhausted with the back and forth with Falin and Death. I was so excited for this book, and on the edge of my seat when Alex and Death FINALLY were able to act of their feelins....and then the book ends with Falin moving in and Death getting screwed again?! Come on... I was loving this series, but now I believe I have had enough. I can find a mystery in other books, what I loved was the romance between these two, and since that isnt going to me there I am unintersted. If you don't like Death and are team Falin this book will be another great on for you.