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sashe0163's review against another edition
2.0
I didn’t enjoy book 2 as much as book 1. There were so many “players” that you really didn’t get to delve into any of the side characters at all. Alex’s interaction with faerie was more than a little convoluted. There were a number of hints dropped that will probably be explored in book 3. We’ll see.
katiepie94's review against another edition
This series is so similar to the Charley Davidson novels and i like it but i think i need a break.
cleocleveland's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really liking this UF series set in a world that when the fae revealed themselves 50 years ago new pockets of reality opened up. Populated with humans, witches & fae Nekros City is one of those areas that sprang into existence at that time. The world here is pretty rich, there are neighborhoods & stores that cater to the magically inclined and a variety of law enforcement units to oversee it all.
Alex herself is a likeable narrator. I really like that although she is a powerful grave witch (plus some other powers) she pays a heavy price for using her magic. After using her grave sight, she is basically blind for some time afterwards. Too often in UF characters though magic and power around with no real downside.
Although the main storyline is resolved, like in the first book, there are still some dangling threads to get you back for more. Alex is definitely evolving and there are plenty of mysteries still to explore in this world. One thing I'm not in love with is the (seemingly in UF) obligatory love triangle. Here's to hoping it's resolved quickly. I'm looking forward to finding out.
Alex herself is a likeable narrator. I really like that although she is a powerful grave witch (plus some other powers) she pays a heavy price for using her magic. After using her grave sight, she is basically blind for some time afterwards. Too often in UF characters though magic and power around with no real downside.
Although the main storyline is resolved, like in the first book, there are still some dangling threads to get you back for more. Alex is definitely evolving and there are plenty of mysteries still to explore in this world. One thing I'm not in love with is the (seemingly in UF) obligatory love triangle. Here's to hoping it's resolved quickly. I'm looking forward to finding out.
natashambrown's review against another edition
3.0
So so
I liked it, but I miss the simple necromancy. Why bring in such a heavy display on fae. Every urban fantasy book does it now.
I liked it, but I miss the simple necromancy. Why bring in such a heavy display on fae. Every urban fantasy book does it now.
littlemainelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
UPDATED REVIEW August 2016:
I stayed up all night to re-read this book. I'm prepping to read the latest book in the series andI wanted to re-read the entire series since it's been 2 years. Is it as good as I remember? Oh yes!!! :-)
This entire series is filled with action, adventure, romance and eye-rolling snark! I LOVE IT!!! :-D
On to the next with gleeful anticipation!
~Hope
Wow, oh wow! Have you ever had a series that after reading the first book you dove head long into the second only to find that it lacked all the sparkle the first book had??? Happily this is **NOT** the case with Grave Dance! :-D Love, love, LOVED this book! It's just as fun to read as the first... well I'm not really sure you can classify murder and mayhem as "fun" but still, this book is just plain fun! :-D
Alex has this snarky-ness (snarkiness?) that says all the things you are thinking in your head as you read the book. I love books like that! LOL! You can relate to her and that ups the connection. Throw in not one but TWO delightfully hunky characters that actually have substance and purpose in the book and a yummy voila! you have love sparks! :-) Add in a bit of the aforementioned murder and mayhem and ~happy sigh~ you have a non-stop thriller quickly turn the page but don't skim because you might miss something book! :-D
Because I'm smart I picked up book three in the series at the same time I bought book two so my adventure doesn't have to end! ;-) I'm off to start the next book. Everyone is asleep here so I have a bit of reading bliss ahead of me. :-)
Go buy the first book in the series... or check it out from the library... or message me and I'll send my copy to you! Just READ IT! Then read this one! LOL!
XXOO
~Hope
I stayed up all night to re-read this book. I'm prepping to read the latest book in the series andI wanted to re-read the entire series since it's been 2 years. Is it as good as I remember? Oh yes!!! :-)
This entire series is filled with action, adventure, romance and eye-rolling snark! I LOVE IT!!! :-D
On to the next with gleeful anticipation!
