Night Huntress Giveaway Winner Announced!

Allow me to express my excitement through free dance...

The winner of the Night Huntress Giveaway is:

Lieder Madchen of Songs and Stories 

Congratulations and happy reading!

Enter to Win the Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost

Enter to win books 1-4 of Jeaniene Frost's best selling Night Huntress series (previously read by the Book Fiend).

This is a fun paranormal romance series with one of my favorite male characters: Bones.  He's reason enough to read them, and is often voted as one of the best male characters in the genre.  Vampires, ghouls, witches, ghosts-definitely a lot to keep you busy.

Cat is a great main character, tough and determined.

Good luck, and I hope you enjoy the series as much as I did.

 "Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat."  (flap copy from goodreads)

I won't share anymore flap copy with you because they contain spoilers

Jeaniene Frost really lucked out with gorgeous cover art that opens to reveal a double spread.  I've forgotten the industry term for this, but inside Bones is featured ^^.


I haven't read books five and six yet.

Happy Halloween!

It's Halloween and I've been thinking of the scariest books I've read that completely freaked me out, almost making a believer out of me.

Read while spending the summer at my cousin's house in upstate New York, I put on every crucifix I could find, and made my cousin sleep with me for days.  To this day it's stories about the devil that scare me the most.

Scary, mindless vampires by Stephen King.  Need I say more?

The classic that started the change in the vampire mythos, soon to become what I now call Vampire Romeo's, tortured, guilt-ridden, merciful.  I prefer the blood-lusting monsters with the rare one that's managed to hold on to his humanity.

A classic.  Disturbing.  Ghostly.

It's been a while since I've read this, and all I remember is that it scared me and I couldn't put it down!  I just bought it a used book fair this past weekend, so I'm anxious to read it again.

Vengeful ghosts.  Chills will skitter up and down your spine! 

This book really surprised me.  One of the most terrifying, but coolest scenes I've ever read is in this book.  I've tried to reread this book to analyze the scene to find why it frightened me so, but I haven't had the chance.  I think it has to do with loss of control.  And facing a blood-lusting vampire!

Because people are the scariest of all.

What are the scariest books you've read?

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Review: The Medusa Amulet by Robert Masello

Published: April 26, 2011
Publisher: Bantam
464 pages

A brilliant but skeptical young scholar named David Franco embarks on a quest to recover a legendary artifact: a beautifully carved amulet that was created by Benvenuto Cellini, the master artisan of Renaissance Italy.

What begins as a simple investigation quickly spirals into a twisting, turning tale of suspense and intrigue, a race against time that carries Franco across continents and centuries in a desperate search for this ultimate treasure—and a work of unimaginable power . . . and menace.
Aided only by a beautiful young Florentine with a conspirator’s mind and dark secrets, Franco is soon caught up in a life-and-death struggle from which there is no escape. Relentlessly pursued by deadly assassins and demons of his own, in the end he must confront—and defeat—an evil greater than anything conjured in his worst nightmares.

I loved Robert Masello's previous book, Blood and Ice, so I bought The Medusa Amulet the day it was released; I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it. The premise is right up my alley: history blended with a touch of the supernatural.

In 16th century Italy, artist Benvenuto Cellini creates a looking glass with water from a gorgon pool hidden behind the mirror granting immortality to anyone that gazes into it. Powerful, mysterious people would do anything to acquire it. The story is told in third person giving multiple character's points of view, and the time frame alternates between skipping through history to present day until the story converges at the finale.

The book is filled with lavish descriptions of Renaissance art and history, and since it's told in third person (in this case, somewhat distancing), it felt like an unnecessary data dump at the expense of character development.  I couldn't connect with any of the characters.

Immediately I felt manipulated by the contrived plot:  A mysterious woman asks David Franco to look for  an amulet that he's not sure even exists, but ultimately he accepts the job with the hope of saving his sister who is dying of breast cancer.  Readers are told they're close, but I just didn't feel it. As soon as Franco lands in Italy, he encounters a beautiful experienced scholar working as a tour guide that agrees to help him.  Too. easy.

In chapter twenty-four there is a battle between two dark arts practitioners at a private gathering at Marie Antoinette's home. This was masterfully written, and I got my hopes up for the rest of the book, but the finale, the big reveal, was anti-climatic, once again because it was far too easy for the characters to pull off.

