Burned

I came to this book after recently finishing Iced. I was ready to keep pursuing story threads that were introduced in Iced. I liked where it was going and how all the characters were interacting. This one picked up some of those threads for which I was glad, but it was one of those ‘be careful what you wish for’ reads. Interesting things happened, but it will depend on perspective to decide if it made for a good installment to the series.

I found it a disappointment to a certain extent and it was very much a transition book. I’m just going to get it out of the way- Mac was a boring and annoying heroine. Any enjoyment I had was for everything and everyone else that was going on around her

See, that is the point- everything was going on around her. She was this static, stagnant piece that bogged down the story and kept the reader stuck in her head so much. It was Mac in a holding pattern- ‘Can’t do this, can’t do that, can’t, can’t, can’t…because, because, because’. The world is going to pieces. Literally. But we’re stuck with Mac worried because she has the evil book inside her, worried because she can’t use her spear, worried because creepy creatures are following her, worried because people can’t know that she knows xyz’.
The sharp, tight plot of the earlier books are not present in this one. Mac is a pale shadow of the dark, raw warrior woman of Shadowfever. Instead of engaging with Barrons, their presence as a couple is lacking and barely present.
The decision to swing the spotlight back on Mac and away from Dani was disappointing to me. But wow, that was an interesting choice to shock the readers when it comes to Dani. I’m going to reserve opinion on how I feel about that until I read the next book.

<spoiler> KMM used the fae world inside the Silvers with its own rules about time to age the girl about five years and split her personality so now she is nothing like the Dani of old. She’s a cold, icy beautiful warrior woman who puts Mac into the shadows and is now old enough to tantalize the equally strong and cunning Ryodan. It’s like she’s a different person right now (and she is since she goes by Jada and says she’s not Dani) which is why I was okay with it, but I don’t know what will happen if the Dani side of her split person ever makes an appearance. </spoiler>

So the storyline…Mac confronts Dani planning to make her peace, but instead finds that she still isn’t ready to forgive the girl for her sister’s death. This drives Dani to rush through the Silver mirrors of the fae and become lost. Mac hides her part in making Dani disappear until she realizes that while Mac was off researching how to get the evil book out of her, Dani was saving the world and is now critical to lots of people who need her. Mac’s not the only game in town and now there are several others who can get the job done. Mac is forced to truly confront her feelings about her sister’s death and Dani’s role which was not what it seemed as the truth comes out. But Mac’s epiphany about Dani might have come too late.

In the meantime, an Unseelie Princess appears and has a disconcerting effect on Lor. The icing issue may be over, but it left black holes that are growing and ripping apart the world. Cruce’s effect on the abbey is growing stronger. There is a new and powerful group of Sidhe-Seers on the town and their leader, Jada, has an agenda that doesn’t bode well for several key players. Kat comes to Ryodan for help to become the gifted leader she is meant to be. Ryodan is finally surprised when he is confronted by the appearance of Jada. Mac has a suppressed memory appear that makes her doubt Barrons. Christian is in need of a rescue after his selfless act at the end of the last story.

This was book seven and really needs to be read in order or things will make very little sense.

This book was not an utter disaster for me, but there are several moments when I was disappointed. Mac and Barrons as a couple? Don’t look for it here. Mac as a fighter? Uh uh. Mac as a serious contender in helping to save the world? Again, look elsewhere. Mac is superfluous at best. There really was no point in the story that she was pivotal and yet she is there and she is the narrator. Okay, I guess the times when she opened her mouth and told the wrong people secrets that they shouldn’t know, or when she took a break from the world falling to pieces to do a bit of Puck-like relationship tweaking between Ryodan, Jo, and Lor, but really she was a distraction at best. And that tiff she gets into with Barrons was eyeroll worthy and her issue that now he isn’t trustworthy was drama llama stuff. I can only hope she either takes a more pro-active role in the next book or it goes back to being Dani as the heroine.

This book was a transition book and I can appreciate that it was bridging things and setting up for bigger stuff to come. Much of what was happening other than the rescue of Christian from the Crimson Hag was putting things in place for the future story arc. I’ve never been one to mind too much even if it ends up not being a favorite book in the series.

The highlights for me were definitely the ongoing reveals and new little intriguing secrets popping up. More is revealed about the Nine and the Unseelie King shares some pretty impressive reveals that went over Mac’s head, but not the reader’s. She really needs to pay more attention to his cryptic disclosures. The thing with Ryodan and Dani is still simmering. And I am still waiting for Dancer to play his part because I think it will be shocking. The highlanders make an appearance in this one and are in on the rescue efforts for Christian.

I had a teary-eyed moment near the end because there is a critical loss in this book.
And then there is that ending. She gets me each time with my mouth left open in surprise.

So, while, this one was one that left me wanting, I am still eager to press forward and see where events in this series take me. More edge of my seat danger and more Ryodan, please!

There are few authors who can write with as much eloquence and skill as Karen Marie Moning… she honestly blows my mind every time I read one of her books. While the author’s original intention was to complete 5 books in this series, KMM continued on, and I am so glad that she did. It has been awhile since I read the original 5 Fever series books, and a few months since I read Iced (book 6), but I fell back into this story like I’d fall into the super comfy yet elegant beds at the Ritz. Jericho Barrons and MacKayla Lane are my fave couple, and I was so happy to revisit them.

