Review: Bloodfever (#2, Fever) by Karen Marie Moning

My Thoughts

Fae-tastic! Dark and dangerous, action-packed
and exciting, gruesome and vicious.
The series keeps getting better and better as the sinister situation
escalates and truths begin to be revealed in this harrowing
and captivating sequel! Could not put it down for one hot second!

• Related Posts: 2013 Favorites, 6-star books, Mega Alphas, Epic Paranormals, Fever Series Reading Order and Reviews

Synopsis

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.

My Review

“My world began falling apart with the death of my sister, and hasn’t stopped since. And it’s not just my world that’s in trouble; it’s your world, too.”

O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D! I cannot stop reading these books! I am so consumed and gripped by the story and by its characters. I mean… WOW… JERICHO BARRONS! Has there ever been such an alluring, enigmatic, powerful man? What is he?! What are his intentions? His true motivations?! But I digress… first things first.

Bloodfever was an amazing sequel. It once again packed pulse-pumping action, suspense, mystery, murder and a new level of pent-up desire. I thought that Bloodfever was largely about Mac’s transformation… her evolution from a small-town girl, “part-time bartender, part-time sun-worshiper and full-time glamour girl” to someone who begins to harness her inner power and who is suddenly more driven by revenge than she expected to be in the first place. She was convincingly kick ass in this book, having to endure things that were torturous and agonizing to read.

“Gone is my long blond hair, chopped short for the sake of anonymity and dyed dark. Gone are my pretty pastel outfits, replaced by drab colors that don’t show blood. I’ve learned to cuss, steal, lie and kill. I’ve been assaulted by a death-by-sex Fae and made to strip, not once but twice, in public. I discovered I was adopted. I nearly died… In one short month I’ve managed to piss off virtually every being with magical power in this city. Half of those I’ve encountered want me dead; the other half want to use me to find the deadly, coveted Sinsar Dubh.”

In addition, we are revealed yet another layer of truth, only to discover the many layers still veiled beneath. So many secrets are shrouded, so many connections and motivations hidden. Not all the players in the game are known, and those that are known make it innately difficult to discern the side on which they play. Good and bad. Black and white. Alive and dead. And yet, as MacKayla attempts to piece it all together and find her place in this deadly game, she finds that they all persist in that amorphous, gray in-between. Nothing is clear. Are they all pawns of a bigger puppeteer?

“There are only shades of gray… Good and evil, in their purest form, are as intangible and forever beyond our ability to hold in our hand as any Fae illusion. We can only aim at them, aspire to them, and hope not to get lost in the shadows that we can no longer aim for light.”

The situation-at-hand infinitely intensifies, as the threats that once loomed take form and take action. Thankfully, Barrons is almost unfailingly there when it counts, saving MacKayla at the most dire hour. He’s so possessive, protective and controlling and yet it’s clear he values and cares for MacKayla, although his intentions remain hidden. It’s also evident that his power, physically and intrinsically, is far beyond what Mac first thought. He also has moments where his facade softens, his passion blazes and his desire is unexpectedly made evident… and let me tell you, it’s incredibly melt-worthy.

“One day you may kiss a man you can’t breathe without, and find breath is of little consequence.”

The push and pull between MacKayla and Barrons is captivating and exciting… I just can’t get enough. They need each other, but the make the other intensely mad. Despite Mac demanding answers, in typical Barrons fashion, he has none to offer, leaving Mac with more questions on which to ponder. Jericho Barrons is such a well-written, dark, passionate, mystery of a man that you can’t help but be drawn to him.

In summary, another unbelievable, brilliantly written book in this amazing series. SO much happens. SO much is YET to happen. But with stakes so high, however, Mac and Barrons need each other more than ever. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

“When everything else if gone, balls are all any of us really have left. The question is: Are yours made of flesh and blood, or steel?”

Subscribe for Updates: