Series review: The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning

Bloodfever (Fever #2) by Karen Marie Moning
Released: October 2007
Publisher: Delacourt Press
Reason for reading: Continuation of a series

Other books in the series: Darkfever, Faefever, Dreamfever. Shadowfever

Series rating: 4/5

**This is a review of books 2-5 in the series, my review of Darkfever can be found here**

Goodreads description of Bloodfever:

I used to be your average, everyday girl but all that changed one night in Dublin when I saw my first Fae, and got dragged into a world of deadly immortals and ancient secrets. . . .

In her fight to stay alive, MacKayla must find the Sinsar Dubh—a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over the worlds of both the Fae and Man. Pursued by assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she can’t trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and powerful men: V’lane, the immortal Fae Prince, and Jericho Barrons, a man as irresistible as he is dangerous.

For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them.

My thoughts:

As soon as I finished Darkfever I realised I needed to read the next one which I immediately got for my Kindle. It's weird, because reading the first book, I did have a lot of misgivings but I can safely say that this series is one of my favourite Urban Fantasy series' ever. I love the take on the Fae in this book, it's a little different from most interpretations and is really interesting.

My favourite thing about this series has to be the interactions between Barrons and Mac. They are so...multi-layered and complicated. There's an undercurrent of sexual tension with every conversation and this becomes more pronounced as the books progress. I loved wondering how they felt about each other, trying to find a hidden, or sometimes, not so hidden message in the words they exchanged. I loved their silent conversations; how they knew each other so well they could could interact non-verbally. They have to be one of my favourite character pairings ever. I really liked how their story arc turned out and the revelations that we had-and didn't have-about Barrons. I loved watching the change of attitudes that the two had towards one another and the gradual acceptance that came from so much time spent together. One of my only issues was that I found them so distracting I was often impatient to get to their next encounter and not always enjoying the rest of the plot in between!

Mac's character development across the series is outstanding. She goes from being a naive and quite annoying girl to a strong, capable and independent woman, fully able to fight her own battles and make her own choices. The things she did and the events that occured and what happened to her affected her character in a way that felt truly organic. I liked the explanation of her nature at the end of series that helped explain where some of her character changes came from. I liked how, at the end, she became a happy medium between the girl she was and the girl she became. She was lovable and fun but also hard and firm and wise. It was really interesting to see the parts of herself collide and combine across the series. 

I think the other characters are fantastic as well; the story is all about Barrons and Mac but V'lane certainly makes his mark and even Darroc has an interesting story arc. I loved the inclusion of Dani; a sort of surrogate sister for Mac. I loved how her character developed and the revelations we had about her, although I felt her story wasn't as complete as it could have been (although I have just discovered she features in the book Iced, so that now makes sense). I thought so many secondary characters such as all the fae, the sidhe-seers and the druids etc might confuse the story but they really didn't. I think the Dreamy Eyed Guy was one of my favourite characters. 

The ending of book 3 is when this series got serious for me. I just...was not expecting it to go down that way. I finished Faefever at 1am and I was just in shock. If I'd finished it earlier I would have started the next one immediately but I really needed to sleep! I really didn't know what was going to happen in the aftermath of that ending. I felt similarly about the ending of book 4, only worse! I literally could not believe what had happened. I found myself barely concentrating on book 5, unable to enjoy it until that particular plot element was explained. I also loved the almost post-apocalyptic feel that the latter half of this series had; it really added to the atmosphere and gave the story a grittier, more realistic feel. 

I found this series so riveting I just could not stop reading. I never guessed any of the plot twists and feel that this is one of the most surprising, most unpredictable, most enjoyable series I have read in a while. I was set a little on edge by the treatment of women (namely Mac) in this series. Sex is used as a weapon A LOT which was something I was not entirely comfortable with. It was also used in other ways that made me equally uncomfortable. A lot of the characters are very possessive of and domineering towards Mac which was something else I was not happy with. Mac did stand alone in this series and was clever in refusing to fully trust or ally herself with a particular person or group for the most part, but I felt that that led to her being constantly manipulated, lied to, ordered around and objectified in a way I wasn't too happy with. This is mostly why I deducted a point from my overall rating of the series. 

TL;DR: Despite my initial reaction to Darkfever; this series is far and away one of my favourites of its genre. With plotlines that left me constantly guessing and characters that take stereotypes and mould them into something new and interesting, the Fever series was an emotional and gripping ride. I urge anyone who loves urban fantasy to give it a read. 

