REVIEW (actually more of a summary) of The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning
Dear Ms. Moning,
Hi, my name is Jaclyn and I am a Fever-aholic.
This is a post about addiction. Yes, dear ones, I did read book four of the Fever series, DreamFever, by candlelight because the electricity went out the night I got my hands on a copy. I started reading this series in 2006, and had read the Highlander books before that, and after all this time I have high expectations of ShadowFever (which I will be reading on its publication date, Tuesday, January 18th). I want a spectacular ending.
The Fever series books in order are: DarkFever. BloodFever. FaeFever. DreamFever. ShadowFever. This is a series for readers who like fantasy fiction; the fictionalized Irish mythology Ms. Moning has created continues to fascinate me eleven books later.
I’m sucked into the world of Mac (MacKayla Lane, sidhe-seer) and Barrons (Jericho Barrons, bookstore-owning man of power and mystery) and their quest for a powerful book. What book? It's called the Sinsar Dubh, an ageless Fae-created book that may hold the key to the Song of Making (which, I understand, is a song that allows the singer to create and give life). The book has developed sentience, turned evil, and every magical being in existence is seeking to control it, including Mac and Barrons.
Allow me to bring you up to speed on the story.
MacKayla Lane, a blond, beautiful Southern Belle from Georgia, learns that her beloved sister has been murdered while living in Dublin; Mac has a mysterious and horrifying voicemail from her sister that clues her in that someone was threatening her and, dissatisfied with the progress of the police investigation and wracked by guilt, Mac decides to go to Dublin-‘she's grieving and wants to know anything and everything she can about what happened to her sister. Mac stumbles upon the bookstore owned by Barrons and is drawn into the intrigue and horror of the evil stealthily taking over Dublin.
Our lovely blond babe goes pseudo-Goth, learns to fight, learns she's a sidhe-seer (can see the Fae, unlike most humans) with the ability to sense magical objects, and that she's tougher than she ever imagined. The borderline-TSTL Mac of page one in DarkFever sheds her cluelessness with each fingernail that she breaks, as she battles her way towards learning what happened to her sister and seeks revenge on her killer, and tries to find and contain the Sinsar Dubh.
Mac is a trip, and I am so gunning for her to beat the bad guys. I love the hard-edged Mac, the woman honed by horror and death. I mourn her loss of innocence, but only a little.
The walls between the Fae and the human realms are failing and evil is moving into our world. Not all of the Fae are evil, per se, but they are not human and their realm does not belong in our world. Humans and Fae have not proved able to co-exist peacefully in the same place-well, ever.
What makes this series particularly appealing is that the lines between the good guys and the bad guys are not well-defined. There are people who are seeking to rid our world of the Fae-‘we'd call these the good guys, but they aren't fully good-‘every character in the book exists on at different points on the continuum of good and evil and no one is fully good, though some characters are pretty much fully evil. Even Mac, our intrepid heroine, does some really horrible stuff. It is the complexity of the characters that has kept me reading after all this time.
I have some frustrations, too, the biggest of which is that every book ends on a cliff-hanger. The cliff-hangers ratchet up from, "Mac has a mystery to solve' in the next book, to "someone just died (I think) and I don't know who.' I hate cliff-hangers. They make me frustrated and sometimes I throw the book across the room and refuse to read the next one out of spite. In this case, I'm reading ShadowFever as soon as I can get a copy; I've invested a lot of years in this series. However, the cliff-hanger in FaeFever pissed me off, and in DreamFever I was horrified and then immediately resigned to waiting a year to learn what just happened. This is not a literary device that I like, and interestingly, I've never discussed this series with anyone. (Until now.)
The Fever series is best if readers have already read the Highlander books, but it's not necessary. The world-building, myths, and knowledge about the Fae, the Unseelie, and the Druids are all richly layered book after book. Characters and events from those books are referenced and make cameos throughout the Fever series. I suspect that many of the characters will play a role in how ShadowFever resolves. It's a big investment of a reader's time.
