Feversong

Warning: This review contains a lot of gazing in to the rear-view mirror about the whole Fever series. If you only want to read about feversong, skip to the last paragraphs. Also, there are spoilers.

First off, any rating that I can provide here is never going to provide sufficient metrics for describing the Fever-series and it’s latest installment, Feversong. In the end, it doesn’t matter if I give this book 3 or 5 stars, as Karen Moning as an author is in a league of her own, one that few authors ever reach. When ever a new book in this series/world comes out, it’s in competition against other books of the series, not anything written by anyone else. The Fever fans are a passionate bunch, and when the events in the series take a turn that makes us scream with frustration and bang some characters heads against a hard surface to knock some sense into them, the reviews sometimes reflect this. That’s why it’s important to give reasons for your rating in the review and clarify whether the rating is based on your own expectations of what you wanted to happen versus what actually did. This will help others determine what criteria you used to come up with it and make up their own mind about its relevancy to them.

It’s impossible to review Feversong without considering the 8 other books that lead to the conclusion (which is not really a full stop, but more of a dash, signaling a pause for now.). There’s been highs and there’s been lows along the journey, but the one thing is for certain: the characters in this series are more than 3 dimensional, with their hopes, fears, thoughts, growing experiences through pain and sorrow, and most importantly the triumphs they achieve through the struggle. Gee, sounds a lot like life, doesn’t it? The events are always authentic, even when the characters pull stupid sh*t that makes the reader scream. Just like life, these books are not sanitized to portray a LaLa Land version of event’s. But through it all, there is a strong backbone of hope, love and self-discovery that is unparallelled in any books or series I’ve ever read.

Now is the time to also applaud the rich world-building and unbelievable level of attention to detail KMM has weaved into these books since the beginning. It’s been over a decade since some of the seeds were sown that finally come to play in this installment. What a mind KMM has! These books should be indexed under Philosophy and perhaps even Self-help, as they teach important lessons on self-awareness, contemplate the nature of love, of good, of evil, of hope, and the capacity for strength we all have in us. If there was ever a book series I want to see adapted to TV, this is it. Its easily on par with Game of Thrones. So Hollywood, get on it, stat!

So finally, my opinion on Feversong:
After the first read, Im still digesting all the events, and plan to do a re-read soon to catch all the details I missed the first time around. These books are multi-faceted, and every time you pick up new things or grasp the meaning in a new way. They stay with you, and you still find yourself obsessing over the events and characters after weeks of reading. As whole, I give the book 5 stars as it wraps up Mac&Barrons story satisfactorily. We start the book with the sociopathic Sinsar Dubh on the loose, and boy is that baby sore (fans of BtVS will recognise that pun)! The Sinsar Dubh is batsh*t crazy, and makes Mac do things she will have to come to terms with and live with forever. Feversong handles this well though, and Mac is now mature enough to handle it. Roughly the first half of the book is non stop action and fun to read despite its gruesomeness, and I have to admit I found the Sinsar Dubh oddly entertaining, which is something that I would never say about a real live sociopath! Mac makes progress with vanguishing the book, and ends up getting the powers of the Seelie Queen in the process. This may sound a bit convenient as a solution, but how things happen in the book is believable, and I didnt have a problem with Mac growing in power yet again. The first half of the book also has a couple of excellent, very charged scenes with my favourite duo Dani and Ryodan, and their interaction and characterisation is consistent with what came before in previous books.

If I were to rate the second part of the book on its own, I would give it 3 stars (remember, this is on a scale of KMM excellence, which already makes it much better than any given book). To set the scene, ever since Iced, I have thought that Dani and Ryodan are very much alike and have the potential to have a relationship where you truly know and appreciate the other person for what they are. So I am reading the books with the hope that they come to realise this, and it does affect my reading and my opinion of the book. So youve been warned. =) A lot happens in the second part with Danis character, and while I get where KMM was going with it, the delivery fell a little short for me. Theres no question that Dani & Dancer little romance was a development Dani needed to start building the emotional foundation she needs to be a balanced adult, but the execution of this felt rushed and therefore did not feel quite as authentic as it could have. Up until that moment, Dani has spent more time thinking and obsessing about Ryodan than she ever did about Dancer, so the switch from that to full-on Dancer lurve was a jolt. Of course, knowing that Dani is currently in complete denial about her feelings for Ryodan (and Im not talking about full fledged love or anything like that, just that she cares for him but is not ready to admit it yet), the whole situation makes a bit more sense. KMM also throws some major hooks that end up getting no follow-up in Danis storyline (what happened with her mom, and her wanting to have Ryodan teach her to become more powerful), but Im willing to be patient with these as I believe these will come into play in the Dani-centric book that comes next. The pacing of the second half of the book is definitely different from the first, and my critique about it is that up until that point, KMM has been very diligent about her trademark method of showing us, not telling us. This seemed to change in the second part of the book, and the pivotal moments between Dani & Ryo left me with a feeling they were rushed through, like we were just told instead of shown. Maybe I will change my mind on the second reading though, so take this as more of a reaction during the first read rather than a firmly set opinion. Also, Shazam = love.

So where does this leave readers now that Mac& Barrons’ story is wrapped up? The Fever world is so rich that there is much to explore, and now is the time for other characters to take the center stage and tell us their story. Bring it on, Dani!!

Ive finally caught up with one of my favorite series! Karen Marie Monings Fever series was one I fell into a few years ago and was immediately taken away with it! Its dark, edgy, sexy, and just utterly amazing! Mac is a spitfire of a heroine and I loved her contrasting to the dark and broody Barrons! Feversong brings a conclusion to her story yet the series will live on with Dani for some books to come!

