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Fever #11
Kingdom of Shadow and Light
MacKayla Lane faces the ultimate threat when war breaks out between the kingdoms of shadow and light, as the #1 New York Times bestselling Fever series races to an explosive revelation.
From the moment MacKayla Lane arrived in Dublin to hunt her sister’s murderer, she’s had to fight one dangerous battle after the next: to survive, to secure power, to keep her city safe, to protect the people she loves.
The matter of who’s good and who’s evil can be decided by the answer to a single question: Whose side are you on?
Now, as High Queen of the Fae, Mac faces her greatest challenge yet: ruling the very race she was born to hunt and kill - a race that wants her dead yesterday, so they can put a pure-blooded Fae queen on the throne.
But challenges with her subjects are the least of her concerns when an ancient, deadly foe resurfaces, changing not only the rules of the game but the very game itself, initiating a catastrophic sequence of events that have devastating consequences and leave Mac questioning everything she’s ever learned and everyone she’s ever loved. Now begins an epic battle between Mortal and Fae, Seelie and Unseelie, would-be kings and would-be queens, with possession of the Unseelie King’s virtually unlimited power and the fate of humanity at stake.
From the exquisite, deadly gardens of the High Queen’s court, to long-forgotten truths found in the Sacred Grove of Creation, from the erotic bed of her enigmatic, powerful lover to the darkest, seductive reaches of the Unseelie kingdom, Mac’s final journey takes her places no human has been before, and only one human could possibly survive...One who's willing to sacrifice everything.
From the moment MacKayla Lane arrived in Dublin to hunt her sister’s murderer, she’s had to fight one dangerous battle after the next: to survive, to secure power, to keep her city safe, to protect the people she loves.
The matter of who’s good and who’s evil can be decided by the answer to a single question: Whose side are you on?
Now, as High Queen of the Fae, Mac faces her greatest challenge yet: ruling the very race she was born to hunt and kill - a race that wants her dead yesterday, so they can put a pure-blooded Fae queen on the throne.
But challenges with her subjects are the least of her concerns when an ancient, deadly foe resurfaces, changing not only the rules of the game but the very game itself, initiating a catastrophic sequence of events that have devastating consequences and leave Mac questioning everything she’s ever learned and everyone she’s ever loved. Now begins an epic battle between Mortal and Fae, Seelie and Unseelie, would-be kings and would-be queens, with possession of the Unseelie King’s virtually unlimited power and the fate of humanity at stake.
From the exquisite, deadly gardens of the High Queen’s court, to long-forgotten truths found in the Sacred Grove of Creation, from the erotic bed of her enigmatic, powerful lover to the darkest, seductive reaches of the Unseelie kingdom, Mac’s final journey takes her places no human has been before, and only one human could possibly survive...One who's willing to sacrifice everything.
521 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 23, 2021
About the author
Karen Marie Moning
34 books29.7k followers“The only other calling I ever felt was an irrepressible desire to be Captain of my own Starship. I was born in the wrong century and it wasn’t possible, so I chose to explore the universe by writing fiction instead. Books are doors to endless adventure.” -KMM
Karen Marie Moning is the #1 NYT bestselling author of the Fever Series and Highlander novels.
An alum of the Immaculate Conception Academy, at seventeen she attended Purdue University where she completed a BA in Society & Law, with minors in Philosophy, Creative Writing and Theatre, while working full time as a bartender and computer consultant. She intended to go to law school but after an internship with a firm of Criminal Attorneys, decided against it. For the next decade, she worked in insurance, where she wrote intercompany arbitrations and directed commercial litigation. At the age of thirty, she decided it was time to get serious and do what she’d always wanted to do: write fiction novels.
Beyond the Highland Mist was published in 1999 and nominated for two RITA awards. She then published six more novels in her award-winning HIGHLANDER series, and received the RITA Award in 2001 for The Highlander’s Touch.
In 2004, she began writing the #1 New York Times bestselling FEVER series. The books have been optioned twice for potential franchise development by Twentieth Century Fox and DreamWorks Studios, but the rights are currently held by Moning who has expressed a desire to one day see it as a television series. Her novels have been published in over thirty countries. She divides her time between Ohio and Florida and is working on two future projects for Random House Publishing.
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” – Jorge Luis Borges
Karen Marie Moning is the #1 NYT bestselling author of the Fever Series and Highlander novels.
An alum of the Immaculate Conception Academy, at seventeen she attended Purdue University where she completed a BA in Society & Law, with minors in Philosophy, Creative Writing and Theatre, while working full time as a bartender and computer consultant. She intended to go to law school but after an internship with a firm of Criminal Attorneys, decided against it. For the next decade, she worked in insurance, where she wrote intercompany arbitrations and directed commercial litigation. At the age of thirty, she decided it was time to get serious and do what she’d always wanted to do: write fiction novels.
Beyond the Highland Mist was published in 1999 and nominated for two RITA awards. She then published six more novels in her award-winning HIGHLANDER series, and received the RITA Award in 2001 for The Highlander’s Touch.
In 2004, she began writing the #1 New York Times bestselling FEVER series. The books have been optioned twice for potential franchise development by Twentieth Century Fox and DreamWorks Studios, but the rights are currently held by Moning who has expressed a desire to one day see it as a television series. Her novels have been published in over thirty countries. She divides her time between Ohio and Florida and is working on two future projects for Random House Publishing.
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” – Jorge Luis Borges
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 997 reviews
February 26, 2021
henlo issa me again! I did a read-through of this book as promised. SOOO....yeah this book is essentially what you would expect. I reckon if you are hardcore macxbarrons super stan 10000 you will love this book.
If you are a Dani/Ryodan person I reckon steel yourself and lower your expectations for how much the book will be mentioning them. Going into the book I had low expectations for how much screen time they'd receive, but they had even fewer interactions than I thought they would.
I think they legit had a total of 2 words exchanged between them lmao.
The Plot
Yeah Idk, it was ok. Like I see what KMO was trying to do. I think I was just hoping the storylines would all collide gloriously at the end. But they all sorta just were clinically separate for the most part. Like Dani once again is in an entirely separate storyline, removed from any fun interactions with characters. It's very much just the Mac show.
The first half of the book was basically just people being And was it just me or was Cruce lowkey just defeated by the power of
Also, some of the new names in this book are wilding, is kmo taking inspiration from Grimes in naming characters. lyryka and lxcythe both sound like the siblings of elon musks baby X Æ A-XII. I did actually like lyryka, she was cute! Her dialogue was actually kind of fresh and fun to read. She reminded me of a cute genie in the bottle type hehe.
BUT the pairing of
This book also felt weirdly tensionless. One thing that kept making me roll my eyes was the fact everything and everyone somehow perfectly rolled into place/no real sacrifices had to be made/the stakes were very obviously never high. It's hard to build real tension or drama in the book when everything is getting tied up in neat highly convenient ribbons. cough cough like The saccharine sweetness vibes are too much for me!
Mac and Barrons:
Mac's as flowery and oversexed in her pov as ever, Georgia n her daddy are front and center for this book. I reckon if you love that ish, you will love the Mac and Barrons part of the book. Also maybe it's just me but it always annoys me that thru mac's pov all she ever thinks about is how everyone is either hot and fuckable/or that they obvs find her hot n fuckable.
I personally can't take more than two Georgia and daddy mentions so I couldn't physically read through her chapters in their entirety as the repetition b too much for my spirit to handle. If you similarly find Mac annoying you might also wind up skimming through her chapters.
Ryodan and Dani:
Ryodani legit barely interacted in this. The few mentions of them in the book even underline that they've barely spent time together. I did appreciate however that Ryodan
Look being straight up Dani barely even had 3 chapters in this book. While I didn't mind her plotline I just wish she had reconvened with the group earlier! I don't understand why Dani couldn't have had more interactions with everyone else in this book. I really wanted to see her have some fun interactions with Lyrka and Lor. :( Overall, Dani's pov this book, was far closer to normal Dani, compared to the Mac/Dani hybrid nightmare pov in HV. So yay to small victories I guess.
Meanwhile, Ryodan's trajectory in the book was in theory cool, but in reality underwhelming. It felt like KMO wanted to shut up everyone that was saying she was making Ryodan into Barrons simp and show that he had big bad powers too, but she did that in the most simp way possible. #ryodansasimp2021
Ryodan coming in at the end having done nothing but acting like he really did the most like
Also wtf Dani/Ryo/Shazam never had a scene where the three of them properly interacted/conversed??? This is legit such a missed opportunity!
My real consternation is why was there no Dani/Ryo/Shazam epilogue?? Even Lyxgchfsdjk and lfutswefvdst #2 got an epilogue! The disrespect. Idk I just thought in the final book of the series, surely there'd be a proper goodbye for two of the biggest characters???? Was this revenge for all the Dani/Ryo ppl complaining about HV lmao?