Here's what I want to know:
1. What is Barrons? He's more than a garden-variety human. Barrons is feared and/or respected by the Fae and the Unseelie. Some readers have speculated that Barron's is the King of the Unseelie Court. (I don't believe this.) I've seen a tweet where someone posited that he's the son of the Unseelie King. (Interesting thought. I don't believe this, either.) I have no theory of what he is, just a bunch of thoughts on what he is not. After almost five years I'm tired of the endless speculation with no answers. Just tell me already.
2. Does Barrons love Mac, or does he simply need Mac? I want him to love her; I'm a romance reader, after all. I know he needs her. Does Mac love Barrons? Dunno. Sometimes she hates him; she doesn't trust him, though she trusts that he'll keep her alive because he needs her. I really want an HEA for each of them, preferably together. I'm not sure if that they are going to get one.
3. Is Adam Black going to make an appearance in ShadowFever and will Queen Aoibheal turn him back into Fae? In the book, Spell of the Highlander, she hinted that she'll need all of the MacKeltars, maybe Adam, plus one more (Barron's?) to overcome evil.
4. What was Christopher MacKeltar becoming? Whatever he's transforming into is freaky. (This happens in book four. I'm not spoiling anything for those of you who haven't read the books by asking this question.)
5. And last, but definitely not least: does Mac die? When it is all said and done, can she continue to live in the human realm? She's not a garden-variety human anymore, either.
Now you know what I want to know. On January 18th I'll be reading ShadowFever in the hopes that my questions are answered.
Yours in reading-addiction,
Jaclyn
p.s. It's the custom here at Dear Author to grade the books we read. How does one grade one's own addiction? No idea. I'd give the first four books as a whole a B because let's face it, they've caught me, but I'm too frustrated by the cliff-hangers to give it an A, and the books aren't even in their execution, in my opinion; if I graded them individually I'd do it like this: DarkFever
I have to admit when I first came to the front page of Dear Author and saw this post I was horrified that there were spoilers here too for Shadowfever! Thankfully there aren’t ;)
Like you I’m not a huge fan of cliffhangers, however, unlike you, I’ve discussed this series ad nauseum and in the process I’ve met some incredibly great people.
There’s so much to delve into in this intricate series/world that one of the things I’ve loved most about this series is the discussions that I’ve been able to have about it. So it’s a little bittersweet to me to think about reading Shadowfever tomorrow. And I imagine I’ll open this last book with the same sort of feeling that I opened Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I can’t wait to have my questions answered, but at the same time I’ll be a little sad to see it end.
I won’t get into my theories (which are numerous and maybe a little crazy), but like you I have high hopes for the final installment.
I stopped reading after the first Fever book because Mac made me completely nuts, and the howls of outrage from angry readers about the direction of the series reinforced that decision. Your analysis of how she’s evolved seems to indicate a more complex character, so perhaps I’ll have to give the rest a try.
@Darlynne: Oh man, I felt the same way. I just chalked it up to being one of those series that other people like that I don’t.
So does the first book suffer from first book syndrome and i should stick with it? I heard so many awesome things about the series that I was bummed because i was so disappointingly unimpressed.
@Eva_baby: Small disclaimer: I loved the series from the first book.
I have heard people say that it took them until Faefever (3rd book) to really get into the series.
I guess, to answer your question, it depends on what your problems/annoyances/disappointments with Darkfever were.
The pace of the plot/storyline really picks up after the first book – there’s quite a lot of introducing in Darkfever – and there’s a lot of growth for Mac throughout the series so far.
@Angela
No spoilers–I haven’t read ShadowFever yet. I tried to get a bookseller to sell me a copy yesterday and she flat out refused. When I pointed out that they HAD to be in her back room in order to hit shelves on Tuesday she gave me the stare of doom. :)
@Darlynne
Mac is plagued with not knowing things until after she blunders into them throughout the series. In a way, she’s coming at it from where we, the readers, are–she needs to learn everything. I developed an affection for her as she was smacked down again and again and kept picking herself back up.
