Aaargh - what a cliffhanger to this fantastic and highly addictive series!

http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2009/10/f... ( )

Love the book but I hate! cliffhanger endings!!!!!!! ( )

Third book of a Five Book Series, this was my least favorite. We learn very little. There seemed to be very little Barron's/Mac interaction in this book, and what interaction there was, was laced with violence. While I root for Mac and Barron's to have a HEA (Happy ever after) I could not help but be angry at Barron's treatment of Mac in this book.
Mac is learning that she must not put all her eggs into a Barrons and V'lane basket. She illicit's the help of Inspector Jayne after opening his eyes to what is really going on in Dublin.
The cliff hanger you are left with, made me throw my book in madness and frustration. ( )

Things heat up for Mac, and grow increasingly dire for the state of the world - Dublin in particular - in this third installment. Obviously, as Mac is narrating the action from some time in the future, she survives. But life certainly isn't any bed of roses. The mystery of exactly who and what Barrons is continues to plague her, and the death-by-sex lure of Fae prince V'lane doesn't fade, although she manages an uneasy alliance. But as Samhain approached, the walls between our world and theirs weaken, and even the combined efforts of all that stand against the Unseelie may not be enough....

Riveting stuff - I ended this book as I did the previous one, wanting to get my hands on the next installment ASAP. Unfortunately, the next one likely won't be out for a while. ( )

Moning's Fever series continues to unfold, with the adversarial relationship between Mac and irresistable jerk Barrons taking a (temporary) backseat to our heroine's increasingly independent machinations. I like that girl more and more.

Ends with a massive turnaround that has left fans of the series (including me) howling and gnashing our teeth for the next book, due in August. Faefever is the third volume in a series of five, and the latest published as of April '09. ( )

My friend, Danielle, got me started on the DarkFever/BloodFever/FaeFeverseries by Karen Marie Moning. When I first started reading DarkFever, I didn’t think that these were “my type” of books. But, after I devoured her first two books in less than a week, I figured out that Danielle had lent me some really cool “escape” books.

I never thought of myself as the kind of reader who would enjoy a “mystery” or “mystical” kind of fiction. But, I guess I am. Not only did I enjoy reading DarkFever and BloodFever, I also really liked Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert (new book coming very soon) and The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. So, naturally, I pre-ordered FaeFever before its release. But, the poor, beautifully purple, book sat on my TBR pile for the longest time. I got so involved in writing my blog and reading ARC’s, that I just kept ignoring poor FaeFever. Then, Danielle read it. I couldn’t wait to get her opinion. She gave it sort of a “fair” review. She didn’t like it as much as the first two in the series. But, you know how it is with a series…

So… do I agree with Danielle?

Yes. And, no.

Yes, the book was off to a really slow start. Perhaps it is because she was refreshing the readers’ mind on what happened in the first two books. It was helpful to get the refresher and it did jar my memory into the two books that I had read last year. I was appreciative of it. However, after the refresher, the book somewhat crept along for me. I wanted more of the new characters and V’Lane and less of what I got.

But, and… there’s always a “but” with me, I loved the end of this book. Karen Marie Moning did a spectacular job of ensuring that I read her next book in the series. Damn her! The ending leaves me wanting to find out what the heck happens to Mac next.

With all of that being said… I would have preferred if Moning would have shortened the storyline to get the reader to the end of where we actually leave off in FaeFever, thus getting the reader to this point in the story mid-book. THEN… spend the second half of this book focusing on Mac in the dark side. Yes, that would have been a home run. This makes me sad. Is this about the business of selling books or writing for your readers? I feel bad about actually saying that because she has VERY LOYAL readers and fans. They may egg my blog after this review. But, I feel that she could have condensed this book and really grabbed me. Chances are, I still would have purchased the next sequel.

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”

I am not sad that I read it. I’m not even highly disappointed. I just felt “not much” about it. Except for the ending. Now that’s the juice I loved in the first two books! Scary stuff, page turning, sexy goodness… I only got a little bit in this book and too much Rhinoceros Boy Meat in little jars (ick). For the genre Fiction:Magic/Mystery, I’m afraid that I am going to have to give this book a 6 out of 10. Curious about how I’d rate the first two books? Somewhere in the 8-9 range. ( )

a really good series...cant wait till the next one comes out.. ( )

Great continuation to the series. Left me wanting the next one as it leaves a big cliff hanger. ( )

