Iced

Like most others looking at this book I read the 5 volume Fever series from which it derives, a series I thoroughly enjoyed for its creative spark and plot development. A character introduced late in the Fever series, a 14 year old named Dani, is the protagonist for Iced. The novel is still loosely set in Dublin, and the scenario picks up where the Fever series ended, with the wall between the world of Fae and that of humans broken, leaking Seelie, Unseelie, and other nightmarish elements of Fae into the world of humans, slowly wiping out humanity. For unknown reasons, Dani has the ability to move with blinding speed from place to place so long as she is furnished with enough to eat (an eating disorder that would make most of us envious, since she constantly gorges on Snickers). She has possession of a Fae sword that can kill Seelie and Unseelie. Her abilities are trumped by the character Ryodan (also somewhat of a player in the Fever series), his henchman Lor, and Christian, who is gradually turning from human into a ruthless Unseelie prince. For continuity, there are occasional references to the characters of Mac and Barrons from the Fever series, where Mac was a protagonist who had to morph from party girl to a force of nature. Mac possesses the only other known weapon, a spear, that can kill Seelie and Unseelie. There is enough complexity that the author deserves credit for not getting things tangled up any more than they already were.

Overall, I don’t think this novel is a bad effort, it just gets a bit tiresome to read through the same Dani musings over and over and over. She’s characterized as an insecure teenager with an inflated ego to cover for her anxieties, indulging in endlessly stupid introspection. The plot line is OK, but takes far too long to develop in getting from point A to point B. In the first 5 books the story unfolded in unexpected and interesting ways. That creative spark was less in evidence in this novel, with Dani and Ryodan basically doing the same song and dance repeatedly to the extent you just want to say “OK, OK, I get it”. There is some redemption for the pace of the book when Dani inadvertently unleashes the Crimson Hag from her prison in the White Mansion, a Fae structure introduced in the Fever Series. But then, that also proves to be an artifice for setting up the next novel in the developing series. I was also put off by how Iced ended, with a few paragraphs devoted at the very end to having Mac suddenly confront Dani (i.e., stay tuned, a preview of coming attractions).

I can recommend this book for fans of the Fever series, but be warned that it is not a page turner. It does do a reasonably good job of setting up for a series it is obviously designed to lead into. Hopefully subsequent volumes will redeem what I found to be a rather average effort at leveraging the much better executed Fever series.

This book is about Dani. To be honest, I skipped over her previous newspaper articles in the past books because she’s very unrelatable and obnoxious. Also, her English is a little atrocious. I bought all the books in this series at one time because I couldn’t get enough of Mac and Barron’s. I never realized this was about Dani or I wouldn’t have. I still attempted to read it, however. At least until I realized there would be a love story between a 14 year old child and grown men. That was enough for me to move on to the next book.

Stop reading the series now. The series takes a horribly wrong turn when the lead is taken over by Dani. The dark sexuality from the first books really is gross when it is a 14 year old girl being cornered by older men who want to own her. Adding the men’s POV increases the ick factor and lessens the theme of empowerment from the earlier books. SPOILER: It gets worse when Dani’s mistake lands one of the few other female characters into slavery and sexual exploitation. Trying to speed age her in the alternate dimensions to make the sex OK just makes it ickier. The fact that none of the responsible adult characters from the first 5 books step up to restart civilization is telling.

Omg! What a wild ass ride! Again, KMM refuses to leave my edges alone as she erases years of my life from sheer shock and excitement! Then she generously restores those years back in loads of quick wit banter and barbs, undercutting and emotionally loaded dialogue, subtle yet impactful subtext and of course, the promise of a WILDER tomorrow! There is so much promise laced into Dani and her adventures for what I know will be an impossibly thrilling ride!

We continue from where we were left in Shadowfever -post apocalyptic Dublin. AWC – AFTER THE WALLS CRASH. Its every man, woman and child for his or herself. Dani Mega OMalley was missing in action during the riveting round up of Cruce by Mac and the Unseelie King. If you remember, Ryodan told her she now had a job to do for him (when she was choking on the water tower at the end of Shadowfever). Well, thats exactly where we kick off, Ryodan, an equal opportunity employer immediately tracks Dani to close a cold-case: who or what is freezing random parts of Dublin? What are the ramifications of all these lethal icings? An icing so dangerous that even the immortal fae and Ryodan fear of it.

As Ryodan and Dani team, we learn of two more important players: Christian, the new Unseelie Prince and Dancer. We even see the point of views of both Christian and Kat, leader,of the sidhe-seers! There are so many conflicts that thicken the plot to save Dublin and ultimately the world from the Hoar Frost king!

I loved getting to know Dani! I didnt care what people say – shes annoying,I cant stand her speech etc. Shes a 14 badass that has a lust for life, that refuses to be caged in any shape way or form, who believes there is no price to high for survival! KMM introduces us to her in perfectly timed reflections and memories, where we learn her deepest thoughts, insecurities and just feel the texture of her person. Its so rich. Dani, and all the characters for that matter, are tangible creations!

If youre mad at at 14 year old being sexualized, please take a seat! I cant with folks. KMM again, so delicately balanced the precarious theme of youth being forged by fire and sexual tension of what is bound it be a passionate future. No lines were crossed! Im saying this to those readers that cant let their fiction challenge their mores. KMM does not glorify or entertain pedophilia. And I wouldnt be mad if the lines were crossed if it still told the story the way it was meant to be told! But again, that is not the case. Dani is so obtuse and myopic in her understanding of non-platonic undertones although shes wise enough to see the nuances of other people relationships. She refuses to be soft in any way,and that makes her hard-headed. And it annoys the reader . Our leading men see the woman Dani will be, and that is enough. She is the Robin to Batman and … well i wont say anything else

All in all, I am stoked for the becoming of Dani, her evolution will be fantastic. I am eager to see her rest her guilt. And I am dying to see and learn more of Ryodan, Christian and Dancer. As usual, I find myself beautifully challenged as I write my theories before i flip the page, sometimes before i read the next sentence! Ive been damn good with my anticipation but so much is yet to be understood! Youll be enthralled!

Favorite quote: Youll never be just anything. A tsunami can never be just a wave.

…Waves are banal. Tsunamis reshape the Earth. Under the right circumstance, even entire civilizations.

I read the first five fever books and (with one plot exception) enjoyed them immensely, but I never liked Dani and stopped reading when I saw Iced was about her. Now, years later, I decided to try to catch up on the series and ordered this book. It was a mistake. Unfortunately I hate this character as much as I did when I first ran into her. Nothing about this story is okay for me. Im going to try to skim it and move onto the next, and hopefully enjoy the other books. If not, this was an expensive experiment.