Audiobook Review - Iced (Dani O’Malley, Book 1) by Karen Marie Moning (3/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 512 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: October 30, 2012
ISBN: 978-0385344401
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Dani O’Malley series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 3/5 stars

This is the first book in the Dani O’Malley series which takes place after the last book in Moning’s Fever series. The second book in this trilogy, Burned, is scheduled for a Jan 2014 release. The third and final book, Flayed, is scheduled to release in 2015. I think that you could read this book without reading the original Fever series; there is a ton of recapping. Still if you really want to know what is going on here, you probably want to read the Fever books first.

I listened to this on audiobook and I wouldn’t recommend it. The audiobook had two different narrators, one who does the female voices and one who does the male voices. As a result the female voices are very high in sound and the male voices are very low. When you turn up the sound to hear the very low and deep male voice, the female voice comes across as shrill. It made the book hard to listen to. I was either straining to try and hear the male voices or wincing at the shrill female voices.

Dani O’Malley was a side character in the Fever series and this is the start of her story. Dani is a superhero of sorts, she is super fast and super tough and she has one of the only weapons that can actually kill Fey. When Ryoden’s club gets frozen solid (patrons and all) he forces Dani into a contract. He wants Dani to work with him to solve this mystery before more people and Fey are killed. Now Dani is facing off with something that might be more dangerous and evil than anything she’s ever faced before.

The book is told from many POVs, not just Dani’s. This didn’t add a lot to the story but just drew it out and fractured it.

Dani is incredibly obnoxious. She basically bitches and complains throughout the whole book. She yells at people and is mean to them, then is indignant when they won’t help her out. If you cut out all of Dani’s complaining the book would be a third shorter. Dani is also supposed to be a superhero of sorts, but she spends the vast amount of time either passed out or being rescued by the harem of men that lusts after her. I am not even going to go into how weird it is that she has all these older men lusting after her when she is only fourteen.

So, yeah, in a nutshell I thought Dani was an incredibly immature and obnoxious character and really didn’t enjoy her. I suppose that gives her a lot of room to grow in future books, but I am not sure I want to read more about Dani.

Next let’s talk about the men. You have Ryoden who is super sexy and super dangerous and has trapped Dani into working for him. He is creepy but strangely seems to care about Dani in a very uh...sexual way. Then you have Christian who is slowly turning into a Fey Prince, he is incredibly unstable, sex crazy, and has decided that him and Dani will be getting married. Seriously we hear about how hard Christian is a lot throughout the book, and it is just yucky.

The last man in Dani’s life is Dancer, and he is the only one who deserves his own paragraph. Dancer has been Dani’s friend for a long time, they kind of look out for each other with no strings attached. He is actually Dani’s age, but as the story goes on you realize he must have some pretty deep and dark secrets of his own. He was my absolute favorite character in this book; he is smart, supportive, and stands up to anyone (human or Other) who tries to harm Dani in anyway. I liked him. In a world of crazy he was something interesting and intriguing.

The world is completely insane. Basically this is after the war was lost and the Fey invaded Dublin (Earth?). Apparently realities can shift at will and you never know what will be around the corner. There is a lot of talk about people waking up in different realities and about horrible creepy crawlies...but honestly we don’t see much of that in the story. Most of the story is spent with Dani complaining and trying to manage her harem of testosterone driven men.

By the end of this book I just wanted it to be over. I loved the idea of this world, but the characters were obnoxious and overdone. Dani gets so distracted from the story by these crazy older man that want her, then there was the strange addition of the Crimson Hag. The Crimson Hag was kind of a cool enemy but her addition to the story seemed so last minute and contrived that I just kind of rolled my eyes at this part. Ugh, the whole thing was a bit of a mess.

Overall definitely not my favorite urban fantasy book. There is just too much in here that bugged me. I love the world and some of the characters are intriguing. But Dani is an absolute flop as a character for me, she is annoying and obnoxious and not someone I ever want to read about again. Even though the book features a fourteen year old girl it is definitely an adult read. Having all these older guys jonesing after Dani was super creepy too, I just didn’t enjoy reading about it. The story took too many detours from the actual main plot and all of the POVs throughout just served to draw things out. I will not be reading more books in this series and don’t recommend this new addition to the Fever series. Stick with other urban fantasy reads like Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series, Ilona Andrew’s Kate Daniels series, or Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Audio Book Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Paranormal Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Review - Shadowfever (Fever, Book 5) by Karen Marie Moning (5/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult 
Genre: Urban Fantasy 
Size: 608 pages 
Publisher: Delacorte Press 
Release Date: January 18, 2011 
ISBN-13: 978-0385341677 
Stand Alone or Series: 5th (and final) book in Fever series 
Source: Bought e-book 
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the fifth, and final book, in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.  Is this really the end you say?  Well according to the afterward in this book Moning is working on a new series set in the Fever universe...so it is only kind of the end.  This was a very good book, the plot takes so many twists and turns it will leave you reeling and the story is nicely wrapped up in the end.  