~Hope
Wow, oh wow! Have you ever had a series that after reading the first book you dove head long into the second only to find that it lacked all the sparkle the first book had??? Happily this is **NOT** the case with Grave Dance! :-D Love, love, LOVED this book! It's just as fun to read as the first... well I'm not really sure you can classify murder and mayhem as "fun" but still, this book is just plain fun! :-D
Alex has this snarky-ness (snarkiness?) that says all the things you are thinking in your head as you read the book. I love books like that! LOL! You can relate to her and that ups the connection. Throw in not one but TWO delightfully hunky characters that actually have substance and purpose in the book and a yummy voila! you have love sparks! :-) Add in a bit of the aforementioned murder and mayhem and ~happy sigh~ you have a non-stop thriller quickly turn the page but don't skim because you might miss something book! :-D
Because I'm smart I picked up book three in the series at the same time I bought book two so my adventure doesn't have to end! ;-) I'm off to start the next book. Everyone is asleep here so I have a bit of reading bliss ahead of me. :-)
Go buy the first book in the series... or check it out from the library... or message me and I'll send my copy to you! Just READ IT! Then read this one! LOL!
XXOO
~Hope
bethlamb's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
solsticepixie's review against another edition
5.0
I really love these books. The main character is great! I love the world the author has built.
veronica87's review against another edition
3.0
Grave Dance is the second in the Alex Craft series and as of right now the series looks to end at three books unless the author's contract is extended.
This book takes place roughly one month after the end of the first book. We find that Alex is doing a little better financially as more jobs are coming into her one woman PI agency, Tongues For The Dead, due to her notoriety from book one's events. But Falin, her fae agent lover from the first book, has been incommunicado during the intervening month. And as for the other possible love interest, Death, nothing new has happened on that front since his love declaration at the end of book. But who needs men because Alex still has the support and love from her wonderful group of friends: Caleb, Holly, Tamara, and Roy - the ghost that I think I forgot to mention in my review of book one. And of course, PC, her beloved Chinese Crested.
I gave the fist book four stars but downgraded this one for two reasons. The first is that it tended to drag in some spots. I believe that this book came in at almost 100 pages longer than book one and I'm not sure that the extra pages were needed. Some of the descriptions, expecially for the magic, tended to be a bit wordy and some of Alex's investigative work just wasn't all that exciting. It was still a solid book and a good successor to book one.
This go 'round Alex finds herself drawn into the investigation surrounding the discovery of multiple left feet around town. That's it. That's all that's left of the bodies, just the left foot of scores of victims. Unfortunately for Alex, the genetic memory in a single left foot isn't enough to allow her to raise the victim's shade, which sucks when you're a grave witch and that's your speciality. So Alex has to fall to other talents to solve the mystery. Along the way she discovers new, expanding powers that are directly related to her newly discovered heritage. We also learn more about the fae, the Winter Court, and how Alex may or may not fit into all that.
The second reason that I only gave this book three stars is because the author did what I had been hoping against hope that she wouldn't do. She went the way of the dreaded romantic triangle. And let me just say that I LOATHE romantic triangles. I fail to see why so many authors in this genre choose to fall back on such a lazy plot device. But here we go again. Falin makes a startling appearance and by book's end we learn that his month long absence wasn't exactly his idea. We also learn something about his history and why a relationship with Alex would be a difficult thing right now despite the fact that it seems to be what he wants. On the other side we have Death. And I know that he has his fans but he's just not doing anything for me as a character at this point simply because we are now two books in and he's still the one-note character that he started out as. He seems to be in the story just to serve as the romantic foil and that just annoys me.For example, there's the scene where Alex is fighting the bird constructs and Death and two other soul collectors show up to help even though Falin and Caleb are already there helping her. This would be fine, except that later on Alex is fighting a gryphon construct that is twice her size and she's all alone. And Death is a no show. Which tells me that the author is writing him in specifically to add supposed tension to scenes when Falin is present. This theory is further bolstered by the fact that there was no movement in the Death/Alex relationship for the month between book one and book two depsite the fact that Falin was MIA and Death had Alex all to himself. So I find this whole triangle aspect of the story to be one huge drag. I wish the author hadn't gone there but she did, unfortunately.
My other personal quibble with Death - on top of being mostly a carboard cutout character - is that he's known Alex since she was five years old. FIVE. And now that she's whatever age she is (23-24?)he wants to get into her pants? There is just an ICK factor there that I can't get around.
This was a solid book but could have been even better without the triangle drama and pissing contest between the two men, and with tighter storytelling. It's still a good read, especially if love triangles don't bother you, but for me my enthusiasm for the third - and potentially final - book is waning.
This book takes place roughly one month after the end of the first book. We find that Alex is doing a little better financially as more jobs are coming into her one woman PI agency, Tongues For The Dead, due to her notoriety from book one's events. But Falin, her fae agent lover from the first book, has been incommunicado during the intervening month. And as for the other possible love interest, Death, nothing new has happened on that front since his love declaration at the end of book. But who needs men because Alex still has the support and love from her wonderful group of friends: Caleb, Holly, Tamara, and Roy - the ghost that I think I forgot to mention in my review of book one. And of course, PC, her beloved Chinese Crested.
