Tag: Sidhe-Seer

Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

My Review: Feversong (Fever #9): by Karen Marie Moning

nicholasjgoodsell

Publish Date: January 17th, 2017

Number of Pages: 541 Pages

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Genre(s): Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

***Warning! This review contains spoilers from previous books in this series, continue reading at your own risk! You’ve officially been warned!***

To see my review of book #1 – Darkfever – Click HERE

To see my review of book #2 – Bloodfever – Click HERE

To see my review of book #3 – Faefever – Click HERE

To see my review of book #4 – Dreamfever – Click HERE

To see my review of book #5 – Shadowfever – Click HERE

To see my review of book #6 – Iced – Click HERE

To see my review of book #7 – Burned – Click HERE

To see my review of book #8 – Feverborn – Click HERE

To see my official Fancast/Dreamcast of the series – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

He’d told me once that fear was more than a wasted emotion, it was the ultimate set of blinders; that if I couldn’t face the truth of my reality, I could never control it, and would be subject to the wishes of anyone whose will was stronger than mine. He knew too well, from battling his own inner monster, what I’ve come to fathom only here and now. The most critical, defining battles we wage in life, we wage alone. Against ourselves.”

— Karen Marie Moning, “Feversong”

Alright, for this reader of the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning, I’m happy–and slightly relieved–to say how with reading Feversong, it feels like the series is back on track with many unpredictable twists, many secrets revealed, scorching romance, and so much danger too! While my liking of what I call “Phase 2” of the Fever series–every book past Shadowfever, aka “The Original Series”–has been back and forth, I can say this book should satisfy over disappointing readers who have stuck it out up to this point!

While there are still some loose ends that haven’t reached a full conclusion, I’d compare this book to being like Shadowfever, where all the main plots are resolved here, which is a relief in the sense that there seemed to be so many this time around. More so in the sense that the quality of the story could be argued to be diluted by this point because the books in my Phase 2 have teeter-tottered in whether I enjoyed them as much, and how they stand together as a cohesive unit for telling a story. I was lukewarm about Iced, surprisingly really enjoyed Burned, I was bored with Feverborn, but I was enthralled and my interest was fully piqued when I started Feversong. It felt like how it was with the earlier books, but with more characters to root for this time around too. It was something new, yet still familiar, which is always a good thing with humans and any sort of story.

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***Warning! There are Spoilers of “Feversong” beyond this point, so continue reading at your own risk! You’ve officially been warned once again!***

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You get an even more in depth look into Dani’s past, learning truly what happened to her before even Rowena and the other Sidhe-Seers got their hands on her. She’s certainly been through some of the worst experiences a child could ever have to endure, it speaks so much to her character that she’s still around and still able to smile and laugh after all that torment and trauma, to which Ryodan noticed all those years ago and vowed to look after her!

Speaking of Ryodan, I continue to love him even more in this book. I can understand how some readers wished he stayed the heartless, cold bastard he was when we originally met him, I like the development KMM has given him and even now how things have developed between him and Dani up to this point. It’s taken some weird turns, especially with her coming back as Jada, but once again we see how much he truly cares for her when he steps aside in order for her to have a small chance at normal happiness with Dancer, despite his own feelings regarding her.

Barrons is Barrons, that is all I can really say. I love him and how he’s developed over the series, I have nothing negative to say about him. I love how little signs of affection creep out of him whenever him and Mac interact, and how it’s obvious how he’s truly smitten in love with her, even if he never says it. To him, actions speak louder than words, and we’d expect nothing less from him.

With Mac, it was really fun to see her darkest side yet with her becoming possessed by the Sinsar Dubh, I’m not going to lie! KMM really got dark with some of her passages early on in the book, and I was oddly a big fan of the gore and violence. It honestly surprised me, which is not something a book can do to me as often now a days. I was sad to see a character get brutally murdered by her possessed hands, but part of me also wished more were killed to make an even bigger impact.

I continue to hope for the best with Christian, who’s another character who’s really been through the wringer. He’s perhaps my favorite side character besides Ryodan, and was happy he’s still around after everything too! There’s the potential for another chance at romance that’s teased in this book, so I sincerely hope he gets at least ONE “happily ever after moment.”

Inspector Jayne is turning into a Seelie Prince, which I just love the irony of that since he’d been training his guardians to hunt and kill fae ever since the walls came down back in October. I hope KMM plays more with this in the next two books before the series is actually over this time!

Not to give too much else away, there are just a few more really interesting events that occur, leaving more loose ends like I said, and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out now that we are ACTUALLY on the home stretch of this series once and for all!

What It’s About:

In typical Fever series fashion, Feversong continues immediately after how we left things in Feverborn: Mac and Jada have both been captured by The Sweeper, an ancient creature olden than even the Unseelie King! They make amends and are best friends again, but Mac used the Sinsar Dubh in order to escape, the chunk of it that was placed inside her, and it snuck in and took possession over her!

Along with STILL dealing with Cruce and the Black Holes that are threatening to slurp up the whole freaking planet, now Barrons and the rest of the crew have to try and rescue Mac from the demonic, psychotic book that’s taken over her body! With this unspeakable danger that wants to kill everything in sight, this leads them to making a deal with the devil: the Unseelie Prince, Cruce. Enemies become allies, some allies could turn into enemies, but with plenty of twists and turns, this is the intricately drawn out conclusion of whether they will be able to save our world from its ultimate demise.

What I Liked:

