ARC Review: Grave War by Kalayna Price

Grave War
Author: Kalayna Price
Series: An Alex Craft Novel
Publication: Ace (November 24, 2020)

Description: Grave witch Alex Craft is getting pulled back into deadly fae politics in the thrilling new novel in the USA Today bestselling series.

Grave witch Alex Craft has forged an uneasy truce with the world of Faerie, but she's still been trying to maintain at least some semblance of a normal life in the human world. So it's safe to say that stepping up as the lead investigator for the Fae Investigation Bureau was not a career path she ever anticipated taking.

When an explosion at the Eternal Bloom threatens to upend the fae who make their home in our world, Alex finds herself in charge of the most far-reaching investigation she's ever tackled. And it's only her first week on the job. With the threats mounting and cut off from half her allies, Alex can't wait on the sidelines and hope the fae's conflicts stay contained within their borders.

My Thoughts: Alex Craft finds herself beset with problems both personal and political in this final novel in the series. 

The story opens with Alex starting her new job as Agent in Charge of the FIB (Fae Investigation Bureau). There she finds some resistance from her second in command and she also finds she had been assigned a troll named Tem as her bodyguard. She is also getting gifts of red roses with notes addressed to Lexi. The only ones who ever called her Lexi were the insane Winter Queen and her murderous nephew Ryese. The Queen is dead and Alex's boyfriend Falin is now the Winter King but Ryese escaped and is somewhere still causing trouble.

The next thing she knows there are explosions at the Eternal Bloom which manage to destroy the door into faerie and strand the fae left on this side. Without a way to get to faerie, the fae will all fade away. Alex needs to find a way to get the door open again. But the door in Nekros isn't the only one that is closed. Most of the doors to faerie have been destroyed and the rest are closed from the fae side. 

Because Alex is a planeweaver, she does still have some access to faerie through the Shadow Court. She learns that faerie has its own problems. It is in danger of failing. Time is critical to find a way to save faerie. But the fae aren't trusting sorts and gathering allies is not an easy proposition.

The story was filled with all sorts of action. Alex learns secrets about herself and her father that will change her life and change faerie forever. This was a great ending to Alex Craft's story and a fun urban fantasy story, 

Favorite Quote:

"I don't know what I'm doing," I said, my voice sounding slightly strangled, as if even my throat resisted admitting the fact.

"That isn't atypical for you," Death said without hesitation.

"Hey!" I sat up, but despite myself, a small smile broke through.

At my fake outrage, a lazy smile crossed Death's lips and he lifted a dark eyebrow. "Am I wrong?"

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.