Iced: Library Edition (Fever, #6)

by Karen Marie Moning

Phil Gigante (Narrator) and Natalie Ross (Narrator)

#1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning picks up where Shadowfever leaves off with Iced, the sixth book in her blockbuster Fever series.

The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

Look for all of Karen Marie Moning’s sensational Fever novels:
DARKFEVER | BLOODFEVER | FAEFEVER | DREAMFEVER | SHADOWFEVER | ICED | BURNED | FEVERBORN | FEVERSONG

Praise for Iced

“Moning returns to the heady world of her Fever series, and the results are addictive and consistently surprising. . . . The best elements of Moning’s sensual, shadowy epic are still here, from the sensual and enigmatic Fae to the super-alpha heroes and the breathless pace of their escalating conflicts. At its heart is a heroine whose development is likely to become the stuff of legends as this unforgettable, haunting series continues to evolve.”—RT Book Reviews

“This is one of my favorite 2012 reads . . . It’s engaging, hilarious, amazing and Dani is going to be one heck of a woman.”—USA Today

“A gripping story that combines excellent storytelling with believable characters that are rendered both superhuman and superbly human, with emotional fragility and psychological vulnerability in an unstable world fraught with danger . . . Fast-paced, with nonstop action set in a fascinating urban fantasy world of Dublin under siege, this is a smart, bold and textured success.”─Kirkus Reviews

“Moning is a master storyteller. I don’t know how she does it, but she begs me to get on my knees and pay worship to the woman who has brought me the best, most labyrinthine stories and characters I’ve ever had the privilege to get to know. She weaves brilliantly, unapologetically, and without exception, and she has threaded the needle into me and I’ve been pulled, over and over, into her tapestry, and I don’t think I’m ever getting out. Iced is no exception.”—The Bawdy Book Blog (five-starred review)

• ISBN10: 1455817724
• ISBN13: 9781455817726
• Publish Date: 30 October 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Imprint: Brilliance Audio
• Edition: Unabridged
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 14 hours and 47 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

Mini review: I can't believe I made it through this. The narrator's accent for Dani (the main character) was so cringe worthy, I had to stop listening several times. It nearly made it unbearable. I'm so glad to see that she was replaced a couple of books from now. This series swaps narrators several times, which is "feckin" annoying, as Dani would say, and it's like each one is worse than the next. Definitely pick up the paperback for this one. Although, the dual narration was cool.

I was also unsettled by the fact that Dani a 14-year-old is being sexualized and fought over (in other words "groomed") by adult men. I kept hoping that KMM would attempt to explain this somehow or even address it, but nope... The ick factor never goes away. KMM should stick to writing of-age characters.

[stacey_is_sassy]

Another stepping stone...

**3.5 stars**

Iced was hard work. I have read the Fever series this week, the first five were re-reads and this one for the first time. Lots of controversy surrounding the age of Dani and the lack of Mac and Barrons.

I had conflicting feelings for the main characters in this story. I learnt to like Dani more and almost despise Ryodan. Dani is just a kid with an over-inflated ego who has been treated pretty badly. Ryodan's actions and attitude were icky and his obsession with Dani weird. I didn't feel like he was the Hero in this story.

Some new characters were introduced and some old characters had some adjustments. Loved Dancer's character and hope we get to see him more. Poor Christian and Jo's changes were not good ones IMO, but at least Christian tried to stay true to himself.

Moving onto Burned...this has been one epic week.

[Berls]

For more reviews, see: Fantasy is More Fun

As a continuation of the Fever series, the first book in the Dani O'Malley trilogy was a bit disappointing. I think this may simply be because I read it directly after finishing Shadowfever, easily one of the most intense books I've ever read; Iced had big shoes to fill and it just couldn't. And I mean it when I say COULDN'T, because I don't see how Moning could have made as exciting and intense of a novel with a 14-year-old protagonist. I enjoy young adult literature, but this was not young adult. It was a young adult in a very adult setting. She didn't have the environment and challenges you need to make a young adult book really good and she didn't have the maturity to make the adult environment and challenges she did face truly great either.