  1. Demonic Mac! This book starts off on such a thrilling note with Mac actually being possessed by the Sinsar Dubh, which by this point we all know is the real villain of the series. I was pleasantly surprised at how dark the author was able to get with some of the more gruesome and gory scenes with what Mac does under its control, not that I’m necessarily complaining as I feel like it’s hard for an author to really shock me these days, but it’s still sad one of the more familiar characters gets brutally murdered under her hands.
  2. Mac and Barrons Relationship Development! I don’t care what others say, I continue to love seeing how the two of these characters and their relationship continue to evolve. Some complain that Barrons has lost his edge, that they miss the mystery and harshness from him in the earlier books, but here’s my opinion: sure, he was great back then when they first met, but think about a long term relationship after a year when compared to when it first started out. Obviously the dynamics will change over time, and the two change alongside each other along with how they behave around each other. Some of it’s still there, but they’ve moved past the distrust, the sexual tension, the arguments–well, not entirely–but another way to describe all this: GROWTH. I’m sure even more people would complain if Jericho didn’t change at all by this point in the whole series; hell, I was whining about them arguing two books ago in burned when he erased the memory of them doing it like rabbits in heat the first night they met! Back to them in this book, It’s amazing to me to see how they’ve changed over time and now Barrons is caught staring at her with a gaze mixed with curiosity, admiration and now even respect.
  3. Dani Returns! So I was never a huge fan of the whole Dani/Jada alter ego/multiple personality storyline the author came up with. I mean, I can agree that Dani has been through A LOT… there are even some passages in this book that describe the abuse and torment she’s endured, so while I can’t say for certain that it’s entirely far fetched that she’d produce an alter ego in order to deal with/block out the trauma, I still thought it was a little bit of a stretch. Anyways, after what happened at the end of Feverborn, Jada had begun to crack along the edges and Dani was peaking through once again. I almost wish Jada could’ve been a separate character entirely, because there were parts of her I will miss, but seeing Dani return due to the love everyone shows her, especially Dancer, was great to see! It’s safe to say that after reading Feversong, I’m officially a fan of Dani O’Malley.
  4. The Enemy of my Enemy is My Friend! So with the Sinsar Dubh once again back in the picture and being the big villain to defeat, it was cool to see how the characters needed to band together, like even with Cruce who was released by Sinsar-Mac before he got his wings ripped out! Cruce was a huge antagonist and made the alliance difficult for everyone, and I always love it when this sort of thing happens in stories!
  5. Ryodan Continue to Impress! Ryodan continues to grow and develop in this story, especially when it comes to Dani. Like Barrons, some fans complain the author softened him up and should’ve kept him as the brutal/heartless asshole that he was in Dreamfever and Shadowfever, and I did like him in those books too, but again like I said about Barrons, there needs to be growth! Good characters hardly stay the same throughout a series.
  6. Mac 5.0! We get another version of Mac in this book, and screw it……. I’m going to spoil it….. but Mac becomes the Seelie Queen! It was necessary in order to help defeat the Sinsar Dubh and learn the Song of Making to get rid of the black holes threatening to destroy the earth!
  7. Shazam’s Reveal! Such a small detail to include, because I’m not a big fan about having some creature named “Shazam” from another dimension even be in this story, when we get revealed something about him that does pique my interest about him, as it’s sure to be the cause of some major chaos in the last two books after this one!

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. How Short the Possession Was…So kind of spoilery………………………………………. …………………………………. ………………… but Mac, Barrons, and others defeat the Sinsar Dubh at around the 50% mark of the book! I was hoping for more to happen in that; for more chaos to rain down upon them, but hey, it had to happen at some point! I was just more worried how afterwards, they subdue the Sinsar Dubh, but there was still over like 200 pages left of the book and I was wondering like what else could possibly happen/go wrong?
  2. Where Did All These Side Characters Go?…Okay, what was the point of Kat going off with Kasteo into that training room underground if it ended up not meaning anything? Where was Lor for like the entire book? Is Dageus turning into one of the 9 going to mean anything? There’s just so many side-stories that are not getting enough attention! I love Mac and Barrons, but KMM needs to stop a little bit with them and the many inner monologues and focus on these storylines more! I mean, Kat was gone for so long, I thought she’d have such a bigger part to play in all honesty.
  3. How The Rape Was Used…So with Cruce momentarily aligning himself with Mac, and I was way turned off by how it seemed like Mac had forgiven him for all that he’d done to her in the past (i.e: when she was gang raped by all the Unseelie Princes on Halloween night when the walls came down). They almost try to have us forgive him too, like he’s a lesser evil than the book or not actually evil at all, and even has Mac admit that maybe she would’ve fallen in love with V’lane/Cruce if she’d met him before she met Jericho Barrons. I sincerely hope she was lying to him when she said that just because she needed his help to create the Song of Making to Destroy the world. But they share a passionate kiss, and this whole thing was just cringe. Like, I’m not a victim of rape myself, and sure the circumstances surrounding it in the story are pretty extraordinary, but I seriously was not a fan of this detail, and at least the author made a note at the end that just because it happened here, does not mean she’s for rape apologists either. I’m not sure how much further I can go on the subject, but I can recognize that it’s problematic material in the book and deserves a trigger warning.
  4. Huge Character Death…So I legitimately cried when this was happening, and I honestly wasn’t expecting it to affect me as much as it did. I’m going to spoil it so feel free to scroll down past this if you want……………….. ………………….. ………………………………….. …………….. ……………………… …………………. ……………………………. …………………………………. …………. ……………… Dancer dies, and I knew it was going to happen as soon as KMM revealed the important little tidbit about his heart condition. Now, it’s been safe to say that KMM has been setting up Ryodan and Dani since Iced, but there was a love triangle with Dancer in the mix. There are many factors going into play, like with Dani becoming Jada so the whole age thing was less creepy, but KMM wasn’t going to make the decision easy for her either way. Both Dancer and Ryodan brought out the best of her, and both were good for her in different ways. Dancer was there when she felt like she had no one else, and helped her keep her humanity and save her when she was in a dark place. Unfortunately, KMM also made the decisions easier for her while also satisfying those who were more team-Dancer, but again: as soon as you learn about Dancer’s condition, you had to know it was only a matter of time before the final trigger was pulled, so to speak. I’m looking at it as a way for Dancer to pass the baton, and hope he knows Dani can be happy and how much he helped her. I’m going to miss him, he was like the kindest and most innocent character of them all.
  5. This Was the End?… Again?…I’m getting confused as to how this book says it’s the conclusion of the Fever series? The same thing was said about Shadowfever, yet here we are four books later. Then KMM seems to go off in many directions from a trilogy with Dani and Ryodan to nixing that to the other books past Shadowfever aren’t as cohesive as the “original” series was, and I’m glad at how there’s still so much explored, but it just feels more inconsistent now. Feversong says it was the conclusion to the series, yet I know there’s two more books after this: High Voltage and Kingdom of Shadow and Light. KMM still left quite a bit up in the air, so I’m glad she’s got two more books for me to read, but I’m just so confused as to the whole planning of this series has been, and that’s coming from someone who’s just started reading them this year (2020) alone.

Conclusion:

Things we had, like respect and trust, but also freely expressed desires and accountability to whatever degree it took to make both people happy. It took work, a willingness to fight passionately and fairly–out of bed, not just in it–commitment and honesty. It took waking up and saying each day, ‘I hold this man sacred and always will. He’s my sun, moon, and stars.’

It took letting the other person in; a thing I’d stopped doing. It took being unafraid to ask for what you wanted, to put yourself on the line, to risk it all for love.”