This review does contain spoilers for those who have not read previous books in the series, because you can't even talk about the first page of this book without having spoilers from the previous books.

The book opens exactly where the fourth book, Dreamfever, left off.  Mac is standing over Barron's lifeless body, mourning.  Seeing Barron's body lying there lifeless breaks something in Mac and she decides to do whatever it takes to get the Sinsar Dubh.  If Mac can get the Sinsar Dubh she believes that she will be able to rewrite the whole world and existence as she knows it.  Mac in her desperation joins forces with the very person who is her sworn enemy, the Lord Master himself.

I am not sure how to write a review of this book without having any spoilers, but I will do my best.  There are a number of huge revelations and crazy plot twists throughout this book.  Just when you think you have it all figured out Moning throws you a curveball and you are left sitting there with your mouth open thinking, "Did that really just happen?!"  Most of this book leans more to the urban fantasy genre, although there are some pretty steamy scenes in here too.

This was one dense book.  There are so many players at this point that they story is almost epic in breadth.  The book is told from both Mac and Dani's point of view.  The Sidhe Seers, Druidic factions, Barron's mysterious group and the Fae all play large roles.  We learn what Mac is, we learn a ton about Fae's long existence, and we learn a ton about Barron's past.  Many startling truths are revealed.

The pace is pretty non-stop, this is a very hard book to put down.  The action scenes were spectacular, but even more time is spent with Mac trying to work her way through the clues to solve the mystery behind the Sinsar Dubh and the Fae.  If I have one complaint about this book is that we get to spend too much time in Mac's head listening to her ask questions to herself.  Some of that could have been eliminated and the story would have moved forward a bit better and been tighter.

Overall a great end to this series.  If you've been reading this series you absolutely have to read this book.  You will get answers to all your questions, you will be surprised and amazed. Moning does mention doing spin-off series in this world and I am eager to see what she comes up with next.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:

- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 100+ Reading Challenge
- E-book Reading Challenge

 

Review - Dreamfever (Fever Series, Book 4) by Karen Marie Moning (4.5/5 stars)

This is the fourth book in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.  There are five books planned for this series and the fifth book "Shadowfever" is scheduled to release in January of 2011.  Much to my dismay I am finally caught up in this series and am stuck with everyone else dealing with the absolutely horrible cliffhanger that happened at the end of this book.  This was the best book of the series so far (I know I keep saying that for each additional book, but it is true).

This book starts up right where Faefever left off.  Mac is being tortured by the Dark Unseelie Princes and has been turned into a Beast enslaved by the sexual urges the Unseelie Princes project.  With Mac out of her mind Dani narrates the beginning of this book.  Of course, Mac (kind of) bounces back (was there ever any doubt that she would?).  What she has become after the torture she has endured is something different than what she was.  This book is about vengeance and Mac, with Dani at her side, will personally try to annihilate all of the Unseelie from Dublin.

This was an absolutely awesome book.  So much happens and Mac changes so much as a character.  The flowery Mac is replaced by a Mac who is vengeance personified.  That is not to say "old Mac" is gone, it is just that she is muted. 

If Faefever dealt more with V'lane; than this book is more about Barron.  We learn more about him in this book than in any other book so far.  We still don't learn enough and I still wasn't satisfied with what we do learn...but I guess I will have to be patient.  We also learn more about Mac's Seelie Seer powers and the additional powers that she is developing.  A lot is learned about the the history of the Fae and how their world works too.

There is a ton of action in this book; in fact it is relentless.  There were times I just wished Mac had a second where someone wasn't trying to kill her.  In fact at times the relentless action got a little monotonous; but overall I still enjoyed it.  This is definitely a straight urban fantasy; not much romance at all.  Moning's writing style is engaging, yet pretty average.  The plot is well done but not spectacular.   The areas where Moning really shines are characterization and world-building.

Again there is a huge cliffhanger.  I could not believe it, even given all the previous cliffhangers, this one left me with my mouth hanging open and frantically trying to find the rest of the pages in the book.  Only there weren't any.  So now I am stuck with the rest of the Fever fans waiting desperately for Shadowfever...  I am really not a fan of authors torturing their readers, I think if you are a skilled enough writer you can complete the novel with decent closure and still have people desperate to read your next book.  I think ending books with cliffhangers is more like forcing people to read the next book and sells you a bit short as a writer; wouldn't you rather have people read your books because they love your writing?