Overall:
Idk guys, I feel old and weary after reading this book. The book is more of the same stuff I have grown tired of previously. My love and hopes for the fever series have dried up. This series used to be full of such life, it felt so real.
Now it feels so dreary and dull, bogged down by mindless monologues, and lengthy paragraphs telling rather than showing the plot. Look I'm glad KMO got to write her vision for the series but just sad it didn't align with the things that used to make me genuinely love and excited for this series.
Before Reading
Currently reading
March 8, 2020I'm most probably in the minority here but I'm happy we're back to Mac and Barrons. Never liked Dani and her relationship with Ryodan lacks chemistry and fire.
Want to read
September 23, 2019Back to Mac again? Like, why? Isn’t it time to bring someone new to the front?
But I know I won’t be able to resist it even though the chances of this book being good are close to zero.
But I know I won’t be able to resist it even though the chances of this book being good are close to zero.
May 28, 2021
3.5 stars
Darkfever: ★★★★★
Bloodfever:★★★★★
Faefever:★★★★★
Dreamfever:★★★★★
Shadowfever:★★★★★
Iced: ★★★★
Burned: ★★★
Feverborn: ★★
Feversong: ★★★
High Voltage: ★★
The fever series was my introduction to the Urban Fantasy genre so it’ll always have a special place in my heart. Everyone who’s been following the series knows the quality dramatically dropped after book 5. While I rated this one higher than the previous book, it’s more because of its sentimental value and the fact that KMM wrote this while suffering from chronic illnesses. I’m glad she was strong enough and gave us closure to this series dear to many.
This book introduced new characters but also wrapped the story and gave us a closure. It was told from several perspectives, Mac’s mainly. Christian, Dany, Kat, Cruce, well most of the major players got a POV somewhere along the line. As well as Ix and Lyryka, two new characters.
I honestly had a difficult time getting into the book so I listened to the audio of the first few chapters and then basically finished reading the rest in a day. I certainly forgot how complex the world is so the glossary provided was very helpful. I won’t retell the story of this book and simply move to the pros and cons like I was doing in my previous reviews of these books.
Pros:
- Lyryka! She was truly the highlight of this book for me. Although I think she was created for Christian in a way, I certainly liked her character. Full of life and optimistic, a huge bookwork, and sees magic in everything (she was confined in a bottle all her life).
- Mac wasn’t annoying, she was getting on my nerves in the latest books but I finally saw a spark of the old Mac in this book. Also, I’m back to shipping Mac and Jericho! But yes too much of them, here wish the book focused on other characters more.
- I just love the characters so much?? It was nostalgic reading about those characters that I grew to care about.
Cons:
- So much talk about sex/sexuality/horniness, especially in Christian’s and Mac’s parts. It annoyed me a lot since this series is so much more than that. To be clear I’m not talking about smut scenes (not many/not graphic), but for example, how Christian wants so much to have sex. I got tired of hearing about it.
- Ryo and Dani’s arc was only okay, I was expecting more of them. They were separated most of the book and Ryodan’s part specifically was pretty much useless in this book. I love Dany I’m sad to see she’s lost a bit of her voice and sounded more like Mac.
- Although we had some too long monologues, they weren’t as abundant as before. But still there needlessly.
- Not much was happening throughout this book and it wasn’t till the end that we saw some action.
- I think the new characters kind of outshone the old ones? Sure I love everyone here but Lyryka, Ix, Azar were more interesting
- I expected more of Mac being the queen? Like this part wasn’t developed as much as I would’ve liked.
- I also didn’t like all of the ending especially
Overall, this wasn’t a bad book but it had its share of its flaws. I was nostalgic reading KOSAL and I’m glad honestly this series was wrapped up at last. I would’ve preferred a Dani spin-off much more since Mac and Barrons were never the same since Shadowfever.
Darkfever: ★★★★★
Bloodfever:★★★★★
Faefever:★★★★★
Dreamfever:★★★★★
Shadowfever:★★★★★
Iced: ★★★★
Burned: ★★★
Feverborn: ★★
Feversong: ★★★
High Voltage: ★★
The fever series was my introduction to the Urban Fantasy genre so it’ll always have a special place in my heart. Everyone who’s been following the series knows the quality dramatically dropped after book 5. While I rated this one higher than the previous book, it’s more because of its sentimental value and the fact that KMM wrote this while suffering from chronic illnesses. I’m glad she was strong enough and gave us closure to this series dear to many.
This book introduced new characters but also wrapped the story and gave us a closure. It was told from several perspectives, Mac’s mainly. Christian, Dany, Kat, Cruce, well most of the major players got a POV somewhere along the line. As well as Ix and Lyryka, two new characters.
I honestly had a difficult time getting into the book so I listened to the audio of the first few chapters and then basically finished reading the rest in a day. I certainly forgot how complex the world is so the glossary provided was very helpful. I won’t retell the story of this book and simply move to the pros and cons like I was doing in my previous reviews of these books.
Pros:
- Lyryka! She was truly the highlight of this book for me. Although I think she was created for Christian in a way, I certainly liked her character. Full of life and optimistic, a huge bookwork, and sees magic in everything (she was confined in a bottle all her life).
- Mac wasn’t annoying, she was getting on my nerves in the latest books but I finally saw a spark of the old Mac in this book. Also, I’m back to shipping Mac and Jericho! But yes too much of them, here wish the book focused on other characters more.
- I just love the characters so much?? It was nostalgic reading about those characters that I grew to care about.
Cons:
- So much talk about sex/sexuality/horniness, especially in Christian’s and Mac’s parts. It annoyed me a lot since this series is so much more than that. To be clear I’m not talking about smut scenes (not many/not graphic), but for example, how Christian wants so much to have sex. I got tired of hearing about it.
- Ryo and Dani’s arc was only okay, I was expecting more of them. They were separated most of the book and Ryodan’s part specifically was pretty much useless in this book. I love Dany I’m sad to see she’s lost a bit of her voice and sounded more like Mac.
- Although we had some too long monologues, they weren’t as abundant as before. But still there needlessly.
- Not much was happening throughout this book and it wasn’t till the end that we saw some action.
- I think the new characters kind of outshone the old ones? Sure I love everyone here but Lyryka, Ix, Azar were more interesting
- I expected more of Mac being the queen? Like this part wasn’t developed as much as I would’ve liked.
- I also didn’t like all of the ending especially
Overall, this wasn’t a bad book but it had its share of its flaws. I was nostalgic reading KOSAL and I’m glad honestly this series was wrapped up at last. I would’ve preferred a Dani spin-off much more since Mac and Barrons were never the same since Shadowfever.
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March 18, 2021
⤅ This is the way the (Fever) world ends: not with a bang, but with a whimper.
What the hell is this? It reads like fanfiction of the original Fever series, and not even good fanfiction at that. The crappy kind where everyone is drop-dead beautiful, there's no tension, the WRITING IS BAD (whatttt KMM you were a good writer before!) and the main couple makes you sick to your stomach.
But yeah. Let's rewind a little. This is the very last book in the Fever series, and IMO should never have been written. There are people who say anything after book 5 should never have been written, but I'm not actually one of them since I love Dani and Ryodan. (Which is why High Voltage was such a letdown, but even that was better than this). This book, though, has absolutely no redeeming qualities. To take it from the top:
❌ ALL THE CHARACTERS EVER THINK ABOUT IS SEX. In Mac's case, it's having sex with Barrons, not having sex with Barrons, how sexy she is... if I had to hear one more time how beautifully perfect and gorgeous and f*ckable she is, I would have thrown up. And in Christian's case, it's having sex with Mac... or anyone, he's not fussy. Even Lyryka, some random fae woman who ends up as his love interest, LITERALLY is Mac's doppelganger for most of the book! The pages were saturated in so much 'sex-sex-sex- and try-hard eroticism that it felt like KMM was a debut author who thought 'talking about sex' would make her book feel grownup, or whatever. And what makes it so weird is that I KNOW she's a good writer. So why is she doing this?
❌ Zero tension to the plot. It reminded me of Stephen King's Dr Sleep, in that there was no fear factor at all because he'd made his protagonists so powerful I never worried they'd die. Same here. Mac is literally the Faerie Queen and Barrons is the big bad whatever, it's hammered into us that they're the power couple, nothing can stand against them... I'm not interested in reading a book where they just bulldoze over everyone else. I never felt for a single second like they'd have to undergo any losses (and I was right).
