Grave Visions (Alex Craft Book 4)

This was my second time reading through the series and it hasn't disappointed. Admittedly the main character is still securely lodged between her two romantic interests and making little progress in that respect but I've come to appreciate the more substantial plot lines that seem to be a rare creature in the paranormal romance fantasy genre. It is going to be very interesting to see how the author handles the twist at the end of this book in the next volume.

Alex craft can see ghosts and can raise the shade (dead sans soul) for questioning. As a grave witch she was pushed out of her family circle, only to find out under extremely harsh circumstances that she is fae and her father has been playing a long game. She has the ability to touch and move different planes of reality which makes her a commodity in the fae world. As she was raised and had believed she was human she knows very little about using glamour, or all the little niceties of being fae.

This book starts right where Grave Memory (Alex Craft) left off: Alex still refuses to learn glamor, she still hasn't decided on a court (despite the Winter Queen's genius plan of tormenting her so that she'll inexplicably choose the Winter court), and she still can't decide on which unavailable man she wants more (the dead guy she can't be with or the fae guy she can't be with). When she starts feeling a bit under the weather she's shocked to discover that if she doesn't choose a court she'll fade away. When the Queen comes calling and needs Alex to work a case for her, Alex realizes (after pages upon pages of internal dialogue) that this just might be a chance to secure her independent status in the Winter court.

This series has never been my favorite due to the Mary Sue factor and the writing but it's always had lots of potential which is why, after 5 yrs, I was hoping it would somehow improve.... The good news is, I think if you liked the first 3 books there's a good chance you'll like this one because it's consistent with the rest of the series.

I'll start with the writing. This book, like the others, is DROWNING in internal dialogue. There will always be a few lines of real dialogue or a few lines in which we find out stuff is happening but then it's always separated by pages upon pages of internal dialogue in which everything is over explained-and often repetitively. I don't need Alex to explain (multiple times) that she doesn't want to meet with the Queen and that she can't just turn around and run away now that she's been brought to the door (seriously does the author really think we need this explained?). I think all these repetitive excuses/explanations for why Alex wants to do this but can't do it for already very obvious reasons should be edited out along with all the other repetitive explanations of what just happened, or what certain clues (that are already very obvious) mean. I'm not stupid and can see most of these things myself.

I listened to this book on audio so I couldn't skim this stuff. Emily Durante's teeth-gnashing narration (this woman always sounds like she's gritting her teeth and trying to talk out the side of her mouth) doesn't help the situation. I seem to be in the minority (i know some people, for whatever crazy reason, like her a lot), but i really think she makes a bad situation worse here.

Then there's the Mary Sue factor. Alex is a Mary Sue, which makes her frustrating (not to mention annoying). Always putting everyone first, always letting people push her around and walk all over her. She only seems concerned about "fading" when she finds out her dependents will fade with her (then it's like all of a sudden ohhh i need to choose a court RIGHT NOW!). And don't get me started on the blushing! She's supposed to be a grown woman (and with a lot of lovers under her belt) but the first thing she thinks of after she wakes up after a near-death experience is "oh no! Fallon might be able to see-through my nightie!" Really? And then there's the bumbling way she goes about her whole "investigation" this time (all i will say is that we can also slap on the TSTL label this time around).

Other things that drive me crazy? This series has a lot of potential but it seems to be going nowhere (basically nothing has changed by the time this story is over). I would think that since Alex is a "plane weaver," shouldn't she be able to weave herself her own court or at least a tie to fairy? She can probably move around all the territories too, but none of this stuff is ever explored (she never even wonders about it!). The whole thing with her dad? We have been told since book 1 or 2 that he has some kind of master plan but if his plan was to raise Alex as an unwanted orphan and treat her like crap her whole life and then claim her as his heir (he is obviously some kind of fae king or something) then it's not a very good one (Alex can't even stand being near him now). Her dad's master plan is about as genius as the Winter Queen's plan to make Alex choose her court by treating her like crap and tormenting and harassing her out of her own home (it makes absolutely no sense that the Queen would see this as a way to make Alex choose her court but then the Queen doesn't have much dimension).

While the wait for GRAVE VISIONS may have been incredibly long, after reading, I'm happy to say it was worth the wait. I had worried after all this time that I wouldn't remember the previous books and be lost picking up the one. However, I was pleasantly surprised at just how fast I slipped back into this world. There was no "re-learning" curve needed. I think that's really a testament to just how well this world is crafted. I love the characters just as much now as I did years ago when the last book was released, Alex in particular. This time around she really shines as she's learning to cope with her newly found Fae heritiage and all of the politics that come with it. Each time I thought she might just have to give in to the bonds and demands placed on her, she preserved and I found myself rooting for her more with each page.

The only reason I didn't give this book a 5 was due to it feeling like a set up book. Don't get me wrong, more than plenty happens and I was completely entertained throughout, but I felt like it was all leading to the next book. It felt like Alex had to over come the certain task/politic issues so she could move onto the next step of who she is becoming. And THAT is the book I really want to read. So that being said, I really hope the wait isn't as long as I simply want more from this world and these characters. All in all fans in the series will be more than pleased with this much awaited installment.