— Karen Marie Moning, “Feversong”

The Shadowfever of phase #2 of the Fever series, this book is wild thrills and delights as yet again major conflicts are resolved in this installment, but of course there are also plenty of things left up in the air as to help transition the series into phase #3 and it’s final section: books 10 and 11, High Voltage and Kingdom of Shadow and Light.

High Voltage looks like it once again puts the main focus on Dani and Ryodan as the storie’s main characters, which is now fine with me as they’re both so different than the first time this happened with Iced, and now I feel like Mac and Barrons story is at a much better stopping point, despite that vague and questioning final chapter with them and the mural in BB&B!

So many emotions came with reading this latest book in this wild and crazy series, it felt nostalgic with similar feelings I had when reading the earlier books in all their glory! I’m sad to see how based on some reviews and some lack of by certain Goodreads reviewers I follow, not everyone has kept up with the series by this point. I get it, the books past Shadowfever aren’t as cohesive and KMM really seems to grasp at straws with some of her subplots, central conflicts, and even some of her character development, but I can say I’ve stuck with it, and will continue to do so until the very end. Despite my less than thrilled reactions to books like Iced and Feverborn, I’m still so emotionally invested in these books, these characters that I absolutely have to see them until the end! I don’t think I could really quit the series by now, even if I actually wanted to! At book nine and only two more to go, I have to see what KMM truly comes up with to truly finalize all of it.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fantasy, Paranormal

My Review: Iced (Fever #6): by Karen Marie Moning

nicholasjgoodsell

Publish Date: October 29th, 2012

Number of Pages: 512 Pages

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Genre(s): Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

***Warning!!! This review contains spoilers from previous books in the series, continue reading at your own risk! You’ve officially been warned!***

To see my review of book #1 – Darkfever – Click HERE

To see my review of book #2 – Bloodfever – Click HERE

To see my review of book #3 – Faefever – Click HERE

To see my review of book #4 – Dreamfever – Click HERE

To see my review of book #5 – Shadowfever – Click HERE

To see my Fancast/Dreamcast of the series – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 2.5 Stars

The Fever series has become a total book obsession of 2020 for me, and is easily probably my favorite set of books so far this year too. It was originally said the series would only be five books, and I could see the series ending based off all that happened in the previous book, Shadowfever, but I’m not going to complain that there’s a whole lot more books to be added.

I’m sad to say that Iced is also probably the weakest book of the bunch so far, at least that’s just my opinion. Even though I had lowered expectations going in, the book wasn’t able to exceed them or even really meet them either. I’m going to put the blame on how this book shifts from Mackayla Lane to Dani O’Malley as the main protagonist, but who also isn’t nearly as developed of a character. Sure, this opportunity would allow her to do just that, but I was hoping she’d be further along in her development before she took center stage. She’s just too immature for me, with all the brattiness, the “fecks” and “dudes” constantly said, and all the cocky bravado she repeats to herself in her many many inner monologues… Those inner monologues are also the main reason this book is so thick.

Iced is 512 pages, but it felt like it needed to be a much shorter 300 pages instead. With the many inner monologues of Dani, and characters like Christian and Kat, they really fill the book up and make it as substantial as it is when it wasn’t completely necessary. Sure, we could say it’s been like that since the beginning back when Mac was the main focus, but now it’s a little annoying now that we have three characters whom we’re following in this story.

One positive thing I can say is the whodunnit mystery that’s the main plot. Basically, there’s someone or something that’s going around Dublin and literally “Icing” people, both fae and human, to death. They become solid blocks of ice that explode into shards, and Dublin is supposed to be in it’s summer season, so it won’t survive if this keeps going on unchecked. Rydoan “asks” Dani for her help in trying to solve the case, and several other characters get pulled into the story, some new and some familiar. There’s Christian Mackeltar, who’s even further along in becoming the fourth Unseelie Prince and almost completely turned over to the dark-side with a strange obsession for Dani, and there’s a new character named Dancer, a 17-year-old genius who helps Dani set traps to try and save the city.

This book wasn’t as romance filled as some may believe, even though Dani has 3 potential love interests. Out of them all, only one actually seems like a non-creepy option. There’s Christian, Dancer, and even Ryodan who all seem to be drawn towards Dani O’Malley, who let me remind you is only 14. Christian is in his mid-to-late 20’s, but is going dark and is basically becoming a demon, and admits how much he wants to have sex with her… I’m not joking. Ryodan, who’s probably thousands of years old, is much more silent and vague about his feelings, but it’s obvious he’s drawn to her is some way. Both are willing to wait for her to come of age, which can be seen as either romantic or creepy depending on how you look at it. Dancer is the only logical choice right now, but how I see it is that he’s the nerdy best friend who’s hopelessly in love with his best friend, and hasn’t Cassandra Clare already written that trope to death? He’s a sweetheart, but I know he’s not going to end up with her, it’s most likely going to be Ryodan, but I’m curious how KMM is going to develop it and (hopefully) make it feel less child molest-y.

The Book is entertaining enough; I was glued to the pages deep into the night like pretty much every other book I’ve read in this series. My real complaint is that I didn’t get enough growth from Dani O’Malley as I’d hoped, and she really so desperately needs it. She’ll get there, and she is starting to grow on me, but she’s still not the 100 emoji for me yet.

What It’s About:

The Official Blurb:

The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

What I Liked:

