Feel the Heat Catch the Fever

So here we are. A little under FIVE hours from the release of Shadowfever, the fifth and final book in Karen Marie Moning’s hugely addictive Fever series.

I started this series back in October of 2006, when Darkfever was first released. I devoured it. And then couldn’t believe I had a year interim for the next book.

Little did I know that would just be the beginning of a wait that would continue for my foreseeable future.

A little over four years later, and that wait is almost over.

Finally.

I can’t begin to do this series justice. I’ve tried, over the years, to explain what it is that draws me so. And so I’ll try one more time, without spoilers for those that haven’t read them – and I’ll ask that no spoilers be posted in the comments either. I hope to have a proper review up for Shadowfever in the next couple of days – after I’ve read and digested it.

MacKayla Lane is a young woman who has never had to worry about anything more dire than if her favorite shade of nail-polish is going to be discontinued. Her life is good. She has friends, a decent job, lives in beautifully-lush Georgia with her parents, and her sister – who’s currently in Dublin, studying abroad.

Then she does something as innocent as answering a ringing phone. And her life changes, forever. Her sister, Alina, has been murdered in Dublin, horrifically. The Garda are searching for answers, but there just aren’t any. When Mac discovers a cryptic message that Alina left on her cell phone voicemail mere hours before her death, it starts Mac on a quest to find her killer – even if it means going all the way to Ireland to do it.

Once in Ireland weird things start happening. Mac thinks she’s losing her mind as she begins to see things that can’t possibly be there. Delving deeper into the mystery, she learns that things aren’t always what they seem. The Old Ones, faeries to you and I, are still among us. Though the worst of them are imprisoned, somehow they are beginning to escape.

When she runs into a bookstore seeking shelter and a phone to call a cab, she meets the mysterious Jericho Barrons. And soon he becomes the only one that’s ever offered her any sort of answers. But he’s not the only one interested in Mac. V’lane, a Fae Prince, has suddenly started shadowing her.

The boundaries between the worlds are faltering, and the only thing that’s clear is that Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh – a powerful book of dark magic – because if she doesn’t, someone else will. And then they’ll hold the very fabric of both worlds in their hands…

This is the world we’re thrust into. We learn right along side Mac. She knows nothing about her heritage, or the fae when she shows up in Dublin on a rainy afternoon. But the further she digs, the more we come to understand the huge consequences of what is happening.

I’ve followed Mac on a journey of four books, seen her grow and mature, learn and falter. She’s made huge triumphs, and devastating mistakes. She’s been hurt and healed. It has not been an easy, joyful ride, but a heart-wrenching roller coaster of a journey.

And now that we’re just under FOUR hours away, I can’t wait to see the conclusion of this epic tale.