Review: Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Ok, I need to be more careful when making posts. I made a grave mistake today and lost my review of Shadowfever. However, my post was still up in Felicia’s Google Reader, so she emailed it to me. I can’t thank her enough for being my savior today. Lesson learned. *wipes brow*

Shadowfever
by Karen Marie Moning
Published by Delacorte Press on 1/18/11
Series: Fever
1) Darkfever
2) Bloodfever
3) Faefever
4) Dreamfever
5) Shadowfever
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Fae
Source: Amazon (Thanks Mom!)

Read an excerpt (Excerpts may contain spoilers)

MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina, were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever. Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister’s murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals who have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh—a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King, containing the power to create and destroy worlds.

In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.
Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac herself and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?
From the luxury of the Lord Master’s penthouse to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac’s journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and to make a choice that will either save the world . . . or destroy it.

My Thoughts

I did my best to be spoiler-free, but can’t say it’s a 100% guarantee! Ha. That rhymed!

I don’t think I’ve ever seen more variations in opinions on a book as I have with Shadowfever. I’ve seen everything from 1 star to 5 stars. I find this very intriguing, and it’s been really interesting reading other’s opinions on the final outcome of the Fever series.

Due to the events at the end of Dreamfever, the beginning of Shadowfever is absolutely heartbreaking. Deep down I knew things would turn out differently, but Mac’s raw guilt, grief, and resulting rage, were palpable. It was a dark moment in the series, and all I could think of when Mac emerged from her dark cloud of doom was “she gonna fuck a bitch up, yo!”

I enjoyed learning more history about the Unseelie King, his concubine, Cruce, etc. Mac’s journey in the Silvers, at the White Mansion, and all of those scenes were really interesting. I will say this, however, I didn’t really like the storyline that KMM threw into Mac’s questionable origin. I thought it was a bit predictable and kinda boring, really.

As one of the few people who likes Dani’s character (it’s the social worker in me that yearns for a safe, secure and happy future for her), I was royally pissed off about the development in her relationship with Mac, and even more angry that there was no closure/resolution between the two. I felt the relationship between those two to be severely needed/appreciated on both ends. They both fill voids for the other. The ending left me sad and confused about their future, even though KMM threw a small snippet in there. I need resolution!

We finally learn about Barrons in this book! I’m still unsure of WTF he is, but I’m glad we can quit questioning where he disappears to, why he is so intently seeking the Sinsar Dubh, why he’s so friggin vague with every word he speaks. My heart burned for him. Learning about the sole thing that drives all his actions was eye-opening and made so much sense. I now see him in a completely different light. His pain and ultimate decision made him so much more human. It was also nice to see his vulnerable side.

I was shocked at the development in V’lane’s character and his role in the series. That one definitely took me by surprise. While I wasn’t on board with Mac’s maybe-origin, I was certainly surprised at who was revealed as an important character. I always wondered about that person. He was so vague in his responses to her, but I didn’t believe he would play a larger role.

I think about 400 pages in, I finally started to thoroughly enjoy the book. However, the ending of the book was disappointing. I didn’t like the inaction that took place. The entire work of the series culminated into a bunch of characters bickering in a cell, being surprised by the true identities of some characters, and the book being way too easily contained. A tad boring. While some things irked me, story-wise, I still found the book to be loads of great. KMM is a fantastic storyteller, and the Fever series has become one of my favorites!

Check out my FAVORITE QUOTES from Shadowfever!

Other Reviews

• Supernatural Snark
• Vampire Book Club
• Fangs, Wands & Fairy Dust
• Wicked Little Pixie
• Dark Faerie Tales

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