I say all this adoring Dani as a character and really wanting to love the book. The banter that I loved from Mac and Barrons is replaced by some creepy fascination that adult men have for a 14 year old girl - When they seem fatherly it's great (and an angle I think she should have exploited more) but when it drifts into sexual fantasy it's just creepy (though perhaps that's the idea - maybe we're seeing a character descend and that's just one aspect of it). And while Dani's POV was a welcome addition to the Fever books, the transitions to Christian and Kat felt jilting; they didn't really add to the story in an enjoyable way for me.

I didn't love it, but I did enjoy it. This book has the thrilling mystery that I've come to expect from Moning. I loved seeing what makes Dani tick and I'm excited for the next one. I also look forward to seeing more of Mac and Barrons (even if from Dani's point of view) something the next books in the series promise to include. And once Dani grows up a bit, which I hear she will do in the next book, I think it will be much better. Overall a bit disappointing, but still enjoyable and worth reading if you're committed to the Fever series like I am.

[Hixxup]

I must say this wasn't my favorite of any of KMMs books. I didn't like how it bounced from character to character without really saying who was speaking. I must also say what is the deal with Ryodan and Jo, so not liking that match up, maybe it's because I have this grotesque thought and feeling the one he is meant for is Dani, gross right since she's like a baby still. But still that's the notion I get and well I'm sticking to it. Now what is up with Christian's hard on (pun intended) over Dani??? Furthermore while I feel that this isn't one of KMMs books, I'm highly anticipating reading the next book in the trilogy.

[Angie]

Proceed With Caution:

This book contains violence, gore, death, and grown men lusting after a fourteen-year-old.

The Basics:

Iced is the sixth book of the Fever series, but the first book in a new trilogy starring Dani Mega O'Malley. She's a deadly fourteen-year-old with superhuman abilities and she's been recruited to help Ryodan figure out what's freezing his club patrons.

My Thoughts:

The first thing I noticed about Iced is that we've got a severely toned down version of Dani, which is a good thing. If you compare her chapters from the previous Fever books to this one, there's a stark difference, i.e. this one is easier to read. Dani is still her hyperactive, hormone raging self, but her language has been cleaned up making for a smoother reading experience.

I am still disturbed by Ryodan and Christian lusting after Dani. Ryodan is who-the-heck-knows years old, has lived countless centuries and millennia and has no business having dirty thoughts about a teenage girl. Sure, he's not a human man and has different morals and whatnot, but still. No. As for Christian, at least he knows his lust is wrong. He's a hot twenty-something dude who's turning into a death-by-sex Fae, and Dani is female, of course something is going to be stirring there. I still don't have to like it.

Iced is my last reread, and I also remembered nothing from it, so it's kind of like reading it for the first time again. It does pick up immediately after the big ending of Shadowfever, but like I said in that review, there's still work to be done. Dublin, and the rest of the world, is in ruins. Fae are still running amok, but now there's a new threat. Something is encasing everything in ice. Who is it? Why are they doing? Can it be stopped? Why is Ryodan so concerned about it (a point that bothered me to no end)?

Iced is a fun read, but it felt more like a standalone spin-off rather than a continuation or even the start of a new series. The plot is resolved and there no larger picture story going on unless you count Dani's preoccupation with avoiding Mac because she's afraid she'll kill her. Which unfortunately makes no sense and is just annoying because if you read Shadowfever (you better have!), we already know that Mac doesn't blame Dani. This better get resolved quickly, because it makes no sense and is forced for the sake of drama.

[Cocktails and Books]

I love the Fever world, so I'll admit, I wasn't sure where the storyline would go with Dani as the main character for the next three books. I wasn't a huge Dani fan in Mac's books, so I wasn't sure I was going to want to read about the goings on in Dublin from Dani's perspective. I'm glad I got over myself .