As a note, this book is part of a very intricate series; if you have not read the first 6 books in the series, you will be hella lost, so I HIGHLY recommend reading those before diving into this one. Ms. Moning engages in very complex world-building that can absolutely overwhelm a reader if there is no prior knowledge of the events that took place before getting to this point. That said, if you haven’t read the previous books, this review will contain spoilers.

When we last left the fae-invaded Dublin, it was being frozen in random places, and the Crimson Hag was circling trying to spear victims and shred them for her never-ending, gut blanket knitting project (yeah, it’s as nasty as it sounds). Christian MacKeltar, who is turning into one of the dark fae princes after Mac fed hum unSeelie to keep him alive, sacrificed himself to the Hag and left Dani beside herself with guilt that she couldn’t have saved him and everyone else too. Dani is also still suffering from guilt after it was revealed that she was responsible for leading Alina (Mac’s sister) to her death which is what brought Mac to Dublin in the first place. And while Mac knows Dani was being controlled by magic at the time of Alina’s death, she has not been able to talk to Dani since then bc Dani always takes off with her super speed and refuses to listen as she is convinced that Mac wants to kill her. While everything gut blankie and deep freezer was happening on the outside, Mac and Barrons were in Fae; they only returned in time to hear about the fall out.

Burned begins with a flashback to when Mac first arrived in Dublin, but this time, the meeting that occurred between her and Barrons that first night is told from Barrons’ POV, and something took place that he “muted” in her mind is starting to surface in bit and pieces at the least convenient moments. At the same time, Mac has another encounter with Dani and tries to get her to talk, but Dani takes off and dives into what she thought was a safe “mirror” but didn’t know that Mac and Barrons had rearranged them, so now Dani has disappeared without a trace, though Barrons and The Nine continue to search for her, especially Ryodan when he discovers what has happened. Meanwhile, the MacKeltar twins (Drustan and Dageus, the Hs in books 4 & 5 of KMM’s Highlander series which takes place before the Fever series) have descended upon Dublin in search of their nephew Christian who is being killed every day (sometimes multiple times per day) to feed the Hag’s psychotic knitting compulsion. And when two new players arrive on the scene with specific agendas, the power dynamics begin to shift, unholy alliances are made and broken, and someone Mac thought she knew everything about reveals a deeply hidden and very unexpected layer.

What I liked:
— The first 5 books was told from Mac’s POV (with a chapter here and there from Dani’s); book 6 was mostly Dani, but this book was a little of almost everyone, which was nice to get the perspectives of the other characters and learn more about them that way (mostly Mac’s POV otherwise)
— Such intricate story-telling, complex world-building, and amazing imagery – KMM can pull a reader in like no other
— Return of some characters from the Highlanders series (love me some MacKelter twins!) ***SPOILER***Dageus’ death scene brought me to tears, though – I thought the inner demons thing might be able to save him, but I was wrong, and the cliffhanging truth is even more intriguing…. to be continued in Feversong!***END SPOILER***
— Unexpected twists and turns galore!

What I didn’t like as much:
— I liked almost everything; one thing I would have wished for is steamy goodness between Mac and Barrons!! I need it!! 🙂 (especially since Iced was mostly about Dani and lacked that component almost completely)
— There were a few things about the timeline with Dani and Jada that didn’t quite seem to follow, but it may be because I need to re-read more closely ***SPOILER***Dani went into the mirrors about 3 weeks before Jada appeared, but Jada had a whole army she had assembled from various places…. how could that have happened if she was in the mirrors for 5+ years? Did I miss something in there?***END SPOILER***

Overall, another all-encompassing Fever installment that I couldn’t put down! I’ll be diving into Feverborn (book 8) pronto!

Plot — 4.75/5
Main Characters — 5/5
Supporting Cast — 4.5/5
Steam Level* — 3/5
Violence — sometimes graphic (specifically scenes with the Crimson Hag)
Language — yep
POV — 1st from multiple POVs (mostly Mac’s)

*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 – clean; 1/5 – mild; 2/5 – sensual but nothing descriptive; 3/5 – now we’re getting somewhere; 4/5 – yes please! ; 5/5 – they did EVERYTHING in this one, y’all

There was a lot of added information that has previously been unknown by Mac. But Mac regressed to more of a week ditsy chick than she was in the first book. Ridiculous arguments publicly at key moments really took the wind out of the potential of the action/conflict scene. Spoiler! Mac being invisible was just cheesy and there is NO WAY the nine would not have heard her and especially Barrons have smelled her.
Id love to see Karen go back to the revision board and rewrite portions of this book to bring it up to the level of the previous Fever Series book.

BUY THESE BOOKS!

I’ve read all the Fever novels at least Sax st once; the first five I’ve read more than once. I’ve read all of Karen Marie Moning’s Highlander novels so many times I can almost quote them.
If you like novels of just about any genre, you will love the Fever books.
Like romance? Mac and Barrons have a romance not seen since Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara. Like westerns? Mac and Dani face off against the Unseelie, the law, the other sidhe-seers – just about everyone. Like sci-fi or fantasy? The Seelie/Unseelie King provides not a universe for you, but untold universes.
You get the idea. Just buy the books.

Wasn’t sure I’d like this when I first started the series, but Karen Moning has a hit here. Her character development takes a bit of time, but then she has a lot of characters to develop. A real twist on fairies, and how they might interact with humans. Once you’ve read part of the first book, you can’t wait to find out what else will happen, and how the story can possibly continue, but it does. Each character has depth, layers to their personalities, and how they interact captures the interest. The plots and the new ideas of what could be is fascinating. Keep them coming!

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