One Good Book Deserves Another

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Fever, Book 5
Rating: 5 Stars
Length: 512 Pages, 10903 Locations
Formats: Hardcover, Kindle, Mass Market Paperback (coming 8/30/2011)


Sidhe-Seer Mac Lane is stuck in the Silvers, her dead protector beast at her feet and this time, this time she may not survive the grief. She's lost the one person - the final person - the only person who she just now realizes she won't live without. Choices, Mac...it's all about choices. And Mac 5.0 is born.

This sleeker, smarter, far deadlier MacKayla Lane is released on Dublin as the search for the Sinsar Dubh and the race to save the world rockets towards its final chapters. Through grief, through loss, through torture and pain, through rebirth, with questions - endless questions - and difficult, unbelievable, inconceivable answers, this epic battle between gigantic forces teeters on the fulcrum of the sheer determination of one young woman and the monstrous forces impacting her.

Five books. One epic journey. And a conclusion that satisfies beyond my wildest dreams.

I don't know that I have the words to express my impressions of Shadowfever on its own merits, and I don't know that I should even try, because for me, this isn't about a book, it's about the story that takes place over the arc of all of the books. It's about MacKayla Lane, who I haven't always liked, as she evolves from the bubble-headed Amateur Sleuth Barbie, self absorbed and overly entitled, to Mac Lane-O'Connor, weapon for revenge for her sister's murder and to hell with the world at large, to my favorite incarnation: Just Mac. It's about growing up, making choices, and fighting the good fight. It's about deciding, and acknowledging, who you are and what you really want - and then going out with both hands and grabbing it by the short and curlies until it's yours.

It's about life, and responsibility, and love, and hate, and good, and most definitely evil. It's about a book that can unmake the world and the people who join together to fight for that world. It's about picking up the pieces and finding joy in the cracks. It's about stasis. And change.

It's about life, death, and everything - absolutely everything in the shadows between.

With an indescribable quality of writing, imaginative world building and creation that leaves me in awe, and characters that go beyond three dimensional to that iconic fourth dimension that jettisons them from the page, Karen Marie Moning has created an unforgettable, intensely layered story that will forever hold a place in my heart as one of the best in the genre - ever. And she's done it brilliantly.

I'm so glad I went back and re-read the first four books before I started this one, because the depth and texture of the overall experience, fresh in my mind, is something I wouldn't trade for anything. I am, quite simply put, humbled by the breadth and scope of the intricacies and delicacies of the tale, and I'm still shaking at some of the more in-your-face truths and truisms. Moning created this world, this broken, flawed, wrong world, filled it with all the darkness, light, danger, hope, threat, life, debauchery, laughter, murder, rebirth, chaos, and love, and gave it to her readers to embrace. And she did it with exquisite aplomb.

When I force myself to take a critical look at the book, examine the pieces and the construction and ignore the heady weight of the story, I can muster some more objective commentary. I freely admit the series in general and this book in particular could have been trimmed a bit here and there. There were times throughout the series when the pacing of the narrative dragged from superlative information dumping, when it crossed that deadly line between brilliant creation and mental overload and the mythos got truly overwhelming. And yeah, twist my arm, I think that the answers to at least some of the questions introduced at the very beginning could've been better seeded throughout the series, instead of slamming them all into this book. It might have made the first four books a bit less frustrating at times. But maybe that would've taken away from some of the intensity of their reveal. I don't know.

And if I'm to be completely honest, I wasn't always fond of Mac. In fact, through most of the series - including this book - I didn't like her. I found her immature and purposely obtuse and willfully oblivious, even as late as the middle of this book. Occasionally, she just flat out got on my nerves. I don't know that I would confidently say that I believe her character being the woman I could realistically see the mighty and mysterious Jericho Z. Barrons wanting. But hey, the heart wants what the heart wants, and there are certainly too few rainbows in the Z's past.

One true complaint, though, one genuine pea under the princess's bed: Dani. I wasn't a huge fan of her POV in the previous book, but I liked her character and the development that she was afforded. Everything about her in this book, though, I found jarring and unlikable and ultimately, inconsequential. Even her dialogue seemed off. I couldn't wrap my head around why she was in any of the scenes, and didn't like it when she was. I kept expecting there to be some tie-in, some connection to her past, some answers for her tragic childhood, some excuse for her existence. I didn't find any beyond one bizarre thread that came out of nowhere and was never resolved.