As it turns out, this book really wasn't for me. My expectations were too high because I enjoyed Blood and Ice so much.  I have to rate The Medusa Amulet:

 

The Medusa Amulet by Robert Masello received a starred review by Kirkus, and has a good average rating on Amazon and Good Reads.  Readers that enjoy books by Dan Brown may want to give this book a try.

Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

•            Hardcover: 400 pages
•            Publisher: Doubleday 
•            First Edition/First Printing edition September 13, 2011

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.


But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.


True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

I put  down Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern right away.  Having both books in the forefront of my mind, the only comparison I can draw is they are  both written in third person, and there's magic.  Oh, and a train.  So if you think you're getting a dose of dueling wizards battling it out to the death in the name of good against evil with bolts of electricity flaring from wands, you'll be sorely disappointed.  The press is drawing the comparison for publicity and money.  Let's all just admit there will never be another Harry Potter, and move on to embrace the new.

That's you, publishers and media!

Erin Morgentstern's The Night Circus is not the traditional circus you know.  It's a beautifully imagined, intricately detailed, magical place that enchants all who enter.  The circus is as much a character in the story--if not more so--than all the other characters combined.  I never use to understand people saying they wished they could live in a certain favorite fictional world.  Until now.  I would SO run away with this circus, easily donning black with a splash of scarlet to become a reveur, giving up my predictable life to follow the Night Circus to all its exotic and romantic locales: Constantinople, London, Munich, Sydney, Paris, to name a few.  Morgenstern was sure to involve all the senses when describing the circus. It's such a disappointment that it isn't real.


Two rival magicians--Prospero the Enchanter and a man known only as Mr A. H-- decide to throw down and have a contest to see who can produce the better student of magic.  Chosen as children, Celia and Marco are kept separated, training their whole lives for the competition, but the rules are never explained.


One sorta major detail left out in their education is only one can survive.  (The Night Circus is as similar to The Hunger Games as fried chicken is to beignets. Just saying.)  The circus venue is announced and the competition begins, although no one knows anything about it save student and mentor.


There are cloud mazes in the air, a wishing tree, forests of sonnets.  Practically everything is controlled by magic, but the beauty of it is it's real magic disguised to look believable.  A person's grip on reality can be a fragile thing; it's best to leave others alone in their safe perceptions.  Years pass as Celia and Marco keeping adding more and more magical entertainment, learning to respect and care for each others talent long before they meet.  Once they do meet, their romance is slow to grow as both are aware it would complicate things if they collaborated on projects.


I enjoyed how Morgenstern occasionally used the very rare second person POV, putting readers directly into the story, experiencing the circus for themselves:


"You feel the warmth of breath on your neck, but when you turn no one is there."


Harry Potter feels like a wild, epic adventure whereas, to me, The Night Circus and its cast of characters is a controlled execution, proper and refined, just how the Victorians are often portrayed, and this absolutely fits the story.


“The silence that falls between them is a comfortable one.  He longs to reach over and touch her, but he resists, fearful of destroying the delicate camaraderie they are building.”


(Click below to read more)

Review: The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
Published: March 8, 2011
Publisher: Random House
352 pages

Natalia Stefanovi, a doctor living in an unnamed Balkan country crosses the border in search of answers about the death of her beloved grandfather, who raised her on tales from the village he grew up in, and where, following German bombardment in 1941, a tiger escaped from the zoo in a nearby city and befriended a mysterious deaf-mute woman. The evolving story of the tiger's wife, as the deaf-mute becomes known, forms one of three strands that sustain the novel, the other two being Natalia's efforts to care for orphans and a wayward family who, to lift a curse, are searching for the bones of a long-dead relative; and several of her grandfather's stories about Gavran Gailé, the deathless man, whose appearances coincide with catastrophe and who may hold the key to all the stories that ensnare Natalia.

While checking out the NPR recommended reading shelf at my local bookstore, the interesting cover and title of this book caught my eye immediately, and the flap copy was intriguing. All I knew going into the book was that it was Tea Obreht's debut novel which is always exciting for me because I love discovering new authors.