  1. Dancer! He’s a new character who was mentioned in Shadowfever, but now makes his physical debut as a close & personal friend to our new protagonist. He’s a tall, lanky, dark hair + blue eyes combo, 17-year-old male who has the whole cute’n’nerdy thing working for him because he’s a total genius! He traveled over to Dublin before the Walls came down to tour Trinity, but was on his own until Dani came along. He’s a great sidekick who obviously has strong feelings for her, but as our empath Kat mentioned, he’s got some dark secrets brewing beneath the surface, so there’s more than meets the eye with him… just like pretty much every other male character in this fecking series.
  2. Cruce is Still A Threat! Still loving how I totally called it that there was something majorly off about V’lane the whole time! Quick recap: V’lane turned out to be Cruce in disguise, the Unseelie King’s first and most powerful dark prince, who’s been masquerading as the Seelie Prince, and has been plotting for almost a million years to capture the Sinsar Dubh and completely take over our universe. When we last saw him, the King had encased him in an enchanted ice cage to keep him at bay deep below the abbey for the Sidhe-Seers to once again watch over and protect the book… but of course he’s not completely out of the picture. He sneaks into the dreams of the women and tempts them into helping him escape, and there’s a lot of raised eyebrows at how things will develop with him!
  3. New Monsters! With the addition of Christian Mackeltar going all Unseelie royalty on us, there are two new big monsters to make life in Dublin even more difficult for everyone! I can’t give too much away, but one I also want to mention is the Crimson Hag. I’m going to leave it there for you to think up what exactly she may be… For shits and giggles, imagine the Witch’s Ghost in that Scooby Doo animated movie mixed with Lady Gaga when she wore the meat dress at the VMA’s and maybe that will give you some amazing visuals!
  4. Ryodan! He really grew on me in this book; he showed more personality behind the eerily veiled threats and little smirks. He’s still a total alphahole; it’s basically a prerequisite in order to be a part of the pack of nine, but we interact more with him and see more depths to his character… the sexual tension with Dani O’Malley was a bit creepy to say the least, so hopefully KMM shifts it so that if they do end up together while he’s waiting for her to become of age, it’s not child molester-y.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Hardly Any Mac or Barrons Sightings…What made the first 5 books in the series so memorable was having Mac and Barrons be the main focus and following them, and in this book, they’re probably the characters you see the least of. Their absence was definitely felt; I know this book is supposed to focus on Dani now and give her a redemption arc, but wow… this book suffers without the Fever series’s OTP.
  2. Dani’s 14 and has 3 Potential Love Interests…So Dani’s a 14 year-old girl out on the streets, kicking ass and taking names, and all the while she’s got 3 love interests: Dancer, Christian Mackeltar, and Ryodan. Dancer is obviously the safest and most logical choice, but he’s doomed since he falls under the nerdy friend who’s secretly in love with her. Christian is at least 10 years or so older than her and is going through the final stages of fully crossing over and becoming the fourth Unseelie Prince, and while he’s fighting his dark and perverted thoughts because of it, he’s also pretty blunt about his sexual appetite and his yearning for our 14 year old MC which gets pretty weird, not gonna lie… Ryodan is also a potential love interest, even though he’s “boinking” Dani’s friend and fellow Sidhe-Seer, Jo. It’s never fully confirmed or spelled out for you, but similar to Mac and Barrons, if you read between the lines and pay attention to his wording and his actions, it’s obvious there’s something there. Both the (much) older suitors are willing to wait for her until she’s of age—thank god—but the whole thing is still a little odd to say the least… but it is the Fever Series, so I guess weirdness is kind of expected?
  3. Christian Mackeltar Continues to Get the Short End…This poor Highlander continues to have just about everything bad happen to him…I don’t need to go into specifics, but it makes my chest hurt when he internally admitted how much he hated Mac and Barrons and wants revenge on both of them! I mean I get it; they’ve both done him dirty too many times to count by now and have basically been the cause for all that’s caused his life to go down the shitthole… I really feel for him and hope he gets better. Hopefully a nice woman—or man, if he’s swings that way too at all—comes along and helps give him an HEA moment that he deserves!
  4. Still Not Completely Sold on Dani O’Malley…After reading this book, I like her a little more and have seen some growth in her character, but I’m still not completely sold on her like I am with Mac. I’ll admit, when we found out about Dani’s involvement with the murder of Mac’s sister, Dani became 100x more interesting to me, and I really want to find out more from Dani’s perspective on it, and I supposed maybe you kind of do, but it felt like it wasn’t enough with what we’re given, and all we really hear is how guilty she feels while avoiding Mac all together. You do learn more about her terrible upbringing and what she’s gone through, and it really makes you feel for her, but I’m still just not fully behind her. We’ll have to see what else happens in the later books.

Conclusion:

After taking a brief hiatus from this anxiety-inducing series, I have to admit that this book is probably my least favorite of the bunch so far. This doesn’t mean I necessarily hated it; I still cruised through the pages to see what all happens, but with Dani O’Malley shifting towards the front and leaving Mac in the background, I just wasn’t as invested in this story as I have been in the past.

Not to worry though, I’m still so heavily invested in this series and definitely plan to keep going on with the rest of the books because I’m not ready to leave these characters behind or stop learning more about the mythology and history of everything, plus more. With new characters along with adding much more depth for more established characters, more questions keep arising along with plenty of tension and opportunity for more drama to happen in order to make this an even more addicting series!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fantasy, New Adult Romance, Paranormal

My Review: Shadowfever (Fever #5): by Karen Marie Moning

nicholasjgoodsell
Publish Date: January 18th, 2011
Number of Pages: 608 Pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre(s): Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

***Warning!! This review contains spoilers from the previous books in the series, continue reading at your own risk. You’ve officially been warned!***

To see my review of book #1 – Darkfever — Click HERE

To see my review of book #2 – Bloodfever — Click HERE

To see my review of book #3 – Faefever — Click HERE

To see my review of book #4 – Dreamfever — Click HERE

To see my Fancast/Dreamcast of the series – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 4.5 Stars

Finally…

At long last…

The time has come to get answers to the ever-growing list of questions that have come up since starting this blasted series, but I can say without a doubt that SO. MUCH. HAPPENS. IN. THIS. BOOK!

A few words to describe it: wicked, vicious, sexy, intoxicating, twisted, unpredictable, startling, unrelenting, infuriating, addicting, enchanting, and utterly mind-blowing! The most satisfying component about this book by far is how we finally get some answers that Karen Marie Moning had been deviously hiding from us since the very beginning. From the very first chapter, your heart and your soul is put to the ultimate test as you’re put right back into the thick of it with how the previous book ended, and from there on it just feels like a never ending emotional roller coaster!

Looking back on this series and where it’s taken me, I had no idea that it would truly suck me in like it has since the start of the new decade. I know I’ve probably said this before in my past reviews, but I seriously just remember scoffing at the description of Darkfever a little bit when my work friend, Erika, first told me about these books and how they’d completely sucked her in. Plus, with some of the cover designs, I figured it would just be another really stupid and trashy paranormal romance series… While I can say there have been over sexualized, strange moments in this series to prove my point, I can’t stress enough that they had quickly become so much more than that as I’d read on!

I was especially surprised at how deep the plot had ended up becoming as I’d devoured each book after the last; the Fae lore and all the big players that have only been mentioned in all the stories that we’ve been told, the Sinsar Dubh–that freaky as fuck possessed book that everyone is hunting and has been following Mac like some creepy stalker…not to mention all the incredible side characters we’ve gotten to know too! There’s Christian Mackeltar, Ryodan, V’Lane, Dani O’Malley, Inspector Jayne, the other Sidhe-Seers, Dreamy-Eyed Guy, the monsters, the Unseelie Princes, and even Darroc–aka The Lord Master–has become someone truly intriguing in this series. Also, I just love the unpredictability of it all…not the character tropes because I will admit a few of them are pretty cliché, but just how I truly didn’t know what was going to happen next and what direction everything was going to take…I had my guesses throughout, but almost every time was way off.

