Book Review: Shadowfever (Fever Series Book 5) by Karen Marie Moning

Title: Shadowfever
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Fever #5
Pages: 671
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

“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.

Okay, so you know those books/series that are extremely easy to predict. By chapter 5 you already know who is going to end up together, how the world will end, how it will then be saved, yada yada... Shadowfever, no scratch that, the entire Fever series is not that way. While reading Shadowfever I felt like I was on a rollercoaster...full of loops,twists, and turns...in the dark. Yes I know, seems pretty intense right? Well it was! The entire book (all 670 pages of it!) kept me on edge. At times I was confused and others had me shocked. It is highly possible that while reading this, that my face was in a permanent position of shock, you know eyebrows raised and some crazy wild eyes...yep that was me.

All of the twists and turns made this a great end to a fantastic series! It was definitely not a let down like some other finale books that I know. Moning always throws in a little extra at the end. This time is no different, she did not disappoint! She included a deleted scene! How awesome is that?

I know I said that this is the final book in the Fever series, but don't be sad. Did I mention that Ms. Moning is pretty no, epically awesome? The final page of the book did say The End...but when you flip it over to the next page it promised ...For Now!!! And this is a promise that wasn't broken!! The Fever series lives on!

If you still have any questions about how amazing Shadowfever is, then listen up, Dude, (as Dani would say) I finished Shadowfever in less than 48 hours. Yes I have done this before, but not with books that are over 600 pages!! That is a lot of words!! I couldn't help it, I had to keep reading! The only reason I didn't finish it sooner was because the text started messing with my eyes and I got a major headache. There's only so much sleep I can go without! Don't let my crazy headache and blurry vision deter you, it was a choice that I would gladly make again. Shadowfever was by far the best book in the series...for now!

Book Review: Dreamfever (Fever Series Book 4) by Karen Marie Moning

Title: Dreamfever
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Fever #4
Pages: 386
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

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 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 cryptic entries from her sister’s diary mysteriously appear 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 her sister, about Jericho Barrons…and about the world she thought she knew.

After the events that occurred in Faefever, Dublin is no longer the same city that it once was. Scratch that, it's not just Dublin that has been exposed, it is the whole human world. Things are happening that are out of Mac's control, and she still has way more questions than answers. She does have a new ally though, a spunky 13 year old girl that loves kicking some Unseelie butt!

Not only does this book give us more of Dani, but it also gives us more of Barrons, maybe even a little more than you bargained for. It just took me a little off guard, I mean I read this part and was just like "Oh my!!" You'll know what I'm talking about when you get to that part.

There was just so much action in Dreamfever. There was that whole part I mentioned earlier plus a ton of Unseelie butt kicking Mac! Once again though, Ms. Moning left us with another cliffhanger. Unfortunately I don't have the next installment at my disposal....yet. Don't worry I'll get my hands on it in a day or two (hopefully).

On a side note, if you don't read the "Glossary from Mac's Journal" that's included at the end of the book, you are missing out. Some of the descriptions are pretty funny!!

Book Review: Faefever (Fever Series Book 3) by Karen Marie Moning

Title: Faefever
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Fever #3
Pages: 416
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

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.…

I just finished Faefever, and I'm not even remotely close to happy right now!! All that is keeping me from chunking the book across the room is that I have the fourth one in my possession and don't have to wait for it. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then I'll go ahead and just put it out there...CLIFFHANGER!!!

Faefever started out innocent enough. Actually, it was kind of slow at the beginning. But once the action started coming into play it did not stop! I could not put Faefever down, I mean the more I read, the more likely it was possible that I would find out more about the mysterious Jericho Barrons. I still don't know what to think of him. Sometimes I like him, but at other times I just want Mac to get out of there and just go into hiding (if that was even possible).

These books in the fever series are just full of suspense. There are also twists that I don't even see coming! I don't think I have mentioned it yet in my other two reviews, but I am so thankful that an author finally put a pronunciation guide in the book!! It always drives me crazy when an author puts crazy names in books that I have no idea how to even sound out. But thank you for the pronunciation guide Ms. Moning, it almost makes up for that cliffhanger......not. Oh well, I'll just have to start the next book. I'm just glad that it's already out and I don't have to wait months for it (that would have been excruciatingly painful)!!

Book Review: Bloodfever (Fever Series Book 2) by Karen Marie Moning

Title: Bloodfever
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Fever #2
Pages: 303
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

I used to think my sister and I were just two nice southern girls who’d get married in a few years and settle down to a quiet life. Then I discovered that Alina and I descend, not from good wholesome southern stock, but from an ancient Celtic bloodline of powerful sidhe-seers, people who can see the Fae. Not only can I see the terrifying otherworldly race, but I can sense the sacred Fae relics that hold the deadliest of their magic.

When my sister was found dead in a trash-filled alley in Dublin, I came over to get answers. Now all I want is revenge. And after everything I’ve learned about myself, I know I have the power to get it….

MacKayla Lane’s ordinary life underwent a complete makeover when she landed on Ireland’s shores and was plunged into a world of deadly sorcery and ancient secrets.

In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh–a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over both the worlds of the Fae and of 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.…

Ms. Moning most certainly has a way with words. The descriptions and imagery she creates is absolutely amazing! There are details that you need to remember, because they come into play later. The fever series is much more than just a paranormal read. It actually has an amazing plot line and almost reads like a mystery (which I love by the way!).

There is not just one mystery in here either. This book is instead filled with several mysteries. You can't help but keep turning the pages waiting...and hoping, for any of the mysteries to unfold. Of all the mysterious things in this book, one that intrigues me the most is Mac's constant savior, Jericho Barrons.

Barrons is just one huge mystery and I can't wait for it to finally unravel! I mean the tension between him and "Ms. Lane" just keeps building and building! As I said in my review of Darkfever, I do have my hands on the next few books in the series, so upon finishing this review I'm going to go ahead and start in on the next installment. There, review finished☺ (now to get back to reading...)!!

Book Review: Darkfever (Fever Series Book 1) by Karen Marie Moning

Title: Darkfever
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Fever #1
Pages: 347
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

Hunting her sister's murderer in the gritty streets of Dublin, MacKayla Lane discovers a power she didn't know she possessed: the ability to track an ancient evil lost by the immortal race that created it - a dangerous relic coveted my mortal and immortal alike. In this deadly game of life-and-death stakes, is there anyone MacKayla can trust?

I really enjoyed Darkfever! Mac is on a quest to find her sister's killer and even travels overseas...alone, to the scene of the crime. She does not find at all what she expected. Instead, she discovers a world that she never knew existed. In Darkfever we get just a taste of what this new world really is. I am looking forward to Moning expanding it as the series progresses. So far though, the picture that Moning has painted does not look like that world is very inviting, especially to Mac.

After getting about halfway through the book, I went ahead and checked out the next three from the library (a little excessive, I know). I just knew that this was going to be a series that I liked. It is a bit edgier than my typical reads, and I found Mac to be a pretty relatable character. I mean, we both love pink nail polish!! Okay, there is more to it than that. She is at a point in her life where everything is changing and must choose between letting go of the past, or running away from her future. Everyone goes through this at least one point in their life.

The copy of Darkfever that I got my hands on included a note from the author. In this note, Moning wrote about how this was not her typical subject she wrote about. She explained that "Sometimes you don't get a choice. A story shows up on your doorstep and stalks you until you tell it." I am so glad that Moning stepped outside her comfort zone and gave us the story that demanded to be told.

"Dealing with the Fae is like dealing with any addiction - you give in, they'll own you; you resist, they never will."