Review: Iced by Karen Marie Moning

Iced

(Fever #6)

by Karen Marie Moning 

If you haven’t read the first five books of the Fever series, I strongly suggest you reconsider starting with this book. It’s not a spin-off. ICED is book 6 of the series. The events of ICED occur after some events in SHADOWFEVER. In ICED, you will encounter spoilers that will spoil the first five books, so you’ve been warned.

Readers say goodbye to Mac and Barrons (for now) and are introduced to the World of the Mega. Dani O’Malley is her name and don’t you forget it! Since the walls came down, the streets of Dublin are littered with Fae and violence. This is just one of the trubs that Dani is faced with. Dani is juggling a myriad of problems: Her ex best friend, Mac, is out to seek retribution, the Unseelie princes are dead set on killing her and Inspector Jayne has taken her sword, the only protection and weapon she has against the Fae. Like it could get any worse? KMM adds another weight to the Mega’s shoulder. Mysterious happenings are appearing all over Dublin where people are dying as they are frozen in spot, like some creepy version of freeze tag. It’s up to Dani to save what’s left of her city before it becomes too late.

I had the same concerns that I’m sure everyone else had about Dani. She’s young. 14 years old. Where does KMM think she’s going to take this story? But not surprisingly, KMM does a remarkable job of writing Dani’s POV so that it stands out without being too loud or rambunctious. There are times when Dani freaks out like a normal teen. It happens usually when she’s angry or stressed out. But I would rather have a heroine who is reacts rather than just lets things fly over her. KMM straddles the line. ICED is definitely not YA and by no means should be the norm for a young teenage girl. But that’s the thing I think people need to remember. Dani isn’t your average teen. At 14, she has seen and experienced things that have carved her into who she is today. The events from her past make her into a mouthy, independent superhero who doesn’t take shit from anyone. And I love it!

While I was reading this book, someone asked me if I was OK with all the sex that happens in this book, considering how young Dani is. My answer is: Would it really make a huge difference if she was of legal age? I doubt it. KMM’s writing is infused with rich depictions of sex and passion. If she had toned that down simply because of Dani’s age, I think readers would be furious. And if she had made Dani older, we wouldn’t have gotten the true story that KMM planned for Dani. Moning’s writing tends to cause strong reader reaction. Controversy is conflict. Needless to say, sex keeps the series interesting. And Dani’s age doesn’t define her. She has already proven that she can keep her legs closed until she decides she is ready.

Ryodan is the new man of the hour and oh my, he can nod at me anytime! Sleek and sophisticated, Ryodan’s got everything he needs to knock Barrons off that Top Alpha spot! There is so much more to learn about the boss of Chester’s and I’m definitely willing to wait another year just to find out!

I think it’s too soon to decipher who Dani will have her HEA with. But Ryodan, Christian and Dancer are definitely not bad candidates. Naturally, Ryodan gets my vote. I’m already a complete puddle of goo for him. Christian would be a good fit too but with the way he is now, I doubt the story would take the simplest route. Christian already believes that he is in love with her. If Dani suddenly decides that the she wants him, where would the story go? Dancer is like home for Dani. When she is with Dancer, she isn’t Mega the super-fast, super-smart superhero who is going to save Dublin. She’s just Dani. I’m just glad that all three of them know not just how amazing she will be when she is older, but also appreciate who she is now.

ICED just may be my favorite book of the year. Terrifyingly addictive, Karen Marie Moning has ruined me for any other author or book out there. Introducing Dani to an audience who are so passionate about the series was a risk, yet Moning has proven time and again that she is one of the premier authors of Urban Fantasy. ICED is an absolute must read!

Favorite Quote:

"This ain't no fecking campfire and cuddle!"

I was thinking along the same lines as she was. Dani just says what I'm thinking.

Purchase Links: Amazon

Reading on the Dark Side: The FEVER Series

The Fever Series

Author of the Month, Karen Marie Moning needs no introduction. Her Fever series has taken the world by storm, seducing readers into the world of the fae. Five books have been released and up next it's Dani O'Malley's turn to run a fever. But first, let's recap our favorite moments and characters with this edition of Reading On the Dark Side - Fever style. If you haven't read this series already, you are missing out. Terrifyingly addictive, only KMM and her world of fae can be as alluring as this. Enjoy.