Overall an excellent addition to this series.  I love what Moning is doing with Mac's character and love how we are finally getting to explore the Fae world.  I can't wait for Shadowfever to be released.  Moning's strong point is definitely characterization and world-building.  Readers should be ware though, this book has another horrible cliffhanger ending.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge

 

Review - Faefever (Fever Series, Book 3) by Karen Marie Moning (4.5/5 stars)

This is the third book in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.  There are five books planned for this series and the fifth book "Shadowfever" is scheduled to release in January of 2011.  I liked this book best of all the books in the series so far.  Mac grows so much as a character and the situation in the book gets incredibly difficult.  Again the ending is a cliffhanger that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

This book starts out exactly where Bloodfever left off, with Mac on her knees in an alley fighting the sickness brought on by that evil book The Sinsar Dubh.  This book finds things in Dublin growing more desperate.  Mac decides to strike out on her own and form her own alliances so that she isn't so dependent on Barron.  She cuts deals with the seelie seers, the local police, the Druids, and even V'lane.  She doesn't know who to trust but hopes that with all her alliances she may be able to save the city of Dublin and even keep herself alive.  The question is will it be enough?  Or will the walls between the human and the Unseelie world come crashing down, ending humanity as we know it?

This was a wonderful book.  Mac does so much more than she has done in the previous books.  We learn a lot about a lot of things.  Finally Mac is figuring out how to track the Sinsar Dubh on her terms and she is creating alliances that she has some control in.  We get to spend a lot more time with V'lane and Dani in this book and they are two great characters.  We don't learn much more about Barron in this book; he is in the story in spurts but remains as much of a mystery as ever.

This book really brings things to a head between the Unseelie and the rest of the world.  It is incredibly engaging as Mac and crew are constantly racing against time.  It was a very hard book to put down and the best of the series.  There is a ton of action in this book; in fact Mac rarely gets a break.  Rainbow Mac starts to give way to a new Mac who is struggling to maintain her identity.

The end of the book is a killer cliffhanger.  You will be dying to know what will happen next.  I have been happy that I had all four books on hand because they just end so...well...horribly...   I think if I was reading these books as they were released I would be pissed.  So, I have one more book to read "Dreamfever" and then I will have to wait for "Shadowfever" with everyone else.

Overall this has been a consistently good series.  The books just keep getting better and better. We are really starting to see what Mac can do, and the interesting characters that encompass this world just keep getting more interesting.  I loved it and am reading the next book in the series already.

This book goes towards the following reading challegne:
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge

Review - Bloodfever (Fever Series, Book 2) by Karen Marie Moning (4/5 stars)

This is the second book in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.  There are five books planned for this series and the fifth book "Shadowfever" is scheduled to release in January of 2011.  This book was an enjoyable read; I liked it a little better than the first book.  Mac is finally growing a backbone and we meet some new interesting characters.

Mac is settling into her strange life in Dublin.  She is running the bookshop for Barron now and still trying to dodge the creeps that were out to kill her in the first book.  Barron is still trying to get her to track down the Sinsar Dubh and she is still having little success.  In this book she has a lot more run ins with the Seelie Prince, V'lane and meets the Grand Mistress of Sidhe Seers.  The mystery behind Barron's origins deepens.  Meanwhile crime and violence in Dublin is growing as the Unseelie population grows; it will be up to Mac and Barron to stop it.

This was a good follow up book to Darkfever.  This is one of those series where it is hard to review the books separately because what happens in the current book is so tied to the previous book and to future books.  Mac learns a lot more about her Seer powers in this novel.  She also spends a lot of time running from monsters.  Barron remains mysterious, although him and Mac do start building some chemistry together.

The action in this book is pretty much non-stop.  Mac is flung from one desperate situation to another.  The plot gets more complex and the world is filled out even more.  The writing is easy to read and the book is hard to put down.  We are introduced to loads of Unseelie too.

Some interesting characters are introduced in Rowena, the Grand Mistress of Sidhe Seers, and in the guy from Trinity college.  Barron's character gains more dimension and we are given some small tantalizing glimpses into his past; but he still remains quite the mystery.  Mac grows enormously as a character.  Gone is the Barbie doll, in its place is a girl with tenacity and courage that is tougher than we ever thought she could be.  Mac tries to be herself though and we are still given detailed descriptions on her attempts to dress cheery.