But even with that, even with the other minor issues, I loved this book and thank Karen Marie Moning from the bottom of my book-loving heart for giving us this series, these characters, and this wild and wicked, and sometimes wonderfully horrifying world that is the Fever series. I don't know where that world goes from here. Frankly, I don't care. If waiting the seemingly interminable wait for Shadowfever taught me one thing, it's confidence in Moning as an author and as a purveyor of sheer reading entertainment. I'll keep to the lights until she gives us more. Of whatever it is she's going to give us next.

The Fever Series:


And its stunning conclusion...

Genre: Fantasy Romance, Time Travel
Series: Highlander, Book 7
Rating: 4 Stars
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


This all started with a Kindle freebie months ago. Oh how things change. Once, I was unaware of KMM as an author and blindly oblivious to either the Highlander or Fever series. Now, several months and a LOT of happy reading later, I'm sitting in awe of the mind that has created and penned two series with delicately interwoven stories and building drama. I've never even heard of an author able to do what KMM's done here.

Starting with the Highlander series, a solid and thoroughly well written time travel paranormal romance series, KMM's fleshed out and delineated a world full of magick, mystery, danger, and HOT highlander men. Completely entertaining narrative with delicious humor and mouth-watering sensuality that, when read one after another, winds you through a path of increasing danger and intrigue and Tuatha Dé Danann machinations leading straight to the front door of the Fever series. Each book in the Highlander series gets darker and darker, and the tone of Spell of the Highlander so closely matches the start of that decidedly urban fantasy series that the transition is virtuously seamless. It's all due to KMM's phenomenal talent as an author and dedication as a story teller.

Spell of the Highlander was perhaps not my favorite of the Highlander series, but that's roughly akin to saying dark chocolate isn't my favorite of the chocolates - it's all delicious, decadent, and delightful. I just grooved on Adam Black a wee bit more than Cian. Totally loved Jessi, though. And their story was taut, tightly woven, and rich with history - like all the Highlander stories. What elevated Spell of the Highlander to nearly iconic stature in my eyes was how deftly KMM wove in details of things that I'd wondered about in the Fever series. That's just totally kick ass, and earned ultimate respect. If I'd read the Highlander series first, I don't know that I'd have truly appreciated the attention to the most miniscule detail, so I'm glad I didn't...but I fully intend to go back now and read the first four books of the Fever series (and not just to soothe the JZB jones until Shadowfever is released in January, 2011) now that I understand more of the Fae mythos and KMM's rich, detailed world.

Excellent read for Spell of the Highlander. Mind boggling how amazing the series is as a whole. And I just don't have the words to fully express my appreciation for KMM and the world created with the Highlander and Fever series together.

The Highlander Series (In Order):  Beyond the Highland Mist, To Tame a Highland Warrior, Highlander's Touch, Kiss of the Highlander, The Dark Highlander, The Immortal Highlander, Spell of the Highlander

Genre: Fantasy Romance, Time Travel
Series: Highlander, Book 6
Rating: 5 Stars
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


I've never had a free Kindle download that worked out quite so well before, but back when the first book of Moning's Fever series (Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1)) was available, I downloaded it just to see what it was about. I've been a monster fan of KMM's writing ever since.

While vastly different than the Fever series (fantasy romance vs. gritty urban fantasy), KMM's Highlander series is actually exceptionally well written, extremely endearing, at times amusing, and so feel-good romantic that it just makes my heart swell some times. And they are all totally guaranteed feel-good reads, if you like the genre. That's important when you read as much as I do and can get into a slump of books that just aren't that interesting or captivating. I know, without a doubt, that if I want a bit of perfectly flavored brain candy, Moning's Highlander series is where to go for it.

And the story of Adam Black and Gabrielle O'Callaghan is, I think, the best of them that I've read so far. I've been a big fan of Adam's throughout the series, so I knew I was going to enjoy him, but I ended up being very impressed with how much I enjoyed Gabrielle, as I tend to be pretty critical of female leads in romance novels. She was a delightfully spirited and intelligent character who was just self deprecating enough to be easy to relate to. Hell, she had a heck of a lot more self restraint than I would've when first faced with the gorgeous Tuatha De, Amadan D'Jai (AKA Adam Black).