Review: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever (Fever #1) by Karen Marie Moning
Release: 28th August 2007 (This UK edition)
Publisher: Dell (This UK edition)
Source: Library
Reason for reading: Nearly due back!
Rating: 3/5

Goodreads description:

"My name is MacKayla, Mac for short. I'm a sidhe-seer, one who sees the Fae, a fact I accepted only recently and very reluctantly.

My philosophy is pretty simple - any day nobody's trying to kill me is a good day in my book. I haven't had many good days lately. Not since the walls between Man and Fae came down. But then, there's not a sidhe-seer alive who's had a good day since then."

When MacKayla's sister was murdered, she left a single clue to her death - a cryptic message on Mac's cel phone. Journeying to Ireland in search of answers, Ma is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to master a power she had no idea she possessed - a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae...

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister's death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysteriou Jericho...while at the same time, the ruthless V'lane - an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women - closes in on her. As the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac's true mission becomes clear: to find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book - because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control both worlds in their hands....

My thoughts:

I requested this a month ago in the midst of my urban fantasy kick. It's clearly very popular because by the time I got it I had moved onto historical fiction. Not wanting to return a book I'd specially requested unread, I decided to give it a go. I knew barely anything about it aside from that it was urban fantasy and very popular and therefore wasn't sure what to expect.

The first thing that grated on me was the writing style. I hate that sorta omniscient looking-back-from-the-future style (please tell me there's a better name for that?) where the narrator starts sentences with ominous phrases like 'Little did I know' and 'Later I would come to realise'. I find it pulls me right out the plot and makes me feel like I'm reading an author's work rather than a character's story. That perpetuated throughout the whole novel and I did not like it. 

The other thing I was not a fan of was that at first, the characters seemed very cookie-cutter. There was the naive, sweet girl who knew nothing about the world she'd blundered into and the dark, brooding, give-nothing-away, borderline-abusive man she meets and inevitably exchanges barbs and information with.

Mac...annoyed me. I tried not to dislike her. I'm doing this new thing where I try really hard to like female MC's cause sometimes I feel like we're all so women-hating, especially when we are them...but I couldn't help it. She was so silly and stupid and vapid and childish. Blundering around this world she knew nothing about, talking about things she knew nothing of and I wanted to hit her. A little bit.  I felt the plot mirrored its main character in that, for a while, it didn't really seem to go anywhere. I was starting to get disappointed.

Eventually though, just as I was about to abandon all hope, the plot did get going. I liked the whole mystery aspect of it; the dual story of finding out what happened to Alina and also finding out more about the whereabouts and the story behind the Book. There was more action towards the end which I liked, culminating in the obligatory female main character being completely pulverized and put back together by the male main character. Suddenly, it wasn't easy to hate Mac anymore and I found myself starting to like her and her determination and, whilst she still blundered around, at least she never fully trusted anyone she encountered, which is totally smart. 

I'll admit, I did expect Mac and Barrons to get together. The introduction of V'lane did make me anticipate a love triangle and I rolled my eyes at the hate-hate relationships, waiting for the chapter when one of the stories evolved into the love it was inevitably going to. I was pleasantly surprised by how that element of the plot progressed and I enjoyed the little half-moment between Mac and Barrons near the very end. 

TL;DR: Whilst this book wasn't all I expected it to be and whilst I am a little apprehensive about the treatment of women in the story; namely the abusive behaviour that came  from all angles, the ending was intriguing enough to make me get the second one for my Kindle. Whilst its far from my favourite urban fantasy first book, I have high hopes for the rest of the series. 

Review: The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens

The Kingdom (The Graveyard Queen #2) by Amanda Stevens
Publisher: Mira
Released: 27th March 2012
Rating: 4/5

Goodreads description:

Deep in the shadowy foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains lies a dying town…

My name is Amelia Gray. They call me The Graveyard Queen. I've been commissioned to restore an old cemetery in Asher Falls, South Carolina, but I'm coming to think I have another purpose here.

Why is there a cemetery at the bottom of Bell Lake? Why am I drawn time and again to a hidden grave I've discovered in the woods? Something is eating away at the soul of this town—this withering kingdom—and it will only be restored if I can uncover the truth.

My thoughts:

The Restorer was one of my favourite books of last year, so naturally when I saw the sequel, The Kingdom, on Netgalley I practically fell over myself in my haste to request it.