@Eva_baby
I came into the Fever series having read the Highlander books, so it this world wasn’t 100% new to me–I was following the threads and hints from those books and wanting to know what happens. Both Barrons and Mac get more complex (same w/ all the other characters) throughout the series, and that, along with the unanswered questions has kept me reading.
@Jaclyn: LOL! I’ve been avoiding bookstores so I wouldn’t get myself into that same situation.
I was late with getting into this series. By the time I knew about it and got talked into reading it, Dreamfever had been released for months and avoiding spoilers was hell.
I had hang ups going in. I used to be very resistant to first person point of view storytelling. Plus, through the first part of Darkfever I didn’t like Mac much and kinda wanted her to be eaten by monsters.
Then the magic settled in and I became, as you say, and addict. I’m not sure how much of the “celtic mythology” is actual mythology and how much the author just made up, but it’s very well done. I love the mysteries.
I also loath cliffhangers, and they are one major downside to these books. I like my endings complete, thank you. Got to hope Shadowfever has some resolution.
Like Chelsea, I came into this series late. I am not a fan of cliffhangers, so I waited until this month to start reading the series.
Unlike some here, I really enjoyed darkfever and have become “addicted” to this series. Some readers commented that they had dificulty getting into the series with darkfever & are wondering if they should give the series another try. For those readers I would say that the romance & the intrigue, especially regarding Barrons, really increase in books 2, 3 & 4. Also, as Jaclyn said in her review, Mac really grows & changes throughout the series.
I really hope that Shadowfever lives up to my expectations :)
I think I made it as far as the second book on this one, and then I had to stop. I admit, part of my problem is that I went into the series expecting paranormal romance, and what I got was a heck of a lot darker than I was expecting. I couldn’t even root for Mac and Barrons to end up together, because Barrons was a wee bit too scary. I wasn’t exactly wild about Mac being a super-gorgeous Southern belle, either.
My copy of Shadowfever is currently in mid-shipping limbo. I really hope it gets here tomorrow! Argh!!
I really hope she can keep the pacing and great story telling of the books going strong in the midst of wrapping things up.
As for the prior series, I did not read them before these books (I read a few AFTER), but I don’t think I missed out on too much, so don’t let that hold anyone back from this series (which is, IMHO, better than the other one.)
Barrons? Could he be a Hunter? One of those beasts that all Fae fear? That’s my best guess, but I hope I’m surprised.
My copy of Shadowfever is mid-shipping too. I wish it had been released before the three day weekend!
I read the first book, enjoyed it but wasn’t impressed, and gave it away. A year later, the second one came out, I read it, and immediately forgot about it. Didn’t even read #3 until Dreamfever was about to come out. Read it, thought Holy Crap!, won Dreamfever from DA and was addicted. Bought all the books again and just re-read them.
Like LG commented, this series is way darker than a lot of PNR, but I like that about it.
@pamelia — love your theory on Barron’s. Hadn’t thought of that one. :)
I admit, I’ve read the first two chapters of Shadowfever that KMM posted on her website and now I just wanted the freakin’ book more. And a chunk of un-interrupted time!
I don’t know if this still works, (I’m at work and can’t check the link), but the wiki page for Moning states that “the first volume, Darkfever, is available as a free download from the Suvudu Free Library”.
This is absolutely not a romance, more dark urban fantasy. And I also enjoy urban fantasy so it wasn’t an issue for me. KMM posted this series is not like her Highlander romances. There are romantic elements but even then, imo the “men” who Mac would choose from are not particularly warm; heroic, supernatural, tragic, honorable in their own ways, but not warm or fuzzy by my first definition. I do love how the worldbuilding was revealed, the action and how some of the mythology of the Highlander books and shorts do weave into these books (the druids, the Queen of the Seelie, etc) But this series deals more with the dark sides of the Fae world and Mac is dragged through the worst of it all. These stories are indeed dark. There are some violent, horrible scenes. But it is a facinating overreaching plot.