There was quite a bit of truly enjoyable humor in Immortal Highlander, along with a decent plot that was tightly woven and paced quickly. Adam's being punished by his queen for restoring the life of Daegus, from The Dark Highlander (The Highlander Series, Book 5), and has been made human and forced into invisibility for months. Gabrielle, however, is a sidhe-seer, and while she's spent her entire life hiding that ability from the fae out of fear of death or capture, when she stumbles onto Adam Black, she can't help but stare at him (Oh, please, who could blame the woman?!). When he realizes she can see him, he sets about enlisting her help and correcting a lot of the negative (and - mostly - false) information she's spent her life learning about the fae. Unfortunately, an old enemy is practically salivating at Adam's fall from Aiobheal's grace, and sets into motion a coup that will bring down the walls separating Faery from the human world, release the Hunters...and kill Adam Black.

Can a disfavored Tuatha De and a sidhe-seer save both worlds from utter destruction...but more importantly, can they survive each other long enough to even try?

The book is a fun, light read and it made me smile, and even tear up a bit here and there. It was completely pleasurable (and the scene in the car about the sheep on the road in scotland was frickin' hilarious!) and rewarding. I can't say I was totally thrilled with some of the sentiment in the end, as I have a theological issue with one or two aspects of it, but not enough to dim my overall enjoyment of it. Very nice, and just the sort of pleasure reading I needed.

Genre: Fantasy Romance, Time Travel
Series: Highlander, Book 3
Rating: 4 Stars
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle



As a fairly recent but HUGE fan of Moning's Fever series, I thought I'd give the Highlander series a try. I knew going in that the two series are vastly different, but hoped that some of the things that truly make the Fever series stand out to me would cross over. I was pleased that they did.

I won't bother with a synopsis of the story - that's been done and done well (see on Amazon.com). What I will tell you is that while I used to be a large fan of historical romances and time travel romances, I've been out of that passion for at least a decade and only my love of Moning (and yes, my pining, gnashing, and wailing for Shadowfever) drove me back to one such book. I'm glad for it, too.

I found the characters to be compelling and Lisa Stone in particular to be a lovely protagonist. Circenn was sexy, totally alpha male, and wonderfully mysterious in his own right - and now I understand the reference to Adam that V'lane made in Dreamfever. I very much liked that particular Seelie. Lisa's emotional struggle with a mother dying of cancer struck a very real and true and grief laden chord with me, too. I thought the story was paced well and there was enough depth in the secondary and ancillary characters, as well as the plot, that Highlander's Touch was a a full, rich delight to read. And there's NEVER a disappointment in Moning's character's dialogue - it's always fun, witty, and sarcastic as each scene warrants. My only true criticism was the ending - I wasn't fond of the direction it went to get to a resolution and I thought it was wrapped up a little too quickly, given the care and thorough detail given to the first 80% of the book. Still, it's a light and engaging read without too much angst or misery and as always, Moning's attention to detail and her ability to embelish on fae folklore is in fine form here.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: The Fever Series, Book 3
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook/CDs

4.5 Stars
The Intensity is Climbing to a Fever Pitch


Note:  Due to the nature of this series, the review for Faefever has been combined with Dreamfever so the following review is also the review for that book, fourth in The Fever Series.

I had a plan. It was a good plan, really. Knowing what I knew of the Fever series, I thought it was even a wise and sage plan. See, I stumbled across Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1) not too long ago when it came up as a free Kindle download. I didn't like it. No, that's not exactly true. I thought the story was interesting and I had a very Jerry MacGuire, he-had-me-at-hello experience with the wildly wicked Jericho Z. Barrons. But....I vehemently opposed MacKayla Lane's continued existence. I hated her. Hated. Her. She was every stereotypical self-absorbed, brainless southern belle cliche rolled up into one nagging, whining and very pink ball. She was my first awful brush with a lead character that I thought was truly TSTL...and as Darkfever was my first introduction with Karen Marie Moning's work, I was certain just why Darkfever was offered to unsuspecting readers at the bargain-basement price of $0.

