Grave War, by Kaylana Price, is the seventh novel and final installment in the Alex Craft series. Grave witch Alex Craft has somewhat of an uneasy truce with the world of Faerie. At the same time, she wants some semblance of a normal life in the human world. She hopes the fae courts' conflicts stay contained within their borders. Meanwhile, former Winter Knight Falin Andrews is now the Winter King. He has to choose a consort from one of the other courts as well as face challengers to his crown. Falin is very protective of Alex because her planeweaving ability makes her a target for every court in Faerie.
As a result, Alex is selected to lead the Fae Investigation Bureau (FIB) in Nekros. This was an career path she clearly did not anticipate because she finds herself under-qualified for the job. More disturbing, someone is leaving blood roses addressed to "Lexi." She becomes suspicious as only two people ever called her by that name, and one of them should be dead. It has only been her first week at FIB when an explosion at the Eternal Bloom threatens to upend the fae who make their home in the human world. The doors to Faerie are suddenly bombed, which cuts off the fae from leaving the human world. To survive, Alex takes on new responsbilities as she tries to save the fae in Nekros before they start fading.
It's hard to fathom that this is the end of the Alex Craft series. I took a chance on this new series more than five years ago because I was interested in exploring the world of the fae. Kaylana Price is one of the new authors in the urban fantasy genre. Alex Craft, the protagonist, was a complex character who found herself inadverently getting involved into Faerie politics. She is a grave witch who has the power to raise shades (the disembodied spirits) and speak to the dead. The investigations were always fun to follow. The level of difficulty increased as the series progressed, causing Alex to delicately balance the customs of Faerie and survival in the human world.
Her life as a private investigator and consultant to the police turns upside down when she discovers her fae heritage. Overall, the investigations were always fun to solve as Alex battles dark magic and improves her supernatural abilities. Furthermore, she also gains the confidence, through trial and error, to deal with her relationship commitment issues. Although the pacing of the novel felt somewhat rushed towards the ending, I am satisfied with how things turned out for Alex. I hope that Price decides to explore other characters in the Grave Witch Universe. Overall, I recommend this series, especially if you are inquisitive about fae culture.
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