Shadowfever (Fever)

Please bear in mind that Shadowfever is the fifth (and currently the last although I know Karen Marie Moning plans to come back to this world after writing the spin off trilogy about Dani) book in the Fever series. I have really enjoyed all of these books and would highly recommend them but you need to read the books in order starting with Darkfever, if you're not up to date with the series then you should stop reading this review now in case of spoilers. Mac's story continues immediately after events in Dreamfever but I don't really want to go into details about the plot because I'd hate to spoil it for anyone. I will say it is packed with action, full of shocking twists and turns and will answer nearly all of the questions that we've had throughout the series. We finally find out what Barrons is and what he needs the book for, Mac finds out who was behind her sister's murder and the truth about her family and we discover how the Sinsar Dubh managed to escape from the Sidhe Seers in the first place. There really is so much going on that although this is a long book (671 pages in my paperback version) I still whizzed through it and didn't want to put it down for a second. It's been a while since I discovered a series where each of the books are so consistently good and I thought Shadowfever was a fantastic ending to Mac's journey. I loved the way she has changed so much throughout the series, everything she has been through in such a short period of time has impacted dramatically on her and the changes continued in this book. Her grief makes her even harder than she was before, she will do whatever it takes to get her hands on the book so she can use it for her own agenda. It has been fun watching her go from a pink wearing, beach loving party girl to a fierce warrior in black leather and full of attitude. I'm pleased that she hasn't completely lost her inner girlie side though. I absolutely love the way things ended between Mac and Barrons, I have been a massive Barrons fan since the first book and their relationship has been an intense (if sometimes frustrating) ride! As much as I'm looking forward to the spin off series about Dani I am really pleased that the author is planning on writing more books about Mac & Barrons in the future. I'm not ready to say goodbye to the couple yet so as much as their story has reached a satisfying conclusion for now I just want more! Karen Marie Moning has definitely been added to my list of auto-buy authors, I can't wait to read Iced but I'm also very pleased to have her Highlander books to work my way through in the meantime. I've already ordered a copy of Beyond the Highland Mist!

Absolutely loved the Fever Series, and Shadowfever was without a doubt the best of the five. I was hooked from book one. I loved Mac, I liked seeing her grow as a character from a somewhat spoilt young girl in book one, to that of a driven young woman by book five. The relationship between Mac and Barrons was addictive, frustrating and all consuming at the same time! I couldn't get enough. Barrons, the mystery behind the man/beast... Not all of our questions were answered and to be honest I don't ever want them to be! I like the mystery and the intrigue and as a reader, by book five, like Mac I found I no longer needed all the answers. I am excited to see Mac and Barrons return in Burned, and I would never say no to finding out a bit more! The plot throughout all five books of the Fever Series is so complex and detailed that even on the third reading I was still discovering things I had missed first time round. Some may find that frustrating but the fact that I have gone back to this series a few times tells me that this is something special. I cannot wait to see some of the other characters explored further in the next three books. I have waited for ages for Iced to be released on Kindle but have given in and ordered the paperback now it is released. I really cannot say in words how great this series is. It far exceeded my expectations, reading all five books back to back, I was well and truly hooked. I have read a few things since, and nothing can quite compare to this; I am a Fever Series addict and KMM has set the bar extremely high.

Shadowfever is the fifth book in the Fever series, and urban fantasy series set in Dublin revolving around Fae. It's also the end of the first part of the series and as such this feels like such an achievement. I've always enjoyed these books but I've never rated any higher than three stars. Now that I've read something of a conclusion I know exactly why. The pacing of these books is very messy. Don't get me wrong this book was great, probably my favourite so far. It had twist and turns, reveals upon reveal, and the steamy scenes we've all been waiting for. But this book was 600 pages, much longer than the others and I think some revels could have been spaced out a little. When you look at the series as a whole (so far) this is your reward as a reader for sticking with these characters and this world. I don't mind waiting for a payoff like this, it was worth it, but it makes it difficult to recommend the series knowing that it's a bit of a slow burn. I would also like to say that while I love seeing other POVs I much prefer it being announced in a chapter heading because sometimes I got a little confused. While this review feels a little negative I do want to stress that I really enjoy this series and think that it's been a lot of fun. I've been rereading the previous books in anticipation to this one so I could see myself rereading again in the future. I will also be continuing with the series although I'm a little concerned about the change of perspective in the next book because I do find that particular character's voice a little annoying. But I am hoping for the best. I am tentatively giving this a 3.75 (rounded up to a 4) because I do think that overall this is a better book than the others and I am impressed that Moning pulled it off given how many players there were in this game.

