Shadowfever

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Fever #5

“Evil is a completely different creature, Mac. Evil is bad that believes it’s good.”

MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina, were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever.

Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister’s murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals who have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh—a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King, containing the power to create and destroy worlds.

In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.

Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac herself and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?

From the luxury of the Lord Master’s penthouse to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac’s journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and to make a choice that will either save the world . . . or destroy it.

This book was very hard to review without spoiling anything. I can honestly say it was the most engrossing book I have ever read. From the beginning, until the very last words I was completely sucked in. In fact, I actually cried while reading the very first chapter, it was that emotional in such a short amount of time. All of the pressing issues are solved and the questions are answered. Only one major question remained at the end of the book, but the answer was something Mac decided she didn't really need to know. I don't have a problem with this as a little mystery makes things much more interesting in the end.

Mac is thoroughly tested over and over in this book, but just as she has in the past, she survives, she endures, and somehow comes out the other side stronger. She has grown so much from the girl that stepped off the plane, yet somehow never once lost who she really was at the core, despite being pulled in so many different directions. I understand now why everyone believed she only had a slim chance of choosing the "good" side of the prophecy. The odds against her were almost insurmountable, and a lesser person would have failed where she persevered. I truly admire her, and her willingness to stand up for what she believes in. I don't think a better person could have been picked for the fate of the world to rest on. Oh, and just as a little side note, she does finally kiss a man that she can't breathe without, and finds that breath is of little consequence. As far as who that man is, well you will just have to read Shadowfever yourself to find out. ;)

I'll admit, as much as I wanted this book, I also was a little hesitant to read it. I wasn't sure how just one book could tie up all of the issues and leave me with a sense of happiness and satisfaction. I am very happy to say that I was wrong and that I should never have doubted the author. The book was every bit as good as the predecessors and left me more than satisfied. Many times after reading a final book in a series I will feel almost hollow and just generally disappointed. Not because the book was bad, but because I just didn't feel any satisfaction in the ending or knowing that I was saying goodbye to the characters. With Shadowfever, this just is not the case at all. The ending is everything it should be, leaving me happy and content, an absolutely rare feat in any final book.

I would highly suggest not reading this book if you haven't read the first four. You need that foundation to give this one the justice it deserves.  As the Author promised, it is a story about light, not darkness. However, as they say, the night is always darkest before the dawn and that definitely is the case with Shadowfever. Be prepared for one heck of a roller coaster ride full of countless emotions that will leave you reeling, and desperate to know what happens next. If I could rate this higher than a "five," trust me, I would. I hope everyone enjoys Mac's final trials in life, love, and war as much as I did. My hat goes off to the author for this amazing world she created and the awesome cast of characters. Bravo!


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Shadowfever

Challenge Categories:
Outdo Yourself
Horror and Urban Fantasy

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Dreamfever

Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning

Fever #4

MacKayla Lane lies naked on the cold stone floor of a church, at the mercy of the erotic Fae master she once swore to kill. Far from home, unable to control her sexual hungers, MacKayla is now fully under the Lord Master's spell. In the New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning's stunning new novel, the walls between human and Fae worlds have come crashing down. And as Mac fights for survival on Dublin's battle-scarred streets, she will embark on the darkest-and most erotically charged-adventure of her life.

He has stolen her past, but MacKayla will never allow her sister's murderer to take her future. Yet even the uniquely gifted sidhe-seer is no match for the Lord Master, who has unleashed an insatiable sexual craving that consumes Mac's every thought-and thrusts her into the seductive realm of two very dangerous men, both of whom she desires but dares not trust.

As the enigmatic Jericho Barrons and the sensual Fae prince V'lane vie for her body and soul, as she rallies the sidhe-seers to fight an impossible battle, and the power of the Dark Book weaves its annihilating path through the city, Mac's greatest enemy delivers a final challenge...

It's an invitation Mac cannot refuse, one that sends her racing home to Georgia, where an even darker threat awaits. With her parents missing and the lives of her loved ones under siege, Mac is about to come face-to-face with a soul-shattering truth-about herself, and about the world she thought she knew.