Grave Visions is book 4 in the Alex Craft series. I'm so glad my library has these in audiobook format, I've been binge listening to them as fast as I can. The series is perfect for when I need a good Urban Fantasy. It's full of ghosts, fae and of course humans are mixed in too. Our leading lady is a grave witch that can summon shades (think ghosts) and always finds herself getting into trouble. It leads to an entertaining read.

Alex Craft is having major issues this book due to being unaffiliated with a fae court. She needs to figure out how to gain a tie to Faerie or risk fading. Not liking her options she wants to be declared independent but that comes at a price. She has to help the Winter Queen with a task as well as figure out who is behind a new drug making its way through Nekros City called Glitter. Glitter isn't as harmless as you'd expect by the name though, it's causing humans to hallucinate and wind up dying from their worst fears. All signs point towards Faerie, but Alex has to solve the case before she winds up dead. The clock was definitely ticking this time around.

Grave Visions is an excellent addition to a series I'm addicted to. I cannot wait to see what trouble Alex gets into next. The only thing I'm not a huge fan of is the kinda sorta love triangle going on the past few books. It's not really a love triangle but it's close enough to give me mixed feelings. All in all, this series rocks and if you're looking for a witch or fae read, look no further.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: People are dying and there is no visible cause of death. Alex knows something dangerous is going on…

Opening Sentence: The first time I raised a shade for profit, my client fainted.

Excerpt: Yes

The Review:

Alex is still dealing or not dealing with her weird living situation, she and Falin barely speak. Plus, she is sort of really dating Death. Now if the situation wasn’t complicated enough, to top it all off she is coming down with something as is Rianna and the other fae in her castle. When her father picks her up and brings her to the pocket reality in his house, she finds that she also has a betrothed and if her problems aren’t strange enough she is fading because she is not Independent or aligned with a court.

Adding to the problems Jensen calls her in off the books to raise the shades of some weird deaths, he is afraid the fae are involved and he doesn’t want any bad publicity unless they can prove it. When the one shade mentions he took Glitter, they both wonder what kind of new drug that is, but Alex begins to wonder if it might be more when she is summoned to the Winter Court, and has to raise the ghost of a dead fae.

With more deaths showing up every day, Alex is in a race against time to find out what is killing the humans, and to figure out how to stop from fading or dying herself. She is on the hunt for a new drug, a way to keep out of court politics and to save her life.

I think this is the book that kind of completely sways me to Falin, although I still don’t hate either man. Although sadly most of the romance in this one is with Death, but I love how Alex doesn’t lie or hide the fact that she has feelings for both, and that really both situations are so complicated that she really can’t be with either of them. Not too much Roy or Rianna which is kind of a disappointment because I adore them and what they add to the books.

The newest book in the series is supposed to be out July 4th and I can’t wait to see where Kalayna continues to take this series. I have loved every minute of rediscovering how much I adore this series, and I hope that you all enjoy as much as I do!

Notable Scene:

I glanced a the bodies at my feet. Both teens had imbibed Glitter and now their shades were weak, exhausted. The first victim we knew of, Jeremy, had also taken the drug and had a weak shade. There had to be a connection. The drug somehow burned them out to their core. And it had something to do with pure glamour.

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

This was an okay continuation of the Alex Craft series. I was very excited to read this book since I was loving this series back in 2013 when I read it. Maybe it's because it's been so long between books (4 years is an incredibly huge gap between books) but has I had tough time engaging with the story and characters.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was decent. I am not a huge fan of the narrator’s voice, but she does a good job of distinguishing between characters voices and of conveying emotion, so I don’t really have any strong complaints.

As in previous books Alex continues to run herself ragged; this time her big issue is that she is fading because of not being part of any faerie court (or being declared independent). This leaves her exhausted and sick. Additionally there is a new drug on the streets called Glitter which seems to have it’s origins in faerie and is causing the deaths of a number of humans; so she gets involved in tracking that down.

I just felt like the story was a bit stagnant. Alex finds yet another way to delay making any decisions about her ties to faerie. The love triangle between her, Death, and Falin continues without any progress. Death is in the story only a very small bit and, although Falin is in the story more, Falin and Alex are trying to distance themselves from each other.

The whole plotline of having a faerie drug wreaking havoc in the human world has been done before. The first urban fantasy series that comes to mind is Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series, in that series there is a book about Goblin Fruit being sold as a drug to humans. There are have other urban fantasies that have used similar plotlines as well. The plotline for this book just feels very unoriginal.

Overall it’s an okay book but in the end I just mostly wanted the story to be over. There isn’t a lot of progress made in the over arcing story and the contained mystery Alex is dealing with feels like something I’ve read about many times before. The characters felt stagnant as did the world and story and I had a lot of trouble staying engaged. I have felt like this about a few other urban fantasy series right now (Chicagoland Vampires, Elemental Assassins) which makes me wonder if I am just burnt out on the genre. However I have still been enjoying both the Incryptid series and the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire as well as the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews...so maybe there are just a lot of urban fantasy series that are kind of fizzling right now. I don’t plan on reading anymore of this series because I just don’t care about the world or the characters any more.

