Tori's Review: Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Hardcover - 608 pages
Price: $26.00
ISBN 13: 978-0385341677 
Released: January 18, 2011

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Obtained: Bought 
Genre: Urban Fantasy 
Series: Fever Series 
1. Darkfever (book review)
2. Bloodfever (book review)
3. Faefever (book review)
4. Dreamfever (book review)
5. Shadowfever  

“Evil is a completely different creature, Mac. Evil is bad that believes it’s good.”

MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina, were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever.

Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister’s murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals who have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh—a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King, containing the power to create and destroy worlds.

In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.

Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac herself and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?

From the luxury of the Lord Master’s penthouse to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac’s journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and to make a choice that will either save the world . . . or destroy it.

My Rating:

My Opinion:
Well, the fever series has finally come to its conclusion (or has it?) with the release of SHADOWFEVER. I have heard plenty of mixed opinions about this book: some have loved it, some hated it, and some, like me, feel ambivalent. Regardless, certain questions will be answered. By the end of this book, you will understand what Barrons is. You will also discover who Alina's murderer is.

Aside from those answers, and a few other reveals, I was left scratching my head. Even now, while I have a general understanding of Mac, I'm still somewhat confused about what she is supposed to be. Likewise, I would have appreciated more of an explanation regarding the Sidhe Seers and their origins. That one particular part was briefly mentioned, and then it was forgotten. Both instances left me feeling disappointed and ripped off. Instead of all the thinking Mac does, perhaps more focus could have been spent on the important questions that needed to be answered in more detail.

The first chapter almost reduced me to tears. Then, after more understandable anguish, Mac enters a phase, transforming into this new character that I did not care for. I understand her motives, but I felt this part of the story dragged on for too long. She gets angsty, then bottles everything up, and when she soon discovers she had no reason to be angsty, she reverts to her old, ignorant self. After all the declarations she made, I felt frustrated (like a number of other readers) about her regression. I would have much preferred seeing something change at this point, instead of having to have a certain someone practically slap her upside the head to wake up.

As for the climax of this story, I felt the two showdowns were way too anticlimactic--especially when we had four books which painstakingly lead up to this point. I remember, as I finally finished reading both scenes, asking myself "that's it?" It would seem that Moning is not a fan of gritty fights or sex scenes, which ultimately lessened my enjoyment of this book since I believe both would have truly enhanced the storyline.

Despite all my criticisms, I couldn't put this book down whenever I picked it up. That alone should reveal just how intriguing this storyline actually was. If I could tolerate all those thoughts Mac had, and still managed to enjoy the series overall, then I believe anyone can.

The characters and their journeys through this book and series was one of the most interesting elements. I loved how much growth, and yes, regression, there was within these pages. I loved how they felt so lifelike as I kept turning pages. At some points, I swear I could hear them speaking and arguing in my head, they felt that real.

The imagery is also a strong point, and something that I appreciated. I felt like I was in Ireland while I was reading this, and it's so nice to experience another country--even if it's something as simple as its weather and geographical elements. The fae realms that interfered with the human world were so vividly described, it felt like Moning painted the picture on the inside of my eyelids.


Final consensus about SHADOWFEVER: it's not my favorite book out of this series, but I was happy about Mac and Barrons. Some elements could have been focused on and explored further, but overall, the book's got a satisfying ending I think many will enjoy--especially if readers are dying for some semblance of a HEA. I know that, after immediately closing this book once and for all, I smiled because of the ending (before I started thinking about it critically).


Final consensus about the Fever series, and should YOU read it?: it's a mind fuck, plain and simple, albeit an enjoyable one.

There were a lot of philosophical ruminations that got me thinking, and for that, I am grateful. It's always nice when a fictional book gets a person thinking, while also entertaining them. In this way, I think the Fever series does something no academic book can do, because it appeals to the "average" reader.

There were just as many instances, however, where I wanted to yell because something frustrated me. This entire journey was mentally exhausting, but overall, I feel it was well worth it. Despite the ending of SHADOWFEVER, everyone should read this series at some point or other. There's plenty of humor and excellent writing within that more than makes up for the weaknesses in this series.