As we learned at the end of Feverborn, the Sinsar Dubh has taken over Mac, the book is in full control of her body now, while Mac is nothing but a presence, a little voice wanting to break free. The Sinsar Dubh is looking to make itself be immortal and will do whatever it takes to stay in control of Macs body. Meanwhile, Dani and the rest of the gang are doing everything they can to find a way to get the book out of Mac for good and put her back in control of her own body, even going so far as to bring Cruce back into the thick of things.

Like all of Karens books, this one was as intense as they come! For while the characters we all love are trying to find a way to help Mac, Dublin, and the rest of the world, are still slowly being eaten away by the black holes the Hoar Frost King left behind. These holes are growing bigger and will essentially destroy everything in their path. The end of the world is coming. Unless, the Song of Making can be found and used.

Needless to say, Mac is rescued before the halfway point as who else will be able to lead the charge in saving the world? But ridding herself of the Sinsar Dubh was only half the battle. The rest will be trying to figure out where the song is, how to get it, how to use it, and all that good jazz. Should be easy!

Theres definitely a different pace set to these books. Its not as fast as one would expect, but its still an utterly amazing and thrilling read! Weve gotten to know so many characters, I cant recall when more points of view were added to the story or if they were always there. I started this series too many years ago and only just now got back around to it. Too many books, not enough hours in the day! But in this way, weve gotten to know everyone! We even get inside villains heads, its quite the page turner!

I think the most fascinating thing about this one was seeing the transformation of Jada back into Dani. There was ground work laid out in Feverborn, but I felt like the old Dani was back in action this time around and I was happy to see that! Especially since she will be our next leading lady!

This book was filled with quite a few surprises and shocks and twists and turns! The end of the world is upon them, so naturally, things are going to get chaotic! Ill admit, at the end, I was a bit shattered by a few things. Though I really did see both of them coming, its still always a shock when they do occur. I am definitely excited to see where things will go with the next turn in the series!

As before, there was plenty of romance in this one! More so than the previous book if I recall (as I read half of that one sick, my mind is still a little scattered in that area)! Barrons was always a complicated guy to understand, but with this book I truly realize what Ive always suspected that he cares deeply. And that definitely shows throughout the pages!

The ending to this one was perfect. It wasnt tied up with a neat little bow, mind you, but it was perfect in its chaos. There are still a few things that are left unsaid for some of the characters and quite the doozie of an added scene after what we perceived as the end, but I suspect these things will continue to play out once Dani is at the wheel! Its definitely going to be an awesome ride and I cannot wait to see how this series continues with her in charge!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Loved it! I loved all the novels in the Fever series. This one does wrap up all the loose ends, but she does leave a small window open in case she decides to revisit the series at some time in the future. I had to completely reread all the books before this one came out so that my mind would be refreshed and I would remember all the things that had taken place. I would recommend that you reread at least the last 2 or 3 before beginning Feversong.

I fell in love with the fever world from book one. I’ve read them all a dozen times by now, and yet this book still surprised me. It was painfully raw, emotional, tragic, full of adventure, exquisitely tender and a fitting wrap up to Mac’s story. I wouldn’t have expected anything less.

9 million Rainbow Girl stars!

Wow. I’ve only just finished the book and I’m more broken than I expected to be. With any finale of a series you’ve taken to your heart, loved and hated characters, championed relationships, friendships, connections, struggles and fights, it’s inevitable that at the pivotable end you’re going to be feeling all the feelings, but FEVERSONG has broken me open. I don’t think I’ve cried so much so deeply and so heartbroken throughout any book before.

I don’t even think I need to give a rundown of what happens within its four parts, we know what to expect and what we wanted from this last book. The Fever world has always been huge to me, intricate, sometimes ( most times ) extremely confusing with all its great minute detailing that sometimes lost me in who was who and what was what but ultimately what happens within these pages of Feversong was a culmination of what was a wonderful awesome fantastic ride from the dark zone right into the light ( fever fans will get it ) We made it to the other side and I bawled my eyes out the entire way.

No doubt this book is my favourite of the series. Has to be.. Has to be. I’ve loved others along the way but this one hit every note just right. It absolutely felt like an ending (Nooooo, I need more Barrons and Mac. I’m going to pretend they’re just on a long holiday and will be back soon ) It was brutal and it was beautiful, every line was perfection, I don’t know how KMM does it, that she can tap into your own feelings and emotions and every line you resonate with as if she’s speaking directly to you whilst giving her characters their glorious send off.

I’m so sad this ARC of the series is finished, you take books to your heart and never want to let them go, we’ll always have the series to look back on, to pour over with re-reads but there’s nothing quite like a brand new Jericho and Rainbow girl story to dive into, to see their love evolving into something so powerful you know it was always meant to be. What a ride those two have had. There was a line that if it had ended there I would have been extremely satisfied. It said everything and was everything I had wanted, waited for and it tied up every loose end of why things happen throughout the series between these two characters.

“Its nice to meet you. Finally. Mac.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Jericho.”

This unquestionably will be my book of the year ( I know it’s only January and too early to call it, but I’m calling it! )

I went through every range of emotions with Feversong, if the mission was to break hearts and stomp them into dust with its beauty then the genius that is KMM hit that dead on, bravo.

I’ll miss you greatly, Barrons, you great giant gorgeous beast of a man who loved so fiercely he waited so long for his woman. And I look forward to Dani’s adventures, I hope they’re just as crazy, just as addicting and make me bawl like ten babies. It’s a special gift that an author can put a few simple words on paper and have them affect you deeply, and to stay with you long after that last THE END. Feversong and the Fever series will always hold special memories for me.
Thank you, KMM, for the laughs and tears. #FeverForever