Dr. Natalia Stefanovi and her lifelong friend Zora make their way to war-torn Brejevina to do mission work with orphans when Natalia receives news that her beloved grandfather died in a village hundreds of miles from his home, and his personal belongings-- most importantly his copy of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book that he treasured and carried with him always-- were not sent back with his body. Her grandfather's journey to Zdrevkov and subsequent death is a mystery, and Natalia sets out to discover the circumstances, and retrieve her grandfather's personal effects. Along the way she thinks about the stories her grandfather told her on their many outings together as she was growing up, stories about his experiences in World War II, the Deathless Man, and The Tiger's Wife.

The novel jumps back and forth in time.  Natalia's story thread is very dry, whereas my favorite parts of the book were the retelling of her grandfather's tales of the deathless man, Gavran Gaile, and the Tiger's Wife, a deaf-mute woman named thus for caring for an escaped tiger when a city is bombed. These parts of the novel are beautifully written and interesting. In the end, Natalie learns the truth about her grandfather's death, and as wondrous as his tales were told, the author chooses to relay the facts regarding his death rather quickly.  So quickly, I had to read it twice to make sure I hadn't nodded off and missed something.

It's easy to draw comparisons between the war-torn Balkans in the 1990s and Obreht's fictional setting, and there are many passages that are heart wrenching. She definitely knows how to write, but the book is slow moving. I read it in snippets, often feeling detached, and I'm not sure I understand how the two tales fit into the overall meaning, or what message the author wants readers to take home. Could it be as simple as: honor and respect in life and death? Treasure the stories that unite us?  This is another one of those "thinking" novels perfect for a book club selection; I believe I would have gotten more out of it and enjoyed it if I was able to discuss it with others.   Right now, I'd have to rate it:

Although the story wasn't for me, I must agree that Tea Obreht is an author to watch, and I'll definitely read her future books.  The Tiger's Wife is widely praised, and received a glowing New York Times review.  Once I finished the book, I learned she was listed in New Yorker's 20 under 40 fiction issue, found here.  In June, she won the 16th Orange Prize for fiction written by women, article found here.  So, after all of that, how silly do I feel for not quite getting it?

Pretty silly

Review: The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw

Strange things are happening on the remote and snowbound archipelago of St. Hauda’s Land. Magical winged creatures flit around the icy bogland, albino animals hide themselves in the snow-glazed woods, and Ida Maclaird is slowly turning into glass. Ida is an outsider in these parts who has only visited the islands once before. Yet during that one fateful visit the glass transformation began to take hold, and now she has returned in search of a cure.

The cover of The Girl with Glass Feet and the flap copy pretty much lasso'd me into reading this book.  My imagination went wild picturing things.  A harsh, snowy landscape inhabited by strange creatures.  Magic.  Fairies.  A cruel, spiteful witch.  A curse placed on a desperate young girl, and the handsome prince that would save her.  True love.  A quest!

 Oh, I do so love a quest!  It gives meaning to hiking!

  So I nestled in for the evening, and with trembling anticipation I began to read. 


After a bit, a little voice in my head began whispering:


"I wonder when the fairies are gonna show up..." 


and


"The witch should be making an appearance anytime now..." 


Then the whining began.


"But he's not swooooooonyyyyy!" 


The Girl with Glass Feet was nothing like I imagined.  I was expecting a cute little entertaining fairytale, but what I got was something I like to call:

*

*

*

*

A thinking book

It wasn't an easy read at first, but that was entirely my fault; I dug in the heels of my preconceived ideas, and wasn't giving the story a chance.  Several times I was tempted to toss it.  I'm very, very glad I didn't.  Once I let go and trusted the author, I began to enjoy the book with a renewed appreciation for storytelling. 


Ida Maclaird returns to St. Hauda's Land to find a cure for her mysterious glass ailment, and enlists the help of a local young man to help her.  Introverted and a touch neurotic, Midas reluctantly agrees.  Ida wants to deeply connect with someone because of her condition, but Midas is so shy and afraid of showing emotion that their relationship is awkward.  As the story unfolds, several characters are introduced and a common thread weaves them together.  


I brushed up on the meanings of metaphor, simile and allegory, jotted a few lines about each character, and thought...and thought, and thought some more until I figured out what I think the author is trying to say.  

Go me! Go Book Fiend! 

Of course, as these things go--and what makes literature so interesting and fun--is that my interpretation may well be completely different than yours.  There's no right or wrong answer.  I won't discuss my interpretation here because I don't want to spoil anything for you in case you plan to read it, but I firmly believe that how we interpret this story--and how we feel about its ending-- says something deeply personal about ourselves.  Oh, and there are magical creatures, and strange things happening on St. Hauda's Island.  But no witches or fairies, and it's all the better for it.  Honest.  


