Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Title: Shadowfever
Series: Fever #5
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: January 2011
 

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Synopsis:

“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.

Yep, you counted correctly...5 moon-women. Never in my lifetime have I read a series that left me so completely and utterly satisfied at its ending. Shadowfever is filled with death, loss, darkness, grief, and ultimately, the light that Ms. Moning has promised from the beginning. All the right questions were answered, my fears relieved, and my hopes sated, leaving only positive energy surrounding The MacKayla Lane Novels. My favorite part..."The End..." turn page "...for now." Hmmm...what could that possibly mean?

We find Miss Lane grieving over the death of Jericho Barrons. He died by her hand, causing her to devolve into a grief-stricken frame-of-mind. At this point she only wants to finish what she started and she will do it in any manner necessary, even if it means seducing the Lord Master, or Darroc as she now refers to him. This is the ultimate betrayal to those closest to her. I give her credit though, Mac set her mind to take control of the Sinsar Dubh and she doesn't back down. Too many peopl died at it's hands and Mac is taking over.

The Fever Series is filled with deception and betrayal, making you question every motive of every person surrounding Mac. Shadowfever will leave you screaming "WTF" and "OMG" with every turn of the page. Very few of these creatures are what you have been led to believe. Those closest to Mac will surprise you the most. The world of Dublin has become a terrifying place, filled with unseelie fae and the humans are just going to have to make the best of it, because there is no going back.

The secrets, oh the secrets, of Dublin have left my mind reeling with amazement. So many secrets guarded so closely, right under Mac's nose the entire time. The secrets about Barrons are probably the most notable. I want to tell you all of them...all of the secrets, every last one of them, but like Mac, you must find them out on your own. If you haven't read this series or have been teetering on the edge, wondering if you want to read them, you do. Trust me...you really do.

Okay, because I can't tell you any secrets or give you a great storyline, I am going to give you a few of my favorite quotes...

Jericho Barrons is dead.
He lies on his stomach, motionless. He hasn't moved or breathed in the small eternity that I've been screaming. I can't sense him in his skin. On all other occasions, I've been able to feel him in my vicinity; electric, larger than life, vastness crammed into a tiny container. Genie in a bottle. That's Barrons: deadly power, stopper corking it. Barely. ... The million-dollar question: What are you, Barrons? - Page 7

Suddenly it shot up on all fours, head down. Bone crunched and cracked, settling into a new shape. Shoulders formed - strong, smooth, bunched with muscle. Hands braced wide. One leg stretched back, then bent as it tensed in a low lunge. ... A naked man crouched in the moonlight. - Page 172

He winked. "I'd planned to, anyway."
"Oooh! Then why did you--"
"Pretty girl and all. Asking. Gotta love that. Stuff of heroes. Don't get that role often." - Page 637

...She'd been taken.
He'd loved her for all time.
Before she was made.
After he'd believed she was gone.
Sunshine to his ice. Frost to her fever.
I wished them forever.
You, too, beautiful girl.
The Unseelie King was gone. - Page 653

If you have read this series...who is your favorite character?

Be sure to check out my reviews of the entire Fever Series.

   • Book 1: Darkfever
   • Book 2: Bloodfever
   • Book 3: Faefever
   • Book 4: Dreamfever
   • Book 5: Shadowfever