The book was quite good, but certainly not worth waiting 4 years for. I lose all respect for authors who jerk their readers around so much. Delays, new publishing dates, no explanations, all showing a disregard for the readers. I was surprised when this downloaded as I'd frankly given up on ever seeing it.

Title: Grave Visions
Author: Kalayna Price
Genre: Adult, Paranormal
Format: Paperback, Library Loan
Pages: 352
Rating: 5
Heat: 4

Thoughts: So it's been a while since I've read the first 3 books but thankfully I wasn't lost lol. I know I loved the first 3 books and somewhat knew what to expect, and I wasn't disappointed. I couldn't put this down, it was so exciting! I think the thing I love most about this series is that Alex, a grave witch, loses eye sight after using her craft. She's pretty powerful but that one weakness makes her so much more real to me. It's not just outside forces against her but also herself. Granted, it's fiction, so you know she's going to be able to take on anything that is thrown at her, but knowing that she also has this weakness makes it harder to predict what's going to happen. And I love not being able to predict what's going to happen! If you haven't picked up this series yet I suggest you do, there are so many weird characters, and it's just a fun read.

Grave Visions by Kalayna Price is the 4th book in her Alex Craft series. It has been a long time since I read the 3rd book, Grave Memory…4 years to be exact. Finally Kalayna Price has returned to the wonderful world of Alex Craft. In Grave Visions, we pick up shortly after the last book left off. I had to read my reviews as a refresher, but Price manages to give us past information along the way. Is this a standalone type of book? No it is not. You need to go back to the first book Grave Witch, and learn about Alex, Falin, the Fae, and the reaper (Death). Alex being a Grave Witch, has the ability of be able to talk to the dead; she found out recently that after living all her life as a human, she is truly fae.

Alex is determined to stay in the human world, where she is happy, but her health has begun to deteriorate, and she must align herself with one of the Fae courts to survive. Who will she pick? As we know from previous books, Alex is living in the territory under the control of the Winter Queen, whom her ex love, Falin is sworn to. Death, who is a soul collector, is her current love, but this is a forbidden relationship for him. Alex has feelings for both, but each has their own issues.

Alex is pulled into a case where people are dying, after taking some unknown drugs that make fears come true. While she is investigating this, Alex is ordered to meet with the Winter Queen, who wants her to pull up a dead faerie, and find out who killed her. The Queen orders Alex to solve this case, and will allow her to become independent for a year, giving Alex time to choose a court, and be healthy in that time period. The Queen has been acting weird, and she needs to know who is trying to take over the Winter Throne.

Alex with help from Falin, will discover that both cases are tied together. A major betrayal will be behind the murders, as both Alex and Falin find their lives very much in danger, with a very exciting last half of the book. Will Alex and Falin survive the attempts on their lives? Will the Winter Queen believe their findings or have them killed?

The part of Alex choosing her court gets more interesting as the story continues. All the courts want Alex to affiliate with them. Dugan, a shadow court prince, and the King of Shadows are two more interesting characters that are offering Alex to join them. Looks like more fun to come. Kalayna Price continues to weave a wonderful story that has us invested in her great characters, both good and evil. I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

THIEF OF LIES had an interesting premise with teens being able to travel through the world by books in libraries around the world. That's what drew me to the story and after I finished the book I felt overwhelmed with information about this world that I think I understand. Is this a world where the magical world is hidden like in HARRY POTTER? Is it a multidimensional thing? This book had so many ideas in it that I wished for a bit of time in the story for me to get comfortable with everything. Basically Gia is thrust into a world of vampires, wizards, secret conspiracies and prophecies, magic, love triangles galore and I applaud her ability to actually keep up and not curl up into a ball in the corner.

The magic in this story really confused me. There are globes or balls that people carry around that help them do magic. I may be getting it wrong but the point is that I was so hung up on the storage of these globes. Where do they put them when not in use? As I previously mentioned I came to this book because of libraries and books. They are really the method for travel or the occasional meeting place and nothing more. I was kind of expecting more adventure porting through books in random libraries.

Gia was an okay character though I could have liked her better had she not been entangled in the classic YA love triangle scenario. Of course both guys are hot and one is a bad boy with a sexy accent and a dark secret. After hearing how attractive these guys were and conflict in choosing between the two I started skimming any section that didn't involve things about the central plot. Granted, I tend to have trouble getting into YA romance as I really can't relate to them and tend to find them silly, so a love triangle or relationship has to be really awesome for me to not want to roll my eyes and skim.

Are you kidding? I really enjoyed this series at first... but after waiting almost 4 YEARS for this 4th in the series... I long ago, gave up on it. Don't care anymore, won't buy it, don't care how good the book is

I just finished book 3, should have done my research first, thought that there were 5 books in the series. I absolutely fell in love with them all.
Dying to know what happens next. I'd start the Haven series because her writing is so good, except I don't want to feel like this again, waiting, hoping for next book.
All that aside, seriously this was an amazing series. Very well done.