Welcome!

Read any good books lately? I have! Grab a cup of coffee or a beverage of your choice and sit back, relax, and have a peek at the books I've loved, the books I didn't, and the reasons why. Enjoy, and happy reading!

NOW LIVE!

It's official! The OGBDA Blog has expanded and our website is now live. Please visit the One Good Book Deserves Another website to see the new site and drop a line to my awesome webmaster, who I've finally let out of the webdesign dungeon...for a quick break, anyway, before he'll be commanded back to the grindstone. ;-)

This is the first of many exciting changes that will be happening over the next several weeks, so stay tuned for more news as OGBDA continues to evolve and grow, and as always, happy reading!

~Tracy

Review Archive

Favorite Quotes

Kindle Fire

Blog Buttons

Get Listed!

Parajunkee Design

Featured In

NetGalley

Amazon

Bloodfever: The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: The Fever Series, Book 2
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle

Bloodfever: The Fever Series (A Mackayla Lane Novel)4.5 Stars
A Big Step in the Right Direction

Mac is coming into her own! I'm so glad I stuck with this series after being horribly annoyed by Amateur Sleuth Barbie, aka MacKayla Lane in the first book, Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1). She's stronger, more assured, less naive, and far less...pink-and-pastel in Bloodfever, and I loved that change. She's not perfect by any means. She's still got some issues that get on my nerves, but the characterization was such an improvement in this book that I actually really started to like her.

Jericho Barrons, by the way, I've never had to try to like. I've always liked the enigmatic and mysterious...man?...who keeps saving Mac's life even while making her existence a study in frustration and lack of information. In fact, there's so much beneath that particular surface that I can't help but adore every delicious syllable of exchange between Barrons and Mac and every time he calls her "Mac" I just...well...do what Mac does herself...smile on the inside. He's the perfect incarnation of unimaginable-depths-beneath-the-urbane-surface. Love. Him.

There's not a lot of secondary character development, because there's just not a lot of secondary characters (however, a few potential gems were introduced here). I really want to find out more about the voice on the other end of IYCGM, the even more mysterious Ryodan, and his relationship with Barrons.

I wasn't as fond of the first book, Darkfever (3.5 stars), in more than just the characterization of Mac, either - Bloodfever drops what I think is a really annoying trend of prognostication storytelling - where the narrator, Mac, is speaking of things that happened in the past while incessantly alluding to what's going to happen instead of describing it as it's happening. There's almost none of that at all in Darkfever, and the story seems to unfold as Mac's living it, which is my personal preference.

It's been mentioned in other reviews that these books tend to end on a bit of a cliffhanger and are in no way stand alone books. That really puts some people off, and I understand that, but I started the series with the understanding that it's a five book arc and had been forewarned by the reviews that the books aren't encapsulated stories within that overall arc. That isn't my preferred type of series, but I'm okay with it here because in reality, the series and world in which it exists is interesting and well developed and exciting enough to make it worth it, in my opinion. It...uh...also helps that I started the series while the forth book was just being released so I've got two more to go through before I add my voice to the screams for the conclusion.

One thing I for sure want to mention, as I give total kudos to Moning for the excellence of the scene...the one in which Mac ends up in Fairy. What happens while she's there was so emotionally honest and realistic to my own emotional experiences that it had my heart in my throat with a renewed sense of grief and closure both. The emotional development in that scene and the affects from it struck a very deep, very honest cord in me and I thought it was brilliant, and not at all overwrought or overdone. A perfect perfect goodbye. I appreciated that unique sense of rightness and wanted to make sure I mentioned it.

All in all I think Bloodfever was just a much better book that Darkfever, and if the trend continues in the development of MacKayla's character and the sizzling, intense interplay between she and Barrons, I'm going to be a happy, happy chick. 4.5 Stars overall, with a half star taken off for the very beginning, because I'd read the first book just a few weeks ago and found the rehash for new readers to be a bit tedious, and even if I hadn't I've read other series that do it better, and for other minor dislikes about the still developing MacKayla.

Also, a question to loyal readers...is it just me or has Mac EVER seen Barrons during the day? Ever.

