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16 August 2010

5 bat! Review: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

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Book Description

"My philosphy 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."

MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman.

Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle 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, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands...

 Review

Book 1 in The Fever Series

What do I want in an urban fantasy? A strong, likable protagonist with an as yet unrealized magical potential, a richly layered paranormal world, a well matched love interest who holds their own, and the promise of a multi-book meta-narrative. DARKFEVER has all that and more.

Mackayla “Mac” Lane is a near perfect UF heroine, and she befriended me immediately.  As is a Sidhe-seer, Mac is someone who can see past the disguises, or glamours, that the fey use to hide in our world. Tenacious in pursuit of her sister’s killer, Mac is thorough and smart. Yes, she's a bit cocky, which she glosses over with more than a hint of old fashioned Southern charm, but she's also resilient and quick on her feet. The first time she truly spots a fey and is in danger of being discovered, it’s her quick thinking and cool under pressure that save her life.

Speaking of the fey, in DARKFEVER they are divided into two courts. The fey from the Unseelie court are the stuff of nightmares: grotesque hulking monsters who can suck the life out of humans with a touch. The fey from the Seelie court are the stuff of fantasies: breathtakingly beautiful beings whose very presence can send a human into an all-consuming erotic frenzy.

And this is Karen Marie Moning, so you know to expect romance, but it’s far from conventional.   The enigmatic Barrons is Mac’s unwilling teacher/protector.  He is harsh and demanding, bordering on cruel through out DARKFEVER, and yet, there are flashes of something more, mere glimpses of a different man beneath the brusque demeanor.   The slow, smoldering attraction that builds between these two was palpable. 

Overall, DARKFEVER is a near perfect urban fantasy (and yes, it is more urban fantasy than paranormal romance). A chilling mystery, a darkly seductive enigmatic love interest with questionable character, in a terrifying yet alluring world full of both scary and seductive fey. I am dying to devour the other books in the Fever series and be devoured in return.

Sexual Content: References to sex.  References to masturbation.  Two scenes of graphic sensuality.

My Rating (out of 5):
imageimageimageimageimageNear Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.

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Product Details

  • The Book DepositoryMass Market Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Dell (August 28, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0440240980
  • ISBN-13: 978-0440240983
  • Cover Art: N/A  

    *Disclosure: I received this book courtesy of TLC Book Tours


    Disagree with my review?  Contact me with your review for this or any other book I’ve reviewed and I might use it for 2nd Opinion Review.

  • 8 comments:

    1. Just a warning: don't read them too fast! The final book in the series doesn't come out until late December, and each book you read makes it harder and harder to wait for it. I love this series!

      ReplyDelete
    2. Hey Abigail, when I saw this 5-Bat review in a blog roll, my first thought was, I can't believe she got to read book five already! Then I realized you were talking about book one. Whew!

      I didn't warm up to Mac as quickly as you did, but by book three/four I was/am really into it. It's a great UF series in my opinion.

      ReplyDelete
    3. Charlotte - Fortunately I'm part of a promo tour for the series where I get one book to review a month leading up to Shadowfever so I can't jump ahead. But I don't know how you guys have managed to wait between books.

      Rebecca - I hate crazy early reviews. I have a few galleys for 2011 books already but unless I get specific review by dates, I tend stick to the week before release.

      Darkfever was the perfect book for the mood I was in when I read it. By all accounts the series just gets better, so yippee!

      ReplyDelete
    4. 5 bats and near perfect.. awesome!! Thank you so much for being on the tour. We're so glad you are enjoying it so far!

      ReplyDelete
    5. I can't wait for the last book. It's like Harry Potter for me. I'm taking the day off for it.

      ReplyDelete
    6. This is my absolute number one series and it has been killing me waiting for the next release. I plan to reread the series again right before the release so I can flow right into the new one.

      Great review.

      ReplyDelete
    7. Lisa - Thank you for inviting me. I'm loving them.

      Princess Allie - I imagine I'll be devoting the day to SHADOWFEVER too :)

      Melissa - I might be giving away an early copy...:)

      ReplyDelete
    8. I just finished Darkfever..In love with the series going on to BloodFever.Its has such a Pure Feeling yet Dark..I will as one poster said,not to read the series too fast..Great Review...Vtc Exceptional UF

      ReplyDelete

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