Burned: Fever Series Book 7 by Karen Marie Moning

4.5 Stars

This book was so much more than I expected, but at the same time it left me desperately wanting.  I read the sixth book in the series where Dani was the protagonist, but I did not enjoy it as much as the rest of the series.  For one, it was written from the voice of a fourteen year old.  Obviously Dani was fourteen and therefore it should sound like that, however, that does not mean I want to read a book in her head.  I did not enjoy Ryodan and overall number 6 was a letdown.  I had originally heard that book seven was going to be Dani’s book as well.  Someone evil told me Dani doesn’t age in the silvers or something crazy and ends up with Dancer.  I did not want to read that!

Book seven is mostly from Mac’s point of view (which I love), but it also had snippets from Barrons, Lor, Dani, Jada, and the sidhe-seer who is running the Abbey now (I can’t remember her name).  Often times this can be annoying as the reader will often not be an interested in what these secondary characters are experiencing.   I actually really liked most (read: “most”) of these side characters narration times and the ones I didn’t care as much for where blessedly brief and therefore enjoyable for the snippet of insight it delivers. 

There is so much that happens in this book that can’t even be discussed because it would be beyond spoilers.  This is book seven and we are just now learning a LOT of new information.  I can’t even tell you the sneaky way we get this information because that would be spoiling as well.  I can say: 1.) I didn’t find Dani as annoying as I usually do, 2.) I have a new found respect for Ryodan and 3.) the beginning is going to rock your socks off! 

My main problem and why I say, "it left me desperately wanting," is that it didn't feel like a complete book.  Usually in this series, the author delivers and then some on the storyline.  I can't say that a tremendous about of information wasn't provided and I loved every second of it, but when I read the last page it didn't feel like the last page.  I checked a couple times so I am pretty sure it was.  I also despise cliffhangers so that is part of the problem.  

That is all I can say…  

Brief comments about the rest of the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning

So I read this series so fast that I can’t even begin to give a proper review for each book.  They are all 5+ stars.  I read them so fast that I was a little bereft when they were done because I felt like I was missing some of my friends! I even read my first graphic novel!  I got these books from the library but plan to get them for my kindle but I want to re-read them and highlight all my favorite quotes.  It drove me nuts that I couldn’t find any spoilers out there to figure out the ending, but the entire series if you say anything it is pretty much a spoiler. 

I am going to talk briefly about Iced.  This is Dani’s book that takes place very soon after the end of Shadowfever.  Now there is some sort of Unseelie that is icing parts of Dublin and Ryodan wants Dani’s help trying to figure it out.  She has this friend, Dancer, who is a couple years older than her and I am pretty sure that he has a crush on her.  He is super smart, but not fast like Dani.  Christian is turning more and more Unseelie Prince everyday and for some reason he has decided that Dani is his.  Now there is Ryodan.  I can’t quite figure this guy out.  I think that is the way he is supposed to be, but most specifically I can’t figure out what he wants with Dani.  At parts, it seems like Christian, that Ryodan will wait for 15-year-old Dani to grow up and that was to be with her.  But a good part of this book, he is having sex with and then apparently having a relationship with a sidhe-seer, Jo.  Obviously, if he does want Dani, I don’t expect him to be celebate for the next five years, but he also shouldn’t be with Dani’s friend and I don’t want to read about it!  In Mac’s books, she got crapped on a lot, but I thought, “ok girl, buck up and march on, you’ve got a world to save.”  But with Dani, she kept getting crapped on and I just wanted her to teach everyone a lesson and just leave.  I wanted to tell her, “Dani, you don’t have to take this, just leave.” 

I hope that Dani is older when next we hear from her.  I hope that we hear from Mac and Barrons again.  

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning (Fever Series #2)

5 Stars

Ok, so if I liked the first book in this series, I absolutely loved this book. I keep trying to get people to tell me if Mac will end up with Barrons! No one is talking! Spill the beans people…I need to know.

This book takes off where the first one left off. Mac is still living at Barrons Books and Baubles. V’lane is still trying to “sex her up”. She meets a couple cute boys and realizes that she can’t have anything normal with them and walks away. Mac meets Dani, who is also a sidhe-seer, and discovers that the old woman who has abandoned her twice to die at the hands of the fae is in charge of all the sidhe-seers and incidentally wants to be in charge of Mac too. Mac still doesn’t know who to trust and on top of everything she is seeing what looks like the Grim Reaper watching her every move!

I can’t talk about the climax for the book because that would mean divulging who the big baddie is and that, my friends, is a surprise! But Mac gets into big trouble again (bigger than in Darkfever) and must find a way to survive this last one.

