Grave Memory - Book Review

 

Grave Memory (Alex Craft #3)

by Kalayna Price

What is it about:

When the dead need to talk, Alex Craft is always ready to listen…

As a Grave Witch, Alex solves murders by raising the dead—an ability that comes at a cost, and after her last few cases, that cost is compounding. But her magic isn’t the only thing causing havoc in her life. While she’s always been on friendly terms with Death himself, things have recently become a whole lot more close and personal. Then there’s her sometime partner, agent Falin Andrews, who is under the glamour of the Winter Queen. To top everything off, her best friend has been forever changed by her time spent captive in Faerie.

But the personal takes a backseat to the professional when a mysterious suicide occurs in Nekros City and Alex is hired to investigate. The shade she raises has no memory of the days leading up to his brutal ending, so despite the very public apparent suicide, this is murder. But what kind of magic can overcome the human will to survive? And why does the shade lack the memory of his death? Searching for the answer might mean Alex won’t have a life to remember at all…

Before diving into my review I'm going to tell a story:

This book is part of my challenge to have read all seven books in this series by the end of 2023. All books are in my TBR pile, this one and the previous book had been there since 2014, while books 4-7 are more recent additions. This means that Grave Memory doubled for this challenge and my TBR Orphan challenge, were I try to read at least one book a month that's been on my shelves for a long time.

I started on this book during a train ride. It immediately gripped me and by the time I reached my destination I was really into the story. I put my book in my bag together with some other things, including a bottle of soda...

The  cap of the bottle wasn't screwed on right, so it emptied itself in my bag! As it was a plastic bag there was a small pool of soda at the bottom of it instead of it just leaking out of the bag.

The biggest casualty: my book!

It was totally soaked and as it was soda, I just knew it would be a total sticky mess once it dried. You bet I immediately looked the book up online and ordered a new copy when I found one for 5 Euro. Luckily they had it in stock and it arrived the next day.

So that's how this book ended up being both a TBR Orphan as well as a new addition to my shelves.

What did I think of it:

As you might have guessed from me immediately ordering a new copy after the soda incident: I totally loved this book. And that's even with the love triangle going in the wrong direction in my opinion.

I loved the mystery Alex has to solve in this book, it's creepy and disturbing. I also really enjoyed seeing more of some of the side characters. Roy is absolutely a favorite by now.

I also learned more about both the fae in this world and the death collectors. Both are very intriguing and especially the fae are a disturbing bunch.

I think this book is my favorite in the series so far., but I need more. You bet I already started the next book.

Why should you read it:

It's a totally awesome Urban Fantasy read