thayscamila

This was a pleasant surprise. I really liked this. It had sat on a to-read shelf of UF books someone had recommended, a shelf that was starting to look like it would never get read, because a few of the other books on that shelf had turned out to be duds. Also, the cover was pretty stupid looking. But it turned out to have an interesting, elaborate but coherent fantasy world that was revealed slowly enough to keep pace with the action, not in jarring, infodumpy passages like another book from that same pile . Alex Craft, the heroine and eponymous grave witch, is an interesting and likable heroine. She's completely broke and can barely feed her dog, never mind herself, but she just keeps on going without telling anyone this or expecting pity. After she uses her grave sight, her eyesight is impaired, occasionally so badly that she's left completely blind (which is a more appealing vulnerability than another fictional magic-using Alex [OK actually Allie] who ends up bruised and in pain for using magic). The main love interest, Detective Falin Andrews, is pushy and grumpy, and very attractive as well, but he's written as a compelling character even without the author having to continually reassure the reader that he's handsome (a common failing for UF and YA love interests). He also has some interesting secrets that are revealed late in the book that make him even more intriguing. The other love interest, Death, a soul collector who looks good in jeans and who the heroine has known since she was 5, is even more mysterious. There's a funny line about the "kiss of Death" being used strategically at one point not to take the heroine's soul but to keep her from asking questions he can't answer. The plot revolves around a mystery -- several interconnected murders that have some ritual elements to them, the traces of which only Alex can see, which is what brings her to the attention of Detective Andrews -- but in the course of investigating them, she unravels some other interesting mysteries -- about Detective Andrews, her estranged father, her long-lost roommate, and her own magical gifts. It's face-paced and action packed. The other thing that is appealing about this book is the way the language is invisible, serving only the telling of the story. The author uses just enough words to describe what is going on. She doesn't try to impress with poetic turns of phrase or bizarre metaphors that jar or distract the reader from the story she's telling. She's a fantastic storyteller. I'm definitely going to read any sequels and check out whatever else Kalayna Price has written. This goes on the keeper-to-re-read shelf, not the UF-of-dubious-quality shelf.

2022-11-14 16:54