Cover Image: Grave War

Grave War

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Grave War is the final book in the grave witch Alex Craft series by Kalayna Price. Alex is a grave witch who lives in Nekros. She has as a PI business where she uses her grave witch powers to solve cases, but throughout the series, she keeps finding herself bumping up against the politics of Faerie.

Alex’s life finally seems to be coming together, having achieved a balance between her life in the faerie world and in the human one in Nekros. She is finally able to be with the man she loves, Falin, who is now the Winter King. But Falin has given her a job as lead investigator for the Fae Investigation Bureau that she really isn’t sure she can handle. While trying to learn her job, an explosion rocks the Eternal Bloom, a fae nightclub that is also the main Nekros door to the faerie world. Both are destroyed. To make matters worse, she discovers that someone is destroying all of the doors to Faerie, trapping fae on both sides of the door. Without those ties between the worlds, fae in Nekros will start disappearing.
Desperate to not only save the fae on this side, but also to get back to Faerie and make sure that Falin is okay, Alex reaches out to her father with whom she has a very rocky relationship. As if this wasn’t enough for her to deal with, Alex has a very dangerous stalker. She thinks she knows who it has to be, but he is supposed to be dead.

This book takes so many unexpected twists and turns that it leaves your head spinning and keeps you on the edge of your seat. There is far more going on here than the reader, or Alex, could ever imagine.

The Alex Craft series has always been a perfect blend of mystery and urban fantasy, filled with magic, fae, ghosts, and even Death. I have to say I was routing for Alex to end up with Death (check out the other books to learn more about this plot), however in the end, Falin does seem to be her perfect match once all of the secrets Alex’s father has been hiding from her are uncovered. This series is also filled with a lot of great characters including a ghost who helps Alex investigate.

If you love the urban fantasy mystery blend as much as I do don’t miss this series!

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! A new episode went up this week.

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Grave War by Kalayna Price: Exhilarating End
Grave witch Alex Craft has forged an uneasy truce with the world of Faerie, but she's still been trying to maintain at least some semblance of a normal life in the human world. So it's safe to say that stepping up as the lead investigator for the Fae Investigation Bureau was not a career path she ever anticipated taking.

When an explosion at the Eternal Bloom threatens to upend the fae who make their home in our world, Alex finds herself in charge of the most far-reaching investigation she's ever tackled. And it's only her first week on the job. With the threats mounting and cut off from half her allies, Alex can't wait on the sidelines and hope the fae's conflicts stay contained within their borders.
Whether you’ve read every book or not, this finale to Alex Craft’s story is exhilarating and a fast paced ride. Once past the introduction of the conflict, the story moves fast and while not every last detail is tied up in a bow, author Kalayna Price does an excellent job of tying up most of the details from previous stories and resolving not only the main conflict in this story but the major conflicts from previous novels. And for me, as a newer reader in the series, I was able to follow all the various conflicts and intrigues from those previous novels with no issues which takes skill on the author’s part. She easily details the information without dragging the action down into a ton of monologue or wrap up. The story’s action does a lot of the work as Alex deals with each situation.
One of the elements I loved the most is that there is a twist with several characters in the novel and at least one of them completely took me by surprise. It was one I should likely have expected but didn’t until the twist happened. I love a good surprise in a novel.
The biggest part of why the novel is so good is the characterization. You immediately feel like you know the character. She isn’t perfect, she has issues, but she struggles no matter what because she cares about those around her. She is a very sympathetic heroine and I simply love that about the writer, that she has created this engaging and lovable character. But it’s not just the main character. As you meet others in the world, they are equally interesting. Kalayna Price avoids having two dimensional characters and that is why they are so much fun to read. If you don’t fall in love with the characters, I would be surprised.
As I mentioned, this is the finale of the series so I do recommend reading the others in the series. While you can jump in and won’t be lost, there will be nuances that will be missed due to lack of knowledge but as a final book in a character’s journey this is a beautiful ending. It resolves all major conflicts but doesn’t make you feel like it is the end of the character or her continuing stories. And it resolves the major arch of the character’s growth as a character. If you like stories with passion, action, and intrigue in urban fantasy, check out Grave War.
Rating: 5 out of 5 crowns.

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Grave witch Alex Craft is in love with the King of Winter and has discovered and is exploring her fae nature when the fae presence on earth is threatened with extinction. In order to save the fae and her own people she must control her fae powers and create alliances with the fae courts. Grave War is the outstanding conclusion to a long series of books about Alex Craft. Well crafted paranormal grand performance.