Ali Shaw's story is a well imagined fairytale that would make a great book club selection.  It wasn't until I finished the novel that I learned The Girl with Glass Feet won The Desmond Elliott Prize in the UK.  


In addition to the questions in the reader's guide, I wonder:


*Why did the author choose glass for Ida Maclaird's transformation instead of, lets say, stone or graphite or fudge covered oreos?


*Why her feet?


*Why does the other character's transformation begin in another part of the body?


It took me a few days to fully appreciate this novel, and it will stay with me for a while, so for that I'll add it to my favorites, and will most likely read it again.  The cadence of the writing felt a bit off, but that could just be me (I'm sort of nerdy about sentence rhythms).  The cold, monochromatic setting totally fits the theme of the story.  The author's use of stumbling dialogue (err, umm) was annoying at first, but once I changed my mindset, even that made sense to me.  

Overall, The Girl with Glass Feet was :

Give this one a try.  Be open to it, and let me know what you think. It's not the usual fodder, but that's a good thing.  Sometimes we need to exercise our literary muscle.

Review: Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the tender attention her grandmother, Maylene, bestowed upon the dead of Claysville, the town where Bek spent her adolescence. There wasn't a funeral that Maylene didn't attend, and at each Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual: three sips from a small silver flask followed by the words "Sleep well, and stay where I put you."

Now Maylene is dead and Bek must go back to the place--and the man--she left a decade ago. But what she soon discovers is that Maylene was murdered and that there was good reason for her odd traditions. It turns out that in placid Claysville, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected. Beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D--a place from which the dead will return if their graves are not properly minded. Only the Graveminder, a Barrow woman, and the current Undertaker, Byron, can set things to right once the dead begin to walk.

Graveminder is Melissa Marr’s foray into adult literature after the conclusion of her successful young adult series Wicked Lovely.  Marr has great ideas, and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into juicy, complex story lines. 

The story opens with a creepy scene that’s so riveting I couldn’t read it fast enough. Maylene Barrow, Claysville’s graveminder, meets a very disturbing seventeen-year-old girl in town and invites her home. Maylene is later found dead. Her granddaughter Rebekkah returns to Claysville for the funeral with plans to leave as soon as possible, but she finds out she’s the next graveminder. Claysville is suddenly like Hotel California: she can check out any time she likes, but she can never leave. 

I wanted to like this story because conceptually it sounded interesting, but Rebekkah is an annoying character. She’s manipulative and immature, and her long history of using Byron makes her unsympathetic.  She contradicts herself (with internal dialogue) entirely too much, to the point of reader distraction.  Byron appears weak, pining for a woman that continually does him wrong.

Although Marr does a good job of revving up suspense, I kept getting jerked out of the story by deep point of view italics, poor editing and unbelievable behavior. Since I wasn't lost in the story, I began analyzing everything and therefore became much less forgiving of things I’d otherwise overlook. 

Marr overuses the technique of showing her characters thoughts with italics. It’s essential for readers to get this character insight, but Rebekkah questions and contradicts herself so much she appears mental. 

I go all fussy britches with weird names or strange spelling variations. It's fine if they fit the story setting, but doing this just to be creative annoys me. (When Harry Potter first came out, I wouldn’t read it because I didn’t know how to pronounce Hermione. Stupid, I know but I can’t help it). I’ve never seen the name Rebekkah spelled this way, and it's often shortened to Beks in the story.  Don’t love it, but I’ll go with it. Byron is shortened to B, Alicia becomes Lish (shoot me), and Charles is Mr. D. I mustn't forget Daisha and Amity Blue. 

Marr’s narrative can sometimes be messy, and the overuse of fragmented sentences was irritating. Character’s behave like adolescents and the story reads very much like a young adult novel. I was disappointed in the simplicity of it. The ending felt rushed with information awkwardly crammed into the last few chapters. The best part of the story is the initial scene, and Marr's concept of the underworld. 


For the concept of the underworld, and maintaining suspense, I'll be generous with my rating:

Don't let me discourage you from reading this book. Many people liked it, and it's been optioned for a television series. If it comes to fruition, I'll definitely check out the television series because the underworld is intriguing, and much more interesting than what goes on above ground. I'm sure the television series will be popular with fans of AMCs The Walking Dead.  