I like this series. I really do. It is a little ‘out there’, but very interesting. However, I have 2 problems with these books: 1. My goodness, they can be very, very crude. Ewww. Just ewww. The ending to this book was nasty and disturbing. 2. The relationship between the heroine and the hero is being dragged out and it has became extremely irritating.
I will continue to purchase the subsequent books when they come out, but I would certainly change a few small things about these books.
(Note: the heroine is much more tolerable in this book). ( )

Faefever by Karen Marie Moning is the third of five in Moning’s Fever series. I read the first two books earlier this year (both of them over a single weekend, so yes I like the series) and then had to wait for Faefever, the next in the series to be released and make it to my local library. I’m of two minds on this series. I love the story, but I have a love/hate relationship with the way each books ends (more on this later).

It’s difficult to evaluate a single book in the series, since it is really a single story that has been chopped up into five books. I find the series very absorbing and Moning always manages to take it up a notch and throw in a twist whenever you think you have things figured out.

Because the books are released at least a year apart, it’s easy to forget where the last one left off. Moning does a good job of presenting a recap in the prologue if you need it, though if you read the books in quick succession you’ll want to skip it and get straight to the story. There are several maps included as well to help you orient yourself to the world if you need to.

If you’ve read Moning’s other books, the Fever series is a different direction for Moning. While all of her books take place in the same universe (a fact that only becomes apparent in Faefever, but to say more would be to enter spoiler territory), her Highlander books are focused on the romance between the main characters. The Fever series is more action and little romance (although the word orgasm appears on page 6 of Faefever, so sex does come up in the Fever series from time to time). I find the Fever series much more spellbinding than the Highlander series, which is a relief because when an author changes direction there’s always the chance that it won’t work.

If there’s one thing that frustrates me about this series, it’s the way that each book ends. Instead of leaving the characters at a lull in the story, Moning ends each book in the middle of a crisis, like someone ripped out the end of the book. It’s brilliant from a marketing standpoint, but the books are coming out a year apart which is a bit too much time between books when you’re using this tactic. The urgency is gone by the time the next book comes out and then it’s a hard shove into the middle of a crisis that’s gone all hazy in the readers mind.

It’s difficult to both recap a series and build up the urgency in a prologue as the series progresses and there is more to recap, which is the job Moning sets for herself at the beginning of each successive book. She does about as good of a job as you can do, but I found it difficult to get into Faefever after an 11-month hiatus since I read Darkfever and Bloodfever back in January. I stuck with it, because I knew from experience that it would be a good ride, but I would have enjoyed Faefever more if I could remember more from the earlier books. This will be a fantastic series to read in one go. If you pick it up now, be prepared to face frustration waiting for the next book.

If you’d like to try out Moning’s Fever series for free, she has made a podiobook of Darkfever, the first in the series, available at podiobooks.com. If you’re not familiar with podiobooks.com, it’s full of audiobooks released as free serial downloads.

You can find more of my reviews at Booklorn.com. ( )

After the last few urban fantasies I read, I had come to the conclusion I've completely burnt myself out on them. Surprisingly, I didn't even feel a flicker of "burnt outedness" while reading this story.

In this third book of the Fever series we pick up Mac where we left her off, hot on the trail of the most wanted book, Sinsar Dubh. It becomes quickly apparent that not only is the book not exactly what it appears to be, neither is anyone or anything else. Although Mac's primary focus is still vengeance for her sister's death the discoveries about those around her quickly bring home the dire revelation that there is much more at stake than her personal vendetta.

Interestingly, my favorite character of this story is actually Mac, which is unusual as I’m not a big fan of female leads. Maybe because my past favorite, Barrons, had a much smaller part. To counter this V’lane was given a much larger part and I did enjoy the partnership between him and Mac, but Mac was the real attraction to the story. She has really grown into her own as a character. I've enjoyed the books in progressive order, each one more than the last. This one has left me really wanting to read more and knowing I'll now have to wait...and wait...and wait some more to find out what happens next is a bit frustrating. I rather wish I had waited to read it until closer to the next publication date. This has been a very good urban fantasy series so far and I'm quite relieved to know that I haven't completely lost my taste for them! ( )

Boring, is it over yet? Tedious. ( )

Wow, finished this in a day. Which, I guess, isn't all that hard, but considering the ridiculously bad day I had and the 5 hours I spent getting ready and wandering around looking for a club and being accosted by drunks, it was a fast read.