Before I can go further, all I can say to those who’ve made it this far; all the cliffhangers and frustration hasn’t driven you away, and I can say without a doubt this book will not disappoint. It finally answers a lot of questions while still leaving us with some loose ends in order to keep the series going further, BUT it’s not nearly as bd as it has been! It’s truly a satisfying ending.

What It’s About:

We left off with Mac losing her frickin’ mind over whoever the beast had turned out to be. She and Ryodan teamed up to kill the big, bad beastie while Ryodan had been tossed over a cliff to disappear, and were left wondering if he’s dead. Mac absolutely loses it and ends up on the ground in the fetal position over the body of….

…major spoiler ahead…

…

…

…

…Jericho Barrons. That’s right, he’s the beast that showed up shortly after she’d dialed the “IYD” number on her phone Jericho had given her way back. She’s sobbing, she can’t go on, she doesn’t know how to keep going, she realizes her true feelings for the mysterious and brooding alpha-hole we’d all come to appreciate. She’s devastated until there’s a shift within her, and suddenly she’s not anymore. She becomes like a shell of herself, and becomes cold. calculating. sinister. vengeful. She vows the last thing she’ll do is to finally capture that damned book and use it to create a new world. A better world with her dead sister, Alina, and Jericho both brought back to her. To do that, she has to gain help from the most unlikely source of them all…The Lord Master himself, Darroc!

Mac truly seems to have gone over to the dark side with her new alliance, and the Lord Master provides her with more information about the book itself, and believes he knows a way to be able to merge with it without letting it possess him and corrupt his soul. All the while, Mac waits like an Angel Shark beneath the sand and patiently waits for the perfect moment to strike.

The war between humans and the Fae continues to escalate, and become even more dangerous as new alliances are formed, shocking and bitter betrayals steal our breath away, and finally figuring out how exactly to stop the Sinsar Dubh, what exactly Barrons and his other men are, also figuring out who exactly Mac is. It’s been played with for a little bit now, but there’s definitely something off about the visions and memories she has that aren’t her own, other clues and newfound powers…what’s going on there? Also, the grand finale of it all will reveal a enemy that has been like a wolf hidden amongst the sheep: someone who’s started all of this, and someone who had the most to gain through everything that has happened…

What I Liked:

  1. That Finale! What a surprise! There were two major reveals in the climax of the book: one that involved multiple people and the other that was shocking, but part of me just wants to say…I FUCKING CALLED IT! Ever since I’d met this character, I’ve had an off feeling about them, and I’m happy to say my gut reaction was right about them all along!
  2. Dani O’Malley! Let me start off by saying that I haven’t always been the biggest fan of Dani, especially as she becomes a more central character and you hear from her perspective in a few chapters…Not a fan. I think she needs to go through some more growth before she takes center stage, HOWEVER…something happens in this book that makes her character a whole lot more interesting, and raises many eyebrows too. Suddenly, I want to hear more about what’s going through her head, and how certain things came to be.
  3. How Nicely Everything Ties (Mostly) Together! I’ve loved how tightly woven the plot and all it’s mysteries have been planned out throughout this series since the very first book. So many little factors that have stacked on top of each other and have added to the anxiety produced at how slowly things are revealed. I have to say overall how everything tied together in the end really well with this book; it was obvious that Karen Marie Moning knew about how this outcome would come to be since the very beginning and gave us clues and tidbits of info at an achingly slow pace that built until this moment. As far as I’m aware, every question that’s popped up has been accounted for, and there aren’t any holes left untouched!
  4. Mac and Jericho’s Relationship! In this book, it’s shown how their relationship has changed and honestly has become more satisfying than any of the other books in this regard. What I can truly appreciate about KMM’s work on Barrons is that he stays true to his character. He’s not some soft, vulnerable being who shows a sensitive side of himself whenever it’s just him and Mac, and he never becomes that guy either. He stays hard, cheeky, cold, snippy, but we love him for it anyways. The two of them still have those many, many arguments, but they also have those important conversations with them just looking at each other. The sexual tension continues to build and build between them, and while he doesn’t lose his edge to do it, Barrons finally reveals what his true feelings are and I am HERE for it!

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. The Highlanders Cross-Over…For many fans of Karen Marie Moning, I’m sure you’re aware of her other series out there: The Highlander series. I personally have not read it, and honestly don’t plan on reading it either, but can tell you that the main characters of that series come over to Dublin. You’d met some of them in the previous book too, but as they’re the group of Druids that assisted the Seelie Fae Court since ancient times, they are needed in order to assist in the capture and containment of the Sinsar Dubh. For me, it was a jumble of other characters that were a struggle to be able to tell the difference between. I know some fans were probably jumping with glee about this crossover–I probs would be too–but with me not touching the other series, this addition was honestly kind of lost on me.
  2. What Barrons Turns Out To Be…I’m not gonna lie…this reveal was disappointing to me. I just thought with so much emphasis around the mystery of what exactly Jericho Barrons was would’ve lead to a much bigger reveal in the end. I was someone who’d suspected he was the Unseelie King, and he was after the Sinsar Dubh because as the king, he’d created it, but realized he’d made it too powerful, and wanted to destroy it once and for all. I think what he turns out to be is cool enough, and would be interested in learning more background info/history of what he is later on in the series, so we’ll see I guess…

Conclusion:

An epic finale of what I guess is only the first phase of this intricate and twisted urban fantasy series that has become a serious addiction since the start of 2020. All our frustrations as readers has finally been rewarded, and KMM gives us so many answers to our questions that have been with us since the very first book, Darkfever. While she ties pretty much all of her loose ends together, she’s also able to reveal some shocking new information too that tells us things are very much far from over…

Part of me really wishes I could go back and reread all these first five books, and catch all the little details and easter eggs I’d missed and become even more impressed at the masterful storytelling this series has given me, but know I have so many other books I haven’t touched on my “to read” shelf that I seriously need to give a try already. It’s okay, because I love this series so much already that I have hardcover copies already giving my bookshelf a massive glow-up with their presence, so it’ll happen at some point, that much is guaranteed.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fantasy, New Adult Romance, Paranormal, Romance

My Review: Dreamfever (Fever #4): by Karen Marie Moning

nicholasjgoodsell
Publish Date: October 26th, 2010 (First Published August 18th, 2009)
Number of Pages: 498 Pages
Publisher: Dell
Genre(s): Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

***Warning!! This Review contains spoilers from the previous books in this series, so continue reading at your own risk! You’ve officially been warned!***

To see my review for book #1 – Darkfever – Click HERE

To see my review for book #2 – Bloodfever – Click HERE

To see my review for book #3 – Faefever – Click HERE

To see my Fancast/Dreamcast for the series – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 4 Stars

Well feck me…we got another gem of a book in Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series that has pretty much become the main highlight of my book-related 2020. It’s filled with nail-biting antics and plenty of unpredictable danger, and Karen really masterfully drags it all out to the point of insanity, but one thing is certain: she knows how to drag you in and pique your interest!

