'Shadowfever' by Karen Marie Moning is the final installment in the 'Fever' series, wrapping up the intricate plotlines and character arcs. The story follows MacKayla Lane as she navigates a world filled with mysteries, conspiracies, and supernatural forces, all while facing personal challenges and relationships with characters like Jericho Barrons. The writing style is described as vivid, suspenseful, and emotionally engaging, with a blend of humor and dark dialogue creating a captivating narrative that keeps readers invested until the very end.

Characters:

The characters undergo significant development; MacKayla transforms into a fierce warrior, while Barrons maintains his enigma and complexities, supported by a rich cast that enhances the narrative.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is intricate and engaging, rich in vivid imagery and descriptive scenes, though at times it can become overly verbose in character introspection.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot intricately weaves romance, fantasy, and suspense, showcasing multiple twists while delving into themes of identity, grief, and love, culminating in a high-stakes confrontation.

Setting:

The setting is predominantly Dublin, offering a rich atmospheric backdrop infused with fantasy elements, incorporating various locations that amplify the story's suspense.

Pacing:

The pacing is primarily fast-paced with gripping action, especially near the climax, though it does slow at times for introspection and emotional development.

Every time I think I’m getting wiser, more in control of my actions, I go slamming into a situation that makes me excruciatingly aware that all I’ve succeeded in doing is swapping one set of delusions...

Notes:

Shadowfever is the fifth and final book in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.

Many readers found the book's pacing uneven, especially in the first half.

Mac's internal dialogue and constant questioning sometimes frustrated readers.

The series blends romance with dark themes, featuring a strong female lead, Mac.

Readers were polarized over the development of Mac and Barrons' relationship.

A significant amount of plot twists led to surprising revelations in the book, leaving some readers in shock.

Certain characters from Moning's previous Highlander series make appearances in this book.

Dani, a younger character, received mixed reactions from readers in her POV.

Several readers noted the frustration of unanswered questions, but enjoyed the overall journey.

Listeners of the audiobook praised the narrators' performance, particularly Phil Gigante for his male voices.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Triggers/content warnings include themes of grief, violence, death, and sexual violence.

Has Romance?

There is a significant romantic element present in the book, particularly the relationship dynamics between Mac and Barrons.

explicit steam level

From The Publisher:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"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.

Look for all of Karen Marie Moning's sensational Fever novels:

Ratings (27)

Incredible (8)
Loved It (13)
Liked It (3)
Did Not Like (3)

Reader Stats (39):

Read It (28)
Want To Read (6)
Did Not Finish (1)
Not Interested (4)

1 comment(s)

StephB

Incredible

2 months

Shadowfever is the 5th and final book in the

Fever series, so series spoilers may exist.

Reading Order:

In [b:Darkfever|6863668|Darkfever (Fever, #1)|Karen Marie Moning|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1296115946s/6863668.jpg|108558], Moning introduced us to MacKayla Lane, who sets off for Ireland, determined to find her sister's killer. There she stumbles into Barrons Books and Bobbles and meets the mysterious Barrons. From there, the story gets wild and crazy. The cliff-hangers throughout the series are some of K2 proportions, talked about by all the fans of the series. Did

Shadowfever make all those long waits and dramatically unfulfilling endings worth while? In a word: YES!

Never before have I read a series finale that felt like being on a runaway train with no way off, but didn't care. MacKayla has always, as we did throughout the series, tried to figure out (1) who killed her sister?, (2)

what is Barrons?, (3) what will happen if she calls "IYD"?, (4) can she find and control the Sinsar Dubh? and many, many more.

Shadowfever answers all those questions and then goes on to answer questions you didn't realize you had.

The book is long, but just long enough. The world that Moning created for us to get lost in is no more, but the story will definitely stick with me. I have had many frustrations throughout the series. Mac drove me nuts in the first book, but she grew into a character you found yourself rooting for in the end. Barrons, throughout the series he's been a conundrum wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a riddle, but in the end, lived up to my love for him. LOL!

I am pretty sure my jaw has never spent so much time on the floor, as it did when listening to this book. It felt like one NO WAY! after WTH?! after OMG after another. I can definitely see myself re-reading the entire series at some point. I listened to the audiobooks for each and highly recommend it. The narrators do a wonderful job.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

9 Feb 10 Update: It's all

way too fresh and I know I'd be super spoilery right now, so I'll come back after my fever's broken to post a full review. For now I'll leave with you a couple of very fitting quotes

(in addition to my updates throughout listening to the book):

1.

Barrons:

"Why does it always take you so long to tell me the important things?!"

2.

Mac:

"Curiosity."

The Dreamy-eyed Guy:

"Dead cats."

Mac:

"9 lives."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From (Author's Website) 5/13/10:

"The official release date is December 28, 2010. The sad news is--that's longer than I'd hoped for. The good news is that the book is much longer and we've got a ton of fabulous stuff planned between now and then for you all! The other good news is that the time between Christmas and New Years can be a little slow, which makes it a perfect time for reading!"

I'm anxious to read this one, but don't want the series to end ...

What can you read after
Shadowfever?

See the list (14 books)

About the Author:

Karen Marie Moning is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fever series, featuring MacKayla Lane, and the award-winning Highlander series. She has a bachelor's degree in society and law from Purdue University.

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Shadowfever

Karen Marie Moning

Book 5 in the series:Fever