Book Review: Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

Review: Bloodfever
Series: Fever – Book 2
Author: Karen Marie Moning
No of Pages: 337
Release Date: 16 October 2007

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 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 the humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them...

My Thoughts:

Back into the world of MacKayla Lane and this story just keeps getting better.

Mac is still seeking revenge for her sister, refusing to quit until the man that murdered her is dead. She is also coming into her powers now as she discovers what else she can do. With her spear at her side and Barrons mostly at her back she feels pretty safe within the walls of Barrons Books and Baubles.

Mac is just getting better as she continues in her search for OOPs (Objects of Power) and as she tries to develop her own budding powers as a sidhe-seer. Part of her is still that girly, pink loving, southern belle but a new side to Mac is now emerging, the blood thirsty battle hungry Mac that enjoys getting into fights and - shock horror! – Not accessorising properly. What I love about Mac is that she takes everything in her stride yet can still feel. She isn’t made of stone but she doesn’t fall into a ball of crying nerves every time something new is thrown at her. Mac is real, well as real as whatever she is can get.

Barrons is still mysterious, but he is getting more and more likeable as this series progresses. We still know absolutely nothing about him but I can safely discern that he does have some sort of growing affection for Mac. Barrons is the kind of character that you really can’t trust, but you know who will back you up – when he has a use for you. I am still very uneasy about his character and plans for Mac, but he does occasionally flash his manly, protective, alpha side which does give cause for great speculation on where their story is going to go.

The thing I love most about Bloodfever, and now that I think about it Darkfever as well, is that the story doesn’t have to be running at 100 miles an hour just to keep you interested, about one hundred and fifty pages in I was wondering what had actually happened so far, and then I realised so much. Deals with Fae, deadly auctions and more insight into Mac’s past and her powers. But I didn’t need to be kept on edge all the time to be coming back for more.

Bloodfever is by no means boring, it is interesting, engaging and won’t let you go. But it also moves at a normal pace which is something I am not used to and I think needs great talent to achieve. I want to know what happens to Mac, but I don’t feel like I am going to die if I don’t find out straight away because I want to know how she gets there. I want to discover the Fae with her and her powers but I don’t want to rush and that’s what this series gives me.

Bloodfever is a great instalment to this intriguing series and I can’t wait to get my hands on Faefever.

Also in this series:
Darkfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever

Book Review: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Review: Darkfever
Series: Fever – Book 1
Author: Karen Marie Moning
No of Pages: 342
Release Date: 31 October 2006

My Name is MacKayla, Mac for short. I’m a sidhe-seer, one who sees Fae, a fact I accepted only recently and very reluctantly.

My philosophy is pretty simple – any day nobody’s trying to kill me is a good day in my book. I haven’t had many good days lately. Not since the walls between Man and Fae came down. But then, there’s not a sidhe-seer alive who’s had a good day since then.

When MacKayla’s sister was murdered, she left a single clue to her death – a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone. Journeying to Ireland in search of answers, Mac is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to master a power she had no idea she possessed – a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae....

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark mysterious Jericho...while at the same time, the ruthless V’lane – an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women – closes in on her. As the boundary between worlds begin to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: to find the Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all powerful Dark Book – because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of both worlds in their hands...


My Thoughts:

This is the first book I have read in a while without a strong romantic theme, and I absolutely loved it.

Darkfever is like a massive flashback which is new for me. MacKayla Lane is a sidhe-seer, which means she sees the Fae. Darkfever tells the story of how she got to where she is now, and the running commentary is not only hilarious but is almost spoilery, but in a good way. It took the edge of mystery and human stupidity out of the story and it was masterfully done.

Instead of us following through the eyes of Mac stumbling where she stumbled and not knowing what was going on although we weren’t told everything seeing Mac stumble we were accompanied by present Mac telling us that past Mac didn’t really know how stupid and naive she was. Like when she walked into an abandoned warehouse present Mac admitted that she didn’t really know what on earth was going through her mind that day.

After the death of her sister, Mac travels to Dublin, Ireland to investigate her murder because the local police didn’t do enough as far as she was concerned. It is in Dublin that Mac watches her life as she knows it completely unravel.

After her first encounter with an Unseelie (an extremely ugly, alien-looking Fae) she runs into Barrons’ Books and Baubles run by Jericho Barrons. He is a man of many words, and many secrets. Even though throughout the tale Mac tells us that they end up working together it is still a mystery as to whether or not she can fully trust him.

Mac is innocent, but also extremely smart and very resourceful...and stubborn. She listens to Barron’s only when she feels the need to, but if he says something that sounds a little off, she will go and do things her own way regardless. Sometimes that gets her into trouble, but it’s not that stupid “oh my god, why did you do that” trouble that makes you want to shake her. You fully believe it’s going to work as well...until it doesn’t.

The secondary characters are well formed, we can catch glimpses into their lives and are told part of their histories without being bored or it feeling like a complete information dump. Malluce the “vampire”, Rocky O’Bannion the mobster, Barrons the mystery and even Alina her dead sister are all very intriguing characters that make me hope that we continue to learn about them in the future.

There are some unsolved mysteries that run throughout Darkfever. Especially revolving around the other characters. Who Fiona is, if Malluce is really a vampire, is V’lane evil and what on earth the Lord Master is. It keeps a very strong sense of “I must find out” which one can only hope will be revealed in the next book.

Although I’m not entirely sure where Moning is going with the series, it’s obvious Mac will still be searching for OOP’s (Objects of Power) I am interested to see what else comes of discovering the world of the Fae.

Also in this series:
Bloodfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever