Shadowfever (Fever series, Book 5)
Karen Marie Moning
Release: January 18, 2011
Purchase Book: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble | Nook Version | Kindle Version
Rating: 4 Stars

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 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.

How does one even start to review what is easily the most anticipated book of the year among urban fantasy fans? I guess I will start by saying, if you want to read my reviews of the previous books go here. If you haven’t read the series, you might want to stop and start at book 1. I’m not going to be purposely spoilerly, but it is hard to be entirely vague.

I’ve been a bit overwhelmed with book choices lately. After reading almost nothing for the last few months because of school, all of a sudden I have a “to read” list that is crazy huge almost solely because of popular series books I have missed the release of. I pushed all of those aside and bought my kindle version of Shadowfever at midnight on release day. I read for about 2 hours for that night before I had to finally admit defeat and get some sleep.

Right out from the gate the book has you twittering “OMG! NOOOOOO”. There were several oh my god moments really. One thing Moning did incredibly well was keep us on our toes. There was not a single event in this story that I had guessed or seen suggested by anyone else. The twists and turns were thought provoking and frustrating all in one. In the end we get answers to some questions, but definitely not all. We get just enough about Barrons and his men to feel slightly satisfied, but still curious. We get in-depth history as well as out of nowhere curve balls regarding the Fae and Mac’s sidhe-seer heritage. We get the long awaited answer to Alina’s death and the future of Mac and Barrons.

Yet, I finished it was left feeling unsettled. Shadowfever is a lot of book, almost 600 pages, and honestly the first half it was a slow read. There was a great deal of emotional monologue and stubborn characters that dragged on the plot. Additionally, I’ve always adored Dani but I felt her character lacked growth in this installment and I can’t help but wonder whether or not the reveal we get was planned all along. I didn’t fully believe the events surrounding V’lane and I still don’t understand Christian’s progression. I almost think that the effort to create a story that lived up to expectation and defy all speculation may have led to an end result that lacked a certain amount of credibility. (I know that’s vauge, I’m sorry! lol).

My last complaint, too much of the finale was focused on the relationship between Barrons and Mac. Yes, their “happy ever after” chances are a huge draw to readers, but it is has never been the focus of the series. For me the series has always been about Mac and her search to find the truth about her sister, to find her place among this new world she has journeyed into. I needed a final scene between Mac and the killer.

I realize how one sided this review is. The truth is for all my complaints, it is an entertaining and good story. Mac 5.0 is broken down and then built up stronger and smarter than we have ever seen her. Barrons is everything we have come to expect from him and most people will be content with the series ending. Shadowfever may not have hit all the perfect buttons for me, but I enjoyed the creatively twisted story that kept me guessing and am sad to see the series come to an end.


Favorite Quote:

With Barrons, you aren’t sure if you’re going to get fucked or turned inside out and left a new, unrecognizable person, adrift with no moorings, on a sea with no bottom and no rules.

I was never immune to him. There were merely degrees of denial.

FTC Disclaimer: This book was purchased by me