The 1st person POV and cliffhangers have never been a favorite of mine and the cliffhangers in particular bugged me from the begining. I don’t like them at all. But I understand that both are a plot device the author used to slowly unveil the overall storyarc. I am still hooked on the series and the characters are some of the most memorable of the many, many books I read each year. Which is amazing since I not only forget a lot of books the moment I put them down, now I’ve started mixing characters from one book to another in my bad memory! Which could be interesting come to think of it. LOL
I’ll be reading Shadowfever, as soon as possible, and hoping it lives up to expectations!
I got the first book as a free Kindle download, read it last spring and was totally sucked in (in general, I much prefer dark UF to PNR). Then I heard about the cliffhangers so I put the series down and decided to wait until the final book was out to read the rest. I finally picked up Bloodfever and Faefever this weekend and blew through them. I can’t wait to read the rest. It helps knowing that I can get the books right away and won’t have to suffer through the cliffhangers. I don’t think I’d have enjoyed it as much otherwise.
I liked this series at first. A lot. But honestly, as the series progressed, I felt like a lot could have been cut out (some things being much too repetitious), and the books combined for a shorter series.
And the longer the series went on, the less I liked Barrons’ character. Yes, the mystery of what he is, is indeed interesting and one of the bigger draws of the series, but I don’t find him to be sexy like a lot of readers seem to. At first yes. Now, after book four, he comes across as a pretty big jerk to me. But a jerk I nonetheless need some closure on eventually.
Mac’s OK. The poor thing is swimming in the dark, surrounded by plenty of folks that could just tell her a few things in a very short conversation and we’d get some answers for once (*ahem* BARRONS – looking at you, Broody McBroody Pants). That’s the biggest annoyance of the series for me over time – the piling on of question upon question and more questions. Book 5 literally has a ton of explaining to do. Again making me wonder if it all couldn’t have been compressed into a shorter series. Will the revelations really justify the amount of money and time invested by readers in the series? Likely so for some, maybe not for others.
Last quibble – I sound like a debbie downer here I bet – the writing has grown more and more purple-esque over time, with a tendency to linger on one part for much too long. One example is those first two chapters in Shadowfever via Moning’s site or blog that have a HUGE spoiler in them (so ye be warned, Feverlets)! But those chapters, even though I understand that they deal with an important event, geeze, they were too long. If I’d had the rest of the book in front of me I’d have skimmed them eventually.
I think this is likely a much more fun series for those that will come into it with all the books published. The cliffhangers are some of the worst I’ve ever read, but at it’s core, the series is fun, the worldbuilding is pretty cool, and the characters making me want to scratch their eyeballs out from time to time at least make me feel something.
I am a sucker for a series but have totally resented the Fever series. The “need” to know what happens has overridden all the objections I have about the series, the time it has taken to play out, the cliff hangers, the always growing list of questions without answers, etc etc etc.
I fear that this final book will be less “epic culmination” and more “ginormous info dump” just to answer all the niggling questions that have been left hanging. And because I feel that Moning killed my one and only acceptable candidate for Mac’s HEA in the last book, I don’t don’t have high expectations at all about being pleased with the final book.
But again – I absolutely have to know how this thing ends.
No matter how it plays out, I will be a skeptic in buying into future Moning books.
Is there any romance in this series or is it strictly urban/paranormal fantasy? Thanks.
Debra, when the first book came out, Moning fans were hot to know the same thing, and she said at that point that Mac would get an HEA, or that there would be one, something to that effect. I’m not sure if that’s still the case or not.
As far as romance in the books so far, Mac has a lot of chemistry with Barrons, but whether it’s romance will depend on the individual reader. I don’t find their relationship to be that romantic, but many do. It’s, to me, definitely not romance in terms of her earlier highlander romance books. This is much darker and focused less on romance, more on the dark fae story.
I LOVE this series and yes the cliffhangers SUCK SO FREAKING BAD. Still — I have hungered for each and every installment so they work. And as much as I hate the wait — I think the anticipation makes the next book all the sweeter. I am also astounded at how much Moning made me love her third person Highlanders and changes genres and still made me love her writing.
@Debra
This really isn’t romance; it’s fantasy with the potential for an HEA. As @KMont says, there’s chemistry between Mac and Barrons. There’s also a whole lot of pain, anger, and a massive power-imbalance between them.