I gave the fist book four stars but downgraded this one for two reasons. The first is that it tended to drag in some spots. I believe that this book came in at almost 100 pages longer than book one and I'm not sure that the extra pages were needed. Some of the descriptions, expecially for the magic, tended to be a bit wordy and some of Alex's investigative work just wasn't all that exciting. It was still a solid book and a good successor to book one.
This go 'round Alex finds herself drawn into the investigation surrounding the discovery of multiple left feet around town. That's it. That's all that's left of the bodies, just the left foot of scores of victims. Unfortunately for Alex, the genetic memory in a single left foot isn't enough to allow her to raise the victim's shade, which sucks when you're a grave witch and that's your speciality. So Alex has to fall to other talents to solve the mystery. Along the way she discovers new, expanding powers that are directly related to her newly discovered heritage. We also learn more about the fae, the Winter Court, and how Alex may or may not fit into all that.
The second reason that I only gave this book three stars is because the author did what I had been hoping against hope that she wouldn't do. She went the way of the dreaded romantic triangle. And let me just say that I LOATHE romantic triangles. I fail to see why so many authors in this genre choose to fall back on such a lazy plot device. But here we go again. Falin makes a startling appearance and by book's end we learn that his month long absence wasn't exactly his idea. We also learn something about his history and why a relationship with Alex would be a difficult thing right now despite the fact that it seems to be what he wants. On the other side we have Death. And I know that he has his fans but he's just not doing anything for me as a character at this point simply because we are now two books in and he's still the one-note character that he started out as. He seems to be in the story just to serve as the romantic foil and that just annoys me.
My other personal quibble with Death - on top of being mostly a carboard cutout character - is that he's known Alex since she was five years old. FIVE. And now that she's whatever age she is (23-24?)he wants to get into her pants? There is just an ICK factor there that I can't get around.
This was a solid book but could have been even better without the triangle drama and pissing contest between the two men, and with tighter storytelling. It's still a good read, especially if love triangles don't bother you, but for me my enthusiasm for the third - and potentially final - book is waning.
slayra's review against another edition
5.0
Still recovering from a blood moon, Alex Craft is back as well as her two love interests: fae Falin and Death. She has a new case that involves shadeless left feet with no bodies attached. There is a very powerful serial killer on the loose and Alex's magic may be the only way to stop the killer, even though it may be too much magic for Alex to handle. Weird and strange creatures move in the shadows protected by glamour and most see Alex as a target. Faerie is finally closing in on Alex and there are too many dangerous choices to be made.
I loved this book! It was better than the first, filled with action, magic and mystery. Be warned that the book ends with a cliffhanger but is a satisfying one, I may add. Alex is using more and more of her power as she is slowly discovering what she can do and the secrets her family holds. However, she also gets blinder and blinder as her power degrades her real sight. With all the help she can get, Alex tries to fight the foreign magic attacking her and stop the serial killer, while trying to understand what happened to the bodies the left feet once belonged to. She also cozies up to Faerie and meets other important fae characters along the way, as she discovers more of herself. Alex's world unravels with each page and I just loved how it pours magical creatures, power and amazing scenarios. What an action-packed book!
I loved this book! It was better than the first, filled with action, magic and mystery. Be warned that the book ends with a cliffhanger but is a satisfying one, I may add. Alex is using more and more of her power as she is slowly discovering what she can do and the secrets her family holds. However, she also gets blinder and blinder as her power degrades her real sight. With all the help she can get, Alex tries to fight the foreign magic attacking her and stop the serial killer, while trying to understand what happened to the bodies the left feet once belonged to. She also cozies up to Faerie and meets other important fae characters along the way, as she discovers more of herself. Alex's world unravels with each page and I just loved how it pours magical creatures, power and amazing scenarios. What an action-packed book!
lsneal's review against another edition
2.0
There were some interesting developments in this installment, mostly with respect to the world this series inhabits, but sadly not much development of the characters. Also, in my humble opinion, if you are writing in the paranormal fantasy/romance category, and we are going to see a lot of love triangle tension, you owe your readers at least one sexy sex scene. The first book had one. This book had a lot of significant glances and accidental touches and NO sex. That's just not playing fair! Get with the program, Price!