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When you start to read the last book in a beloved series, there is a lot of anticipation and expectations for these characters that you have come to know.

Alex Craft is now the lead in the Fae Investigation Bureau. Finding herself investigating an explosion that threatens the Fae world, Alex struggles to find her footing while completely cut off from her allies and friends.

I must admit, I was a bit surprised by the direction Price took with Grave War. Alex spent a large portion of this book away from her gang. I guess my expectations did not even come close to the character growth I have come to expect from Alex and her decision making. In the end, it just didn’t grab me like the other books in this series did. 3.5 stars

I’m sad this run is over. I did really enjoy the ride. I am glad I went along for Alex Craft’s story.

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My thanks to NetGalley for supplying an eARC of this book for me.

This was a highly enjoyable series, and this book was a fairly satisfying conclusion to it. There were a few little things that didn't entirely get wrapped up, which may leave the door open for the author to come back and address them either as a continuation or to spin off other characters into their own series. If you enjoy your urban fantasies with strong female leads, this one should work for you.

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Alex Craft is a grave witch with a lot of secrets. She has somewhat of a truce with Faerie and she wants to have some kind of a normal life, so she has taken the job as lead investigator for the Fae Investigation Bureau. She finds herself under-qualified for the job and frustrated with her bodyguard as well. An explosion at the Eternal Bloom, where the door between Nekros and Faerie is hidden she is shocked at who her allies actually are.

The Alex Craft series is full of originality, passion, and lots of surprises. Alex and Falin’s undeniable connection threatens the rules of Faerie and uncovers the ultimate shock. This is one of the best series I have read, and you don’t want to miss it.

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I always have a great time with Alex Craft’s adventures and I was really looking forward to this new novel. I was surprised to find out that this is the last volume of the series, which saddens me a little bit.

Alex, the newly appointed head of the Fae Bureau of Investigations, will find herself dealing with a story that will turn the Fae upside down, whether in the human world or in their kingdom. Indeed, the trees that anchor each of these realms are being destroyed one by one, and if Alex doesn’t act quickly, all the Fae on Earth could soon disappear. Determined to find the culprit, Alex is about to embark on a story that is beyond her and that will change everything she thought she knew, as well as her current life and our heroine will have to make some crucial choices.

It was a great new novel once again and I really enjoyed finding all the characters. I didn’t expect this to be the last volume, but it’s a nice conclusion to the series even if I must say I would have loved to see the consequences of the events on our dear Alex.

It’s a very good urban fantasy series that I can only recommend if you don’t know it!

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Is this the thrilling conclusion for Alex? Book 7 takes the reader for a fast pace ride as Faerie explodes and Alex is the main one left on this side of the veil to make the fixes. There is a race against time as the Fae can only last so long without a connection to their homeland.

I loved this book and it is a must read. Ms. Price has been building us up to this point. Some of the things I suspected about Alex and her relationships come to fruition. I am not surprised by the "big reveal" and I'm thrilled about the journey to this destination. The dysfunctional relationships between each court and the unbalanced the powers is highlighted in black, white and blood. Watching Alex try to apply human rules to the Fae is always amusing. Most times it is futile but every once in a while, it works.

Alex's growth through the past books is evident as she takes on harder challenges and even demonstrates the ability to be diplomatic. She still tends to be a bit rash, but with good intent. Her complicated relationships with the men in her life would drive a person to drink. I'm still mixed about who I want to see her end up with. Her contentious relationship with her harsh and absent father morphs into something different and it isn't clear where it will go. It is a new intriguing plot and I hope this starts off a new arc in this series. I would love to see more of Alex and how she will be able to blend the human and fae sides together. How she has taken a step in healing the courts and possibly convincing them to try something different. Death does make a quick guest appearance and I still feel unresolved in their star-crossed relationship.

This page turner is highly recommended to paranormal romance lovers. This is not a standalone book and should be read in the order the series is written.