I've just found this author and read the first 5 books of this series in a week - and I have loved them all. This final book I like both most and least of all for different reasons. I hated it at the beginning because of who was dead - it slayed me. I couldn't put the book down til I found out the truth in this and I had a very hard job staying off book review websites to reassure myself everything would be okay. So the emotional rollercoaster is there. Then the ending and the HEA conclusion I hope for delivered, and made me very happy. Despite the 5 stars, it's not perfect (but then what is?). Things I didn't like included the vast amount of internal dialogue and all that meadering in the silvers which was a little tedious, though probably important to enable Mac to change in the way she needs to. And then the romantic ending and Barrons' back-plot conclusions felt rushed. If I was the woman in that romance I'd still see the guy as potentially about to disappear at any time and I'd at least have asked if he was going to stay with me. Maybe I needed the reassurance more than the character did! I half wonder whether there was a more dramatic, not quite so happy ending originally planned, and it got changed last minute. Either way, it shouldn't put you off and I'm nitpicking. The series is fantastic, the characters are so well drawn. I so wanted Barrons to break and the way Moning handled him was just right.

I was eagerly waiting for the final instalment in the Fever series..and it did not disappoint. Karen Moning's dark urban fantasy world is so gripping i stayed late into the night finishing the books and was like a zombie for days after. Amazing character development, especially the heroine, Mac, as she discovers who she is in the final book. We find out about Barrons (finally!) and what motivated him to seek the Sinsar Duh. I won't give away any spoilers, but the ending met my expectations and resolved remaining issues. What a story! I feel in love with Moning's world, Dublin, the page-turning suspense and mystery and the great life lessons that Mac learns as she makes one mistake after the other. I wanted to throttle her and hug her at the same time, she was so real, so like normal people with their short-sightness, their insecurities, their suspicious side, that she had me on the edge from page one of the series, till the end of Shadowfever. Another amazing series goes to my all time favorites alongside Mead, Ward, Kenyon, Cole, Viehl and Singh, that I will read again and again.

I kinda ploughed my way through this book. I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy it but I found myself bored about half way through and only persevered through my love of Barrons and MacKayla! This series started well...promised a great story line and then kind of meandered through it all. Nothing much happened...something happened..nothing happened, something happened...I have to admit though that something kept me reading. The whole Unseelie King story annoyed me and I didn’t like it. I don’t know if this if the end of MacKayla and Barrons but it’s as far as I’m prepared to go. Could have been 3 books instead of 5 with some serious editing and a lot less of MacKayla’s inner monologue!! Not a book to re-read but would make a cool movie!

I've been counting the days until this was released. The cliff hanger at the end of the previous book kept me awake at nights. So much so that I couldn't wait for the paperback and for the first time in ages bought the hardback. I don't think I've ever felt like that about a book before, and I've read a LOT of books in my time! It's good. Very good. The most important plot lines are tied up, but there are enough left trailing to give me hope that another series of books is in the pipeline. If you haven't read the first in this series, you must give it a go. This is an epic tale that will stay with you. And the best thing about it is that Moning has remained true to her characters right to the end. The description of Mac's grief was the most powerful thing that I've read in a long time, and the way the Barrons communicates his feelings to her was absolutely in keeping. You won't get cliches here. I love it.

This is a great series of books which I found hard to put down. I've read the first five and will review them collectively. The synopsis can be found elsewhere, but I really liked Mac (the female protagonist) and I thought the grief she experienced over losing her sister was complex and well executed. Her relationship with the men in her life was intriguing and all of the characters were written with both light and dark characteristics. The author sometimes wrote the POV in both past and present tense which I found a little odd, but the story line was so compelling that it wasn't a distraction. My only other niggle is that there were quite a few Americanisms (and I don't mean Dani O'Malley who was trying to emulate Mac) for example here in the UK we don't use the term 'candy bar' or celebrate Halloween in quite the same way as Americans do which indicates a lack of research by the author. However, I admit to being super fussy, so a four (and a half) star rating is praise indeed. Definitely worth a read!