❌ FFS, the villains are so trite. Cruce has lost his dynamism to a really big extent, and he's been turned into yet another Mac-groupie. As if we needed more of those. By this point, KoSL was really reading like a self-insert fanfic, with the number of major characters who had a hard-on for Mac.
❌ DANI AND RYODAN. They're basically not even in the whole book!!!! Despite being 80% of the reason I even started reading, because I was hoping to get something better than HV. That did not happen. They got like two seconds of page time.
❌ Shockingly, the actual writing was awful. Mac's 'dualism', how she's apparently both fiery and frosty and that's why everyone is attracted to her, is mentioned SOOOOO many times. So, this dualism thing... is that not literally just being a well-rounded character? I.e. human? We rabbit on all the time about having multidimensional villains, why is Mac being praised to the rafters for basically being a normal person with more than one character facet? (Not that she really showed more than one simplistic facet in this book).
❌ Dude... I'm so over Mac and Barrons. So over them. They're actually so boring by now. Basically, pretty much everything about this book sucks.
I ended up DNFing about 30% in, because when four days passed and I had no desire to pick the book up again, I realised it was time to call it a day. What a disappointing end to one of my favourite series. Up until now, I've always extolled KMM and Holly Black as being the only people who write fae the way I think they should be written, but I'm going to have to seriously reconsider keeping KMM on that list now.
What the hell is this? It reads like fanfiction of the original Fever series, and not even good fanfiction at that. The crappy kind where everyone is drop-dead beautiful, there's no tension, the WRITING IS BAD (whatttt KMM you were a good writer before!) and the main couple makes you sick to your stomach.
But yeah. Let's rewind a little. This is the very last book in the Fever series, and IMO should never have been written. There are people who say anything after book 5 should never have been written, but I'm not actually one of them since I love Dani and Ryodan. (Which is why High Voltage was such a letdown, but even that was better than this). This book, though, has absolutely no redeeming qualities. To take it from the top:
❌ ALL THE CHARACTERS EVER THINK ABOUT IS SEX. In Mac's case, it's having sex with Barrons, not having sex with Barrons, how sexy she is... if I had to hear one more time how beautifully perfect and gorgeous and f*ckable she is, I would have thrown up. And in Christian's case, it's having sex with Mac... or anyone, he's not fussy. Even Lyryka, some random fae woman who ends up as his love interest, LITERALLY is Mac's doppelganger for most of the book! The pages were saturated in so much 'sex-sex-sex- and try-hard eroticism that it felt like KMM was a debut author who thought 'talking about sex' would make her book feel grownup, or whatever. And what makes it so weird is that I KNOW she's a good writer. So why is she doing this?
❌ Zero tension to the plot. It reminded me of Stephen King's Dr Sleep, in that there was no fear factor at all because he'd made his protagonists so powerful I never worried they'd die. Same here. Mac is literally the Faerie Queen and Barrons is the big bad whatever, it's hammered into us that they're the power couple, nothing can stand against them... I'm not interested in reading a book where they just bulldoze over everyone else. I never felt for a single second like they'd have to undergo any losses (and I was right).
❌ FFS, the villains are so trite. Cruce has lost his dynamism to a really big extent, and he's been turned into yet another Mac-groupie. As if we needed more of those. By this point, KoSL was really reading like a self-insert fanfic, with the number of major characters who had a hard-on for Mac.
❌ DANI AND RYODAN. They're basically not even in the whole book!!!! Despite being 80% of the reason I even started reading, because I was hoping to get something better than HV. That did not happen. They got like two seconds of page time.
❌ Shockingly, the actual writing was awful. Mac's 'dualism', how she's apparently both fiery and frosty and that's why everyone is attracted to her, is mentioned SOOOOO many times. So, this dualism thing... is that not literally just being a well-rounded character? I.e. human? We rabbit on all the time about having multidimensional villains, why is Mac being praised to the rafters for basically being a normal person with more than one character facet? (Not that she really showed more than one simplistic facet in this book).
❌ Dude... I'm so over Mac and Barrons. So over them. They're actually so boring by now. Basically, pretty much everything about this book sucks.
I ended up DNFing about 30% in, because when four days passed and I had no desire to pick the book up again, I realised it was time to call it a day. What a disappointing end to one of my favourite series. Up until now, I've always extolled KMM and Holly Black as being the only people who write fae the way I think they should be written, but I'm going to have to seriously reconsider keeping KMM on that list now.
February 28, 2021
I'm going to be completely honest. Up until a few weeks ago I had no idea that this book hadn't already come out. It was only after I found out that it was going to be released this month that I gained back some motivation to read it.
I'm also going to freely admit that my rating is higher than it should be for a mixture of reasons. For a start, this series will always have a special place in my heart even though it should have probably ended with book 5 (yes, even though I have rated some of the later books 5 stars). Also, having read the acknowledgments at the end, I am ever so thankful that this book was able to be written and released and that I've had the opportunity to see how the series ends.
I should have really done a reread of the series since it has been an awful long time since I've read the previous books and so much has happened over the course of the series. It was hard going reading Kingdom of Shadow and Light at first, largely due to the fact that I was lost despite there being a handy note at the beginning setting out how the Seelie and Unseelie courts were looking currently.
There were multiple storylines going on throughout this book with Mac, Dani, Kat, Christian, etc. but at the same time it also felt like not much was happening.
It is nice to finally get an ending and I can move on in peace knowing that the remaining characters will all hopefully get their happy endings and be able to relax and enjoy life for a while.
Thank you Fever series, it's been (mostly) fun! <3
PS. Ryodan and Dani still creep me the fuck out.
***
Original thoughts - April 2018 I should probably walk away from this series before it gets really bad but I CAN'T. I'm too invested.
I'm also going to freely admit that my rating is higher than it should be for a mixture of reasons. For a start, this series will always have a special place in my heart even though it should have probably ended with book 5 (yes, even though I have rated some of the later books 5 stars). Also, having read the acknowledgments at the end, I am ever so thankful that this book was able to be written and released and that I've had the opportunity to see how the series ends.
I should have really done a reread of the series since it has been an awful long time since I've read the previous books and so much has happened over the course of the series. It was hard going reading Kingdom of Shadow and Light at first, largely due to the fact that I was lost despite there being a handy note at the beginning setting out how the Seelie and Unseelie courts were looking currently.
There were multiple storylines going on throughout this book with Mac, Dani, Kat, Christian, etc. but at the same time it also felt like not much was happening.
It is nice to finally get an ending and I can move on in peace knowing that the remaining characters will all hopefully get their happy endings and be able to relax and enjoy life for a while.
Thank you Fever series, it's been (mostly) fun! <3
PS. Ryodan and Dani still creep me the fuck out.
***
Original thoughts - April 2018 I should probably walk away from this series before it gets really bad but I CAN'T. I'm too invested.
April 4, 2021
After avidly reading this series (and re-reading I might add), this last and final instalment, for me, was disappointing! A great read but lacking the gripping nature of its predecessors 😔 ...
May 21, 2022
LORD HAVE MERCY! WAITING FOR HIGH VOLTAGE NEARLY ENDED ME BUT OOOH! SO MANY MORE BOOKS LEFT IN THIS SERIES!
Thank you God!
Favorite series of all time.
For the “I might be losing interest”, for the “another book? When does it end?” , please check out my review of Book 10. I don’t understand how people think this series is even close to finishing. KMM has written this series with so much depth. I could see this series expand every which way like the Hall of Days. My review has questions I had before and after High Voltage.
Read my 5-star review of High Voltage by Karen Marie Moning
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
OMFGGGG THE TITLE!!! I screamed. YES YES YES YES YES YES! I WANT MORE MAC. I hope this book is over 600 blessed pages! Let us see Dani and Mac in the beginnings of an ultimate warrrrr! Gosh, this made my day! [April 24]
Thank you God!
Favorite series of all time.
For the “I might be losing interest”, for the “another book? When does it end?” , please check out my review of Book 10. I don’t understand how people think this series is even close to finishing. KMM has written this series with so much depth. I could see this series expand every which way like the Hall of Days. My review has questions I had before and after High Voltage.
Read my 5-star review of High Voltage by Karen Marie Moning
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
OMFGGGG THE TITLE!!! I screamed. YES YES YES YES YES YES! I WANT MORE MAC. I hope this book is over 600 blessed pages! Let us see Dani and Mac in the beginnings of an ultimate warrrrr! Gosh, this made my day! [April 24]
Want to read
May 12, 2019Great news! Mac is back 🤩
January 7, 2024
I'm anxiously awaiting another. I'll forever be #teambarrons
March 23, 2021
5+++ stars for KOSAL!