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I have been with this series since the beginning, and I have loved every book in it. Yes, there was some time between books, but since I understand life, I didn’t let that deter me. I went into this sad, but it didn’t take long to get invested in the story. They are such good ones, and I was glad to see them if only for a bit. There were secrets, action, romance, sadness…just about everything in this book, and I was left feeling very satisfied even if a little sad to see it go. I’m really hoping the author starts another series soon. Don’t start with this book if you’re new to the series; go to the first and enjoy the ride. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

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4.5 stars

Kaylayna Price did not miss a beat in this final installment of her long running Alex Craft series. I have to say, I have a really enjoyed these books, and while some have not always gone in the direction I had hoped for, the series has never let me down. This ending not only satisfied, but throughout the many years these books have spanned, the tone, the feel, and the characters have never gone off course.

So as I say in every review I do for these books, this is not the place to enter the series. Go back to Grave Witch and start there. Because so much has happened. What is so cool, though, is Price is able to get me right back inside of this world with very little effort. She reminds me of all that has happened, or at least all that matters, without ever making it feel like an info dump. I’m just back with these people I know and wondering how the heck they are going to get everything fixed by the end.

As this installment begins, someone has closed the doors between the mortal world and Faerie. And now that Alex is the head of the FIB, she not only has a personal interest, but a professional one in figuring out who did it, why, and how to undo it.

Her HEA, Falin, is trapped on the other side. Some of her friends are too. And the fae who remain on the mortal side are fading. It’s a lot to deal with. But what a great ride it is.

There are some great surprises I don't want to spoil, but I'll say I loved the way this all worked out. I loved that we got to see Death again. What unfolded with Alex's dad and the rest of her family. And of course with Falin and the fate of Faerie.

(BTW, I saw a review out there that said this ends on a cliffhanger. It doesn't. There's resolution in my opinion, particularly with the epilogue.) I think fans of the series will walk away satisfied.

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At the start Alex is beginning her probationary trial as lead investigator for the local Fae Investigation Bureau. She is anxious as she has no skill at combat, and no extensive knowledge on all the ins and outs of Faerie. Feeling out of depth, she really is thrown into the deep end and It doesn’t help that her first big problem happens when there's an explosion at the Eternal Bloom. This story follows her as she navigates and negotiates her way through this problem.

This was such a fun ride. It was full of peril and quick thinking but overall it was engrossing and before you knew it it was over. A lot of secrets are revealed here and I really wasn’t expecting some of them. There are also alliances and friendships that you learn more about. I think Price did a good job ending on a positive note and tying up loose ends and relationships. I’m really going to miss Alex, but I think it ended perfectly.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

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Grave War by Kalayna Price is the 7th and final book in her Alex Craft series. Refresher: Alex is a grave witch, using her ability to rise the dead to talk to them, as well as learning her new planeweaver abilities. After the end of the previous book, Falin is now the Winter King, and Alex has become the agent in charge of FIB (Fae Investigation Bureau).

Her first week on the job turns into chaos, as some of the agents in FIB now under her command, do not really respect her. Alex begins to receive roses from an unknown source, with hints from various things going wrong; she suspects a former enemy is behind this. An explosion destroys the Eternal Bloom and the doors to enter Fairie; forcing many of the fae who live in the mortal world, unable to return to Fairie, and could thereby over time lose their magical abilities. Desperate for help, she tries to contact Dugan, from the Shadow realm, and just when she sees an opening, she is kidnapped. Turns out her enemy, the one she suspected, Ryese is behind the chaos and destruction.

What follows is an exciting and intense story that takes place in the mortal world, as well as in Fairie land. Dugan and Falin manage to get Alex free bringing her to Shadow land. There are so many twists and turns, keeping us guessing until the very end. I loved seeing Alex with Falin, as well as her friendship with Dugan, and his father as they work together to find a way to stop Ryese, who is trying to become the High King ruling all of Fairie. Alex worries about her friends either stuck in Fairie or in the mortal world, and her fears for all the Fae who have no way home. It was very exciting, especially when she managed to get pulled into the High Court, and find a way to defeat her enemy and save the world.

This is a complicated review, as it would require giving spoilers, and since this is the final book of the series, I do not want to ruin it for you. Grave War was an exciting, action packed, interesting and wild adventure, as Alex must stop a powerful enemy. Kalayna Price pulls a mind boggling twist at the end, that was a totally surprise, but at the same time a very satisfying conclusion to this series. It was great to see many of her friends, including Death. Alex Craft series was lots of fun and very well written by Kalayna Price. If you have not read this series, and enjoy paranormal, I suggest you read this.