Meet the Characters


MacKayla Lane, aka Mac
Age: 23
Height: 5’8”
Appearance: Lean, but with generous curves, shoulder-length blonde hair in big loose waves, green eyes, full lips. Has faint six pack.
Likes pink and beaches
Mac’s motto: Hope strengthens, fear kills.

Favorite Quote

He pulls me around and kisses me. "You're Mac," he says. "And I'm Jericho. And nothing else matters. Never will. You exist in a place that is beyond all rules for me. Do you understand that?"
I do.
Jericho Barrons just told me he loves me.

Cast:
Jennifer Lawrence

Jericho Z. Barrons, aka Annie's boyfriend
Height/Weight: 6’4”, 240-250 lbs
Appearance: “longish” Black hair, dark eyes, powerfully built, lean muscle. Wears expensive suits, favors a blood red tie. Wears a silver wide cuff with Celtic engravings. Has red and black tattoos covering his body.
Likes sports cars like his Viper and Lamborghini , owns Barrons, Books and Baubles bookstore, collector of ancient artifacts and powerful books
Jericho’s motto: There is nothing I can’t live with. Only things I’m not willing to live without.

Favorite Quote

He touches my face.
There is something different in his touch. It feels like he’s saying good-bye, and I know a moment of panic. But my dream sky darkens and sleep’s moon fills the horizon.
“Don’t leave me.” I thrash in the sheets. “I’m not, Mac.” I know I am dreaming then, because dreams are
home to the absurd and what he says next is beyond absurd.
“You’re leaving me, Rainbow Girl.”

Cast:
Sexy David Gandy

V’lane:
Seelie fare, prince and member of the Seelie Queen’s High Council.
Drips sexuality, exudes something erotic and dangerous.
Age: Been alive for hundreds of thousands of years He speaks formally.
Height: 6”2”, 220 lbs
Appearance: Long blonde hair with otherworldly looks. No body or facial hair, flawless skin
V’lane motto: Damn, it’s good to be me.

Favorite Quote:

Even today, after all that I’ve seen, I couldn’t begin to describe V’lane, prince of the Tuatha De Danaan. There are some things that are simply too immense, too rich to be contained in words. This is the best I can offer: imagine a tall, powerful mighty archangel, frighteningly male, terrifyingly beautiful. Then paint him the most exquisite shades of chestnut bronze and gold you can possibly imagine. Give him a mane shimmering with strands of cinnamon gilded by sunlight, skin of tawny velvet, and eyes of liquid amber, kissed by molten gold. The Fae was unutterably beautiful. And I wanted to fuck and fuck and fuck until I died.

Cast:
Travis Fimmel

Dani “Mega” O’Malley:
A sidhe-seer, special strength: super speed!
She is super smart but hides it behind her wit and swagger
Raised by Rowena, Grand Mistress of the abbey
Age: 14
Appearance: long, red curly hair.
Carries a Shade-buster – her own invention to kill a Shade.
Dani’s motto: Live hard, die young, leave a pretty corpse OR Mega out!

Favorite Quote:

Some of us are born more than once.
Some of us recreate ourselves many times.
Ryodan says adaptability is survivability.
Ryodan says a lot of stuff. Sometimes I listen.
All I know is every time I open my eyes, my brain kicks on, something wakes up deep in my belly and I know I’ll do anything it takes.
To.
Just.
Keep.
Breathing.

Cast:
Molly Quinn

Christian MacKeltar
Druid
Age: Early 20s
Height: 6'2" or 6'3"
Appearance: Dark, long hair, Amber eyes like a tiger
First meets Mac at Ancient Languages Department at Trinity College
Special Ability: Ability to detect lies
Description: "Christian was the kind of good-looking that hit you over the head, made you keep stealing second and third glances at him..." Faefever

Favorite Quote:

Doona be duh'ing me, lass.

Cast:
Whoever this sexy mofo is! Rawr!