Review: Blood and Ice by Robert Masello

Blood and Ice by Robert Masello

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 Stars Recommended

For most of the book, Blood and Ice, is two incredible stories, beginning 150 years ago with the harrowing events that transpired on the ship, Coventry, once it was blown far off course into the dangerous waters of the South Pole. Sinclair, an affable, idealistic young soldier, and his beloved, Eleanor, are chained together and thrown overboard into the freezing glacial waters. What crime did they commit that the crew thought they deserved such treatment?

Fast forward to present day, to Michael Wilde, journalist, an adrenaline junkie high on life until a terrible accident forces him to withdraw from life because of a freak accident that's left the woman he loves unconscious in a hospitable bed, her prognosis grim. Michael's employer, after months of waiting, pushes him to take an assignment on scientists working in the most extreme climate in the world, the South Pole.

The author does an excellent job of alternating between both stories with thrilling suspense until they collide, mixing science and folklore in an exciting way. I'm almost afraid to say the word....shhh, come closer...closer....vampire...because perhaps you might think I'm giving something away. But I'm not, it's on the back of the book (but strangely not in the classification for the Library of Congress) and told in a way not expected.

The magic is the unique story and how it brilliantly unfolds. Robert Masello is a wonderful storyteller. There's nothing cliche about his writing and it's not like any other vampire novel I've read before. His masterful descriptions made me feel like I was there along side each and every character, experiencing it all for myself, and isn't that why we read--to live vicariously through the characters? To feel the excitement and pride of the soldier eager to fight for his country? To feel the bone chilling bite of the arctic wind on our skin, or feel the claustrophobic dive in freezing arctic waters and, seeing with our minds eye, a glacier wall descend and disappear into the dark depths below?

There's a lot that's scary in this book: arctic diving, living in the harshest environment in the world, the Crimean war, and the post war conditions, and for those that love the paranormal, the vampire- still scary, even if you know it's coming.

As always, what makes me love a book, is the way an author makes me love the characters so much that I can't put the book down, the way they can turn a phrase making me shudder with fear or my eyes well up with emotion. (I'm weird that way) It's awesome when that happens! This is a great story blending history, science and horror. I ~almost~ want a sequel. I can't help wondering what the characters are up to now.

Don't think I've told you everything about the story! Experience the book; put on a parka, and travel to the Pole!

Faithful Place by Tana French

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First U.S. Edition edition (July 13, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780670021871
• ISBN-13: 978-0670021871

Flap copy:

Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was nineteen, growing up poor in Dublin's inner city and living crammed into a small flat with his family on Faithful Place. But he had his sights set on a lot more. He and his girl, Rosie Daly, were all set to run away to London together, get married, get good jobs, break away from factory work and poverty and their old lives.

But on the winter night when they were supposed to leave, Rosie didn't show. Frank took it for granted that she'd given him the brush-off--probably because of his alcoholic father, nutcase mother, and generally dysfunctional family. He never went home again.

Neither did Rosie. Everyone thought she had gone to England on her own and was over there living a shiny new life. Then, twenty-two years later, Rosie's suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank is going home whether he likes or not.

Getting sucked in is a lot easier than getting out again. Frank finds himself straight back in the dark tangle of relationships he left behind. The cops working the case want him out of the way, in case loyalty to his family and community makes him a liability. Faithful Place wants him out because he's a detective now, and the Place has never liked cops. Frank just wants to find out what happened to Rosie Daly-and he's willing to do whatever it takes, to himself or anyone else, to get the job done.

***

My thoughts:

5 Stars: Loved it

Tana French knocked her third book, Faithful Place, out of the park. It isn’t just any old whodunit sleuthing story, but a great, emotionally charged story about love, longing and dysfunctional relationships that definitely raises the bar in the mystery genre. Her voice is fresh and believable. The prologue completely sucked me and I had to buy this book. I don’t normally read prologues; they often seem weird and confusing to me so I skim the first few sentences, head straight for chapter one, then maybe I'll go back and read them once I’m committed. But not this time, not this one:

"In all your life, only a few moments matter. Mostly you never get a good look at them except in hindsight, long after they've zipped past you: the moment when you decided whether to talk to that girl, slow down on that blind bend, stop and find that condom. I was lucky, I guess you could call it. I got to see one of mine face-to-face, and recognize it for what it was. I got to feel the riptide pull of my life spinning around me, one winter night while I waited in the dark at the top of Faithful Place.

