Book Review -- Dreamfever

Title: Dreamfever
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Genre: Paranormal romance, urban fantasy
Pages: paperback, 453
Published: 2009
Opening Lines: "Death. Pestilence. Famine."

They may have stolen my past, but I'll never let them take my future.

"When the walls between Man and Fae come crashing down, freeing the insatiable, immortal Unseelie from their icy prison, MacKayla Lane is caught in a deadly trap. Captured by the Fae Lord Master, she is left with no memory of who or what she is: the only sidhe-seer alive who can track the Sinsar Dubh, a book of arcane black magic that holds the key to controlling both worlds.

"Clawing her way back from oblivion is only the first step Mac must take down a perilous path, from the battle-filled streets of Dublin to the treacherous politics of an ancient, secret sect, through the tangled lies of men who claim to be her allies into the illusory world of the Fae themselves, where nothing is as it seems -- and Mac is forced to face a soul-shattering truth.

"Who do you trust when you can't even trust yourself?"

~ Jacket copy

Thoughts: *screams* WTF?! Waking up this morning, I was excited to have about 20 more pages left to the book. *sigh* I counted wrong . . . I had 5. When I finished, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to throw the book or the author across the room. Holy cow, talk about a horrible way to end the book! I'm glad I only have to wait until this afternoon to get the last installment from the bookstore. Granted, I don't want to drop $26 with our mortgage payment coming due, but sheesh!!! Who the hell ends a book like that?!

After ending with Mac in the custody of the Unseelie princes and the Lord Master and being Pri-ya, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I knew that Barrons would end up coming in and saving the day, but I didn't see the spunky Dani being the savior! The more the book progresses, the more I adore that girl! I was pleasantly surprised that the first few chapters follow her. However, she is a little hard to follow ^_~

Honestly, the time spent between Barrons and Mac, in the beginning, was my favorite. The image of Barrons dancing naked to Tubthumping by The Offpsring was enough to make me laugh and feel a deep welling of emotion for the man.

"You're leaving me, Rainbow Girl." (56)

If it's possible, through those few chapters, I think I fell in love with Jericho Barrons. His actions towards Mac were simply and utterly a pure demonstration of love. It was beautiful.

I don't like what Mac went through, but in some ways I really am glad she has grown up even more. Some of her strategy with Rowena are childish, as well as some of the examples she sets for Dani. However, after talking with Kat and working with Dani, she seems to start growing up on a different level. Also, the fact that her ordeal has started to awaken something even more powerful in her is interesting. I honestly wish she had chosen to plunge the depths of her sidhe-seer place and see what was waiting for her.

All in all, this series has gotten progressively better. With each book, my opinion has been raised! I started out the series hating Jericho -- yes, he is still an ass, but with a heart -- and Mac, now I think they are starting to turn into well-rounded, deep characters. With the opening of the walls, Moning has expanded her writing style to encompass a rich landscape for the books, and I feel she has definitely risen to the challenge. From Darkfever to this book, it is obvious to me that her writing style has definitely matured. Good job, Karen!

Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Currently: Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning
Current Pages: 16274
Current Progress:

45/50 books