fantasy book reviews science fiction book reviewsKaren Moning FaefeverFaefever by Karen Marie Moning

I’d die for him.

Throughout the Fever series, Karen Marie Moning has always had a penchant for telling us something dramatic and then backing up to explain how Mac got to that point. In Faefever, she takes that technique to a new level: the whole book is the explanation of how she reached that bombshell of a first sentence. Who is this man, and why is Mac willing to die for him?

The early chapters of Faefever are not quite as compelling as those of the first two books. They feel less focused. I think it’s symptomatic of Mac’s own confusion — she doesn’t know whom to trust or what the right course of action really is — but she seems more wishy-washy than she has in previous books. She wants to move out from under Barrons’s thumb, which I can get behind, but all too often that seems to mean getting under V’lane’s thumb instead. I can’t understand some of her decisions in this book.

On the upside, we get a larger glimpse of the history/mythology of the Fae and how the Sinsar Dubh fits in. It’s a tragic, haunting history and I suspect there’s even more to it than we’ve been told. Another excellent scene features Mac rigging up an invention to protect herself from the Shades. It’s ingenious… and hilarious. I cracked up, loudly, the whole time I was reading this scene, and I don’t think I can ever listen to “Bad Moon Rising” with a straight face again.

This moment of comic relief is sorely needed, too, as Faefever is the grimmest of the books so far. Moning builds up to two terrifying scenes. The first of the two scenes would be an “oh, holy crap” ending all by itself. Unlike the twist in Bloodfever, I saw this scene coming — I was able to guess what was being planned — but it was still chilling. The second scene is more personal to Mac, and just as scary in a completely different way. Moning strikes a difficult balance here, making an act sound erotic on the surface but horrific at its core. It’s a difficult scene to read, precisely because she wrote it far too well.

Once again, I’m very glad I started this series after all five books had been released. Moning’s love of cliffhangers would drive me crazy otherwise! She has an author’s note at the end of this one, reminding us that she has promised a story about light rather than darkness, but at the end of Faefever, both Dublin and Mac (and quite possibly the human race) are in pretty bad straits.

~Kelly Lasiter


Karen Moning FaefeverI’ve already apologized for misjudging Karen Marie Moning’s FEVER books; but I feel the need to do it again because I still keep expecting this series to jump the shark, and it refuses to even put on the skis!

Mac continues to develop, becoming stronger, more mature, and more admirable as she deals with tough situations, yet still retaining the pink debutante personality that made her so endearing at the start of Darkfever.

In Faefever, we learn more about the Seelie and Unseelie courts, Rowena and the other sidhe-seers in Dublin, and the Scotsman Christian MacKeltar (who has some special powers of his own). We can start to develop theories about how all of these characters fit into this world, but so farfantasy book reviews science fiction book reviews Moning is keeping us guessing and we’re not really sure who Mac can trust.

This kind of anxiety (along with a lot of sexual tension) makes the pages turn fast — all the way to the dramatic ending. The last line of the book made me gasp out loud and break out in goosebumps. I was listening to Faefever on audio (Brilliance Audio) and I think Joyce Bean’s narration made it even more chilling. The final scene was so disturbing that Ms. Moning felt the need to leave her readers a mollifying note at the end of the text. By the time you get there, you’ll definitely want to make sure you’re armed with lots of flashlights, extra batteries, and the next book in the Fever series: Dreamfever.

~Kat Hooper

Authors

  • Kelly Lasiter

    KELLY LASITER, with us since July 2008, is a mild-mannered academic administrative assistant by day, but at night she rules over a private empire of tottering bookshelves. Kelly is most fond of fantasy set in a historical setting (a la Jo Graham) or in a setting that echoes a real historical period (a la George RR Martin and Jacqueline Carey). She also enjoys urban fantasy and its close cousin, paranormal romance, though she believes these subgenres’ recent burst in popularity has resulted in an excess of dreck. She is a sucker for pretty prose (she majored in English, after all) and mythological themes.

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  • Kat Hooper

    KAT HOOPER, who started this site in June 2007, earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience and psychology at Indiana University (Bloomington) and now teaches and conducts brain research at the University of North Florida. When she reads fiction, she wants to encounter new ideas and lots of imagination. She wants to view the world in a different way. She wants to have her mind blown. She loves beautiful language and has no patience for dull prose, vapid romance, or cheesy dialogue. She prefers complex characterization, intriguing plots, and plenty of action. Favorite authors are Jack Vance, Robin Hobb, Kage Baker, William Gibson, Gene Wolfe, Richard Matheson, and C.S. Lewis.

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