Darroc aka Lord Master
Former Fae, Liberator of the imprisoned Unseelie
Brought the walls down between the human world and the Fae
Was Alina's boyfriend

Favorite Quote:

"We'd been in bed all night, fucking-"
"T-the-fuck-M-I," I snarl.

Cast:
Gabriel Aubrey

Ryodan
Runs Chester's
Barron's homeboy
'IYCGM' programmed on Mac's phone
Appearance: Always stands in front of a light source so that his face is cast in shadows
Description: "Handsome, chilling man. His eyes were the clearest I'd ever seen. This was a man that suffered no conflicts with himself. He had no problem being what he was. " -Dreamfever

Favorite Quote:

"That's my dick" - ICED

Cast:
Another sexy mofo

Rowena
Grand mistress of sidhe-seers
Protects the six major Irish sidhe-seer bloodlines, takes them in and trains them.
Protects the Sinsar Dubh...until it escaped.
Appearance: "Thick silvery-white hair was pulled back in a long braid from a fine-boned face....Fierce blue eyes glittered furiously at me from within nests of fine wrinkles." - Darkfever

Motto: See. Serve. Protect.

Cast:
Judi Dench

Alina Lane
Mac's older sister
Age: At the start of Darkfever, she is 24.
Appearance: Sunny blonde hair with green eyes

Cast:
Amanda Seyfried

Malluce
Vampire
Appearance: "Muscular and graceful as a cat, he was pale and smooth as a marble bust. Dead yellow eyes lent a feral cast to his sharply chiseled, too-white face. Long blond hair, pulled back in an old-fashioned, amber beaded queue emphasized his abnormally rigid pallor. " - Darkfever

Cast:
Tom Hiddleston

ICED

by Karen Marie Moning

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning comes the first book in her hotly anticipated new urban paranormal trilogy, set in the world of her blockbuster Fever series.

The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

Karen Marie Moning is giving away a SIGNED copy of Iced. 

US ONLY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Battle of the Covers: The Fever Series

Our Author of the Month, Karen Marie Moning, is the creator of the successful Fever series.  And just as the series is amazing, it also has some pretty amazing covers.  But we would like to know which you like best!  I know, I know... it's hard.  But, lets give this a shot.

         

Mass Market                                             ORIGINAL
Darkfever 

"My name is MacKayla, Mac for short. I'm a sidhe-seer, one who sees the Fae, a fact I accepted only recently and very reluctantly.

My philosophy is pretty simple - any day nobody's trying to kill me is a good day in my book. I haven't had many good days lately. Not since the walls between Man and Fae came down. But then, there's not a sidhe-seer alive who's had a good day since then."

When MacKayla's sister was murdered, she left a single clue to her death - a cryptic message on Mac's cel phone. Journeying to Ireland in search of answers, Ma is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to master a power she had no idea she possessed - a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae...

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister's death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysteriou Jericho...while at the same time, the ruthless V'lane - an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women - closes in on her. As the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac's true mission becomes clear: to find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book - because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control both worlds in their hands....

           

Mass Market                                             ORIGINAL
 Bloodfever 

I used to be your average, everyday girl but all that changed one night in Dublin when I saw my first Fae, and got dragged into a world of deadly immortals and ancient secrets. . . .

In her fight to stay alive, MacKayla must find the Sinsar Dubh—a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over the worlds of both the Fae and Man. Pursued by assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she can’t trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and powerful men: V’lane, the immortal Fae Prince, and Jericho Barrons, a man as irresistible as he is dangerous.

For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them.

          

Mass Market                                             ORIGINAL
Faefever 

The New York Times bestselling author of Darkfever and Bloodfever returns to Dublin’s Fae-infested shores in a bold, sensual new novel. Hurtling us into a realm of seduction and shadows, Karen Marie Moning tells the enthralling tale of a woman who explores the limits of her mysterious powers as she enters a world of ancient sorcery—and confronts an enemy more insidious than she could ever have imagined. He calls me his Queen of the Night. I’d die for him. I’d kill for him, too. When MacKayla Lane receives a torn page from her dead sister’s journal, she is stunned by Alina’s desperate words. And now MacKayla knows that her sister’s killer is close. But evil is closer. And suddenly the sidhe-seer is on the hunt: For answers. For revenge. And for an ancient book of dark magic so evil, it corrupts anyone who touches it.

