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

Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning

Title: Dreamfever
Series: Fever #4
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Delacorte Press
Karen Moning's Website
Karen's Twitter
Dreamfever on Goodreads

Synopsis:

They may have stolen my past, but I’ll never let them take my future.

When the walls between Man and Fae come crashing down, freeing the insatiable, immortal Unseelie from their icy prison, MacKayla Lane is caught in a deadly trap. Captured by the Fae Lord Master, she is left with no memory of who or what she is: the only sidhe-seer alive who can track the Sinsar Dubh, a book of arcane black magic that holds the key to controlling both worlds.

Clawing her way back from oblivion is only the first step Mac must take down a perilous path, from the battle-filled streets of Dublin to the treacherous politics of an ancient, secret sect, through the tangled lies of men who claim to be her allies into the illusory world of the Fae themselves, where nothing is as it seems—and Mac is forced to face a soul-shattering truth.

Who do you trust when you can’t even trust yourself?

 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

*Adult Fantasy

Another amazing book in the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. I was left completely dumb-founded by the ending of Faefever. I don't know what I thought was going to happen but I assure you...it was not this. Mac finds herself fighting to get her life back...not her old life...her life - period. The Sinsar Dubh is the least of her worries for most of Dreamfever. If she's not in trouble, Barrons is. She spends some time in the Hall of All Days becoming more and more confused as time passes. Is it possible that she is in fact the Unseelie King? Things happen that seem to be more than consequences leading her to believe she just might be.

I enjoyed Dreamfever because we finally see a different side of Barrons and start learning some of his secrets. I began to understand his reasons for being so secretive and a royal ass. And, after way too much time, we begin to see his true feelings for Mac. Mac is evolving into a kick-ass heroin by the minute. She is now going head-to-head with Rowena, who may possibly be worse than all her other enemies put together.

Mac definitely has to decide who to trust and soon. Sometimes I just want to slap her and yell for her to look in front of her. It may seem if there are multiple people who want her safe, but that is all a facade. Some are hiding secrets much worse than anything Barrons has to hide.  Regardless of his motives, Barrons continues to dig her out of trouble at every turn in the road. After what he did for her in the beginning of this book, I don't know why she continues to doubt him.

A must read for fans of Fae and lovers of hot steamy men (creatures?).

Follow Friday 10/28/11

If you are new to the #FF fun, Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, Rachel at Parajunkee of course and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them “hi” in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Question: If you could have dinner with your favorite book character, who would you eat with and what would you serve?

Hmmm...good question. I think I would like to have dinner with Jericho Barrons from The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. The problem would be...I wouldn't know what to serve, outside of Unseelie Fae. I really don't want to eat it myself, and honestly, I'm not sure what he eats. I just have a longing to meet this man and see what he is about.

Faefever by Karen Marie Moning

Title: Faefever
Series: Fever #3
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Delacorte Press
Karen Moning's Website
Karen's Twitter
Faefever on Goodreads

Synopsis:

He calls me his Queen of the Night. I’d die for him. I’d kill for him, too. 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.…

Well, that does it. I didn't think it was possible to be anymore addicted to the Fever series than I already was, but...Oh Man. Karen Marie Moning just made it impossible for me to put down this series long enough to write a review. Talk about a cliffhanger of all cliffhangers. This is one of the reasons I am frequently ecstatic that I am late to the game...no waiting on sequels!

I have completed the series and some might disagree, but I believe Faefever is the darkest, most entrancing book in this phenomenal series. It is the perfect pinnacle for center-stage, if you will. If things could get any worse, I am not sure how...short of killing off everyone - which would not set well for the third of a five book series. Ms. Moning does promise this series is about discovering the light; however, this book will leave you doubting that promise and many other things.