The Kingdom sees our heroine Amelia heading off to a creepy, practically abandoned town for a mysterious restoration. Amelia is still shaken from the events of The Restorer, but she soldiers on bravely, and that's something I really admire about her. She's strong and independent and a hard worker and she's easy to like. 


One thing Amanda Stevens really excels at is atmospheric writing. You really feel exactly what she wants you to feel in these books, whether that's a prickly sense of foreboding, deep suspicion or heart-wrenching sympathy, you get a whole host of very genuine emotions. I pretty much felt suspicious, hesitant and even freaked out all the way through reading this which I think is a great achievement on the author's part. 


I liked the mystery element of this one, not as much as the previous book because it's less murder mystery-esque but still nicely complex and I was left guessing all the way through. I felt like I had all the strands of the story, I just couldn't bring them together to form a cohesive picture, until it was all revealed. which was really clever. 

The cast of characters were all really fleshed out and interesting...I liked all the backstories to them and to the town as well. I definitely found most of them fairly sinister which fitted the tone of the book perfectly. Thane Asher was an interesting character; but sadly he just didn't do it for me as much as John Devlin in The Restorer.

We find out a lot more about Amelia, her gift and her origins in this book which answered a lot of questions left over from The Restorer. Her backstory was both tragic and intriguing and I'm glad we got to hear it. There are still enough unanswered questions from both this book and the first to leave me hungry for more and needless to say I picked up The Prophet within hours of finishing this (and it was only that late because I had to work...)

Overall, I really enjoyed the feel and plot of this book and Amelia was as much of a loveable character as in the previous book. But it lacked a little something for me, hence the slightly lower rating.
  
My review of book one of the Graveyard Queen series--The Restorer  


This series is now going to be published in the UK! The Restorer was released in February and you can buy it here

Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Published: 15th September 2011
Publisher: Harvill Secker

Goodreads description:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.


But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

My thoughts:

The book itself is breathtaking, and it is clear how much effort has gone into making this book look special. The edges have been sprayed black, there's a red cloth bookmark attached and a beautiful overall finish that really adds to the sense of wonder that comes with this book.

The plot is as intriguing and mysterious as the circus it centres around, the lack of chronology in the story, far from confusing me, lead me to devour this book, knowing that eventually, somehow, these elements would all fit together.

The story follows Marco and Celia, two young children pitted unknowingly against each other by their older and clearly vaguely amoral  guardians. A game is set up, a game to which the rules are unclear and the winner can take decades to determine. Their arena? Cirque des Rêves. But the plot focuses on more than just the battle between these two (which involves snow gardens, wishing trees and mazes) it looks at the dynamics of all the relationships that exist as a result of this game; and the effect that has on the wellbeing of the characters. Some characters flourish within the confines of the circus whilst others go decidedly downhill, struggling with the concept that their lives do not fully belong to them, that they are being manipulated in ways they could never have imaged. Poppet and Widget were by far my favourite characters, children of the Night Circus, they are gifted and not entirely what you would expect from normal children. I loved the way Bailey was fitted into the plot, it was subtle and very elegant.

But most elegant of all was the stunning writing. It's amazing that this is Morgenstern's first novel, the writing is haunting and fanciful; befitting of such an enigmatic circus. She handles the descriptions of the various circus tents and acts beautifully, it is never monotonous hearing about the circus, in fact, I wish she'd publish a whole separate book outlining each and every detail.  She ties all the elements together with a grace that seems effortless.

Whilst written for an adult audience, this book has amazing crossover appeal and I would recommend it to any young adult reader. A beautiful debut, one of my favourites of the year. 5/5

Be sure to enter my giveaway for London books here

Review: The Vampire Relationship Guide Vol 2 by Evelyn LaFont

The Vampire Relationship Guide Volume 2: Secrets and Trust by Evelyn LaFont
Published: 31st August 2011
Buy: Amazon UK/Amazon US


Goodreads description:


Josie’s come a long way from being an average human chick who just wants to sex-up a vampire. She’s dated, mated, and killed one of the world’s richest vamps and is currently seeing a mysterious, blood-slurping hottie named Walker.

Now, Josie must adjust to the realities of a steady relationship with a vampire, which isn’t all exciting parties, hot sex and moonlit walks. And with a vamp who’s anxious to push their relationship to the next phase as mortality bears down on his human’s fragile body, the pressure for Josie to commit is on.