Mac’s quest for the Sinsar Dubh takes her into the mean, shape-shifting streets of Dublin, with a suspicious cop on her tail. Forced into a dangerous triangle of alliance with V’lane, an insatiable Fae prince of lethally erotic tastes, and Jericho Barrons, a man of primal desires and untold secrets, Mac is soon locked in a battle for her body, mind, and soul.

As All Hallows’ Eve approaches and the city descends into chaos, as a shocking truth about the Dark Book is uncovered, not even Mac can prevent a deadly race of immortals from shattering the walls between worlds—with devastating consequences.…

          

Mass Market                                             ORIGINAL
Dreamfever

MacKayla Lane lies naked on the cold stone floor of a church, at the mercy of the erotic Fae master she once swore to kill. Far from home, unable to control her sexual hungers, MacKayla is now fully under the Lord Master’s spell.…In New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning’s stunning new novel, the walls between human and Fae worlds have come crashing down. And as Mac fights for survival on Dublin’s battle-scarred streets, she will embark on the darkest—and most erotically charged—adventure of her life. 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.

        

Mass Market                                             ORIGINAL
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.

NOW IT'S TIME TO VOTE!

 

Covers to Covet and KMM Fever series news

“I make a new discovery that totally blows…dying is the easy part. It’s coming back to life that sucks.” ICED

If you're like me, then you're already doing your Fever series re-read and are gearing up for the release of ICED. I'm in the middle of listening to the SHADOWFEVER audiobook right now.

Yesterday, KMM cleared up some rumors and concerns that a lot of readers have over ICED and the change to Dani's POV. Here's a recap of what she said:

- ICED, BURNED and FLAYED are NOT YA books. KMM says that she really straddles the line. Some things might be controversial, but that readers should still trust in her.

-ICED is considered book six in the Fever series, set in Dani's POV (with a couple other POVs mixed in). This fact was new to me. I had been thinking all this time that it was a spin-off but if you have not read books 1-5 yet, then you will definitely be missing some key events since ICED begins even before the last book, SHADOWFEVER ends. So if you're planning on trying out ICED without having read the others, I highly suggest you jump in and catch up on the others first.

-BURNED (book 7) and FLAYED (book 8) are next after ICED (Duh.) And then we are back to book 9 and 10 which will be in Mac's POV. Books 6,7, and 8 are crucial to the series, so skipping these ones and jumping straight back into Mac's POV in book 9 and 10 won't make any sense.

Here are some notes on Dani and the sex concern...

- Dani is 14 at the start of the series but by the end, she will be 17.

-Yes, there will be sex. She'll pop her cherry with one of the guys in the series. Hmmm, I wonder who the cherry picker is?

-Dani's voice will have matured from what we have read in the previous Fever books.

- And lastly, if you know KMM, then you know she likes to torture her readers with major cliffhangers. She states that ICED will have a good wrap-up, but that doesn't mean that the others won't have killer endings!!!! You never really know with her. She slays me.

For a more information, check out KMM's facebook page.

Fever series Backlist:
Darkfever
Bloodfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever

Pre-order now:

Iced

Night Blade
by J.C. Daniels
(Kit Colbana # 2)

Kit Colbana is always biting off more than she can chew. She has a knack for finding trouble. This time, though, trouble finds her. Someone from her past drops a case into her lap that she just can’t refuse…literally.

People on the Council are dying left and right and she’s been requested to investigate the deaths. The number one suspect? Her lover, Damon. If she doesn’t clear his name, he gets a death sentence. Even if she succeeds? They still might try to execute him. Oh, and she’s not allowed to tell him about the case, either.

The stakes are high this time around, higher than they’ve ever been. Kit may be forced to pay the ultimate price to save her lover’s life…a price that could destroy her and everything she loves.