I was a bit frustrated that the story didn't progress more.  One tiny thing in the plot is resolved in this book but the rest is left open.  Most of the plot points in the book are just made more complex. The book again ends with a huge cliff hanger.  There were many things that I wish this novel included.  I wish there was more description of and names given for all the Unseelie encountered.  I wish we learned more about Barron.  Where are all the Seelie?  You would think with all the Unseelie roaming about there would be more Seelie about than just V'lane.  In some ways I just wish this was a more complete story.

Overall this was an enjoyable read and I liked it.  It didn't absolutely blow me away, like Ilona Andrew's Kate Daniels series did or Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series did.  I also wish that each book in this series had a main plot that it wrapped up with an overall plot that went between books; this series is definitely not like that.  This book is more like a small part of a larger story than a story in and of itself.  I am looking forward to reading the next book, Faefever.

This book goes towards the following Reading Challenge:
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge

 

Review - Darkfever (Fever, Book 1) by Karen Marie Moning (4/5 stars)

This is the first book in the five book Fever series by Moning.  The fifth book "Shadowfever" is scheduled to release in January of 2011.  I enjoyed this first book in the series, although you can tell the purpose of this book is mainly to introduce us to Mac and the world she's been thrust in to.

MacKayla Lane, Mac to her friends, is your typical southern belle Barbie-doll type.  She loves shopping, scoping out hot guys, and dressing in pink.  Then she finds out that her sister, who is studying abroad in Dublin, has been brutally murdered.  With the Dublin police poised to set aside the case for lack of evidence, Mac decides to travel out to Dublin and do some investigating of her own.  She finds out that she barely knew what her sister was really up to in Dublin; her sister had gotten involved something dark and deadly.  Now Mac is being drawn into the darkness too.  Mac finds out she is a Null, a very rare type of Fae Seer....and unfortunately Fae don't like Nulls.  Now with most of paranormal Dublin out to kill her Mac will need the assistance of the dark and dangerous Jericho Barrons if she is going to survive long enough to hunt down her sister's killer.  So good-bye pink high heels and hello black sneakers...Mac's got some Fae to kill.

If you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer you will enjoy this book.  It really has that same type of vibe going on; pretty blond fashion obsessed girl finds out that she is destined to fight evil dark bad things.  Mac comes off as a bit ditsy, fluffy, and naive in the beginning on the book; but as the story continues we start to see a tough core of bravery and stubbornness.  Barron is everything you could hope for in a hero; tough, complex, mysterious, seriously bad-ass, and of course gorgeous.

Moning does a great job of writing a well-rounded novel.  The surrounding descriptions are very good, so you can easily picture the surroundings.  The characters are complex and interesting, with many shades of grey to their personalities.  The action scenes are well done too.  Of course, time is taken to describe Mac's colorful outfits, which soothes the fashionista in me.  The world-building is creative, fantastic, and very engaging.  There is definitely some dark humor throughout the book, which lightens things up and keeps them from getting too dark.

The story was hard to put down and made for a quick read.  There is a lot of mystery to be solved and this mystery really keeps you turning pages.  This book does wrap up the main storyline of Mac finding her sister's killer, but it doesn't resolve it.  In fact you are left with a pretty big cliffhanger.  I think if I had read this book when it was first released I would be pissed at how the story ends.  Luckily I have the next three books already, so I don't have to wait to continue the story.  My recommendation would be to buy the second book with the first one so that you don't have to wait to find out what happens.

I was a bit leery about reading a series of books written by a prominent romance author.  I shouldn't have worried though...this book is not a romance it is a great dark urban fantasy.  All in all it is a pretty dark story with lots of creepy gross evil Fae.  It is definitely a read for a mature audience; there are a couple almost rape scenes and some sexual situations as well as quite a bit of swearing.

Overall I thought this was a strong urban fantasy and I really enjoyed it.  It didn't absolutely blow me away, like Ilona Andrew's Kate Daniels series did or Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series did, but it was engaging and interesting.  This book was very much an introduction book and I have a feeling that the story will grow in complexity and interest with the next book in the series, Bloodfever.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge

 

News - Moning Annouces Title for Book 5 in Fever Series and Release Date is set for Fablehaven Book 5

Okay so I found out some great news this morning!

First of all the title for book 5 of Karen Marie Moning's "Fever" series has been announced. It will be called "Shadowfever" and will be released some time in 2010. I have the first three books of this series at home and really want to read them. I've been keeping tabs on this series; and from what I know the fifth book is supposed to be the last in the series.

Secondly, the release date of the fifth (and final) book in Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series has been announced. "Keys to the Demon Prison" will be released on March 25th of 2010. I haven't seen the cover art or a synopsis yet. I have absolutely adored this series right from the beginning and I am very eager to see how everything plays out!

Well, that's all I have for news today. Hope you all have a great day :-)