I actually read the Fever series first and just finished the Highlander series this month. I’ve listened to the books and enjoyed them thoroughly. Looking forward to finally discovering the truth about Barrons.
I despise cliff hangers, so after I read the second book, I just buy the paperbacks and will wait until the series is done to read them. Weird, I know.
Hmm…well I actually loved her Immortal Highlander series (oooh I loved that series so much, actually it was some of the first romance I ever seriously read…) and while I tried this one I will admit Mac’s TSTL-ness drove me away from finishing the series, when she first got all gothy I nearly broke myself laughing and had to put the book down and gave it up. However I keep hearing that she really, really evolves and grows as a character and that draws me back to maybe reading it again. It’s a sign of a good author that can do that I think-have a character seriously evolve and grow as the story goes on-I may pick this back up when she’s finished the whole series.
Good to know we still aren’t sure on Jericho, that was another thing that bothered me about this (lol) one would think she’d drop some nice hints along the way but noooo…
@Mai I do that too. in fact, that is what I have done with this series. I have bought this series when it came out in digi format and am going to read them together.
I haven’t read this series and now the final book is out will be able too. Dark UF means I need to know that there is a resolution (I don’t need it to be a HEA but a just outcome, I think) going into the commitment to read the series and sometimes I can’t wait the year in between to know what happens.
The thing that struck me as I was reading the comments above was how we commit to reading series of books. I have just read Eileen Wilks latest book which is I think, the seventh in her werewolf series. The first published around 2004. This means eight years of my life has been given just to this particular series because to buy the next book and then the next I have to hold the story in mind between books, be thinking about the characters in order to want to read on…. When I follow a series like this I am not just reading a book, putting it down and moving on to the next love story or adventure. To commit to a series is an engagement and feels like a relationship. Interestingly I’ve realised I don’t think of myself as a fan in the way I would think of eg. my ‘Firefly’ fandom.
@Merrian It is a commitment and I think, when the series goes awry, that is why readers can so easily feel betrayed.
@Merrian I understand your point about commitment. It’s an investment of time and money (unless I get the books at the library), and when I read series over a number of years the characters start to become something more–individuals I think of from time to time, sort of like an acquaintance with whom I periodically correspond.
@KMont:
I am sooooo excited to see that I am not alone in thinking that Barrons is NOT hero material. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
And the comment about Moning’s writing – I was reading the first two chapters of Shadowfever and kept thinking, okay already, I got it – Mac is upset. Can we move on now? I felt that way in several of the books – rather like Moning has set the series at 5 books and had a word count to meet for each one and so she had to keep repeating herself in order to make that word count.
I read a comment from her that she “ruthlessly edits herself” and I thought really? Where? Because as a reader I wasn’t getting that at times.
Overall I like the series, though I am resisting making a final decision until after I have read Shadowfever. If Moning ties up the series in a big pink HEA bow as her Maniacs are shouting for then the series will get a big fat D from me. If she stays true to the beginning of the story and ties up all the loose ends with plausible knots then I will probably be in the Bish range.
@Mai:
No definately not weird ! I’m looking at my copies as I type, secure in the knowledge that once that final book comes out, I will have a weekend of full on Moning AND NO RUDDY CLIFFHANGERS….. It’s only going to have taken me 4 years to wait to read them all togethet !!!!!!
Did I mention that I HATE cliffhangers
I’ve so far resisted reading the Fever series. I was a mad Moning fan with the other PNR series… but by the time she wrote her first Fever, I’d learnt my bitter lesson (courtesy JK Rowling, Jonathan Stroud and all the other series writers). I’m waiting for the final Fever book to be out so I can read them all at a stretch.
@Daisy:
I really do wish I loved this series as much as everyone else, but I just have too many reservations about it. Whatever the case, the last book won’t be boring lol. From all the talk I’m reading today on it (and a few spoilers), it’s one OMG moment after another.
