Kim Harrison's The Hallows Series

One of my readers asked about the series of books I started reading in the middle.  The following is a list of Kim Harrison's "The Hallows" series in the order in which they should be read.

I do not include short stories found in various anthologies, just the books.  If you're interested in seeing all of the books and stories in order, please visit Kim Harrison's site here.

• Dead Witch Walking
• The Good, The Bad, and The Undead
• Every Which Way But Dead
• A Fistful of Charms
• For a Few Demons More
• The Outlaw Demon Wails
• White Witch, Black Curse
• Black Magic Sanction
• Pale Demon
• A Perfect Blood
• Ever After (Coming Spring 2013)

I started the series almost directly in the middle without realizing it when I saw White Witch, Black Curse in the bargain area of Barnes and Noble.  I looked the book over didn't see anything saying it was a part of a series so got it. Then I picked up Black Magic Sanction and Pale Demon, because inside the books those were listed at the top (I didn't realize they were listed in reverse order - oops).  Subsequently, I read Pale Demon before Black Magic Sanction and realized pretty quick I must of read them in the wrong order.  

Either way, it became clear that they were after White Witch, Black Curse and I realize that I now need top pick up all the books before them.  You can start in the middle of the books, but you will miss out on relationships as they go through the books.

Hope this helps those that were wanting a list of her books.

Book Review: Grave Witch by Kalayna Price

I have a bad tendency to pick up books without paying attention to whether or not it's a part of the series or not. I was delighted to discover that I had picked up the first in the the Alex Croft series in Grave Witch.

Written in the first person perspective, Grave Witch introduces us to the main character, Alex Craft, a private investigator, owner of Tongues for the Dead, and consultant for Nekros City Police Department.  Alex can raise shades of the dead to answer questions for her clients, including the police and attorneys.

The story starts off quick, drawing you into a myriad of events that end up flowing together.  Part mystery novel, the writer draws you along as the tension heats up along with the romantic tension between the protagonist and the antagonist (who ends up not being such a bad guy).  Just when you think things are going to slow down, it doesn't.  I definitely didn't want to put the book down when I first read it, trying to figure out all the questions that were in my head.  Who killed the governor?  Why?  And who is the mysterious FIB assigned to the case?  All of which are answered by the end of the book, along with a few surprises.

Like most paranormal books coming out lately, the modern day world has been "awakened" to the fact that there are other beings in the world: fae, magic, etc.  And like most of the books, there is a definite tension found between the old and the new ways, which Alex sees more and more as she discovers who killed the governor and what was being hidden from others.

This book, unlike some of the others I will review, was purchased with my own money from a book store and was chosen to review on my own decision, not at the request of the author or anyone else.

At 325 pages, Grave Witch is a delightful read if you are into paranormal mysteries with a hint of romance.  Romance is rated 13 as it doesn't go into detail at all - unlike some steamy romance novels - and the book is definitely more of a paranormal action/mystery than romance.

A second book in the series, Grave Dancer, was recently released and I picked up on my last visit to Barnes and Noble.

You can read an excerpt of the book here on the official site.

It is available as a Nook e-book here
Amazon e-book: Grave Witch: An Alex Craft Novel
Amazon paperback: Grave Witch (Alex Craft, Book 1)

Grave Witch 
Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 0451463803