Mac has come a long way, and only someone of her strength could have come back from the ending events of the previous book. Barrons is the one she could always count on, so it makes sense that he would be the one to be able bring her back. However, everything always comes at a price, and it may take more than Mac has to forgive him for what he has to do to restore her mind. I really sympathize with Mac.  It has to be very confusing to feel betrayed yet saved by someone at the same time. I think what stings the most is that she really does care for him, so what happened means something to her, but she is afraid it didn't mean anything to him. Only time will be able to tell if they can "heal" and move past it.

"Savage Mac" seems to have all but completely taken over in this book. I understand she need that toughness and "armor" to protect her mind now, but I hope her softer side doesn't completely get lost. If there is no light in her, then there will be no difference between herself and the evils she is fighting. At one point in the book it is said that there is two sides to a coin and it can flip at any time. Mac adamantly refuses she will ever flip, and I truly hope she is able to uphold that vow with all the travesty around her.

I love Dani's character. She is hilarious with her constant cussing and crushing over the men even though she is only 13. She never should have had to see and go through all the things she has at such a young age. The saying always goes, "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." This motto seems to be working for both Mac and Dani, as both keep surviving and come out the other side more determined. The two together are a great force to be reckoned with when they work together to bring down Unseelie.

Well, I thought a wait after the ending of the last book would be bad, but I was wrong. The ending of this one completely blows the last one out of the water. This one truly is a cliff where the last one can only be called stepping off a curb at this point. I still cannot believe the author left it where she did, and I know I'm going to spend the next five months agonizing over what going to happen in the final book. When I first started reading this series I couldn't believe I hadn't read it sooner. Now, I almost wish I hadn't yet so the wait wouldn't be so bad. I can honestly say I've never read a "worse" cliff hanger than the one in this book. I have a feeling the final book will be one heck of a doozy.

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Dreamfever

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Faefever

Faefever by Karen Marie Moning

Fever #3

When MacKayla Lane receives a torn page from her dead sister's journal, she is stunned by Alina's desperate words. And now MacKayla knows that her sister's killer is close. But evil is closer. And suddenly the sidhe-seer is on the hunt: For answers. For revenge. And for an ancient book of dark magic so evil, it corrupts anyone who touches it.

Mac's quest for the Sinsar Dubh takes her into the mean, shape-shifting streets of Dublin, with a suspicious cop on her tail. Forced into a dangerous triangle of alliance with V'lane, an insatiable Fae prince of lethally erotic tastes, and Jericho Barrons, a man of primal desires and untold secrets, Mac is soon locked in a battle for her body, mind, and soul.

As All Hallows Eve approaches and the city descends into chaos, as a shocking truth about the Dark Book is uncovered, not even Mac can prevent a deadly race of immortals from shattering the walls between worlds with devastating consequences.

The beginning of this book is a little slow. Mac is going out of her mind waiting for All Hallows Eve, the day the walls are renewed. What she never really counted on was the idea that the walls would really come down. She was so convinced they would succeed and she would have a year to work on a way to keep them permanently up. What happens after the walls come down can only be described as horrific. So much is lost, and Mac may be the only hope at stopping the Unseelie.

I have to say the best part of this book was the Machalo. I don't want to spoil it, but I will say that anything that makes Mr. Serious Jericho Barrons lose himself to laughter is definitely something worth reading about. I never thought I'd see the day when his composure would crack on a happy side, but the Machalo sure did it. I laughed until I cried myself, its that funny.

I loved the fighting between Barrons and V'lane over Mac like two dogs over a bone. I love the snarkiness between them. You can practically see the steam roll off Barrons every time V'lane puts his name on Mac's tongue. Even though it is for her protection, he cannot stand it, making it seem like there just might some real feelings for Mac from Barrons. Why would he get jealous unless he cared?

I cannot believe the ending of this book. What happens to Mac is absolutely horrifying, and to make matters worse, the book just ends in the middle of those horrors making one heck of a cliff hanger. I finished the last sentence and had to check twice to make sure it really was the end. I'm glad the next book is already out or I would go insane with the wait. This isn't a book you want to read without having the next one handy.  The series just seems to be getting better with more and more shocks. It will keep you on the edge of your seat then entire time and despite the rough ending, it really is an excellent read!

