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Thursday 19 April 2012

Review: Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning (Fever #2)

Publisher - Gollancz
Publication Date - 13th October 2011
Paperback - 336 pages
Genre - Urban Fantasy

Source - Purchased

Rating - 3 out of 5: I liked it.

Reviewed by - Chrissie

Book Info - I used to be your average, everyday girl but all that changed one night in Dublin when I saw my first Fae, and got dragged into a world of deadly immortals and ancient secrets.

In her fight to stay alive, MacKayla must find the Sinsar Dubh - a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over the worlds of both the Fae and Man. Pursued by assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she can't trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and powerful men: V'lane, the immortal Fae Prince, and Jericho Barrons, a man as irresistible as he is dangerous. For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them.

My Thoughts - After really enjoying the first book in the series I was very excited to start Bloodfever, and for the most part I wasn't disappointed.

I didn't really like Mac in the first book but she is definitely starting to grow on me now. She has matured a lot and has lost a lot of her shallowness. Instead it has been replaced with a much darker, grittier Mac who I respect a lot more. I also like the way she doesn't allow hormones to control her decisions in the deadly world she has found herself in. She is caught between V'lane and Barrons, both of whom are incredibly sexy, but she doesn't allow her attraction to these men cloud her judgement. She manages to keep a cool head around them (most of the time!) and knows them for what they are - deadly and untrustworthy.

And as for Barrons - well, I think I may be becoming slightly obsessed with him. He is dark, dangerous, mysterious and carnal and I keep turning the pages hoping that I will find out something about who/what he is. Those of you who have read this series, please tell me we find out what he is! I can imagine him being mysterious enough to still be a complete enigma at the end of the series - in which case I will be incredibly frustrated!

However, I didn't enjoy Bloodfever as much as I did Darkfever, and the reason for that is that I felt as though this book was a bit of a filler in the series. Although I was hooked and couldn't put the book down (which is due to the author's amazing writing ability) I didn't really feel as though the story moved along at all - until, of course, we got to the cliffhanger at the end! Instead, the author is just lining up all the major players in the story and giving us hints about where the series will go. But it did get me intrigued enough to start the third book in the series straight away.

Summary - An enjoyable instalment to the Fever series that has definitely whet my appetite for more Mac and Barrons - well, mostly Barrons really! I can't wait to see how their story continues.

Other books in this series:
1. Darkfever
2. Bloodfever
3. Faefever
4. Dreamfever
5. Shadowfever

Other reviews of this book:
Dark Faerie Tales / Saz101 / Vampire Book Club

This book counts towards the following challenges:
Book #7 for 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
Book #25  for 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

6 comments:

TheReadingPenguin said...

Yeah, Mac took some time to grow on me...like fungus. But I ended up really liking her, and loving the series. I...think it took more books than necessary to tell it's story though. It probably could have been a trilogy, but it's five books. I noticed the filler too, and I hate that.

Jenny said...

This series intrigues me. I'm sorry to hear this one seemed a bit like a filler book, though.

Sarah (saz101) said...

Hehehehe! LOVES!

Chrissie, I gotta tell you: I felt the same way about Bloodfever. I enjoyed it A LOT, but I didn't feel as though it moved the overall series storyline very far ahead. This changes in books 3/4/5... I think maybe she just faltered a little, or needed to take the time to really establish characters, places, and mythology in the world which will later become crucial.

ANYWAY!
I LOVED seeing Mac's progression over this series. I spent half the first book HATING her, and then figured out once I kept reading that it was the point. It was SO good seeing her grow into something more, something better.

Barrons? He's INFURIATING, right? As for obsessesion? *groans* goodness, yes. I got unhealthily caught up in this world (read: Barrons), but I loved every minute of it. Barrons is an utter enigma, and I hate to tell you, but when you find out what he is, and everything becomes clear? About two thirds of the way through the last book in the series :P

Trust me, though: the big reveal and everything? It's worth waiting for :D

Enjoy the ride. And the sexual tension. OH MY GOODNESS THE SEXUAL TENSION O___O

Sarah (saz101) said...

And now I feel like a total twit, because I just read your 'it's Monday, what are you reading?' and you've probably already already read it by now! Hehe! ;D

Chrissie (Once Upon a Series) said...

TheReadingPenguin - Yeah, this one was definitely a filler. But I can't wait to read more from the series :)

Jenny - I am really enjoying the series and think that you probably would too :)

Sarah - I kind of felt as though she was setting up all the characters for later on in the series in this one. But I'm looking forward to seeing how the story progresses in the other books!

Glad I'm not the only one to develop an obsession with Barrons! It doesn't bother me that I won't find out until near the end of the series what he is - just so long as I do! I had this image of turning the last page of the last book and then screaming 'BUT WHAT IS HE????' at the book in complete and utter frustration :P I'm just relieved to hear I will get some answers :)

Oh, and you're not a twit. At the moment I'm about a quarter of the way through book three. But I've just finished another book I was reading alongside it so I will now be devoting my weekend entirely to Barrons ;)

Cherry said...

I'm an old Karen Marie Moning fan with her Highland series. That was why I picked this book up. But my disappointment just keep mounting with every succeeding book. However, of the first 4 books (out of 5) in this series that I've read so far, this one wasn't too bad...

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