REVIEW: ‘Faefever’ (2008) by Karen Marie Moning

Faefever is the third book in Karen Marie Moning’s highly addictive Fever series. While I described the first title, Darkfever, as Urban Fantasy Lite, the subsequent two books have taken the tale in an increasingly dark direction. Parts of Faefever are highly disturbing and definitely not for the squeamish.

For readers not yet familiar with the series, here’s a brief synopsis of the story so far: MacKayla Lane is a pampered Southern belle with a penchant for sunbathing and shopping. Nothing of substance penetrates her vacuous existence. All this changes when her beloved sister, Alina, is brutally murdered in Dublin. Dissatisfied with the lack of progress the Irish police have made on the case, Mac decides to fly to Dublin to investigate herself.

Within a few weeks, she discovers that she and Alina are so-called sidhe-seers, part of an exclusive circle of women who can see faeries. Neither the Seelie nor the Unseelie fae can be considered good, but the latter are considerably more evil than the former. For centuries, the Seelie kept the Unseelie incarcerated and maintained a magical division between the realms of the fae and the mortals. Now the Unseelie are escaping their prison and entering the mortal world. With the Seelie unable to contain their evil brethren, the walls which divide the realms are crumbling, threatening both fae and human alike.

In addition to her ability to see the fae, Mac is able to sense the presence of Unseelie objects, including the sinister book of black magic known as the sinsar dubh. It was her sister Alina’s dying wish that Mac continue the search for the sinsar dubh, and Mac is determined to see the mission through. There are several individuals also seeking the sinsar dubh, including the enigmatic bookseller, Jerricho Barrons. It is with Barrons that Mac forms a reluctant alliance.

The opening of Faefever picks up from the cliffhanger which occurred at the end of Bloodfever. Mac’s evening out with Christian MacKeltar did not quite go as planned. Wretched and literally in the gutter, Mac now knows how the sinsar dubh is being transported around the city. Anxious to confide in Barrons, she hurries home to the bookstore, only to make a horrifying discovery about her partner-in-crime. Unsure whom to trust, Mac is torn between Barrons and V’Lane, a charismatic Seelie prince with a tenuous hold on veracity.

To add to her confusion, Mac is drawn into a group of dissatisfied fellow sidhe-seers, who question the methods of their leader, Rowena. Mac’s own dealings with Rowena have thus far been exclusively negative and she feels no loyalty to her. Through the sidhe-seers, Mac discovers more about her the history of her people but nothing about her biological parents.

When she finally meets up with Christian MacKeltar at the Department of Ancient Languages at Trinity, a few pieces of the puzzle come together, yet even more questions are posed. Of all the people who are potential allies, Mac recognizes Christian as the genuine article. Yet she reluctantly admits he is not powerful enough to protect her from the forces of evil, thus necessitating a continued alliance with either Barrons or V’Lane. With the war with the fae growing ever closer, Mac will have to choose sides or be damned.

While I enjoyed Faefever a great deal, I wished there had been more Barrons in the book. I also found a particular scene upsetting. This scene is the cliffhanger on which the book ends. I have been reassured by fans of the series that the fourth book, Dreamfever, does an admirable job in dealing with the aftermath of this event, which gives me hope.

Moning has done an excellent job with the development of Mac’s character. While her innocence is gone, her upbeat personality has not quite been extinguished. Despite the darkness which surrounds her, she’s focusing on the one glimmer of light. Given the events which occurred in this installment, I’m very curious to see what will happen to Mac in the next book in the series.

Fans of the Fever series are bound to enjoy Faefever. For those of you who have not yet started the series, I highly recommend starting with book one, Darkfever. Moning does a decent job of catching her readers up on events in the previous books, but I would say the Fever books do not stand alone well and need to be read in the correct order. The story is essentially one book spread out over five volumes. I would also implore people who chronically read the end first not to do so with the books in this series! Grade: B

Also Reviewed:

Darkfever (2006) by Karen Marie Moning – Book One in the Fever Series

Bloodfever (2007) by Karen Marie Moning – Book Two in the Fever Series

Tagged as: B Reviews, Fever Series, Karen Marie Moning, Urban Fantasy