Review: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
Series: Fever #1
Published by Delacorte Press
Published on: October 31, 2006
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 382
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased

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MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle 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, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: 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 of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands….

I decided to take the plunge and begin reading the hyped Fever series. After finishing the first installment, there’s no turning back for me! I anticipate devouring this series rather quickly. There’s a lot of character development and world building in this novel, which is to be expected from the first book of a series. Darkfever opened up a whole new universe for me and I can only see the story getting better from here!

Mac’s story starts out as a life of entitlement. I had my doubts about her as the main character from the get-go. She’s your typical airhead blonde who’s main concern is choosing what shade of pink to wear on any given day. That soon changes though as she’s bombarded with one life shattering revelation after another. Her whole world is turned upside down. At first, she digs in her heels and resists her new reality but eventually comes to the realization that there’s no going back. Mac changes and grows by leaps and bounds in this novel and it’s only the beginning. I have a feeling she’ll continue to evolve throughout this series. I also got a kick out of the contrasts between her rainbow persona and the dark world she finds herself in.

Karen Marie Moning has a real talent for world building! Countless Fae types, terminology and lore are covered without being overpowering. I read this book in one day, but for slower readers there’s a handy glossary in case you get lost. The author also stays true to existing Irish folklore so if you’re already knowledgeable on the subject the learning curve is lessened immensely. I enjoyed rediscovering Fae that I was already familiar with.

Barrons is Mac’s unwilling ally and a fascinating character. They both try to avoid each other like the plague at first but finally realize that they need each other and are partners for the long haul. Jericho is opinionated, mysterious and all man. He had me drooling for most of the story, definitely a good sign! After finishing this book, I still haven’t entirely figured him out. I’m looking forward to learning more in the next installment. Barrons fluctuates between being the good guy and the bad guy. The jury is still out on the final verdict.

There’s not much romance or steamy goodness to be had in Darkfever but I’m betting that will change in the next books. The death-by-sex-faes are a good indication of that! From the brief encounters Mac has with Vlane, I gather there’s to be some mind-blowing carnal action further in this series. One can only hope!

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I wasn’t expecting something so detailed yet easy to grasp. The author’s choice of a 22 year old blonde as the main character left me feeling apprehensive at first but Mac quickly won me over. This book is not only a great story but is also a fun walk through Irish lore, which I’ve always been fascinated by. I’m regretting postponing reading the Fever series until now. I will not be making the same mistake with Bloodfever! I’m already missing Barrons!

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