Cliffhangers are also the author’s big thing, so if that’s not your cup of tea, this may not be the series for you…because I have to say: the cliffhanger ending of this book, much like the apocalyptic ending of the previous book, they seriously mess with your head and heart. I love it but ugggghhh do I hate it too!

The plot somehow continues to thicken even further into the storyline; the world gets richer and darker, the characters continue to grow and develop, the relationships either become stronger or burn to the ground, more myth and lore is explored, and you continue to ask yourself: “What can happen next?” along with “How can things get any worse?”

What It’s About:

So it happened…based off the ending Faefever, the walls have come down, and the worlds between us humans and the powerful Fae have fallen down and there’s no longer a barrier of protection. It’s pretty much the apocalypse up in this bitch…and the number of casualties are rapidly rising on a global scale!

Mac (Mackayla Lane) has been taken by the Lord Master, Darroc, and has been turned Pri-ya by being raped by the four Unseelie Princes–what a freakin’ way to end the last book with that chilling cliffhanger…

For those that don’t remember, being Pri-ya is when a human is turned into a sex-crazed drug addict and slave to the Fae whom they’d done the bump’n’grind with.

Dreamfever continues immediately following these events, and it’s looking pretty hopeless, but Mac luckily gets rescued by Jericho Barrons, who is doing all he can to bring Mac back to normal, and I do mean everything…with being Pri-ya, she’s forgotten who she is, who everyone else is, and all that’s been happening. In her crazed Fae-sexed-brainwashed mind, the only way she responds to any sort of mental progress is sex…yep, I’m not making this up.

Usually in romance novels, the characters talk about screwing each other’s brains out, but this was the first time I’d ever read where someone is trying to screw someone’s brain back in…talk about a criss-cross! One good thing about it is you get to see a side of Jericho Barrons you’ve never seen before, and thinking Mac won’t remember any of it, even reveals some interesting little tidbits.

Slight spoiler alert but not really…Mac gets back to normal, and within five minutes is back out on the streets kicking ass, taking names, and trying to figure out more answers for herself, because like we’ve all gotten so frustrated with in these books: no one tells her shit!

There’s a few big mysteries that rise up from the night the walls came tumbling down: who was the mysterious fourth prince whom Mac didn’t actually get to see as they all raped her? Where was Jericho for the four days it took him to rescue her? Where was V’lane?? Mac called his name thanks to the spell he gave her, and he never showed! It also added to the question of WHAT is Jericho Barrons? He was able to catch Dani when she was speeding through the Abbey, and not even the Fae can do that!

Without going too into the details of this book, I can say we get to see a couple things happen: What happened to Fiona, Derek O’Bannion, Inspector Jayne, Rowena and the other Sidhe-Seers in the Abbey, Darroc shocks us with some plot-altering confessions and backstory with the history of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, you meet Ryodan, you enter the “Hall of Days,” you learn who Mac’s mother was, where Christian ended up, and even what “IYD” on Mac’s phone means!

In fact, I’m going to give a warning right now and organize all that happens in this book and the questions/answers it raises for my own peace of mind, so I say SPOILERS AHEAD, read at your own risk:

  1. Who was the fourth Unseelie Prince, and why couldn’t we see him?
  2. Eight Men break into the Abbey with Jericho and help break Mac out. Whatever they are, they are the same creature as Jericho (whatever that may be)
  3. We meet the 5 Highlanders from the authors other series: Drustan, Dageus, Christian, Cian and Christopher (a crossover!)
  4. Mac sneaks into Jericho’s mind and see more from his past: he’d slept with and killed a Seelie Princess (which has never been done before, and thus maybe explaining the tension between him and V’lane), and a dying child in his arms in the desert–who is it?
  5. Who’s the “Icy Blonde” in the restricted section of the Abbey library and why has Mac seen her in her dreams since her childhood? Also, why did V’lane hiss and disappear so quickly when Mac summoned him down there and disappeared for the rest of the book?
  6. Inspector Jayne and other officers have formed a rebel group of remaining humans with weapons and are trying to fight back against the Fae–especifically the Devilish Hunters who fly over Dublin.
  7. We learn Mac’s real mom’s name was Isla and that she was one of the best Sidhe-Seers and was a part of a secret coven within the massive group of women.
  8. The Old woman who called Mac “Alina”…simple mistake, or does this mean something else down the line?
  9. Mac and Jericho once again try to corner the Sinsar-Dubh, but it goes terribly wrong…also we learn Derek O’Bannion is the latest victim to be possessed by it, and the book has changed his body into some sort of chainsaw-like monster, and it’s actually pretty creepy!
  10. Fiona shows up and learns that Jericho still hasn’t told Mac something…”She still doesn’t know. Oh, Jericho! You never change, do you? You must be so afraid—-” and he throws a knife into her heart to shut her up…OF COURSE. But what were they talking about? What chance did Jericho have with Mac?
  11. Darroc kidnaps Mac’s parents from back home
  12. Mac ends up in the Hall of Days (Think Palace of Versailles with thousands of mirrors everywhere), and finds Christian, who’d been missing since the walls came down, stuck in another world that’s a desert. She discovers if she takes out the three stones in her pouch that they’ll be transported to other worlds, and feeds him Unseelie flesh when he’s dying, but he reacts strangely: his skin turns black with markings and his eyes turn amber…what is happening to him? Does it have to do with whatever spell had gone wrong on Halloween?
  13. Mac and Christian get separated during a jump, and he’s most likely not dead.
  14. Mac finally dials IYD on her phone when she’s alone, and a terribly dark beast shows up shortly afterwards, brutally killing any living thing that gets too close to her.
  15. Ryodan shows up and tells her Darroc had marked her like Jericho did, and tries to rescue her from the monster, but gets badly injured before the monster has him fall off a cliff right after Ryodan and Mac team up to kill it.
  16. Mac stands over the beast’s mutilated corpse and watches it transform into someone–or something–and the book ends with her screaming in agony…omigod, who/what was it???