I can’t believe I just turned the last page on the last book of The Fever Series. KOSAL was so special in a gazillion ways, but what a delight to see my name immortalized at the end of the book! Look for Korrie’s Korner—that’s me! I can’t even find the adequate words for a review right now. I feel stuck. Transfixed in time, in the land of Dublin, Ireland.
Mac and Barrons. Dani & Ryodan. Christian & ???
These are my people. This series is in my top 3 of ALL time. That’s how special this series is. Karen did a superb job wrapping it up, even though I panicked when I had 15 chapters left wondering how she was going to tie this up. I should’ve known to never doubt Karen!
I just want to start all over again, even though I already did that last year. I love this book so much, this world, these characters and this author so bloody much!
I can’t believe I just turned the last page on the last book of The Fever Series. KOSAL was so special in a gazillion ways, but what a delight to see my name immortalized at the end of the book! Look for Korrie’s Korner—that’s me! I can’t even find the adequate words for a review right now. I feel stuck. Transfixed in time, in the land of Dublin, Ireland.
Mac and Barrons. Dani & Ryodan. Christian & ???
These are my people. This series is in my top 3 of ALL time. That’s how special this series is. Karen did a superb job wrapping it up, even though I panicked when I had 15 chapters left wondering how she was going to tie this up. I should’ve known to never doubt Karen!
I just want to start all over again, even though I already did that last year. I love this book so much, this world, these characters and this author so bloody much!
Currently reading
May 22, 2021Well this is the final book in Karen Marie Moning's Fever series and I have mixed feelings. I've loved this series since book one Darkfever came out! and i have read all the books in this series. With fabulous storytelling and characters that I adored and watched evolve its been one hell of a ride all these years! KMM did a awesome job of wrapping things up,but I wanted a couple of more happy endings. Especially bad boy and panty melter and man with a little touch of beastie my man Lor !!!! I wanted some bad ass chic to slap his ass and make him fall head over heels in love! Could you image this sexy love them and leave them manwhore falling in real love!! Guy's like him always fall hard it just takes the right woman. Their were twists and turns with a couple of surprises and while their wasn't any hot steamy sex between Jericho barrons and Mac their was a love and combining of two soul's and that showed that no matter what happens were in this together . Jericho barrons will always be my #1 book boyfriend friend! Not just because he's a hot sexy beastie, but when a man like him set's his sights on you its so empowering to know that of all the other women this alpha man picked you to walk at his side and their will never be anyone else. Jericho is everything you'd want in a man and more. I for one would have stepped into Barrons Books & Baubles and never left! Alot has happened since mac became queen of the fae. Also Cruce the seductive and oh! So bad boy royal fae has been building his new kingdom and buying his time waiting to become the new seelie king and he wants Mac to be his queen. Cruce might be a master manipulator and even has a secret weapon but does he have what it takes to win..... I will admit I do so love this guy! He pulled alot of shit over the years and has never shyed away from being the villain of the piece,but theirs just something so mesmerizing about this unrepentant badboy that I love. Moning is a superb writer and some of my all time quotes have been written by her.She knows how to tap into deep emotion the kind that leaves you raw and bleeding and it shows in all her books. Until next time Luv's💋💗
February 28, 2021
Wow. Final book in the Fever series and it was a huge motherfucking disappointment. This was without a doubt the worst book in the whole series with Mac as the focal point of the book. The idea and premise of this book was so damn good! This book could've been so epic and amazing, but the execution was so bad.
Multiple POV The multiple POV is NOT Karen Marie Moning's strength. It weakens the book so much. If we have to have multiple POV, she needs to greatly limit them. The thing about POV is they needs to be some reason for them. Some of the POV's we got, there was no reason for them.
The Pacing/Plot Execution Absolutely nothing happened through this entire book, except with the last few chapters, nothing spoiler revealing. I'm not sure how to explain it except it was very slow-paced compared to previous books. There also seemed to be too many problems going on at once and I feel the book suffered for it.
Mac & Barrons This is the last book, why do we have slim to none Jerricho and Mac moments? This is the last book and we're saying goodbye to these characters, the last scene between them was a satisfying end, but I expected more throughout the book.
Cruce After hearing what Cruce had in store for Mac, I will say that Cruce's end is satisfying on so many levels and how it was done was just bloody brilliant. And although I would not re-read this book, I would forever re-read chapter 49.
Christian/Lyrka Lyrka was the saving grace of the book for me. Seriously, she needs to be protected at all costs. One disappointment is that I am sad that we will never get her and Christian's story. I want a Christian/Lyryka book so bad!
Dani What the actual fuck? The shit with the hunters boring as fuck! I rather of had Dani helping out with the shit going down with the fae.
After all that, I would like to say I fucking loved this series. I feel like the decision to continue the series, after Shadowfever was the planned final was not a good decision. I enjoyed some of these continuation books to an extent, but they are no where as epic as the original books 1-5.
The Fever series had such a powerful impact, and it was so different from anything I have ever read and I'm not gonna forget that. This series will always and forever be in my heart.
Multiple POV The multiple POV is NOT Karen Marie Moning's strength. It weakens the book so much. If we have to have multiple POV, she needs to greatly limit them. The thing about POV is they needs to be some reason for them. Some of the POV's we got, there was no reason for them.
The Pacing/Plot Execution Absolutely nothing happened through this entire book, except with the last few chapters, nothing spoiler revealing. I'm not sure how to explain it except it was very slow-paced compared to previous books. There also seemed to be too many problems going on at once and I feel the book suffered for it.
Mac & Barrons This is the last book, why do we have slim to none Jerricho and Mac moments? This is the last book and we're saying goodbye to these characters, the last scene between them was a satisfying end, but I expected more throughout the book.
Cruce After hearing what Cruce had in store for Mac, I will say that Cruce's end is satisfying on so many levels and how it was done was just bloody brilliant. And although I would not re-read this book, I would forever re-read chapter 49.
Christian/Lyrka Lyrka was the saving grace of the book for me. Seriously, she needs to be protected at all costs. One disappointment is that I am sad that we will never get her and Christian's story. I want a Christian/Lyryka book so bad!
Dani What the actual fuck? The shit with the hunters boring as fuck! I rather of had Dani helping out with the shit going down with the fae.
After all that, I would like to say I fucking loved this series. I feel like the decision to continue the series, after Shadowfever was the planned final was not a good decision. I enjoyed some of these continuation books to an extent, but they are no where as epic as the original books 1-5.
The Fever series had such a powerful impact, and it was so different from anything I have ever read and I'm not gonna forget that. This series will always and forever be in my heart.
February 23, 2021
I was very fortunate (and very surprised) to receive an Advanced Authors Copy of 'Kingdom of Shadow and Light' from the author. I finished last night and I was moved to write my (spoiler free) book review and wanted to share. ❤
Twelve years ago, I innocently picked up a new release on an end cap at my local library. I didn't know it at the time, but picking up that book would change my life. If you're a fan of Karen Marie Moning, you'll know she often talks about lines of demarcation. There was the Selena before the 'Fever' series, and the Selena after finding the 'Fever' series. It changed my life in so many monumental ways. This is my review of 'Kingdom of Shadow and Light' - the final installment of Karen Marie Moning's, 'Fever Series'.
I always feel a little numb after reading one of Ms. Moning's books and KOSAL is no exception. She’s an expert world builder and a wordsmith who always finds a way to transport me. With such high expectations of 'Kingdom of Shadow and Light', I was honestly nervous about what was going to happen. There have been moments throughout this series that have thrown me a little. Shazam admittedly confused me at first. Dancer and Joe ticked me off! There were times throughout this series when I literally tossed my book across the room (hello Dreamfever!), but I always picked it back up and fell back in love with this world and these beloved characters. Mac, Dani, Lor, Ryo, JZB...life without them would just be lame.
In KOSAL, we revisit our beloved Fever characters and meet some new ones, too. I loved how the author brought them all back for the series finale. This will be a spoiler free review, but let's just say, KOSAL has everything one of KMM's readers would want from an epic series finale - revelations, betrayal, battles, magic, mystery, love, friendship, smokin' hot sex, tender moments and a fantastic feckin' ending. 'Kingdom of Shadow and Light' has exceeded my expectations. What an adventure!! I loved how the previous stories held clues that were like like breadcrumbs for us to follow to the conclusion. So cool! It took me 8 days to read this because I kept pulling out previous books and connecting things in this final book. I wrote down many quotes that moved me as I've done in the past with Karen's books. Her quotes are magic. 💓 I laughed, I cried, I even got actual goodbumps! However, the best compliment I could give this final book is how full my heart felt at its completion. I just feel complete.
I have one true complaint about KOSAL. Not. Enough. Lor. (Never Enough Lor!) Y'all are laughing, but I don't believe I could ever get enough of that man! I want a whole book about him! He had some fun parts in KOSAL, but not enough for me!! Lord, I love me some Bonecrusher! I'm starting a hashtag #MoreLor Lol.
