Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1)

This story was very good, but it takes a moment to adjust to Mac's curse word language and the fae words that are thrown about in this book. Once I got past that, I was hooked. I really, really enjoyed it. V'lane, Barrons, Mac, the dark fae all of them were so interesting.

I enjoyed seeing Mac come into her own, learn how to fight, grow up a bit from the prissy, southern rainbow mac that we are orginally introduced to. The story ended on such a cliffhanger that I immediately started Bloodfever and read 216 pages the very same day.

Darkfever is a tantalizing introduction to a seamy underworld centered in Dublin, Ireland. Mackayla Lane, a 22-year old Southern Belle, goes to Dublin to try to find answers about Alina's (her older sister) murder. She is sucked into the Fae world, just as Alina was. Mac seems to be somewhat more fortunate than Alina in that she has attracted two very powerful allies, V'Lane (a Seelie Prince) and Jericho Z. Barrons (a ???). Mac is shallow and blissfully ignorant, but she is quickly (and rudely) awakened to the danger the world is in.

Despite the author's beginnings as a romance novelist, this is NOT a romance. This is a gritty fantasy fiction with a bit of lust thrown in.

Darkfever is the first installment of the Fever saga. I have now read the first three, and I regret doing so before all five installments have been published. There is one storyline. It's a huge saga, of that there is no doubt. But, it is one story, despite being serialized. (Think of your favorite long book, then imagine it being chopped into five parts, each sold separately, a year or so apart. Yeah.)

I had written a similar caution in my review for Faefever, but realized that potential readers should be forewarned before even starting the series. As much as I am enjoying the series, I doubt it will end up being worth the nearly $100 I will have paid for it.

So, my recommendation to potential readers is to wait until all five books have been released, then borrow them from your local public library. At that point, decide for yourself if this saga is worth buying.

If you come into Darkfever expecting it to be a paranormal romance complete with happily ever after, in the same vein as Monings' Highlanders series, you'll understand why the ratings for Darkfever are so mixed. Darkefever is not a romance and other than sharing the world of Druids, Fae and Sidhe Seers, it is nothing like Highlander books. Instead Darkfever is the first installment of five in a paranormal urban fantasy series, and unlike the HEA of the other books Darkfever leaves us hanging not coming to a natural stopping place until the end of the second book Bloodfever.

In preparation for the upcoming release of Faefever, I just finished rereading both Darkfever and Bloodfever. Knowing what to expect this time my experience with Darkfever was quite different from when I read the book when it was first released. But story held up well to a second read. It is still every bit as interesting, even with my having a vague recollection of the key points.

Darkfever slowly introduces us to Moning's world along with the lead, and narrator Macayla Lane as she heads to Ireland to try to get closure and justice for her murdered sister. Notice that I didn't call Mac a heroine, that's because in this book there is not much heroic about her. She is a beautiful, self absorbed and shallow southern Barbie, often too-stupid-live, but lucky enough to survive mostly because fate brings her to the doorstep of Jericho Barrons.

Barrons is a dark, dangerous, powerful, enigmatic man and is exceedingly harsh, demanding and arrogant to Mac, but then again kindness would only get Mac killed. Barrons finds Mac's naivete irritating but intends to use her for her rare 'Sidhe Seer' skills - Mac is able to see through Fae glamour, sense magical objects and to freeze the Fae with a touch. These are important weapons because the Fae of the story aren't Tinkerbell, the dark ones are soul stealing nightmares and even the beautiful ones are cruel and dangerous. And the Fae are invading Mac's world in ever increasing numbers leaving pain and death in their wake. Some how tied into this incursion and Mac's sister's death, is a supremely evil and dangerous magical Fae book of spells, and Barrons intends to use Mac's newly discovered skills to find it and he's going to push Mac until she grows beyond the sheltered aimless life she lived before her sister's death until she decides to fight back and survive.

None of the characters in the story inspire warm fuzzies, not Mac, Barrons, the nameless Sidhe Seer who leaves Mac in potentialy deadly circustances multiple times, or V'lane the gorgeous death-by-sex Fae prince whose presence brings the only sex to the book - inspiring clothes-shedding mindless lust in Mac everytime he crosses her path. But it's okay that we aren't in love with them yet, because Mac and Barrons and their uneasy alliance will all morph into something different by the end of the book. And the process of getting there is worth being annoyed with them at times as the story unfolds. And really, the reason that they can frustrate us is that Mac and Barrons are such vital and well developed characters.

Even though I liked Darkfever the first time I read it, I enjoyed Darkfever even more this second time, especially since I kept on reading straight through Blood Fever and series only gets better and more interesting as Blood Fever picks up pretty much right where Darkfever leaves off. (Now only one more week until Faefever!)

When I started reading this book, I was waiting like everyone else for some smoldering romance. I still haven't seen it yet, but the adventures and description of the places and people are well done. Contrary to the other reviewers who hated Mac for being shallow, I thought it was kind of refreshing. Because all the heroines who always seem to be good looking and you never read about them putting on make-up or being concerned about their look really seem to get on my nerves. Granted, it is a novel, so the good looking guy is always ridiculously good looking (and I am happy about it), but since the books are mainly read by women, I personally can relate to the main character who is concerned about her nail polish color being an issue :)

Moning is renowned for her romances, but she should also be worshipped for her deftness in the paranormal genre.
I could not put this book down.
Makayla "Mac" Lane's whole world gets thrown in a new - and deadly - direction when the Dublin police telephone to inform her and her family that her sister has been found torn up and dead - murdered - in an alleyway. There are no leads and the case is being closed. Mac can not accept this fact and goes to Dublin against her parents wishes in search for her sister's killer to avenge her.
But now Mac is finding more evil than that which killed her sister, and a whole world she never knew existed. In fact, she's finding out things about herself she never even knew.

With a strong, sassy heroine, a smoldering, mysterious hero, and the fantastic plot and ideas of Mrs. Karen Moning a great series has been born.
Buy it. Read it. Love it.