Overall, I liked this latest installation. Everyone stayed really true to character, Barrons and Mac are cute as usual, and dammit but I have to really wonder who Barrons is. So many questions left unanswered still by the end though, and another year is a long time to be waiting for the next one. I feel like by the end not much information is divulged about what her role in all this is exactly; at first we thought she's there to find the relic, but turns out there isn't much she can do about that anyway, and so, what makes her special now? Hmm.

Barrons needs to come to her rescue! :( I know he's no hero and his horse just got trashed (by a mob, no less) but dammit, he's kind of her last bet. So many plots involved, you have to constantly wonder who's for what side. The ending was really abrupt too, so by the end it leaves you sort of going huh? That's it? I've certainly seen my share of cliff-hanger endings, but this was one of the more jarring ones I’ve ever read. Nothing much else to say about it, now, so I’m gonna head off and hunt the web for more info/speculations. ( )

I love this series. I finished this story last night and am trying to absorb the blow. ***SPOILERS****
I am completely upset by her becoming a Pri-ya. I am ticked off at V'lane and Barrons for not being there for her. Although, I am sure they each had a good excuse as all hell broke loose. But the damage to Mac is done. My only hope is since she wrote the book in a past tense format, I am hoping she was strong enough to re-find herself once she gets over the attack. I currently fail to see any light at the end of the tunnel, but I refuse to believe she is doomed.

My only other complaint is that the book was too short. It went fast but I read it in under a day. Of course, I was stuck to it all day. I just didn't think there was much going on. Yes, it changed completely at the last minute but she wasn't much ahead of where she was before the book. And by book end, she was WAY behind from where she started.

Anyway, I am giving it only 4 stars despite how much I love this series because of book length and the horrific ending. ( )

I gotta say, to start off, that reading the first three chapters in advance muted some of my excitement over this book. About 20-30 % me would go back in time and change that decision. I think because I ended Bloodfever feeling like anything could and would happen in book 3, but with the sneak previews of Faefever I had too much time to form expectations about the rest of the book. I come away from Fae feeling like I didn't get what I wanted. Somewhat. Because -- let's be frank -- this series is fricking awesome. I'm always happy to read what KMM has to offer. So let's just move on to the funner parts.

V'lane... honestly I found him boring until now. His predictability was quite underwhelming when placed next to the ever-mysterious Barrons. Now V'lane has substance, and I like a man with substance. I loved the whole scene at the abbey and other side-seers, with him and Mac meeting in that gray area of compromise more and more. It adds to one of my favorite themes of the series: the complexity and complicity of Mac.

As for Mac and her complexity, can we say, "mental breakdown"? I mean, holy shit. I can't say I was shocked or surprised by where the story ended, but I'm deeply impressed by KMM's balls. I can't think of many authors who would go down that path. I felt myself going psychotic just reading this book. It was great. Only Lilith Saintcrow's Dante Valentine series has ever had the same hold over me, pulling me into the ever-darkening, ever-fracturing psyche of the main character. Why, it gives me chills. I'm on edge, waiting to see where Mac goes from here. Usually when I get all excited over a series, it's due to an intriguing male character and the romantic/sexual tension between couples. Mac, however, is fascinating in her own right. Thank Odin that KMM chose a first-person perspective for these books. I can't imagine the series would be half as delightful otherwise. Barrons actually took a backseat in my interest during this run (facilitated by his absence from much of the plot). And I can live with that, surprisingly.

BUT!...
Who else is peeved that we didn't get to see the MacKeltars? I can't believe they still haven't made a real entrance. Christian is cool, certainly more interesting than any of the modern-day MacKeltars have been 'til now, but I'm dying to see how Daegus interacts with Barrons. And wouldn't you love to know what Adam would have to say about this whole situation? Here's hoping we'll see him and Gabrielle again in the future. And I miss the silent conversations between Barrons and Mac. Those were excellent, not to mention hot.

I'm forcing myself to stop here, as I could write about this book/series all day and never run out of comments. ( )

Karen Marie Moning’s books have always been formulaic candy for me. I keep reading them even though I get irritated at her penchant for digging up plucky, modern virgins to sacrifice to her Highlanders.

When an Amazon reviewer mentioned that Bloodfever was considerably darker than Moning’s Highlander books, I gave it a try. Yep, it’s darker. It’s dark chocolate: sweet, rich, addictive.

Moning’s third foray into fae-infested Dublin, Faefever, was released on the 16th. I would have finished it last night, but I had to sleep some time.