Karen has always said she had a vision for the completion of this series and it couldn't have come together more perfectly for me. Absolutely brilliant and just what I needed for this beloved series to come to a close. These characters have been my friends for more than a quarter of my life, so finishing is bittersweet. I'm tearing up as I write this, but all I can say is, "holy borrowing bibliophile, what a book!". I hope you all love it as much as me.
To the incomparable, Karen Marie Moning - Thank you for the joy you have filled us with all these long years. I will follow you anywhere, my friend. ❤️
Twelve years ago, I innocently picked up a new release on an end cap at my local library. I didn't know it at the time, but picking up that book would change my life. If you're a fan of Karen Marie Moning, you'll know she often talks about lines of demarcation. There was the Selena before the 'Fever' series, and the Selena after finding the 'Fever' series. It changed my life in so many monumental ways. This is my review of 'Kingdom of Shadow and Light' - the final installment of Karen Marie Moning's, 'Fever Series'.
I always feel a little numb after reading one of Ms. Moning's books and KOSAL is no exception. She’s an expert world builder and a wordsmith who always finds a way to transport me. With such high expectations of 'Kingdom of Shadow and Light', I was honestly nervous about what was going to happen. There have been moments throughout this series that have thrown me a little. Shazam admittedly confused me at first. Dancer and Joe ticked me off! There were times throughout this series when I literally tossed my book across the room (hello Dreamfever!), but I always picked it back up and fell back in love with this world and these beloved characters. Mac, Dani, Lor, Ryo, JZB...life without them would just be lame.
In KOSAL, we revisit our beloved Fever characters and meet some new ones, too. I loved how the author brought them all back for the series finale. This will be a spoiler free review, but let's just say, KOSAL has everything one of KMM's readers would want from an epic series finale - revelations, betrayal, battles, magic, mystery, love, friendship, smokin' hot sex, tender moments and a fantastic feckin' ending. 'Kingdom of Shadow and Light' has exceeded my expectations. What an adventure!! I loved how the previous stories held clues that were like like breadcrumbs for us to follow to the conclusion. So cool! It took me 8 days to read this because I kept pulling out previous books and connecting things in this final book. I wrote down many quotes that moved me as I've done in the past with Karen's books. Her quotes are magic. 💓 I laughed, I cried, I even got actual goodbumps! However, the best compliment I could give this final book is how full my heart felt at its completion. I just feel complete.
I have one true complaint about KOSAL. Not. Enough. Lor. (Never Enough Lor!) Y'all are laughing, but I don't believe I could ever get enough of that man! I want a whole book about him! He had some fun parts in KOSAL, but not enough for me!! Lord, I love me some Bonecrusher! I'm starting a hashtag #MoreLor Lol.
Karen has always said she had a vision for the completion of this series and it couldn't have come together more perfectly for me. Absolutely brilliant and just what I needed for this beloved series to come to a close. These characters have been my friends for more than a quarter of my life, so finishing is bittersweet. I'm tearing up as I write this, but all I can say is, "holy borrowing bibliophile, what a book!". I hope you all love it as much as me.
To the incomparable, Karen Marie Moning - Thank you for the joy you have filled us with all these long years. I will follow you anywhere, my friend. ❤️
Currently reading
March 6, 2018Can’t wait to see what happens next!
but for now let the wait begin...
but for now let the wait begin...
May 18, 2020
JFC.....Give Mac and Barrons a rest. Dani and Ryo had some many possibilities before High Voltage. Dani never got a solid story. Dani should've gotten the trilogy that she deserved.
August 22, 2021
I don't know where to start on the conclusion of this epic, and one of my all time favourite, series.
In the beginning I was swept away by the nostalgia loving every single word I read. It brought back such wonderful memories of the time I stayed up all night reading Dreamfever and Shadowfever.
After the first half however, I sadly realised that nothing was really happening and I was beginning to dread the ending.
First off,
Second
I liked Lyryka, she was a fun character and she brought some much needed comedic relief in this otherwise boring book. Christian can admittedly be an ass sometimes, but I loved that he let Lyryka run wild and live her life before deciding to settle down. Not that he had much of a choice.
KOSAL was great at the beginning, filling the reader with expectation and excitement, but unfortunately it didn’t deliver; it had its actual plot develop way too late in the book, and Moning had no choice but to rush everything in the end, drastically reducing the quality.
Don’t get me wrong, I will always love the Fever series. I just think that it reached a point of diminishing returns a while back and KOSAL was proof of that. The first 5 books still mean everything to me, and Iced is exceptionally written, if you are willing to turn a blind eye to the sexualisation of a minor (which I am not 😐)
**After reading the Acknowledgement section in KOSAL, I found out Moning suffered carbon monoxide poisoning back in 2018 which affected her cognitive abilities and of course her writing. That is extremely tragic and I can’t even imagine the psychological and physical toll it took on her. But damn! Going through that and still be able to deliver an almost 600 pages tome of a book? My hat’s off to you girl, for real 👏👏👏
In the beginning I was swept away by the nostalgia loving every single word I read. It brought back such wonderful memories of the time I stayed up all night reading Dreamfever and Shadowfever.
After the first half however, I sadly realised that nothing was really happening and I was beginning to dread the ending.
First off,
Second
I liked Lyryka, she was a fun character and she brought some much needed comedic relief in this otherwise boring book. Christian can admittedly be an ass sometimes, but I loved that he let Lyryka run wild and live her life before deciding to settle down. Not that he had much of a choice.
KOSAL was great at the beginning, filling the reader with expectation and excitement, but unfortunately it didn’t deliver; it had its actual plot develop way too late in the book, and Moning had no choice but to rush everything in the end, drastically reducing the quality.
Don’t get me wrong, I will always love the Fever series. I just think that it reached a point of diminishing returns a while back and KOSAL was proof of that. The first 5 books still mean everything to me, and Iced is exceptionally written, if you are willing to turn a blind eye to the sexualisation of a minor (which I am not 😐)
**After reading the Acknowledgement section in KOSAL, I found out Moning suffered carbon monoxide poisoning back in 2018 which affected her cognitive abilities and of course her writing. That is extremely tragic and I can’t even imagine the psychological and physical toll it took on her. But damn! Going through that and still be able to deliver an almost 600 pages tome of a book? My hat’s off to you girl, for real 👏👏👏
May 31, 2021
3.5 ☆ rounded up
Kingdom of Shadow and Light (KOSAL) is the eleventh and true finale to the Fever series. Despite some disappointing installments, my persistence with this series has paid off. KOSAL wrapped up the loose ends in Feversong #9, explained Mac's absence during High Voltage #10, and just dealt with my earlier how-could-you-KMM moments. And while the denouement didn't have the impact of a category 5 hurricane, it was a satisfactory resolution to the series. Yes, you need to have read most of the series to follow along. No, you don't need to have read them recently because there's a mini-encyclopedia of 50 pages to prompt your memory.
Part of the strong appeal of the Fever series was its Fae world setting. This was never, however, about Shakespeare's innocuous faeries. Moning's Fae were dangerous and further complicated by cataclysmic events threatening all life, human and Fae alike. She had also given the stories the delirious, hallucinatory feel when one suffers from a life-threatening fever. And of course, there was the irrepressible Mac who journeyed from bubble-gum pink naivete to decisive, powerful but compassionate Queen.
KOSAL had many moving parts with these immortal savages, but there was good pacing as story strands emerged from 5+ different POVs. A couple of comic moments were sprinkled in. This installment didn't drag from too much inner reflection, as sometimes happened in the earlier books, but retained its philosophical air. Overall, KOSAL tidied up the remaining open-ended issues and with a briskly-moving storyline.
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
Which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
~ Kahlil Gibran
Kingdom of Shadow and Light (KOSAL) is the eleventh and true finale to the Fever series. Despite some disappointing installments, my persistence with this series has paid off. KOSAL wrapped up the loose ends in Feversong #9, explained Mac's absence during High Voltage #10, and just dealt with my earlier how-could-you-KMM moments. And while the denouement didn't have the impact of a category 5 hurricane, it was a satisfactory resolution to the series. Yes, you need to have read most of the series to follow along. No, you don't need to have read them recently because there's a mini-encyclopedia of 50 pages to prompt your memory.
I'm Mac Lane-O'Connor, High Queen of the Fae, and the path to my throne was paved with grief, lies, betrayal, war, and murder, much of it committed by me.
For some of us life is not an enchanted summer's dream.
It's deadly.
You must be deadlier.
