Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever (Fever, #1)

by Karen Marie Moning

MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks . . . until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone—Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle 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, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane—an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: 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 of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands. . . .

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

Reviewed by inlibrisveritas on

4 of 5 stars

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I’m not sure what I was expecting when I picked up this book from the library, I think I was looking forward to something more serious because of the size. I figured it be a heavier fantasy read that would take me more then two weeks to read. Instead what I got was something reminiscent of the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. I’m probably making that seem like a bad thing, and I assure you it’s not, I just wasn’t expecting it.

The writing has the same feel to it that Harris’ does; the way the narrator is the main character explaining what happened, the similar voice that Sookie and Mac both share, and the similar features of the story. I’m not saying that they match up exactly but it’s close enough that anyone who’s read the SS novels is bound to notice. MacKayla or simply Mac, is a southern girl who has a lot in common with Barbie it seems but thankfully she’s also rather well rounded, and her character develops nicely as the story progresses. The other main character Jericho Barrons is the typical main counterpart of these types of stories. He’s dark, mysterious and dangerous enough to make him sexy and appealing. I can say honestly I have no clue whither I like him or not, that will probably be decided in the next book, but he does interest me a lot. I do hate Fiona though even though she’s not a huge player in this book, she irks me.

The plot is fairly similar other Fae related ones, and I suppose that can’t be helped because of the amount of Fae lore out there. However I do like the way the plot was introduced and I really like the way it’s heading so I know already I’m going to read more of the series when i get the chance. Maybe even buy the books instead of borrowing them from the library. The Unseelie that Mac describes sound absolutely horrible and Moning really put some detail into how the sects of the main group unfold, so I can’t wait to see more of them and Seelie (because they are not in this book). I also like the Null and objects of power idea that basically fuels this whole book, it’s a concept I haven’t seen before. Dublin as a setting is at first a fairly pleasing place and the description is nearly inviting but the more you read the more it becomes gritty and dirty, and by the end I had a picture of this grime covered place that only poses as a inviting city. I love when authors are capable of doing things like that, it really shows how much power a person can hold with words.

Overall I found this to be one of those books that I just wanted to devour right away once I actually started reading it. I read majority of it in a matter of two days with exception of the prologue and the first chapter. I do recommend this to paranormal fans, and of course to the Sookie Stackhouse fans.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 10 August, 2011: Finished reading
  • 10 August, 2011: Reviewed