The only reason I even pondered the second book, Bloodfever: The Fever Series (A Mackayla Lane Novel), was the aforementioned Jericho Z. Barrons and the belief, judging by the Mac's narratives in Darkfever, that MacKayla Lane wasn't going to stay TSTL. And she didn't. Thank hell. To make a really long and totally boring story (mine, not Moning's) as short as I can, I ended up liking Darkfever enough to know that I would continue with this series, and paid closer attention to some of the reviews for the following books.

I wouldn't say that Darkfever and Bloodfever ended on cliffhangers, exactly, but I had noticed they really didn't have an encompassing story arc that was concluded at the end of each of them. I found out why. Moning has intended from the beginning to give this story to readers in a five-book increment. The Fever series is not like Moning's other works. They are not encapsulated stand-alone stories with a thread of over-all series arc running through them. This is, in fact, one monster epic of grand proportions - with war, death, magic, mystery, hate, betrayal, love, loss, family, friends, enemies, and all manner of frustrations and triumphs...split into five pieces.

Not everybody likes that. I understand why, I really do. Spending X amount of dollars on five books to tell one story could be a bit of a put off, especially in these trying economic times. That being said...I've read four books now...the expense is totally worth it. TOTALLY. Yes, one story=five books. But each book is a masterpiece of plotting and pacing that I couldn't even see just by reading the first in the series. Like Mac, I was TSTL - with a very narrow world view - and like Mac, as each book has progressed, I've learned more and appreciated more, and come to understand just what a truly amazing gift this series is for avid readers and fans of the genre.

Not everyone's going to like it - that's okay. Some people even feel really cheated out of their money. I can even understand that, though I agree with some reviewers who indicated that since it's been well elucidated by author and reviewers alike exactly how these books are set up, that starting to read it uninformed, or going into it informed and still complaining, shouldn't really result in a criticism of the author's decision to write them and publish them this way.

Personally, I love it. I love everything about it. I even love (though perhaps a bit wryly) those glimpses of the TSTL Mac that we occasionally see through Faefever (book 3), glimpses that seem to morph into more of a cautionary tale in Dreamfever, where Mac has been put back together (with some Jericho Z. Barrons assistance) but perhaps with too much blood under the bridge, so to speak (there's nothing as innocuous as water left in Mac's world by that point), to ever be even a shadow of her former amateur-sleuth-Barbie self.

Every single one of these books are filled with a layered plot and rich, full storytelling. Complex, thoroughly original, indescribably imaginative, and driven by a cast of characters that are intensely detailed (if often inexplicable) and utterly real, the Fever series, and Dreamfever in particular, is a frustrating and fantastic delight.

And that leads me right back to my good - nay - brilliant plan. Following Bloodfever, I knew I was at risk of burning through all four published books only to be left languishing for almost a year for the conclusion, so my plan was to read just a chapter or two of Faefever: The Fever Series and Dreamfever at a time, between other books. That way I could stretch out Faefever and Dreamfever for at least a few months, seriously cut down the wait time to the last book. It...really was a solid plan...a piece of cake.

And that brilliant plan didn't last six chapters into Faefever. Not only did I completely blow off that other book I was reading, I hit the end of Faefever, quickly downloaded Dreamfever, and kept racing through Mac's and Jericho's world with, dare I say, fevered intensity, only to come to a screeching and scream-filled stop as the last page of the book slammed into my mind and chest with the force of a Hunter on a rampage.

My plan? I still say it was brilliant, darn it. It was just...well...utterly usurped by the ever-growing intensity of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. Ripped to shreds, really. And devoured like so much Unseelie flesh.