Part of the strong appeal of the Fever series was its Fae world setting. This was never, however, about Shakespeare's innocuous faeries. Moning's Fae were dangerous and further complicated by cataclysmic events threatening all life, human and Fae alike. She had also given the stories the delirious, hallucinatory feel when one suffers from a life-threatening fever. And of course, there was the irrepressible Mac who journeyed from bubble-gum pink naivete to decisive, powerful but compassionate Queen.
Shock and horror vie with the nearly uncontrollable urge to laugh. ... It was one thing to suspect it, entirely another to see full-blown evidence of it.
And it's my worst nightmare come true. A race of grudge-holding, wildly volatile, immortal savages.
KOSAL had many moving parts with these immortal savages, but there was good pacing as story strands emerged from 5+ different POVs. A couple of comic moments were sprinkled in. This installment didn't drag from too much inner reflection, as sometimes happened in the earlier books, but retained its philosophical air. Overall, KOSAL tidied up the remaining open-ended issues and with a briskly-moving storyline.
May 13, 2021
Thank goodness we went back to Mac. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to enjoy Dani’s POVs. Even here I didn’t like them, I think to me she’ll always be that 13 year old and I just find her whole relationship with Ryodan slightly disturbing.
I loved this book, if only for Mac (who will forever be my favourite heroine ever) and Barrons (whom I love almost equally as much). Their relationship is beautiful. When Barrons said he’d raze worlds to be with her I gushed. In actuality, I gushed an embarrassing amount whenever he spoke.
Although I don’t really think the book itself was five star worthy, I had to give it because of how much I love the series and of course Mac and Jericho Barrons as mentioned earlier.
I think that the book was way too short! Idk like I was expecting this big massive conflict with Cruce and everyone, and it just wasn’t there??? Like things seemed too easy. I think I wanted a little more drama, a little more angst, a little more...action. But it was really enjoyable! Like I’ve said a million times and will continue to do so, any crumb of Mac and Barrons is perfection in my eyes.
I loved this book, if only for Mac (who will forever be my favourite heroine ever) and Barrons (whom I love almost equally as much). Their relationship is beautiful. When Barrons said he’d raze worlds to be with her I gushed. In actuality, I gushed an embarrassing amount whenever he spoke.
Although I don’t really think the book itself was five star worthy, I had to give it because of how much I love the series and of course Mac and Jericho Barrons as mentioned earlier.
I think that the book was way too short! Idk like I was expecting this big massive conflict with Cruce and everyone, and it just wasn’t there??? Like things seemed too easy. I think I wanted a little more drama, a little more angst, a little more...action. But it was really enjoyable! Like I’ve said a million times and will continue to do so, any crumb of Mac and Barrons is perfection in my eyes.
Want to read
October 26, 2022Kapağı hiçççç beğenmedim, daha çirkin bi model olamazmış.
Read
February 26, 2021My review:
This would have been a five star read, until I read the last part of the novel. Now, I'm kind of a little bit pissed. If you love Ryodan, if you think he's the best damn thing to happen to this series, then you are going to love this ending. Me? I tolerate Ryodan.
I acknowledge that he's a necessary character in my second favorite series of all time, and I sometimes feel mildly... fond of him, but that's it. So the fact that he got the ending that in my opinion, should have gone to Barrons, makes me so mad. So mad. All that foreshadowing, all that buildup, only for Ryodan to swoop in and ruin everything. No. Just no.
Like Mac, I'm not much of a curser, but when I got to the last fifty pages, all I could say was "what the fuck?"
Other than this, I adored this book. I was on cloud 9 reading it. Just to be back with my favorite characters again was so wonderful. The wait was worth it. Even when the story took a turn I wasn't expecting, as there were a lot of misdirects making the reader think Mac was going to go dark, I still enjoyed it so much. The banter, the doppelgangers, the twisty world of fairie, the rainy Dublin atmosphere, Barrons books and Baubles, the gang all together trying to save the world, I loved it.
Mac and Barrons were amazing together. This series has truly affected my life, and just reading about them after so long made me so emotional. I daydream about these characters. Mac's introspective, effervescent personality, Barron's calm alpha stoicism and his long philosophical musings, it was all here! 😂
The plot had me at the edge of my seat. Everything was so good, I could even ignore Shazam (You're one of my favorite authors, Karen Marie Moning, but I will never like that stupid talking cat). Then came the ending. And the weird epilogue, which alluded to real people (took me right out of the story) and was just Barrons and Mac talking about Lemurs and a Cafe. Then Barrons said something like, "Why are you using that talented mouth of yours to talk when there are so many other things you might be doing with it?" which... look, I know this isn't my story. I didn't write these characters that I love so dearly, but it just didn't feel like something Barron's would say. Especially not to close out the final book in the series. (Shadowfever's "I'd know Joy" was the best closer of the series, hands down)
He spent this whole novel being so perfect and so very BARRONS. "I fear nothing, except that you would fear me" and "Did you really think there was any version of me you could create, in any reality, in any universe that would not- first, foremost and forever- be loyal to MacKayla Lane?" were such memorable lines. So that hokey thing he said at the end didn't fit.
Even with the weird epilogue, I would have have given this book five stars, added it to my favorites list, the whole thing. Now, I have to think about it. That ending really did a number on me. (I also would have loved to have seen the "time resets" Barrons did. It was alluded to near the end that Mac did go dark, numerous times, and he simply found a way to rewind time over and over until she made the right choice. That would have been fascinating to read about, why the hell didn't that happen omg)
Regardless, when I got to the acknowledgements and read "This is the end of the Fever Series. Thank you for coming on this journey with me" I seriously got all teary. (I was also very sorry to hear of what Karen Marie Moning has been going through, and I'm glad she's doing much better)
I've been reading about these characters since 2016, and they have brought me so much joy. Despite what I feel for the ending of this novel, I'm so glad I got to read this story and I wish it didn't have to end.
Another update: release date has been pushed to 2/16/2021
Update: The release date has been changed again because of all that has been going on lately and this book will now release next year on January 12th. I completely understand and I appreciate that KMM keeps her fans updated.
I'm no longer going to anticipate this book's release, however. It'll come out whenever it comes out, and when it does, I'm sure I'll love it.
-
The release date for this book has been changed and it will now be releasing in August instead of in June. Part of me is trying to be logical. I want this book to be the best it can be, so if that means KMM needs to take more time to write it, she should absolutely do that. The other part of me is so bummed. I miss Mac and Barrons. I miss Dani. I miss Ryodan. (Just kidding. I'd never go that far. I still hate him)
Having to wait even longer for another book about them really sucks. I might just do another re-read to get me through it.
This would have been a five star read, until I read the last part of the novel. Now, I'm kind of a little bit pissed. If you love Ryodan, if you think he's the best damn thing to happen to this series, then you are going to love this ending. Me? I tolerate Ryodan.
I acknowledge that he's a necessary character in my second favorite series of all time, and I sometimes feel mildly... fond of him, but that's it. So the fact that he got the ending that in my opinion, should have gone to Barrons, makes me so mad. So mad. All that foreshadowing, all that buildup, only for Ryodan to swoop in and ruin everything. No. Just no.
Like Mac, I'm not much of a curser, but when I got to the last fifty pages, all I could say was "what the fuck?"
Other than this, I adored this book. I was on cloud 9 reading it. Just to be back with my favorite characters again was so wonderful. The wait was worth it. Even when the story took a turn I wasn't expecting, as there were a lot of misdirects making the reader think Mac was going to go dark, I still enjoyed it so much. The banter, the doppelgangers, the twisty world of fairie, the rainy Dublin atmosphere, Barrons books and Baubles, the gang all together trying to save the world, I loved it.
Mac and Barrons were amazing together. This series has truly affected my life, and just reading about them after so long made me so emotional. I daydream about these characters. Mac's introspective, effervescent personality, Barron's calm alpha stoicism and his long philosophical musings, it was all here! 😂
The plot had me at the edge of my seat. Everything was so good, I could even ignore Shazam (You're one of my favorite authors, Karen Marie Moning, but I will never like that stupid talking cat). Then came the ending. And the weird epilogue, which alluded to real people (took me right out of the story) and was just Barrons and Mac talking about Lemurs and a Cafe. Then Barrons said something like, "Why are you using that talented mouth of yours to talk when there are so many other things you might be doing with it?" which... look, I know this isn't my story. I didn't write these characters that I love so dearly, but it just didn't feel like something Barron's would say. Especially not to close out the final book in the series. (Shadowfever's "I'd know Joy" was the best closer of the series, hands down)
He spent this whole novel being so perfect and so very BARRONS. "I fear nothing, except that you would fear me" and "Did you really think there was any version of me you could create, in any reality, in any universe that would not- first, foremost and forever- be loyal to MacKayla Lane?" were such memorable lines. So that hokey thing he said at the end didn't fit.