WARNING: If you haven't read any of the first 5 books in the Fever series, definitely DO NOT pick up ICED and think you'll be able to follow along. As one of the many who follows the series, I was a bit lost with all the acronyms and references to the previous books that get thrown out as ICED moves along.

One year after the wall between Fairy and our world comes down, Dani O'Malley roams the streets of Dublin trying to protect humans and make them more aware of the Fae that are roaming around waiting for a tasty snack. Dani still keeps in contact with her Sidhe-Seerer friends at the Abbey, but she generally out hunting on her own, hanging with her friend Dancer, helping Inspector James with the Fae he's captured or trying to avoid Mac (who she's convinced is trying to kill her). But when Ryodan, club owner, friend of Barrons and all around mysterious man, "encourages" Dani to figure out what froze when of the levels of his club, Dani will use every human, Unseelie Prince and Ryodan tool at her disposal to try and stop Dublin from freezing over.

It's hard to believe that Dani is only fourteen years old, considering what she's out doing on a nightly basis. However, there are many times when her age is very apparent. I spent a lot of time flip flopping between being irritated with her and her ADD to feeling bad that she has lost her youth to fighting Fae. Dani causes a lot of her problems, mostly because she is extremely impulsive. She rarely stops to think what her actions might cause and then drowns in grief when things don't exactly work out the way they should.

In a lot of ways, she reminds me of Mac when we first met her. But she also has been hardened by all the Fae 'crap' she's had to deal with her in fourteen years. Mac didn't know about any of this until she came looking for answers to Alina's death. Dani has been shoved into the face of this and made to do bad things because of the Fae. While she wants to do what's right, she has a hard time accepting what she's done for others or what they've done to her in an attempt to gain power.

So in the middle of Dani trying to figure out just where her place is in the world, she gets stuck between Ryodan and Christian Mackelter in their attempts to control/protect her. Ryodan, one of the nine, who like Barrons, cannot be killed, wants Dani with him. He's overly protective of her and seems to know something about Dani that she (and us) don't. If you thought Barrons was a complete ass most of the time, he is exceptionally nice compared to Ryodan. It's hard to figure out just why Ryodan has an interest in Dani, but he's not willing to let anyone else get close to her. While you REALLY want to hate Ryodan, especially with some of the things he says and does to Dani, you get the feeling that deep down there is a connection between the two of them that they are both fighting. What that connection is, I don't know (and KMM has said he's not her father), but it's something that pulls the two of them together even if they vow that can't stand each other.

On the other side is Christian. Christian is going through a transformation, from the highlander who helped keep the walls between Fae and our world up, to an Unseelie Prince. Something happened to Christian when he was stuck in the mirrors and he spends most of ICED transforming into a full fledge Unseele Prince. But that transformation doesn't stop him from fixating on Dani. He doesn't see Dani as a fourteen year old girl, but rather a maturing version of the woman he loves and vows to have. While he may do horrible things to other human woman, he swears he would never hurt Dani. And many times, he manages to get to Dani in time to save her from whatever disaster she's found herself in. To me, it was hard to hate Christian. Sure he's an Unseelie Prince who's in our world to cause all sorts of trouble, but we get those glimpses to the human side of Christian, which makes me hope there is some way to salvage him in the end.

A lot happens in this story and you really need to make sure you're paying attention to ensure you don't miss anything. If Dani trying to figure out what the Hoar Frost King (HFK) and Crimson Hag are out to do next isn't enough, we have Cruce messing around with poor Kat and the Sidhe-Seers at the Abbey. I know eventually everything will tie together, but it's a lot to try and process. I recommend reading this one slowly and take everything in. Days later, that's when all your questions will emerge and you realize you have to wait another year to get the answers.

[Linda]

Frantic - check
Exciting - check
Strong Dani - check
Scary fairies - check
A cliffhanger I can live with - check

This and other reviews can also be found on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

Full review to come when I caught my breath again.