I absolutely loved the sexual tension that occasionally popped up between Mac and Barrons. My personal thoughts are that she can trust him even though he is obviously hiding a lot and can be quite violent with her. He said he would keep her alive and I believe him. I don’t know what he wants with the sinsar dubh but I can’t believe he won’t do something to save the world with it. Perhaps, like Barrons told Fiona, I am looking for a hero in someone who is not.

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning (Fever Series #1)

4.5 Stars

I know…I am behind the times and incredibly slow to jump on this bandwagon. I am appropriately ashamed of myself. I read this first book in the series in one day, then immediately jumped into the second book so I will try my hardest to keep my thoughts straight from one book to the next.

We are introduced to Mackayla Lane in this book. Right at the beginning, Mac (Mackayla) learns that her older sister and best friend has been murdered. Alina (aforementioned murdered sister/bestie) was studying abroad in Dublin, Ireland. The police know nothing, and the murder is especially horrific. Mac belatedly receives a frantic last voicemail from Alina that leads her off to Dublin herself to try to get some answers and justice for Alina. She isn’t there long before she starts seeing things…that shouldn’t be possible. Incredibly gorgeous people that melt into hideous beasts. She thinks she is going crazy and no one is especially helpful or friendly. She ends up lost and wanders into “Barrons Books and Baubles” and thus is the beginning of a beautiful friendship…or something. Barrons is the one who explains to Mac (or Ms. Lane as he calls her) that what she is seeing are Unseelie Fae and she is a sidhe-seer. Mac is slow to accept this and almost gets herself killed a couple times.

Mac and Barrons form an uneasy alliance and Mac moves into the bookstore. They begin a quest to find one of the Unseelie Hallows (think ancient relics of immense power) when Barrons discovers that Mac can sense these objects. They visit a variety of unsavory characters in their quest and Mac makes more than a few enemies along the way.

Thoughts:

Mac was, at times, hard to like. She has blonde hair, pink is her favorite color, and her nails always match her outfit. She is incredibly shallow, and only becomes slightly less shallow as the book moves on. Since this is a series, I can only imagine that the author wants to take us, not only on a great storytelling adventure, but on a journey through self discovery for Mac (and probably Barrons too!) Barrons also isn’t incredibly likeable. I can tell from reading reviews for the other books in the series (that is right, I seek out reviews hoping to get spoilers…that is just how I roll), that Barrons must grow on the reader, but in the first book he is distant, bossy, and aggressive. He leaves bruises when he touches her and grabs her by the throat. Mac realizes he is the lesser of the evils and that he at least wants to keep her alive, even if it is for his own selfish reasons.

I can’t put my favorite quote here because I got these books at the library so there was no easy way to highlight like on my kindle. :(

Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning



I debated whether to include this
scandalous book cover, but it
adds  more interest to the post
so I apologize for the cheesy-ness.

 This is the first book in the Highlander series.  This is the first book I have ever read from this author.  The POV in this novel appears to be omniscient.  This is a fairly new narrative for me, and while it felt odd at times, I actually liked it.  I enjoyed getting to be in the head of both of the characters in the same scene.  A few times it was tricky as I didn’t realize I had switched from Adrienne to Hawk, but it didn’t take long to figure it out.  I certainly wouldn’t want every book I read to be an omniscient POV, but I liked this one. 

Adrienne de Simone is from the year 1997 and she has a tragic past that you are told in bits and pieces.  Without revealing too much, Adrienne was an orphan.  She fell in love with a man named Everhard (weird name!), and then something tragic happened and she now considers herself to be on the lam.  Due to some interference from the fair folk, Adrienne is transported back in time to the early 1500’s.  She ends up married to a man who is interchangeably referred to as both “Hawk” and “the Hawk.”  Adrienne has become the pawn in which the fair folk (or more precisely, a particular fae) use to get revenge on the Hawk. 

Hawk is instantly smitten with his unwanted wife and Adrienne is constantly working to spurn him.  She doesn’t like beautiful men.  She has been ill used by Everhard and has no use for beautiful men.  Hawk has his work cut out for him to win her over.  Once he does (because there is no question that he will) there is still the problem of the fair folk to deal with.  They want their revenge and they won’t be denied. 

I will definitely be buying the next book in the series.  And she has another series called the fever series that is supposed to be awesome so I will be delving into that as well (once December starts and my book allowance is back! Yes, that does mean that I have spent all my money for November).  

Favorite Quote: 
"Good. Because he wants my wife, and she doesn't want me.  And I saw her wanting him with a hurt in her eyes."  --Hawk to his friend Grimm about the nefarious Smithy