Even with the weird epilogue, I would have have given this book five stars, added it to my favorites list, the whole thing. Now, I have to think about it. That ending really did a number on me. (I also would have loved to have seen the "time resets" Barrons did. It was alluded to near the end that Mac did go dark, numerous times, and he simply found a way to rewind time over and over until she made the right choice. That would have been fascinating to read about, why the hell didn't that happen omg)
Regardless, when I got to the acknowledgements and read "This is the end of the Fever Series. Thank you for coming on this journey with me" I seriously got all teary. (I was also very sorry to hear of what Karen Marie Moning has been going through, and I'm glad she's doing much better)
I've been reading about these characters since 2016, and they have brought me so much joy. Despite what I feel for the ending of this novel, I'm so glad I got to read this story and I wish it didn't have to end.
Another update: release date has been pushed to 2/16/2021
Update: The release date has been changed again because of all that has been going on lately and this book will now release next year on January 12th. I completely understand and I appreciate that KMM keeps her fans updated.
I'm no longer going to anticipate this book's release, however. It'll come out whenever it comes out, and when it does, I'm sure I'll love it.
-
The release date for this book has been changed and it will now be releasing in August instead of in June. Part of me is trying to be logical. I want this book to be the best it can be, so if that means KMM needs to take more time to write it, she should absolutely do that. The other part of me is so bummed. I miss Mac and Barrons. I miss Dani. I miss Ryodan. (Just kidding. I'd never go that far. I still hate him)
Having to wait even longer for another book about them really sucks. I might just do another re-read to get me through it.
July 30, 2021
I'm on the fence about this book not because it wasn't good but because it's the last one, A tear.
I would just like to point out how good this series was, I just loved all the books and considering there are 11 books in the series, wow, colour me impressed. Mac as Queen has lost some of her shine in this book because of character development which is completely OK or the story just wouldn't have been believable but, what I loved was that Karen brought in a new character Lyrica to lighten the mood of the of the book. This was a stroke of genius if you ask me it was a nice touch.
I loved how there were no loose ends with the characters and the plot, it was a great ending to one of the best series I have read this year I loved it.
Now I'm just praying she does a spin off series that would be amazing.
I would just like to point out how good this series was, I just loved all the books and considering there are 11 books in the series, wow, colour me impressed. Mac as Queen has lost some of her shine in this book because of character development which is completely OK or the story just wouldn't have been believable but, what I loved was that Karen brought in a new character Lyrica to lighten the mood of the of the book. This was a stroke of genius if you ask me it was a nice touch.
I loved how there were no loose ends with the characters and the plot, it was a great ending to one of the best series I have read this year I loved it.
Now I'm just praying she does a spin off series that would be amazing.
February 25, 2021
I wish I could say I loved this book. Unfortunately, I didn't. With every books since Burned I've been waiting to be overtaken again by the magic that was once the Fever series. But after every installment since Burned I've found myself left empty and dissatisfied. And I've felt like the characters were just a little bit less themselves by the end of each new book that came out.
KOSAL is no exception either. After giving it ample thought, I believe that it is the writing that pulls me out of the book. The way the author tells the story had completely changed. There's a completely different flow to how she writes and I can't get used to it. Also, I don't know if it's just me but the primary characters we've all known all sound like they are the same person at this point to me. Mac and Dani sound the same. Barrons and Ryodan sound the same. Kat's presence is nothing but boring, and so is Christian's. They've all become caricature. They were once people, but now it's like the story is told with them as cartoons of themselves.
I did like the new characters though, especially Azar and Ix, and Lyryca. I was much more invested in their story than anything else.
I also like some of the plot, but for a final book I thought there was too much going on and it was so rushed. I felt very confused and frustrated for so much of it. In the beginning of the story there is this big info dump that should have been another book- and I just wasn't there for it. But I persevered.
Still, in the end, none of the threads that I was interested in were really that fleshed out. I would have loved a book about Mac being a Queen that had lost the human aspect of herself and that chronicled Barrons helping her become herself again. I would have loved delving into that darkness and passion. I thought the book was headed in that direction based on the excerpts and the prologue. But no. It was just a story where everything works out and the danger that is introduced is never realized or holds much levity, and Barrons is a life coach/Yoda-esque figure that repeats every imaginable cliche that has ever graced humanity since its inception - just so not the gig I thought he was gonna be stuck with; poor guy. The happily ever after felt ridiculous to me. It held no weight and I did not like how it was executed. I don't know... This story used to be full of mystery and would pop out of the pages. The mystery is all gone, it's all info dumps and over explanations of the plot by the characters as opposed to it organically unfolding. Anyway.
I was so young when I picked up Dreamfever at my my local library and read the first few pages, and completely ensnared, found the willpower to quickly close the covers and start from Darkfever instead. I have been trying to get back to that world, to the world that left off with Dani entering those silvers (I feel as lost as her, haha) for a long time. I guess with this being the conclusion, I never will.
But nevertheless I'm extremely happy, truly so, that this was the perfect conclusion for the author and likely for so many others out there that love the series. I'm so glad KMM got to tell her ending the way she imagined it. This is very important because she has put so many years into this story and I am grateful to her for bringing the Fever series into the world in the first place. I have some wonderful memories reading books 1-6. And even though the second half of the Fever world installments or this ending never quite worker out for me, I will be continuing to follow the author and read (and reread) her work. I'm excited to see how she does with a completely blank slate.
KOSAL is no exception either. After giving it ample thought, I believe that it is the writing that pulls me out of the book. The way the author tells the story had completely changed. There's a completely different flow to how she writes and I can't get used to it. Also, I don't know if it's just me but the primary characters we've all known all sound like they are the same person at this point to me. Mac and Dani sound the same. Barrons and Ryodan sound the same. Kat's presence is nothing but boring, and so is Christian's. They've all become caricature. They were once people, but now it's like the story is told with them as cartoons of themselves.
I did like the new characters though, especially Azar and Ix, and Lyryca. I was much more invested in their story than anything else.
I also like some of the plot, but for a final book I thought there was too much going on and it was so rushed. I felt very confused and frustrated for so much of it. In the beginning of the story there is this big info dump that should have been another book- and I just wasn't there for it. But I persevered.
Still, in the end, none of the threads that I was interested in were really that fleshed out. I would have loved a book about Mac being a Queen that had lost the human aspect of herself and that chronicled Barrons helping her become herself again. I would have loved delving into that darkness and passion. I thought the book was headed in that direction based on the excerpts and the prologue. But no. It was just a story where everything works out and the danger that is introduced is never realized or holds much levity, and Barrons is a life coach/Yoda-esque figure that repeats every imaginable cliche that has ever graced humanity since its inception - just so not the gig I thought he was gonna be stuck with; poor guy. The happily ever after felt ridiculous to me. It held no weight and I did not like how it was executed. I don't know... This story used to be full of mystery and would pop out of the pages. The mystery is all gone, it's all info dumps and over explanations of the plot by the characters as opposed to it organically unfolding. Anyway.
I was so young when I picked up Dreamfever at my my local library and read the first few pages, and completely ensnared, found the willpower to quickly close the covers and start from Darkfever instead. I have been trying to get back to that world, to the world that left off with Dani entering those silvers (I feel as lost as her, haha) for a long time. I guess with this being the conclusion, I never will.
But nevertheless I'm extremely happy, truly so, that this was the perfect conclusion for the author and likely for so many others out there that love the series. I'm so glad KMM got to tell her ending the way she imagined it. This is very important because she has put so many years into this story and I am grateful to her for bringing the Fever series into the world in the first place. I have some wonderful memories reading books 1-6. And even though the second half of the Fever world installments or this ending never quite worker out for me, I will be continuing to follow the author and read (and reread) her work. I'm excited to see how she does with a completely blank slate.
June 9, 2021
Pre-review: Another book and this time it's finale? I don't know what to think, I am not sure I can handle more of Mac's stupidity again.
Actual review starts here:
I admit I merely skimmed through this book in disinterest. Some of the plot points are interesting and the ending is okay (really like how the bad guys are taken out), but the characters feel very flat and the main romances between Mac and What's-His-Name, the one between Ryo and Dani are both lifeless but I'm glad that at least those romances haven't taken up too much space.
I thought this book would focus on the conflict and power struggle between Mac (a human who has powers and can kill Seelies) and the Fae royalties (mainly the remaining three Seelie Prince and Princesses), but in the end the conflict feels very secondary in the book. I looked forward to seeing how Inspector Jayne is doing after he got changed into a Seelie but hell........turns out he never shows up in the story. (Plus the Nine hardly show up at all, how disappointing!)