What I Liked:

  1. Mac’s Character Development (Again)! I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s really apparent in this book how much Mac has changed since she’d first arrived in Dublin Ireland: she’s practically an entirely different person now!
  2. More Fae Backstory Revealed! Both V’lane and Darroc supply you with more Fae history with the Seelie Queen and the Unseelie King, and it adds so much more to the story on a mythological level. It raises the questions of how does it pertain to what’s happening now? Are the King and Queen big players who we haven’t met yet? Will they make an appearance at some point and if so, when?
  3. Dani O’Malley & Mac Lane Teaming Up! To our relief, one person Mac can for sure rely on is the young Sidhe-Seer Dani. Their bond continues to grow into a newfound sisterhood, and you can tell both of them desperately needed it. Mac literally went insane with how she can’t trust anyone, and it’s been hinted how Dani hasn’t a good upbringing at all, so I’m happy they both get this small victory to make the treacherous journey that much easier.
  4. Jericho’s Intensity! He continues to get so jealous over Mac and V’lane–which is hilarious–but you also get a surprisingly tender moment with the heartbreaking line: “You’re leaving me, Rainbow Girl.” He dances around completely naked to the “I Get Knocked Down” song, but then stays the infuriating ass that he is: he gives this gem of a quote: “We fucked, Ms. Lane. Even cockroaches fuck. They eat each other too.” We see so much more depth from him in this book as a character, and I’m glad we get more moments between him and Mac…I wouldn’t really call him a romantic guy, far from it, but I like how his enemies-to-lovers subplot has been handled, and the fact that it’s not a guaranteed happily-ever-after just adds to the anticipation.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Back to the Same Old Argument…Jericho rescues Mac at the very beginning and brings her back to reality, and I feel for her that she’d been through a lot and it’s all been weighing down on her: her sister’s murder, meeting her sister’s murderer, discovering the whole world of the Fae and how she’s a Sidhe-Seer, meeting Jericho Barrons and everyone else, no one telling her anything, finding out she was adopted…and I’m probably forgetting plenty of other things too, but to top it all off gets gang-bang raped by the four Unseelie Fae Princes…girl has a right to be pissed off…BUT her and Jericho just go back to the same old relationship they’d had ever since they’d met: mutual distrust with scorching sexual tension, often at odds and itching for a fight or fuck. I don’t know, I was hoping for a new-found respect or understanding between them. He continues to keep her in the dark on so many things, and she could be a little more grateful that he literally saved her life…I’m just frustrated and expected some more development in that aspect.
  2. Still Not Enough Answers…Okay Karen…girl, we need to talk…We are now four books in and we still don’t get almost any of the answers to the many questions we’ve got since the beginning.
  3. Dani O’Malley’s Perspective…We get a glimpse into the mind of Dani, which makes sense since I know later on in the series focus more on her and will have her narrate like Mac has been doing. That’s cool and all, but in all honesty I’m not too fond of Dani as a character yet and think she still needs some more development or maturity before she becomes so central. I’m sure she’s going to change much like Mac does and I’ll love her to death when that happens, but I’m defs not there yet.

Conclusion:

Overall, I loved the book despite how we yet again get the same results of only getting some answers but have added plenty more questions to everything that’s happening, and it being the fourth effing book in. I’m so torn by how well Karen slowly drags it all out in a way thats frustrating but still satisfying enough to keep you reading and find out what all the answers are.

Shadowfever is the next installment for this addicting Urban Fantasy series, and I’m told it’s going to supply a lot of answers and tie up a lot of the the many subplots, so think of it as being the finale of what is going to be “Phase 1”–like the MCU–of the series, and I am SO INCREDIBLY EXCITED AND CURIOUS TO SEE HOW IT ALL PLAYS OUT!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

My Review: Faefever (Fever #3): by Karen Marie Moning

nicholasjgoodsell
Publish Date: July 28th, 2009 (Originally Published October 16th, 2008)
Number of Pages: 393 Pages
Publisher: Dell
Genre(s): Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

***Warning!! This review will contain spoilers from the previous books in the series, so continue reading at your own risk! You’ve officially been warned!***

To see my review for book #1 – Darkfever – Click HERE

To see my review for book #2 – Bloodfever – Click HERE

To see my Fancast/Dreamcast for the whole series – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

So by now, after reading this next installment of the addictive Fever series, I’m officially obsessed with this series! Mackayla Lane has risen way up there on my list of favorite fantasy-genre heroines, and both Jericho Barrons and V’lane continue to have both my admiration and complete need to smack a bitch because of how they keep playin’ my girl Mac.

We meet some new(ish) characters, we get some brutal monsters, we get a hilarious scene with Mac designing a helmet with lights attached in order to ward off said monsters, and a lot more of the same…as in we get more questions that rise up, some new information on whats caused the major situation the series is in, and V’lane and Jericho both continue to get closer to Mac while keeping some major secrets from her, and deftly avoiding giving her any info when she asks them…like, how we still don’t know what Jericho Barrons is. He’s something both the Seelie and Unseelie respect and/or fear, can touch both their magical items…and I’m so close to screaming at how frustrating both men are. It’s obvious both of them are using Mac for their own needs, and it’s equally frustrating that it’s still impossible to tell if Jericho has actual feelings for Mac while he uses her. She obviously does, even if she can’t admit it, but we’ve all heard the saying:

“Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt!”

With that said, the thing that makes Mac so effing likeable by now is how she doesn’t just sit back and pout at the unfairness of it all. She goes out and figures stuff out for herself, she learns to defend herself and become a badass in order to get answers on the Sinsar Dubh, that Fae-created book from the Unseelie King that holds secrets to all the magic of their kind, and has the keys to the Song of Making, and ancient song that can create, give, and end life.

I’ve been especially impressed with the mythology and lore behind this series, and wonder if all of it, or even just a smidge of it, is based off actual Irish, Celtic folklore. Maybe one day I’ll actually do some more research behind it and figure out how much is from ancient legend, and how much was created by Karen Marie Moning, the evil genius behind this addictive series. I mean, we’ve got the Sinsar Dubh, the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, the 8 magical objects (4 Seelie, 4 Unseelie), the monsters, the Druids and Sidhe-Seers: it’s all so fascinating! I’m just surprised I’ve never even heard of this series before my friend at my job introduced it to me!