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Faefever: The Fever Series

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Bloodfever

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

Fever #2

Mackayla Lane's ordinary life underwent a complete makeover when she landed on Ireland's shores and was plunged into a dark, deadly realm unlike any she ever imagined. In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh—a million-year old book of the blackest magic imaginable that holds the key to power over both the worlds of Fae and Man. Pursued by Fae assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she cannot trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and irresistible men: V'lane, the insatiable Fae, who can turn sensual arousal into an obsession for any woman; and the ever-inscrutable Jericho Barrons, a man as alluring as he is mysterious.

For centuries, the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them...

Mac starts to see a new side to herself in this book. She calls the two different sides "Savage Mac" and "MacKayla Lane." For most of the book she is trying to find a new balance between the two, but it seems it will only be a matter of time until "Savage Mac" takes over considering everything that keeps happening to her. She is having a hard time trusting anyone (rightfully so), and her savage side seems to be her best protection. I hope she is able to at least keep some of her MacKayla Lane side as this is what gives her some softness and prevents her from being completely ruthless like Barrons.

The sexual tension between Mac and Barrons is ratcheted up to a whole new level. I think its only a matter of time till one of them caves. They seem to be drawn to each other like moth to a flame, but both fight it tooth and nail. I love the banter and general friction between the two of them. In this case opposites don't just attract, they clash, fight, and combust. Barrons may be many things, but Mac can always count on his protection. Even though she may not trust his motives in other things, she knows her life is as safe as it can be in his hands.

V'lane steps up his attempts to woo Mac, but she adamantly refuses his "gift" of protection. You really shouldn't trust a "death-by-sex" fae, even if he promised to not harm her. Well, you really shouldn't trust any fae at all considering everything that's going is their doing. Mac is a smart girl and doesn't trust him at all. He is yet another player in this game that seems to want her and use her how they see fit.

Mac sure was put through the ringer in this book, and the events are changing her, hardening her. I think she will become a true force to be reckoned with, the only question will be, "At what cost?" This is a great second installment with plenty of action that will only suck you further into Mac's world. A very good read!

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Bloodfever: The Fever Series (A Mackayla Lane Novel)

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Darkfever

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Fever #1

MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman.

Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae...

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands...

MacKayla, also known as Mac, starts out as just a typical blonde 22 year old in this book. She's flighty and a little shallow, and loves the color pink, her only worry in the world is what she wants to wear that day. Everything changes when she gets the worst phone call of her life, the one that tells her that her sister, Alina, has been brutally murdered in Dublin. When she finds out the police have stopped investigating Alina's death, Mac sets out to find the killer herself. She quickly gets in way over her head when she runs into the mysterious Barrons and finds out she can see the Fae, a very rare talent. The Fae do not like to be seen, so Mac must learn everything she can from Barrons quickly if she is to have any hope of survival.

While she still has a ways to go, Mac did come a long way towards growing up and character growth. She was raised in a very sheltered life, and when she is thrown into this "new" one, it really showed. However, after much protesting, she finally started to realize that she couldn't just hide her head in the sand anymore. She is very important to the fate of humanity. I think with some time she will truly become a force to be reckoned with. Even at her most flightiness in the beginning, some of her inner strength showed considering only someone with a solid constitution would be able to fly across the ocean to a strange country to track down a murderer. Yes, this idea is a little foolish, but requires strength none the less.

I loved Jericho Barren's character. He is a gruff, opinionated, very masculine character. He does everything he can to get rid of Mac in the beginning, but when she gets too deep he takes her under his wing. He insists its not for altruist purposes, that he only is helping her because she can be of use to him. However, every so often he shows a slight softness under that gruff armor. I have a feeling a love interest is brewing between the two. I think the two would work well as they would balance each other out, with Mac softening him, and he would toughen her up some.

This book was really good, while mostly a world building book as it did take a while for anything to really happen. However, I didn't mind the initial slowness of the book, as Mac really needed things thrown at her slowly to give her a chance to grow up a little each time. It ended on a cliff hanger, while frustrating, makes me very eager to read the next installment. This book was a little dark, with no real romance, but there seems to be a definite potential in the future for that. It is a very good first installment in a series, and I cannot wait to see what more is in store for Mac.

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Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1)

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