Instead of Mac's conflict with the Seelie (who hate Mac and want her dead so they can take her power), the main conflict of this book turns out to be , but at the end of the day,
I'm not those people who think every single book needs to insert People of Colors characters in it (half-hearted diversity is worse than no diversity at all), but honestly I don't think I'd seen much POC in this series, it's a bit disappointing.Ｎot to mention everyone is straight and every main characters got paired off (even Christian managed to find a new love interest) it's just so...formulate.
As to Christian's new love interest, she has interesting setting going for her but in the end I never get invested with hers and Christian's romance because it just feels like the author wants to pair up everyone.
Plus why is Mac suddenly being referred to as while the former Queen was only referred to as the Seelie Queen in the previous books?
From start to end what I experienced with this book is utter indifference, hell I can't even work up some hatred toward Mac anymore. But I am not saying I don't like this book so you will also don't like it, but I'm glad this increasingly tiring and lifeless series has come to an end...or at least, so it seems.
Actual review starts here:
I admit I merely skimmed through this book in disinterest. Some of the plot points are interesting and the ending is okay (really like how the bad guys are taken out), but the characters feel very flat and the main romances between Mac and What's-His-Name, the one between Ryo and Dani are both lifeless but I'm glad that at least those romances haven't taken up too much space.
I thought this book would focus on the conflict and power struggle between Mac (a human who has powers and can kill Seelies) and the Fae royalties (mainly the remaining three Seelie Prince and Princesses), but in the end the conflict feels very secondary in the book. I looked forward to seeing how Inspector Jayne is doing after he got changed into a Seelie but hell........turns out he never shows up in the story. (Plus the Nine hardly show up at all, how disappointing!)
Instead of Mac's conflict with the Seelie (who hate Mac and want her dead so they can take her power), the main conflict of this book turns out to be , but at the end of the day,
I'm not those people who think every single book needs to insert People of Colors characters in it (half-hearted diversity is worse than no diversity at all), but honestly I don't think I'd seen much POC in this series, it's a bit disappointing.Ｎot to mention everyone is straight and every main characters got paired off (even Christian managed to find a new love interest) it's just so...formulate.
As to Christian's new love interest, she has interesting setting going for her but in the end I never get invested with hers and Christian's romance because it just feels like the author wants to pair up everyone.
Plus why is Mac suddenly being referred to as while the former Queen was only referred to as the Seelie Queen in the previous books?
From start to end what I experienced with this book is utter indifference, hell I can't even work up some hatred toward Mac anymore. But I am not saying I don't like this book so you will also don't like it, but I'm glad this increasingly tiring and lifeless series has come to an end...or at least, so it seems.
March 10, 2021
I feel so teary 😭
Mac and Barrons are just 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Despite all the new characters and different points of view and confusing chapters (which all get explained by the end) and the never ending problems the team are facing and twists, this was an EPIC love story 😍
The essence of the story was to love and to be loved 😘 Loved it. Barrons was on 🔥 He is the be all and end all...his love and devotion to Mac was on another level. OMG 😍😍😍😭🤧
We got Dani as well - yay! Ryodan too - still slowly warming to him. Christian - whooo! It would have been nice to have more of the Nine but I’m happy we at least got most of the team.
I thought the wrap up of the Cruce issue was a bit abrupt but not complaining too much - Just happy to have Mac and Barrons ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Mac and Barrons are just 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Despite all the new characters and different points of view and confusing chapters (which all get explained by the end) and the never ending problems the team are facing and twists, this was an EPIC love story 😍
The essence of the story was to love and to be loved 😘 Loved it. Barrons was on 🔥 He is the be all and end all...his love and devotion to Mac was on another level. OMG 😍😍😍😭🤧
We got Dani as well - yay! Ryodan too - still slowly warming to him. Christian - whooo! It would have been nice to have more of the Nine but I’m happy we at least got most of the team.
I thought the wrap up of the Cruce issue was a bit abrupt but not complaining too much - Just happy to have Mac and Barrons ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
March 7, 2021
I didn’t know how a series as monumental as the Fever Series could be wrapped up so beautifully, but here we are!
Having had a few days to reflect after finishing KOSAL. It’s a bittersweet feeling to hang up my MacHalo, but let me tell you all...KOSAL is everything and more. It’s a beautiful, exciting, and momentous closure. All summed up perfectly with, “The End”.
You are going to LOVE it!!!
Having had a few days to reflect after finishing KOSAL. It’s a bittersweet feeling to hang up my MacHalo, but let me tell you all...KOSAL is everything and more. It’s a beautiful, exciting, and momentous closure. All summed up perfectly with, “The End”.
You are going to LOVE it!!!
April 5, 2021
I have enjoyed the hell out of this series since 2006. I have loved Barrons, Ryoden, Mac, and I've hated many more nasty characters, (sniff) I will miss them all. I love the world this author created, there was never a dull moment or location. My favorite scene was when the "beast" was circling around the tree Mac was in marking. I know weird but for some reason that one sticks out most. Thank you Ms. Moning. I can't wait to read your next adventure
February 28, 2021
I feel awful not rating this book higher. I’ve been a die hard fan of KMM’s Fever series and Highlander series since the beginning. I was counting down the days for the release of this last book in the Fever series. But if I’m being totally honest, I found this finale underwhelming.
I wasn’t crazy about the introduction of new characters in this last book or the priority they were given in the storyline. We readers have spent 15 years in this series with the same core group of characters. It just seemed like an odd choice to bring in new primary characters in a one-and-done sort of way. I didn’t care about the new characters, I just wanted to say goodbye to the characters I already loved. It was also frustrating (knowing this was the end) to have the core team split up for most of the book.
The plot was a slow build throughout most of the book as a one million year old plan was unveiled, and then it was suddenly resolved in a couple pages. It was very anticlimactic. A mystery was solved about a specific character but then served no purpose to the story at all. Another character takes on a new power at the last minute and we’ll never know what happens with it, etc.
This series started with Mac and Barrons and it ended with Mac and Barrons. I was happy about that. But, I was also disappointed with the lack of intensity and emotion I’ve been used to in KMM’s books. It just wasn’t there. As much as I hate to say this, I think High Voltage (book 10) made a better ending to the series.
I still love the Fever series as a whole and frequently recommend it to people. Barrons is still one of my favorite male characters of all time. I’m just feeling a little sad that it ended the way it did - fizzling out instead of having an epic ending.
I wasn’t crazy about the introduction of new characters in this last book or the priority they were given in the storyline. We readers have spent 15 years in this series with the same core group of characters. It just seemed like an odd choice to bring in new primary characters in a one-and-done sort of way. I didn’t care about the new characters, I just wanted to say goodbye to the characters I already loved. It was also frustrating (knowing this was the end) to have the core team split up for most of the book.
The plot was a slow build throughout most of the book as a one million year old plan was unveiled, and then it was suddenly resolved in a couple pages. It was very anticlimactic. A mystery was solved about a specific character but then served no purpose to the story at all. Another character takes on a new power at the last minute and we’ll never know what happens with it, etc.
This series started with Mac and Barrons and it ended with Mac and Barrons. I was happy about that. But, I was also disappointed with the lack of intensity and emotion I’ve been used to in KMM’s books. It just wasn’t there. As much as I hate to say this, I think High Voltage (book 10) made a better ending to the series.
I still love the Fever series as a whole and frequently recommend it to people. Barrons is still one of my favorite male characters of all time. I’m just feeling a little sad that it ended the way it did - fizzling out instead of having an epic ending.
March 31, 2021
We waited years for this book. And this is what we got. The first two chapters are mindless rambling about courts. Then then story starts. IMO, this series should have ended after book five. It felt done then but with a hundred unanswered questions, which she still failed to answer in the end. She flops in this book between multiple point of views. Barrons was not himself. Mac wasn’t either. We got very little from Dani and Ryodan, but cute story for Christian. This felt like she wrote it just for the money.
Want to read
May 25, 2022I'm not sure why I'm doing this to myself (or anyone else) given what the last few books did to me.
Edit from 2022: I forgot this series existed, saw a mention, realized this was published last year. Now I'm sure I'll read this eventually, but in the mean time, all I wanna point out is that the cover model looks like the grunge version of Kesha in her "Grow a Pear" era, and based on various reviews I've read, this appears to be fitting the overall tone of the novel. /helpless shrug
Edit from 2022: I forgot this series existed, saw a mention, realized this was published last year. Now I'm sure I'll read this eventually, but in the mean time, all I wanna point out is that the cover model looks like the grunge version of Kesha in her "Grow a Pear" era, and based on various reviews I've read, this appears to be fitting the overall tone of the novel. /helpless shrug
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