4.5 Stars for Faefever - almost perfect, and such an rich, intense read.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: The Fever Series, Book 4
Formats: Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook/CDs, Mass Market Paperback

5 Stars
Wow. Just...Wow.

I had a plan. It was a good plan, really. Knowing what I knew of the Fever series, I thought it was even a wise and sage plan. See, I stumbled across Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1) not too long ago when it came up as a free Kindle download. I didn't like it. No, that's not exactly true. I thought the story was interesting and I had a very Jerry MacGuire, he-had-me-at-hello experience with the wildly wicked Jericho Z. Barrons. But....I vehemently opposed MacKayla Lane's continued existence. I hated her. Hated. Her. She was every stereotypical self-absorbed, brainless southern belle cliche rolled up into one nagging, whining and very pink ball. She was my first awful brush with a lead character that I thought was truly TSTL...and as Darkfever was my first introduction with Karen Marie Moning's work, I was certain just why Darkfever was offered to unsuspecting readers at the bargain-basement price of $0.

The only reason I even pondered the second book, Bloodfever: The Fever Series (A Mackayla Lane Novel), was the aforementioned Jericho Z. Barrons and the belief, judging by the Mac's narratives in Darkfever, that MacKayla Lane wasn't going to stay TSTL. And she didn't. Thank hell. To make a really long and totally boring story (mine, not Moning's) as short as I can, I ended up liking Darkfever enough to know that I would continue with this series, and paid closer attention to some of the reviews for the following books.

I wouldn't say that Darkfever and Bloodfever ended on cliffhangers, exactly, but I had noticed they really didn't have an encompassing story arc that was concluded at the end of each of them. I found out why. Moning has intended from the beginning to give this story to readers in a five-book increment. The Fever series is not like Moning's other works. They are not encapsulated stand-alone stories with a thread of over-all series arc running through them. This is, in fact, one monster epic of grand proportions - with war, death, magic, mystery, hate, betrayal, love, loss, family, friends, enemies, and all manner of frustrations and triumphs...split into five pieces.

Not everybody likes that. I understand why, I really do. Spending X amount of dollars on five books to tell one story could be a bit of a put off, especially in these trying economic times. That being said...I've read four books now...the expense is totally worth it. TOTALLY. Yes, one story=five books. But each book is a masterpiece of plotting and pacing that I couldn't even see just by reading the first in the series. Like Mac, I was TSTL - with a very narrow world view - and like Mac, as each book has progressed, I've learned more and appreciated more, and come to understand just what a truly amazing gift this series is for avid readers and fans of the genre.

Not everyone's going to like it - that's okay. Some people even feel really cheated out of their money. I can even understand that, though I agree with some reviewers who indicated that since it's been well elucidated by author and reviewers alike exactly how these books are set up, that starting to read it uninformed, or going into it informed and still complaining, shouldn't really result in a criticism of the author's decision to write them and publish them this way.

Personally, I love it. I love everything about it. I even love (though perhaps a bit wryly) those glimpses of the TSTL Mac that we occasionally see through Faefever (book 3), glimpses that seem to morph into more of a cautionary tale in Dreamfever, where Mac has been put back together (with some Jericho Z. Barrons assistance) but perhaps with too much blood under the bridge, so to speak (there's nothing as innocuous as water left in Mac's world by that point), to ever be even a shadow of her former amateur-sleuth-Barbie self.

Every single one of these books are filled with a layered plot and rich, full storytelling. Complex, thoroughly original, indescribably imaginative, and driven by a cast of characters that are intensely detailed (if often inexplicable) and utterly real, the Fever series, and Dreamfever in particular, is a frustrating and fantastic delight.

And that leads me right back to my good - nay - brilliant plan. Following Bloodfever, I knew I was at risk of burning through all four published books only to be left languishing for almost a year for the conclusion, so my plan was to read just a chapter or two of Faefever: The Fever Series and Dreamfever at a time, between other books. That way I could stretch out Faefever and Dreamfever for at least a few months, seriously cut down the wait time to the last book. It...really was a solid plan...a piece of cake.

And that brilliant plan didn't last six chapters into Faefever. Not only did I completely blow off that other book I was reading, I hit the end of Faefever, quickly downloaded Dreamfever, and kept racing through Mac's and Jericho's world with, dare I say, fevered intensity, only to come to a screeching and scream-filled stop as the last page of the book slammed into my mind and chest with the force of a Hunter on a rampage.

My plan? I still say it was brilliant, darn it. It was just...well...utterly usurped by the ever-growing intensity of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. Ripped to shreds, really. And devoured like so much Unseelie flesh.

What is truly brilliant is Dreamfever and the Fever series in total. Amazing. Really.