Mac begins receiving pages of Alina's journal at Barrons Books and Baubles, leading her to believe that her sister was actually in love with the Lord Master. Is it possible that he returned that love? Hmmm... Things in Dublin are only getting worse...the Sinsar Dubh is on the move, and most disturbing of all is its mode of transportation. Mac has added two more protectors to her list...Christian MacKeltar and Dreamy-Eyed-Guy. Two more men she ends up trying to answer to...for good or bad. V'lane is still hanging around, amping up Mac's libido. Barrons is still Barrons...attempting to conceal his true identity and his feelings for Ms. Lane. The sexual tension in this book is at an all time high. Oh - and did I mention the world as we know it rests in the hands of Barrons, Christian, and Mac?

Faefever is my favorite of the first three books. You will just have to keep coming back and read my reviews for Dreamfever and Shadowfever to discover which of the books is my absolute favorite...or you may already know?!?!

Favorite Quotes:

"I dampened myself greatly. It could have been much more...what is your word? Traumatic. Humans were never meant to carry a Fae's name on their tongue. How does it feel, MacKayla? You have a piece of me in your mouth. Would you like another?" He smiled, and I knew he didn't mean a word, or whatever it was that lay there coiled, slumbering but barely, in a porcelain cage. - Page 89

"You might as well have raped me. In fact, that's exactly what you did!"...He rolled hard and fast, and I was on my back beneath him, with my hands pinned above my head, the weight of his body crushing me to the floor, his face inches from mine. He was breathing harder than the exertion merited..."Make no mistake, Ms. Lane, I didn't rape you. You can lie there on your pretty little P.C. ass and claim with your idealistic little P.C. arguments that any violation of your will is rape and I'm a big, bad bastard, and I'll tell you that you're full of shit, and you've obviously never been raped. Rape is much, much worse. Rape isn't something you walk away from. You crawl." Page 212-213

They were maestros of lust, eternally denied music in their realm, surrounded by others also void, without a human's body to play the melody upon...But with a human, so long as she felt, so did they, and they would gorge on her song, until the concert hall fell silent, the passion turned to ash, and she died, her body gone as cold as that place inside them where life could never fully be realized. - Page 368

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

Follow Friday 10/14/11

If you are new to the #FF fun, Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

Q.If you could have characters from a particular book meet and form an epic storyline with characters from a particular TV series, which would you choose and why? 

 

 OMG! This is nearly an impossible question. My preferences between television and books are completely opposite. I don't watch a lot of "paranormal" television...The Vampire Diaries is the exception. I don't read a lot of mystery, or haven't in a while. 

 

Hmmm...okay, this has been my theme of the month but I would like to see MacKayla Lane and Jericho Barrons from Karen Marie Moning's Fever Series meet NCIS Los Angeles. Mac and Barrons can find anything and Barrons is far scarier than anything I have ever seen on TV. Pair him with Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J and I think LA might shape up.

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

Title: Bloodfever
Series: Fever #2
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Delacorte Press
Karen Moning's Website
Karen's Twitter
Darkfever on Goodreads

Synopsis:

I used to be your average, everyday girl but all that changed one night in Dublin when I saw my first Fae, and got dragged into a world of deadly immortals and ancient secrets...

In her fight to stay alive, MacKayla must find the Sinsar Dubh—a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over the worlds of both the Fae and Man. Pursued by assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she can’t trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and powerful men: V’lane, the immortal Fae Prince, and Jericho Barrons, a man as irresistible as he is dangerous.

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.

Bloodfever begins with Inspector O'Duffy blindsiding Mac at Barrons Books and Baubles, her sacred hide-a-way from all that haunts her. Well...except for Barrons, and his intentions for Mac remain to be seen in this book. Sometimes it is so difficult to review a sequal...especially in a series with five books. Moning's world building continues to be fantastical and imaginative in ways that she can't even explain at times.  

