"Darkly written with a full orchestra of emotion"

By: Karen Marie Moning

Genres: Fantasy Urban

Posted: October 7, 2011

SHADOWFEVER is the rabidly-awaited conclusion to Karen Marie Moning's Fever series and packs as much of a punch as its prequels. Now a convert to Moning's writings, it was, however, with trepidation that I first picked up the inaugural book of the series, Dreamfever, almost two years ago . There was something so ludicrous about the idea of a pink-loving, sun-worshiping blonde southern belle heading to Ireland in search of her sister's murderer and becoming wrapped up in a sordid supernatural underworld. Much like many of the book's other characters, from the brooding bookstore owner Jericho Barrons to Fae prince V'Lane, the idea of protagonist MacKayla Lane wielding something more threatening than a martini shaker seemed so far-fetched that I worried that this entire series would be nothing more than a farce.

I could not have been more wrong. Moning isn't afraid to wield the elements of her genre heavy-handedly (there's plenty of internal dialogues consisting mostly of pronouns, long lustful gazes, incredibly beautiful people, sex that changes worlds, etc.) but, most pertinently, these elements are in some of the steadiest hands they could be. The transformations that Mac undergoes in these five books are real and vital and extremely well-written, fully investing the reader in her fate and that of her world. Moning clearly understands emotions and, even more importantly, knows how to accurately represent their power. SHADOWFEVER is the apex of all Mac's changes, where more than one shocking twist is expertly pulled off. I can almost guarantee that fans will not be disappointed by the end to this series.

New readers would do best to start with Dreamfever, as it is a virtual certainty that only confusion can come from starting off with SHADOWFEVER. Fans of Sherrilyn Kenyon and Christine Feehan should find MacKayla's romantic exploits to be well within their purview and will enjoy her sexually-tense interactions with, well, just about everyone she meets. Furthermore, it's impossible not to cheer her on as she comes into her own power and starts kicking some serious ass (fae, human, monster, you name it). If you want to see your afternoon, evening, and the early hours of the morning swiftly disappear, start these books now and enjoy.

Book Summary

“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.

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Shadowfever

by: Karen Marie Moning

Fever #5

Dell
September 1, 2011
On Sale: August 30, 2011
Featuring: MacKayla Lane; Alina
704 pages
ISBN: 0440244412
EAN: 9780440244417
Kindle: B003EY7IRC
Paperback / e-Book (reprint)

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