Dabbling in romantasy lately, are we?
Well. It's only for scientific purposes. And if the story is half-decent, then why not? I can always skip the random porn inserts that seem to haunt modern day fantasy novels...
Comparison
Obviously I have to compare these three writers, as they all have a somewhat similar world setting, a rubust heroine, paranormals that came out of the woodwork recently, and mysterious secrets in the past.
So, similar concepts, but are these series tired rip-offs or mere different takes on the same source material, or do they actually bring something new to the table?
- Patricia Briggs - Mercy Thompson - Moon Called - 2006
- Faith Hunter - Jane Yellowrock - Skinwalker - 2009
- Kalayna Price - Alex Craft - Grave Witch - 2010
Similar in some ways
And there's nothing wrong with that! These books share some aspects, but they've been fairly good reads, in spite of me not being your average romantasy reader. Also, each of these books has a different spin on the heroine, a different take on magic.
Most importantly, these are simply just better written than a lot of similar stuff.
IMHO. YMMV. My $0.02 etc.
Based on the writing (just don't ask me why) I was expecting the Kalayna Price book to pre-date it's remote siblings, but it's actually the youngest of the batch.
Grave Witch
... is book 1 in the Alex Craft series. Alex Craft is a grave witch - someone who can see 'beyond' the land of the living - who finds herself involved in a murder case, a demon that tries to reincarnate itself, a family feud, and a handsome officer of the law. Obviously.
Oh. She also befriended Death. Well, one of them.
All in all some nice little new takes on the standard fae / magic fare. I liked it. And - thank god - the 'insert random porn chapter' effect has been kept to a minimum.
Narration
Good, no comments.
The Verdict
Yeah, good read. If you can stand Jane Yellowrock and Mercy Thompson, then Alex Craft should work for you.
More
Dapper / TellTales #125
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