What It’s About:

After the terrifying capture of Mac from Mallucé, the weirdo/Fae/Vampire wannabe you brutally murdered that guy to gain that Unseelie amulet, and she died! Like actually died for a little bit there! Jericho Barrons came to her rescue, and she was resurrected in time by eating the flesh of those Unseelie Rhino boys, like Mallucé did, to gain Fae-like abilities. She gets some badass skills, some serious strength, and she exacts her revenge on Mallucé and stabs him with her Seelie spear, and leaves him to die a slow and horrible death!

Mac’s back at BB&B (Barron’s Books & Baubles), and she has really taken to working the store; putting through orders, arranging the magazines, and doing more and more extensive research on the Fae and the Sinsar Dubh, that evil book that everyone has been running around looking for. Jericho and her continue their…interesting relationship, but now theres even more tension between them as they’d had a heat and heavy moment down in the caves when he’d come rescuing her. Mac seems to want to forget it, but she can’t, and Jericho only brings it up in order to get a rise out of her.

Let’s cue in V’lane then, the Seelie-Fae prince who Mac has slowly gotten closer to. She trusts him about as much as she trusts Barrons, because it’s painfully obvious that both are just using her for their own needs, but neither will answer most of her questions as they pop up, which frustrates her–and us too! Anyways, in order to gain her favor, V’lane brings Mac to the land of the Fae and allows her to spend an afternoon with her sister, Alina. Well…an illusion of her. Mac is allowed to have a feeling of closure, getting to say a more proper goodbye to her sister, who’d gotten murdered and drove Mac over to Dublin, Ireland in the first place!

You also gets to know a few more characters that have made appearances already in the series:

First there’s Christian MacKeltar, who works in the Ancient Languages department at Trinity University, who Mac was going to meet up with in the previous book before she’d gotten abducted. It turns out he’s from a line of Druids who’d aligned with the Seelie Fae Court in ancient times, and he’s there to continue their agreement.

Next, there’s Dani O’Malley, a spunky and outspoken 13-year old who helps Mac discover that there’s an actual coven of other Sidhe-Seers, so she’s not alone. Dani is full of rebellion, attitude and befriends Mac as they start to work together. She also helps Mac realize that their leader is actually the same crazy, older lady who we’ve seen before.

Which brings me to my next big character: Rowena, that crazy lady who turns out to be the leader of the Sidhe-Seers, and who hurts Mac even further by revealing a big secret….drumroll please…Mac and her sister were adopted!! They’re actually O’Connors, who were one of the best Sidhe-Seer families from ancient times!

Inspector Jayne still appears from time to time, and Mac and him come to a certain understanding.

Besides that, the Lord Master, who we learn is actually named Darroc and is an exiled Fae turned human, has something majorly bad brewing, and soon all the monsters of the Unseelie court will return from their dark, icy prison and take over the world, so it’s the big question of whether Mac can learn who her true enemies are, and bring everyone together to stand and fight for the future of their world!

What I Liked:

  1. That Ending! It’s complicated…but I can honestly say I’ve never read an ending quite like this one. It was like when you watch Joker with Joaquin Phoenix and (Spoiler Alert!!) realize the girlfriend is a figment of his character’s imagination: you get that stomach-drop feeling of dread with your heartbeat rapidly accelerating, your eyes widening, and mutter to yourself “Holy shit…” It’s bad, but man is it also so great how emotional it makes you–something a writer/storyteller can really appreciate!
  2. Jericho gets Jealous! Like what began in the second book, V’lane and Mac’s relationship continues to shift to where there’s definitely an alliance forming, and Jericho is seething about it! I loved the moments where Mac comes back from hanging out with the golden Fae Prince and Jericho is just standing there, pouting and glaring more than Grumpy Cat–RIP G.C.
  3. The Lines of Good-and-Evil are Blurred! This is more for the whole series in general, but what’s especially appealing is how it’s so hard to tell who’s a good guy or a bad guy. It’s like Game of Thrones, where alliances and rivalries are constantly changing, and there’s the promise of more going on behind the scenes and the stakes will get higher are what’s making this series so addictive!

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. V’lane & Jericho Barrons Continue To NOT. TELL. US. ANYTHING…I’m officially only Team-Mac because of this, but it has gotten absolutely so frustrating with how these two guys continue to keep such big secrets from Mac–and us readers. Like seriously, WHAT is Jericho? I’m starting to think he’s the Unseelie King from the legends we’ve been told about or something…V’lane isn’t any better, either. Both of them are so incredibly obviously using Mac for their own needs, but won’t budge when she wants to know what those needs are. I love it, but hate it, and it’s not great for my anxiety issues, no joke!
  2. More Cliffhangers…Like the two Alpha-holes above, Karen Marie Moning continues to slowly draw out all the info we all are dying to know! The books ends in a huge cliffhanger, along with several others throughout the chapters, which makes me stay up late to figure it all out. But we’re three books in now, and we still continue to feel like we get so little new information, but get distracted by more backstory, which in turn gives us many more questions! I love the series, I really do, but Oh My God…it’s also a slow-burn in EVERY sense of a story/series, not just with the sexual tension brewing between Jericho and Mac!

Conclusion:

We meet new people, we get more backstory, we get some highly emotionally-driven scenes, a cliffhanger ending that seriously knocks you on your ass (possible trigger warning for some readers!), and of course, more questions instead of answers…

I’m seriously hoping we get some major answers going into the next book, and here are some answers i’m specifically looking for:

  1. What is Jericho Barrons? I’ve been starting to think he’s the Unseelie King, or someone who was extremely close to him, but I’m also not so sure? He’s not exactly Fae, so what the Effff is he?!?!?!
  2. What are Barrons’s feelings towards Mac? Does he actually have feelings, or is he simply using her for his own needs, like she’s constantly deliberating amongst herself throughout the books. Like I said, she defs does have some feels, even though she’s extremely conflicted with her distrust of him, and sometimes pure hatred…but we know love and hatred have a fine line drawn between them…
  3. Who’s side is V’lane on? He always says his loyalties lie with his Seelie Queen, but do they really? He wants to learn more about humans and our ways, but some itching has me wondering where his loyalties may truly lie.
  4. Which of the big players will make an appearance? We’re constantly being referred to the Seelie Queen and the Unseelie King, and I’m wondering if they’re ever going to make a major appearance!

Thanks For Reading!

— Nick Goodsell