Jan272011

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Dreamfever’ by Karen Marie Moning

by Carolyn • Posted in 4.5 Star Reviews, Authors M-P, Book Reviews, Karen Marie Moning, Reviews by Laura, Urban Fantasy

Title: Dreamfever (Fever #4)

Author: Karen Marie Moning

Publisher: Delacorte Press Ebook / Dell Paperback

Publication Date: 2009

Ebook: 355 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Source: Own Copy

Reviewed by: Laura

RATING: 9/10 – Excellent, this will remain on my bookshelf forever

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

He has stolen her past, but MacKayla will never allow her sister’s murderer to take her future. Yet even the uniquely gifted sidhe-seer is no match for the Lord Master, who has unleashed an insatiable sexual craving that consumes Mac’s every thought-and thrusts her into the seductive realm of two very dangerous men, both of whom she desires but dares not trust.

As the enigmatic Jericho Barrons and the sensual Fae prince V”lane vie for her body and soul, as cryptic entries from her sister’s diary mysteriously appear and the power of the Dark Book weaves its annihilating path through the city, Mac’s greatest enemy delivers a final challenge…

It’s an invitation Mac cannot refuse, one that sends her racing home to Georgia, where an even darker threat awaits. With her parents missing and the lives of her loved ones under siege, Mac is about to come face-to-face with a soul-shattering truth-about herself and her sister, about Jericho Barrons…and about the world she thought she knew.

REVIEW:

***This review contains no spoilers for this book, but there are a couple of small ones for previous books in the series***

This series should come with a warning on it. Because it’s about as addictive as any illegal drug and will take over your life until the next book is finished!

After the desperate cliffhanger from the previous book, I was initially quite frustrated when Dani took up the narrative. I NEEDED to know what had happened to Mac and how she was ever going to survive.

At the beginning, our heroine is in a terrible place, consumed by need and no longer in control of her mind or body. Her allies are nowhere to be found and the unseelie Fae have raped her of everything she is. Mac’s state is gut-wrenching and shocking and as the reader you are seized by need to find out what is happening, and for her to of course escape.

The story is fast-paced and the darkness continues to spread across the world. As Mac recovers and the walls between the Fae and human worlds are now destroyed, the world is a furiously tumultuous and violent place. But there is a bitter sweetness too, as you know that the Mac who survives her ordeal, can never be the same as she once was, how can she? When the moment comes and she finally, inevitably she emerges from her dark chrysalis it almost gave me goosebumps. Because, quite rightly, this is no longer the woman we knew, this is someone different, darker and desperate.

Part of me missed the shiny, rainbow girl that was Mac. But, at the same time I was also in awe of the woman she has now become. In fact, Mac is a remarkable character. Her development throughout the entire series is a testament to Moning’s writing skill. We watch her transform from spoiled, pretty much shallow rich girl, to a women with nothing to lose and a true warrior in her own right. How she manages to pick herself up time and time again after the truly devastating things that keep happening to her is beyond me, but it is brilliantly written.

Then once again, there’s Barrons. The slightly strange triangle between Barrons, V’lane and Mac continues, and perhaps I should throw Christian into the mix too, as I wonder what part he will play in the final conclusion?

But, where would Mac be without Barrons? The relationship between them is so complex, and has become even more so with the part he has played in her recovery. There were times when I just wanted to bash their heads together. And with my hopelessly optimistic mind, part of me hopes that they can have a happy ending. Mind you, do they even want one?

Then there’s the cliffhanger. And I thought the ending for ‘Faefever‘ was bad, but it has nothing on the ending of this book! This series is pretty much famous for its cliffhangers, so to a certain degree it was to be expected. As a fan, I kind of have a love/hate relationship with them. But, I finished with a gasp and a shout of ‘nooooo!’, how could Karen Moning leave us like that?! And how I could I wait until ‘Shadowfever’s‘ release date to find out what happened? (And I only had to wait three weeks, unlike over a year that some fans have had to wait).

VERDICT:

If you have yet to pick up any of the books in this series, you are really missing out. The storyline is compelling and will continually keep you guessing, but it is the dark and well written characters that make it. Be warned, these books will rob you of sleep!

Buy all of them, because as soon as you finish one, you’ll NEED the next! I shall be purchasing the fifth and final instalment on its release date.