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Grave War is the seventh and final installment in author Kalayna Price's Alex Craft series. The story opens with Falin Andrews now the Winter King. He is being pushed by his council to choose a Consort from one of the other courts as well as dealing with challengers to his crown and worrying that if Falin were to fall, Alex would be left unprotected. Alex and her plane weaving ability makes her a primary target for every court, most especially the Summer Court. What's even more disturbing is that someone is leaving blood roses for Lexi everywhere she goes. There are only (2) people who call her by that name, and one of them is now dead.

As we return to Nekros City, Alex is starting a new job as Agent in Charge of the FIB (Fae Investigation Bureau) on a probationary basis. There she finds some resistance from her second in command Agent Nori and assigned a bodyguard named Tem who is a troll. Just when Alex believe that non-stop paperwork is going to be the end of her, more roses appear at her job and these have spells attached to them. Shortly thereafter, there are multiple explosions at the Eternal Bloom which is a gateway to Faerie and the Winter Court and a tourist attraction for humans. But that is just the beginning of the calamity that Alex must deal with.

Without a way to get to faerie, the Fae will all fade away. Alex needs to find a way to get the door open again but her father, who is Governor of Nekros City, has some deep secrets of his own that he’s been keeping to himself. (No spoilers! Read the book to the end!) Because Alex is a planeweaver, she can create her own avenues to places such as the Shadow Court which owes her a boon for saving the Kings life. Faerie, however, has its own problems to deal with and time is critical to finding a way to save faerie and the independents who are stuck without any place to go. But Fae are proud people who don’t trust all that easily. Putting together a coalition of the willing, may be more than Alex is capable of handling.

The biggest part of this story is Alex having to once again deal with a sick twisted character who should have been disposed of but is now creating chaos for every court. There’s a whole lot to sort out without spoiling anything for future readers. We do have a brief appearance with Death who Alex has been friends with since she was a child. The dreaded love triangle has been put to bed once and for all, but I am glad that the author didn’t leave him out of the story. The story ties up many loose but many secondary characters who have been part of this series from the beginning, only got quick mentions.

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I have been a fan of this series from the very beginning and have come to love these characters and all they have been through. So it is with a little sadness that I opened this one up knowing this was it. I would never see these characters again and I was hoping like heck, it would end well for them all.
I never should have doubted how Price would handle this series. She loves these characters just as much as I do after all.
There was so much packed into this book. So much happens, so much is explained, so much is revealed. It was just so. Much. In the best possible ways.
I could not be happier how this ended for Alex and her misfit gang. It was so much fun, so heart warming and most of all, stayed true to the rest of the series.

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Alex Craft finds herself beset with problems both personal and political in this final novel in the series.

The story opens with Alex starting her new job as Agent in Charge of the FIB (Fae Investigation Bureau). There she finds some resistance from her second in command and she also finds she had been assigned a troll named Tem as her bodyguard. She is also getting gifts of red roses with notes addressed to Lexi. The only ones who ever called her Lexi were the insane Winter Queen and her murderous nephew Ryese. The Queen is dead and Alex's boyfriend Falin is now the Winter King but Ryese escaped and is somewhere still causing trouble.

The next thing she knows there are explosions at the Eternal Bloom which manage to destroy the door into faerie and strand the fae left on this side. Without a way to get to faerie, the fae will all fade away. Alex needs to find a way to get the door open again. But the door in Nekros isn't the only one that is closed. Most of the doors to faerie have been destroyed and the rest are closed from the fae side.

Because Alex is a planeweaver, she does still have some access to faerie through the Shadow Court. She learns that faerie has its own problems. It is in danger of failing. Time is critical to find a way to save faerie. But the fae aren't trusting sorts and gathering allies is not an easy proposition.

The story was filled with all sorts of action. Alex learns secrets about herself and her father that will change her life and change faerie forever. This was a great ending to Alex Craft's story and a fun urban fantasy story,

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It didn't feel like the final book in the series until the very end. Alex was mostly on her own, stumbling around trying to figure things out. The main thing that made this not feel final was that Alex didn’t have much personal growth. She didn’t choose to do things that changed her life; drastic life changes happened and she rolled with it.

Most of the book was boring. And compared to where this series started, it doesn’t even feel like the same series. I hated it that half of her life was constantly being phased out, especially since I found the other half to be more interesting. In the later books, the love triangle fell flat. Romance was barely a part of this. Until the end, Alex was unsure of her current relationship. I liked both of her love interests, but she didn’t end up with the person of my choosing. It wouldn’t have bothered me as much if the end of the relationship with the guy I preferred hadn't been handled so poorly.