But yep, we seem to be on the same page! I wonder about the editing myself…
Just finished Shadowfever. No spoilers here, but…wow. Like someone else said Moning can write some very purple scenes that drive me nuts, but this has had me hooked since yesterday at 1 am. It won’t satisfy everyone b/c it isn’t a PNR or even a traditional UF (IMO). But it was one of the best series that I’ve read.
Just to add, I’ve read all of the Highlander books–but stopped reading the Fever books after the third. When I am 100% absolutely sure there is a conclusion (and it is happy), I will finish the series and I am sure it will be all in one weekend while my husband and lovely children fend for themselves… These are good, but I can’t take the cliffs!
I searched other sites like bookpage, NYtimes, allreader, myBantu… got good reviews there also :) I already bought the book online thru myBantu..
Good one!
Thanks :)
Let me first say that I loved, loved, LOVED KMM’s Highlander series. Each book was beautifully written, rife with emotions, and the characters jump out of the page to live in your hearts and minds long after you’ve finished the last page.
Now, the Fever series.
I loved the first book. It was much too short but it set up the world beautifully. I didn’t find TSTL, and some scenes were hair-raising, it was so good. So I bought the second one, and was not disappointed with that. The third one I consider the climax of the series. The ending of it was so, so good I literally groaned at the thought of another year’s wait.
Book 4, however, just fell apart and undid everything for me. Mac’s POV turned into one long mindfuck, to herself and to me. This unfortunately continued to Book 5. I feel that everything’s happening in Mac’s mind. She talks herself in and out of things. It was too frustrating.
*****MAYBE SPOILERS AHEAD*****
I’m conflicted with my feelings for what Barrons and Mac have in the end. His feelings for her is one dimensional to me.
I did enjoy his chase for Mac in book 5, but it all seemed too abrupt to believe. It might be construed as him being fed up hence all the things he did and said to Mac in the end, but to me it felt more like the writing was being impatient to finish. They have to wrap up the series, so they did.
The banter between characters in book 5 was great and I will read it again if only for that. Mac did turn out to be somebody I think many people will like reading.
But I was so angry that so many questions still hasn’t been answered! What is this, Miss Moning?? Apparently there will be more versions of Fae book to be written, but really! After 5 years, I can’t take it anymore. I read some time ago that you will not be writing anymore typically romance books like your Highlander series, and whatever comes next will be in the same lines as the Fever series. If this is true, then I am sorry to say you will no longer be an autobuy and I will borrow your books instead.
KMM, you’re good, but the Fever series, in conclusion, was too much (or maybe too little) for 5 years of waiting. The amount I spent on hardcovers alone.. oy. It was too different, too radical and too much of a leap from your Highlander books. I do wish we could have a few more of those, but I’m afraid this will be like me wishing for Judith McNaught’s historical once again.
Maybe it’s not you, Miss Moning, it’s me. I’m breaking up with you. You’re the first author I’ve ever had this much emotional feelings about, and frankly, it hurts.
@nitnot I understand your frustration completely, though I’m not ready to break up with Ms. Moning. I like her characters too much. Have you read Nalini Singh? If you want a new author to become addicted to, she’d be a great choice.
Jaclyn,
I do read Nalini and I am a fan. She could be a little heavy at times on her Psy series and I’m beginning to feel the Psy characters are repetitive, but I’m still enjoying it. I can’t wait for Hawke’s story. Her Angel series are coming out soon, and I think this third book might be the make or break it for me. I loved the first book, read it to tatters and recommended it to all my friends, but the second was kinda… meh.
But, very excited that her book and Kresley Cole’s coming out in Feb! Perfect birthday presents for myself. And Lynn Viehl’s Kyndred 3rd book, I hope you’ve read this series, is also out.
I do love KMM’s characters, but I really must see what’s happening with her next book. I just can’t afford another 5 year/5 hardcover series, mentally and fiscally. I’ve rehabilitated myself against JR Ward, grateful I’ve never read Anita Blake, and now only left with Ilona Andrews. Now, that’s a first person POV that I could read until judgement day.
Thank you for the series review, I really do hope you enjoy the final instalment. There’s an exchange between Barrons and Christian near the end of the book that made me LOL. Let me know if you found it.