Review brought to you by OBS staff member Heidi
This is the fifth and supposedly last installment of the fever series by Karen Marie Moning. The series follows Mackayla (Mac) Lane that has come to Dublin to find her sister’s killer. While searching for answers she discovers that she is a sidhe-seer, a person that can see the fae for what they really are despite the glamor they put forth.
This installment of the series picks up where Dreamfever left off. She is on a cliff somewhere in the silvers, where she just stabbed the beast that had been protecting her, so that Ryodan could take her back to Dublin. Ryodan has fallen off the cliff, to his death, and the beast has transformed into a human. It breaks her heart to see that she has killed her one true protector—Jericho Barrons.
After mourning over him and after she’s convinced he is truly dead she devises a plan to bring him back. She must find the evil book everyone has been hunting, the Sinsar Dubh. With it, she can build her own world and make it to where Jericho’s death never happened—he could be resurrected!
But before she can get the evil book, she must discover how to control it. She decides to take up with the enemy, Darroc, the one person she suspects of killing her sister. When she feels she has earned his trust and is getting close to what she wants, the unexpected happens. He is killed by the Sinsar Dubh itself. Then she is dragged back to the one place she doesn’t want to be. Barrons’ bookstore, by a huge beast, for reasons unknown to her.
She discovers that the beast is Barrons and that death for him is nothing more than a nap. He will always come back and he does again and again. Something she is thankful for, now that she’s realized that he is the one thing that she can’t live without.
The entire time that she has known Barrons, she has been focused on discovering what he is and now recent events are forcing her to wonder what she is instead. Could she be something worse them him? Could she be the worst thing walking on the streets of Dublin??
Barrons is the only thing keeping his men from killing her but they make it clear to her that if given the chance, they will take her out. Then there is the fae prince, V’lane, still vying for her affections but does he have an ulterior motive?
To save this world and all of her loved ones, Mac must find out how to control the evil book and put it back in the prison it escaped from. But there are three prophecies that tell how it must be done, and she must decide which is right and who she can trust. Mac finds a tarot card that might have all the answers she needs if she can only decipher what it means. How will she ever know what the right choices are in all of this? She must discern what she is and who the Unseelie King is before it’s too late. She is also still looking for the answer to the question that brought her to Dublin to start with, who her sister’s killer is!
What can I say about his book but WOW? This book was absolutely amazing and is by far the prime jewel of the series! Before I even opened it, it was enchanting me. The hardcover edition is beautiful and the pictures of it, just doesn’t do it justice! The cover of the book has Mac printed on it with wing tattoos on her back and then the book jacket has a clear band where you can see the wings through it—gorgeous!! Then we get into the story itself. Don’t be discouraged by the size of this book. I often wonder when starting a large book, how much down time there will be building up to the climax. That is not something you need to worry about with this book. There were a few confusing parts at the beginning that I had to take my time on and absorb what was happening but after that the book flew. From the moment that Mac takes up with Darroc, there is never a dull moment! There are so many twists and turns and it keeps you wondering what will happen next and what the outcome will be. The commentary of the characters is hilarious at times. I found myself thinking of things they said when I wasn’t even reading the book. This book is chock full of suspense, action, mystery, intrigue, sex and even some romance thrown in for good measure. Karen Marie Moning has really upped her game with this gem and I never wanted to put it down….and still don’t even though I’ve finished it!! I just can not rave about it enough!! This is the most exciting book I’ve ever read. If I hadn’t read this whole series, this book would have made me want to!!
There are rumors that she is creating a spin-off series of this and I personally can’t wait to read it!