MacKayla Lane was once a vapid Southern girl, with no larger ambition than to have great hair. When her sister, Alina, is killed in Dublin, Mac runs to Ireland to discover what happened. Suddenly, Mac is seeing things she never saw in Georgia–creatures of all descriptions, from horribly ugly to painfully beautiful. Things no one else seems to notice. Mac discovers she is a sidhe-seer, someone who can see past the glamour of the Fae, and get a look at the truth beneath the disguise. Under the tutelage of the mysterious (no, I mean really, really mysterious) Jericho Barrons, Mac is plunged head-first into a world darker and more dangerous than any she could have imagined. Hair doesn’t matter so much anymore.

In the third book, Mac finds herself playing each side for whatever advantage she can get, because no side is safe. She’s seen the Sinsar-Dubh with her own eyes, and she knows it’s much more than a book. Samhain is approaching, and it’s a scramble to keep the walls between realms from tumbling down. The book ends on the usual cliff-hanger, so dark that a “Note to the Reader” is tacked to the end to remind us that the series is about Light, not Darkness.

Many paranormal fantasy series are set up by creating a world, populating it with a group of people, and then exploring those people book by book. Another formula is to create a character and give her what are essentially stand-alone adventures, with just a few over-arching mysteries. The Fever series is not so easy on the reader. It is more like one ginormous book in five installments. No neat resolutions, few questions answered, just tune in to the same bat-channel at the next bat-time. When I finish these books, my reaction is DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT because it’s ages before the next is due. So here’s a suggestion: wait until all five are out if you don’t want to suffer. Or heck, dive right in if you find the suffering delicious, like I do. ( )

Holy Sh@%! I just finished "Faefever" by Karen Marie Moning and I'm not sure whether I want to kiss her or kill her. Her writing is lucid, smart, fantastic, and yet somehow believable. If you're a fan of Moning's 'Highlander' series and are looking for more of that...then you need to pass on by. If you're looking for a story so gritty, scary, and yet real and addictive...then go RIGHT NOW and pick up all three books in this series. You won't be sorry.

Mac is torn in so many different directions in this book, it's almost painful to read. None of the decisions she must make are easy, yet every one will have titanic consequences. She's seemingly being 'courted' by three different males, each of whom wants her for her ability to sense Hallows. In "Faefever, she finds out a little bit more about each of them. There's V'lane, the death-by-sex fae who claims to want 'the Book' for his Queen to keep the walls between the worlds strong. There's the Lord Master, Mac's sister's old lover and ultimately killer, who needs the book to dissolve the walls but will keep Mac and her family safe and restore her dead sister to her with help from 'the Book'. Then there's Jericho Barrons. Every time Mac thinks she has him pegged, she discovers how little she really knows or understands him. Yet her attraction to him is always there. In Faefever, Mac finally spends some time with Christian MacKeltar--a Druid from a pretty impressive family lineage of Druids who battle to protect humanity by preserving the 'Compact' with the Fae Queen.

But in the end, it all comes down to Mac. She's the only one alive who can sense the object/s they all want. Her actions affect not just herself and other Sidhe-seers but ultimately all humanity. The real issue is: Who can Mac trust? Or maybe more accurately: Can she trust any of them?

I absolutely devoured this book. Didn't eat, didn't take a break (but did have to go to the bathroom once)! Now I'm strung out and strung up. I want to know...need to know what happens next. All I can do is wait for "Dreamfever" which is currently awaiting a release date but will likely be at least 9 months from now :( ( )

He calls me his Queen of the Night. I'd die for him. I'd kill for him, too. When MacKayla Lane receives a torn page from her dead sister's journal, she is stunned by Alina's desperate words. And now MacKayla knows that her sister's killer is close. But evil is closer. And suddenly the sidhe-seer is on the hunt: For answers. For revenge. And for an ancient book of dark magic so evil, it corrupts anyone who touches it.

Mac's quest for the Sinsar Dubh takes her into the mean, shape-shifting streets of Dublin, with a suspicious cop on her tail. Forced into a dangerous triangle of alliance with V'lane, an insatiable Fae prince of lethally erotic tastes, and Jericho Barrons, a man of primal desires and untold secrets, Mac is soon locked in a battle for her body, mind, and soul.

As All Hallows Eve approaches and the city descends into chaos, as a shocking truth about the Dark Book is uncovered, not even Mac can prevent a deadly race of immortals from shattering the walls between worlds with devastating consequences.