4 comments:

Sharon said...

Good point. I do not recall him being with Mac during the day. I eagerly await the release of Shadowfever (already on pre-order via Amazon).

I must say that I am thrilled at finding your OGBDA blog. I always pour over reviews before I purchase a book (even Kindle versions).

Sadly, I have been led down the wrong road with other reviews on Amazon. I find your reviews to be the most articulate, helpful, objective and most importantly, honest of reviews.

Thank you for creating this blog. I am very excited to start on the books that you have reviewed.

PS You should write a paranormal romance book. I would buy it ;)

Tracy said...

Hey, Sharon!
Welcome to OGBDA. I'm so glad you found me, and appreciate your kind words about my reviews. You may have noticed I just created this blog in May and am intent on tweaking it and adding to it in ways that benefit readers, so if you have any suggestions or things you'd like to see that I don't have, please feel free to suggest them. If you're a Kindle owner like me, I highly recommend you check out my newest addition at OGBDA, Kindle's Kandy Shop (tab at the top of the page). It'll provide links to reviews of books that I've rated four stars or higher with a price for the Kindle version at less than $3.00 a title.

There's little I love more than a solid read at a ridiculously low price!

And thanks ever so much for your comment about writing a PNR. I've written some fanfiction in the past and have to admit, I have tossed the idea around for writing my own book with original characters...we'll see.

Again, welcome to OGBDA. I hope you stay awhile. And please, I appreciate comments for reviews you may not agree with as well, so don't hesitate to let me know if your opinions differ from mine.

And I can not WAIT for Shadowfever. Quite possibly the most excited I've been for a title to be released - ever. I'll be starting the series over from the beginning just before it's released so I don't miss any of KMM's little gems of detail, too, and I'm even looking forward to THAT.

Have an excellent day - and I hope to hear from you again soon!
~Tracy

Sharon said...

Thank you for the reply. I just wanted you to know that I greatly appreciate your reviews. I love the layout of OGBDA. It is very user friendly.

I am thrilled with the Kindle Kandy Shop. I have just downloaded Shadow Bound and Shadow Fall by Erin Kellison. I cannot wait to immerse myself in her world, at the "ridiculously low price". You cannot beat that.

PS I also downloaded Immortals: The Crossing and Marked. It would appear my husband will find me to be MIA while I travel into PNR-land.

Thank you again for OGBDA. Happy reading!

Sharon :-)

Tracy said...

Hey Sharon,
Let me know what you think of Marked (I've reviewed that one) and Immortals: The Crossing - which I've downloaded but not yet read.

Thank you so much for your comments about OGBDA - I'm so glad to hear it's user friendly, as that's what I was going for, and I'm tickled pink you like Kindle's Kandy Shop. My next project is Recommendation Road, where travelers will be able to (I hope) be directed to books by following links that narrow down aspects they're looking for in a story. I'm still working out in my head how to do that, but as I'm motivated by my own eclectic tastes, and that whole, "What do I FEEL like reading right now?" question to guide my own reading, I hope to offer a slightly different and unique spin on recommendations.

And I'll be begging, pleading, and possibly offering blood to get visitors to recommend titles/series/authors to me that I've not yet read/reviewed.

Again, thank you for your kind words and your comments.
~Tracy

Post a Comment

Ratings Guide

Here is a rundown of what the star ratings mean to me! It's not a perfect system, so you may see me add in a .5 star here and there if my impression of the book falls somewhere between these:

5 Stars - Loved it
4 Stars - Liked it
3 Stars - It's okay
2 Stars - Didn't like it
1 Star - Hated it

2014 Challenge

2014 Reading Challenge

2014 Reading Challenge
Tracy has read 22 books toward her goal of 175 books.
hide

Goodreads

Tracy's bookshelf: read

Zero at the BoneHead Over HeelsLord of the WolfynIn Total SurrenderA Win-Win PropositionNorth of Need

More of Tracy's books »
Book recommendations, book reviews, quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists

Follow OGBDA!

Follow with Linky

Coming Reviews