Tentative release date set for Winter 2012

To read an excerpt click here

Review: Fever Moon by Karen Marie Moning

 

Fever Moon: The Fear Dorcha

by Karen Marie Moning

The Story: 

I am a mega fan of Karen Marie Moning so I just had to check this graphic novel out. FEVER MOON: THE FEAR DORCHA is a brand new story that happens around Dreamfever/Shadowfever time. If you haven’t finished reading the series, there is some mention of events that happen in the books that will be spoilery, so read at your own risk! I liked the story with The Fear Dorcha. He’s was an unusual villain, but I thought the adaptation of Moning’s storyline into a graphic novel worked well. Every word counted and it was very tight and precise. It even captured the love/hate relationship between Mac and Barrons that are so essential in the Fever books. So much so, that it had me smirking as I read this book, reminding me of the times when I first read the Fever series.

The Characters: 

Every major character in the Fever series makes an appearance, the only exception being V’lane. He is only mentioned in passing. But Barrons, Mac, Dani, Kat, Ryoden and even Rowena are all present. It was nice to see the visual adaptation since they are so vastly different from what I picture in my head.

 The Art: 

The number one reason I got this graphic novel is because of the art. I love Al Rio and I loved his depiction of Mac. She’s just so hot! I love the way he is able to infuse such sensuality in every single one of his pages. It’s one of his special gifts. If you don’t know already, tragedy hit while making this graphic novel. In the few years it took to make this, they lost Al Rio. In his place, they brought in fellow Brazilian artist, Cliff Richards to come in to finish the last chapter. You can definitely see the difference in art work. I hate to say this but I much prefer Rio’s artwork to Richards’. But I feel like if the entire novel was illustrated by Richards’, I wouldn’t have made this one complaint. It just felt that in comparison to Rio’s book, Cliff’s part didn’t have the essence of the Fever series that Rio so expertly captured with his drawings. Nevertheless, I love the colors and thought that this was worthwhile.

The Bonus stuff: 

At the end of the graphic novel, Moning writes a few pages that include her random notes on the Fever series. These include spoilers and character notes. There are also a few prelim sketches of each of the major characters so readers can see what it takes to make a picture come to life. All this is great if you’re interested in art as I am.

The Bottom Line? 

Fans of the Fever series will definitely enjoy this adaptation. Though I don’t think it encompasses all that KMM is able to infuse in her books, there’s still a lot here that captures the Fever world and KMM’s style. It was an enjoyable read.

 

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

 3.5 Feathers
Bloodfever

by Karen Marie Moning

(Fever # 2)

Ohhhhhh I just know I'll probably get some hate mail from this review but please, please, please... understand this is just my opinion. I know A LOT of people LOOOOOOOOVE this book and this series but I just didn't see it and didn't get there yet.

OK so this book picks up kind of where the last one left off and Mac is still trying to get at her brothers killer and is now working for Barrons. She's changed from the first book in the sense that she changed her appearance and a bit of her attitude. But she is nowhere near badass yet.  But it was an improvement.

Then there's the fact that Barrons is still just using her for his own purposes but won't tell tell her anything (about anything) and well... He's a total antisocial, bitter and grumpy.....JERK! Sorry.... there.... I said it. Let the hate mail flow in.

I was really annoyed at Barrons for most of this book and just because out of NOWHERE he decides that all of a sudden he wants to kiss Mac at the end of this book (and yes that was a toecurling, hot as hell kiss, that promises Barrons is a sexual God)...Well that wasn't enough for me to forget that I wanted to throttle him for far more than I wanted to jump his bones. Sometimes when a character is standoffish it's kind of hot, when Barrons makes his comments and remarks he just sounds like a jerk. Sorry to all Barrons lovers, I know I'll probably feel different when I see his sexual prowess.

Then there's Mac. Is it possible that I just don't like her that much? Well, no that's not true. I like her ok I just don't care about her one way or the other. And if I hear petunia one more time I'm going to scream!

The story was good but the pace was very slow for me. I found this book to be put-down-able because it didn't really catch my attention until almost the very end, where the world turns upside down, there's a ton of action and shit hits the fan and we are left with a brand new world to explore in the next book. Open to a whole lot of new possibilities. THIS IS EXCITING!

I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy the next book a lot more since a lot of things have changed but I feel like maybe this book was more of a getting from point A to point B in the series, and those are usually not my favorite.

NOW....PLEASE DON'T YELL AT ME!

Purchase Links: Amazon