Barrons continues to be the King of Evasiveness as he and Mac maintain their search for the Sinsar Dub, as well as other OOPs. Mac continues to doubt anybody's intentions...call her whiny, but can you really blame her? Every time the already overwhelmed girl turns around...someone else wants something that only she can give. You might think she would be well protected...but what happens when they all get what they need? An attempt on her life doesn't leave her feeling anymore loved, even when V'lane, with impeccable timing, shows up to save her life. Just another favor she owes the death-by-sex fae.

While Mac and Barrons journey to the homes of some of Dublin's most infamous characters, searching for Objects of Power (OOPs), a second closer-to-death-than-anyone-should-be experience causes Mac to indulge in the special properties of Unseelie Fae. She finds herself in a precarious situation with Jericho Barrons that leaves her mind and body reeling.  

I enjoyed Bloodfever immensely; however, there were not a lot of questions answered. This second installment served to reinforce the world of Fae, their Objects of Powers, and establishes some more of the major players involved in the hunt for the Sinsar Dubh.

Favorite Quotes:

"Leave me alone. I can't be your friend," I said bluntly.
"That's way too intriguing to pass up. What's your story, beautiful girl?" (Dreamy-Eyed Guy)
"I don't have a story. I have a life. And you don't fit in it." (Mac)
"Boyfriend?" (DEG)
"Dozens." (Mac)
"Truth?" (DEG)
"Is." (Mac) - Page 58

I felt that way about myself lately; turning dark and afraid of what I was becoming. At that moment, I had no idea how light I still was. But then we so rarely understand the value of what we possess until it's gone. - Page 156-157

He grabbed a fistful of my T-shirt, and dragged me up against him until our noses touched. "I'll bring it on, Ms. Lane. But remember you asked for it. So don't even think about trying to tap out on the mat and quit the fight."...He swapped the fistful of my shirt for one in my hair, and ground his mouth against mine. - Page 304

 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

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Title: Darkfever
Series: Fever #1
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Delacorte Press
Karen Moning's Website
Karen's Twitter
Darkfever on Goodreads

Synopsis:

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.

As usual, I'm late to the party and kicking myself all the way home. On more than several occasions I have looked at the Fever Series and thought, I should read that, but then I just don't. Who knows why? Too hooked in one genre? Maybe, but I love all things Fae, so that doesn't really explain it. Anyway, finally I decided...I really want to read something different. I went and bought Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning. I always regret putting off reading a book that sounds interesting, and this is no exception.

I love MacKayla. Absolutely adore her constant rambling in and out of her head. Her initial reactions to Jericho Barrons, the Old-Woman, and the many fae only add to the fun. Her born and bread southern raising is something I can relate to, being from Texas and all. Her curse words are phenomenally funny and remind me of a person I know who refuses to let her children use any type of exclamations because "they all mean the same thing."


Darkfever is told in first person from Mac's prospective and her descriptions will leave you laughing, cringing or crying. Barrons is fantastic, although he is quite an enigma. I am over half-way finished with Bloodfever (Fever #2) and I have no idea what this man is, except crazy. Evasive, controlling, mysterious...he is everything Mac should avoid, but can't. He has saved her life once and now he owns her. He's not all bad, just a little rough around the edges...or ripped to shreds, put back together, and ripped to shreds again. I find him charismatic and shockingly charming (shockingly being used in a negative way.)


Then there are the Fae. Wow. The Gray Man, The Rhino-Boys, The Many-Mouthed Thing, and last, but certainly not least...V'Lane - The Death-By-Sex Fae. Moning's use of description for identification allows for much more severe reactions to these deathly creatures. And...V'Lane maybe something that some of us need...if only he didn't kill you after bringing your body to an unfathomable bliss.


These books were under Romance at my local Barnes and Nobles...I'm not sure I would classify them as Romance but as Mystery. Don't get me wrong...I think there is a budding romance, but I cannot be entirely sure of anything in regards to these books. Twists, turns, murder, and intrigue overflow from the pages sifting you into unknown worlds filled with otherworldly creatures. 

 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