Can their night-day romance survive leaving Josie’s character and individuality intact, or will the secrets of the supernatural community crush her spirit and her chance at a permanent vampire mate?


My thoughts:


Josie's back with her trademark naive vampire knowledge and sarcastic commentary. I adored the first n in this series and couldn't wait to get my hands on the 2nd. This novella sees Josie and Walker heading to Texas to visit Walker's home, but of course nothing can be that straight forward.


The characters were as funny as always, it was hilarious to hear more about Walker and his dysfunctional afterlife and to read about how Josie adapted to his lifestyle. There were a couple of new characters and a couple of twists I didn't expect which I enjoyed. I love the mythology of this series, LaFont has taken traditional vampire (and were...ooooh) lore and twisted it into something that is new and interesting and given it a scientific explanation which I really like. 


The writing was full of satire and adult humour and completely and utterly engrossing. I love LaFont's writing, it never fails to make me laugh and the voice she's given to Josie is so entertaining and believable.


The only thing that sorta let this story down for me was the plot; I felt it suffered slightly from 2nd book syndrome and whilst I enjoyed it and there were things introduced that are clearly going to have more of an impact I couldn't help but feel slightly dissatisfied at the end. 


Despite that though this novella series is something I would happily and over-enthusiastically recommend to anyone who loves paranormal adult fiction (and anyone who doesn't, because it's just SO satirical).  It's fresh and funny and ridiculously well written, it's the perfect read for when you're having a bit of a bad day. 


4/5


Read the first chapter of The Vampire Relationship Guide Volume One here
Read the first chapter of The Vampire Relationship Guide Volume Two here

Review: Halfway to the Grave

Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress #1) by Jeaniene Frost
Published: November 2007
Publisher: Avon
Star rating: 5/5


Goodreads Description:

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

My thoughts:

I love YA. I do. It’s fun and entertaining and occasionally educational and heartbreaking. But there’s something so thrilling about reading an adult novel after weeks of pure YA.  God knows why I waited so long to read Halfway to the Grave, I genuinely don’t know why. I think part of it is that I sorta went off reading adult lit, and part of it was the mistrust of anything not written by a favourite author that I held for many years (and I’m still getting over).

Anyway, I eventually got round to reading this book because I took it out of the library (I’m trying to embrace my library, instead of slagging it off all the time) and can I just say…wow. I loved it, really really loved it. It’s the first book in a while that’s had me NEEDING the sequel. If I hadn’t already had it reserved from the library I would have downloaded it for my kindle that very instant.

I loved Cat, the life she’d chosen was really admirable and also sad. It was awful to see the effect her mother’s prejudice and hatred had upon her. I really liked it when she slowly managed to shed that prejudice, though it took a long time. But I thought she was spunky and determined (if a little prudish) and I was wholeheartedly on her side.

Bones….sigh. What can we say about Bones other than I wish I had him? Yeah, he is pretty Spike like, with the hair and the Englishness and the mannerisms and yeah some people have noted that as a criticism…all I can say is WHY? Spike is FIT and actually, I think Bones is well better. I love him, I actually love him. I love how he tricked Cat, I loved the scene with them in the club and I loved how caring he actually is despite his tough 'I’m a master vampire bounty hunter appearance'. His dialogue with Cat was hilarious, especially the scene in the truck.  Some scenes between them genuinely gave me the chills, I thought the love-hate chemistry was really well written.

Cat’s mum I actually hated. I wanted to kill her. I wish someone had killed her. She’s a whiny, evil cow. I don’t really care what happened to her, frankly I had no sympathy. I know that sounds terrible, but condemning a whole race as a result of the actions of one person IS racism and I just really disliked her. And her parents.

I thought the plot was fantastic, well paced, well thought out (heartbreaking at the end) and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I loved the slight adaptations to vampire lore, and I loved the partnership between Bones and Cat, and how it developed, I thought it was really realistic. There was definitely a slight mystery element to this and I really love that in a book, I love it when I'm kept guessing to the end, waiting for the resolution. Speaking of the end, can you say heartbreaking? I think I was like, screaming at the pages. I liked the offer Cat was given though, there was definitely no other way out of that mess. But OMG. The decision she made? 

This series is now definitely one of my favourites, and I give this book an easy 5/5. I would recommend it to fans of the sookie Stackhouse series, the Riley Jenson series, and generally anyone looking for a great paranormal adult read.