I was nineteen, old enough to take on the world and young enough to be a dozen kinds of stupid..."

Brilliant. Tana French does an outstanding job of setting the tone, setting up the main character, Francis Mackey, as the now long suffering middle-aged detective haunted by an event from his past.

“…Over more than half my life it had worn itself a nice little corner in my mind, like a bullet lodged too deep to dig out; I didn’t feel the sharp edges, mostly, as long as I didn’t touch.”

I couldn't help but fall in love with Frank Mackey, and find out his story. He's complicated, real, and oh so believable. The pacing was perfect and as the plot unfolded, I was on the edge of my seat. Flashbacks are handled skillfully and without confusion. Every character is rich and well rounded with their Irish slang and quick wit. I laughed. I cried. I wanted a pint of Guinness. I felt the full gamut of emotions on a visceral level.

Faithful Place wins a spot on my "favorite book" list, and Tana French as a new "must read" author.

Excellent story and highly recommended if you enjoy mysteries. And even if you don't. Enjoy!

Shadowfever: 20% Awesome, 80% Yawn

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press (January 18, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385341679
• ISBN-13: 978-0385341677

My review: 3 Stars

Let me preface my review by saying I really enjoy Karen Marie Moning's books, and loved her Fever series, and the overall story arc. This just wasn't my favorite.

Shadowfever was surprising, and clever at times, but 80% of the book left me waiting for something truly amazing to happen. Perhaps my expectation was the problem. The last 20% of the book makes up for it; the ending is awesome, and I love how she pulls things together. It's a must read if you've been following the series.

All questions were answered, but without Moning's usual finesse. I can not say this enough. Normally, she is an eloquent writer, but Shadowfever seemed plain, riddled with cliches. I want books to lure me in, seduce and enchant me, whether they're book one or book five. It felt like the author already had us hooked on her series line, so she just pounded out words to get to the end. It didn't even seem like she tried to make it pretty. Mac's internal dialogue was redundant, and at times a struggle to get through.

The eroticism of the male characters, and their effect on Mac was over emphasized, and it seemed silly; in some instances it felt odd and inappropriate for the circumstances. Hot, sensuous males is a Moning trademark, but in some scenes, it just didn't fit. I just saw you die now I have to *&^% you. I get where she's coming from--the male expressing emotion after a traumatizing event-- but it doesn't flow, and to me, comes across as ridiculous, laughable. The picture Mac finds of Darroc is creepy, and there are no words she could throw at it to make it anything else. Oh, and poor Darroc, the Lord Master. The resolution of his storyline is sadly anticlimactic.

Finally, we find out what Barrons is. I'm not upset at what he turned out to be, but after the big reveal, he's no longer the classy, barely- contained sexual Barrons we've come to know and love. He's suddenly just a boorish tough guy. The sexual tension just isn't there and that's a sad thing because Moning writes it very well.

I was very surprised to learn the mystery behind the sounds in the garage, but even this was fumbled by Barrons pretending to fall for a lie Mac tells him. He smiles his winning smile because the lie makes him realize Mac loves him. What? After all his suffering, a MILLENNIUM of pain and suffering, and suddenly rainbow girl loves him (he's only know her a few months) and all is right with the world? NO. WAY. It would be far more palatable for Barrons to be angry, hurt, disappointed (pick your adjective), and have these feelings force Mac deep within herself in search of a solution to help the man she loves.

Moning wanted to create a monster unknown to readers, one that would defy categorization and labels, but Barrons is just an amalgam of all the fiendish horrors without all the brooding and self pity.

When done well, I love young adult novels full of raw, coming-of-age emotions, and I enjoy young characters in adult fiction, but Dani, the fourteen-year-old sidhe seer, is simply annoying--no funny snark there. Moning needs to practice writing a YA character that is believable to the reader. Portraying young adults is a completely different animal, and not just an adult projection of what a young adult "should be."

Shadowfever gets a generous three stars for the few surprise appearances and revelations in the magical denouement of the fever series. It's obvious the author is planning to write more in the fever world but this reader is done, done, done. My curiosity hasn't been piqued quite enough, and I have absolutely no interest in Dani at all. Wait! But what about Christian? Ahh. Never say never.