Grave Dance

by Kalayna Price

(Part of the Alex Craft series)

'Grave Dance' was a good read. When I first started it I did not remember anything from 'Grave Witch' (its predecessor). I re-read my review which did not have enough details in it to remind me of anything, so I decided to get it out of my library and re-read it.

I read the first few chapters again and the characters and story started coming back to me. I read the last fifteen pages again and remembered. I really liked 'Grave Witch' and was now looking forward again to seeing what happened to Alex, Falin, Caleb, Holly, Rianna, and even Death. I was not too fond of Alex's father and sister by the end of 'Grave Witch', but, I had high hopes for her father.

In this latest portion of the story, Alex is called out to use her grave witch gifts to help the police when body parts are found in a remote area of "Nekros". I am not sure where the name of this city comes from but, it reminds me of New Orleans when it is described throughout the book. Alex is brought into the investigation and the story goes sideways. I was not in love with part of the way the end unfolded. But, it was not enough to keep me from the story or to stop me from enjoying 'Grave Dance'.

'Grave Dance' was intricately woven with detail and what appears to be several story lines. I cannot imagine the map or flowchart Kalayna Price had to use to keep up with things. This story started out as a mystery that appeared to be tied to the Fae and then it appeared to be tied to the witches, then the collectors. To borrow from Winston Churchill, "it was a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma." For a while I thought I would get confused by the way the mystery was unfolding especially when Fae politics came calling. I love Fae politics. I detest the machinations of some of the Fae, but, it makes for great entertainment.

One of the things that I found myself liking about Alex is that she was strong but, she had a couple of major weaknesses, some of which revolved around the use of her powers. The other revolved around her relationships with her friends and men. The unfolding of one of the relationships was a zinger and I loved it. Alex showed some serious backbone and I loved how she stayed true to herself, especially as she learned more about her own past and met people that were more a part of her life then she realized.

In addition to Fae machinations we get to see more about Death and his cohorts. We also get a better glimpse at how his and Alex's relationship evolved. Another great thing about 'Grave Dance' is Roy the ghost. I'm happy to see he is part of the story. He is great! Not only is he funny, but, he makes an excellent sidekick. Although his story is told in 'Grave Witch', we get reminders of what happened in that story, which makes it a bit easier for people who read 'Grave Dance' without knowing it has a predecessor. You can read it without it but, you miss out on a great story if you do not start out with 'Grave Witch'. I look forward to the next installment in the Alex Craft series.

Reviewed by Lady Techie