There were several big twists revealed at the end, but since it was the end, it didn’t mean much. These reveals only would affect Alex’s life going forward, so there were only a few chapters explaining how the changes affected her. I’m glad I read the series but was not impressed with this book.

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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well, the series is done. And while I just picked up the series a few weeks ago to binge to get to this ARC, I'm sad. I've had this series on my to-read for a while and was really excited to go through it. I fell in love with Death and Falin and Dugan. I became friends with Rianna, Holly, and Tamara. I started to think in terms of Fae politics. And I was jealous of Alex's cool abilities.

So yeah, I'm sad she's done. I'm glad she's said she wants to write more in this world, but I'm disappointed she's said Alex's story is done.

While I really liked this book - I gave it 4.5 stars rounded up! - I do feel like there were so many little threads that need some closure and would have been great stories to tell in this world.

Because of this, I'll keep on hoping for more from this world, for more shadows and secrets, for more shades, for more winter frost, for more spinning hazel eyes.

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I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.


Grave War brings an end to Kalayna Price's Alex Craft series and it was absolutely amazing! This series spanned 10 years for us readers and yet it was less than a year for Alex herself and oh wow, has a lot happened. I mean seriously. She's been through so much and since this is the final book, you know a HEA is just at her fingertips...if only she can survive this book first!

Since Falin is the winter king now, things have finally been somewhat tame, somewhat normal. She still has to be on her guard though since Falin has received many challenges to his position, her life could be at risk too in order to get to him. She has a new job thanks to his role too as the lead investigator for the Fae Investigation Bureau and just as she is trying to figure out what's what in this new job with a lot of weight to it, the Bloom, the fae club and the main Nekros' door to faerie is destroyed...then another door is destroyed, followed by another. Someone is destroying the doors to faerie and the mortal world, trapping fae on either side to remain wherever they were at.

To add to Alex's troubles, she seems to have developed a very serious and scary stalker. She has an inkling of who it could be, but it would impossible for her instincts to be right...but that usually means they are. What it boils down to is needing to find a way to bring the doors back so that she can rescue the fae trapped on the mortal side who need the faery side in order to survive and since she has quite a few friends who are in need of faery's elements to live as well, she's more determined than ever to save the world for everyone.

This book was wow! Yes, it's been an age since I read the last Alex Craft book, but luckily, this is one of those series you can just dive back into with relative ease. Yes, there was the occasional "who are you?" followed by "what was THAT event?" but that can be pretty typical with me regardless, even when I take notes! Lol. But luckily needing the details I want to know about those events are never important to the story of the NOW.

I was very happy that Alex and Falin could be a couple again. I mean, I think I was rooting for Death, Alex's longtime friend and companion, work buddy and once upon a time boyfriend...but Alex and Falin just seemed to click way back in the beginning. Death was a fun guy though and I was glad he popped back up again, but I feel like in these later books that all he ever did, pop in, hang out for a few pages and then disappear for the rest of the novel. While a fun and intriguing character, he's not around much. But the sparks between Alex and Falin continue to run strong in this one, which I was all for!

There was quite the mystery at hand too. Though it became obvious as to the whodunit but that doesn't mean there weren't any surprises along the way, because there were a ton of them! You could kind of see where things were headed towards the finale, but it's not really bad in a sense. You know things will work out in some fashion as well. If that hasn't confused you, yay! Lol. I was quite content with the way things ended and will reiterate that it ended in the way I love best of all in my series finales. You know that even though the story is over, the adventures are far from over.

The Alex Craft series is one not to be missed by fans of the Urban Fantasy genre! It's a great edgy series with lovable and relatable characters. There's magic, ghosts, witches, and fae...it's got everything one could want. Even if the vampires are missing...but thankfully, Kaylana has another series for that!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars



Grave War releases November 24, 2020

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The Alex Craft series has been a favorite for years. Grave War was another great entry to the series. One criticism is that the ending seemed rushed. Quite a lot of things happen in a very short time. I would have loved one more book.

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I had to go back and reread the beginning of this series again. I felt that if I hadn’t have done the rereading that I would have been really lost on many of the things happening in this book. In the end I believe that this book tied up a lot of things and answered most of my question. I felt a little rushed but at the same time I felt that maybe this was the end of Alex’s story. It ended happily for me.

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