Does the world really need another Shadowfever review? Why yes, yes it does.

Shadowfever
~Karen Marie Moning

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


From the author's website:
"Evil is a completely different creature, Mac.
Evil is bad that believes it's good."

MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever.

Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister's murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals that have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief, while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh--a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King that contains the power to create and destroy worlds.

In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac, and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.

Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman that haunts her dreams? More importantly, who is Mac and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?

From the luxury of the Lord Master's penthouse, to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover, to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac's journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and make a choice that will either save the world...or destroy it.

Oh what a ride this has been!!! After the agony of that cliffhanger ending in DreamFever, I just knew Shadowfever had to be amazing. No author would leave her fans hanging like that unless she knew the finale was going to be magnificent. And it was. The final installment of Mac's story was everything I wanted it to be. Mac's long and winding trail to find the Sinsar Dubh was a twisting, turning, sometimes upside down and inside out journey. So many times in the previous books, Mac would pepper Barrons with questions, and he would tell her that when she didn't need to ask anymore he would like to know her then. Mac finally became that woman, and I liked her a lot.

And Barrons, oh Barrons...we get to see Barrons like we've never seen him before, and I loved it. We learn some of his secrets (and they're doozies!), and we finally get to see what's under the garage!!! Barrons has been "my guy" from the beginning and that did not change at all in Shadowfever.

My favorite highlander (and lie-detector), Christian MacKeltar, is one of the few unfinished story lines in the book. All I can say is "WTF? I did NOT see that coming." (Luckily, KMM said in her Q&A that we will be seeing Christian in future books).

I'll admit I was never "Team V'lane" and Shadowfever did not change my mind.

And Dani - You know, Dani has been one of my least favorite characters throughout the series. She really shone in Shadowfever though - she had some of the funniest lines in the book. Her story isn't finished either and I never thought I'd say this but I'm actually looking forward to the telling of it.

Everyone else:
I loved Barron's "Band of Merry Men". They were so testosterone-filled and angry. They were mad, bad men and I couldn't help but like them. I'd love to hear their story. I laughed out loud at the scene where Mac's mother talked about how she cooked for them and what they liked to eat. And when Lor propositioned Mac - wow, just...wow. The MacKeltars are back, and there's a cameo by Adam from Ms. Moning's Highlander series, which was nice. Fiona was a bitch to the very end. As far as Dreamy-Eyed Guy - I had a theory about DEG, and I was wrong. He surprised me.

There are just enough loose ends that I'm looking forward to whatever spin-off Ms. Moning decides to write, but not so many that I'm left feeling unfulfilled.

All told, I love Mac's growth through the series and this book in particular. She questioned herself constantly. She analyzed and made lists. She got scared. She got mad. She was epic. Ms. Moning said from the beginning that Mac's story would ultimately be a happy one, that things would be dark before they got light, and she was right.

A tip of the hat to you, Ms. Moning. Bravo!

My Rating:

Recap of Karen Marie Moning's Shadowfever Q and A

*I was only up to Chapter 10 by the time we went to the Q&A session, so there were a few spoiler questions I didn’t hear (we were instructed to plug our ears if we hadn’t finished Shadowfever yet). I did get some answers but I don’t know what they mean. So, if you see *spoiler*, you can highlight the text, but honestly I don’t know what her answers mean yet, since as I’m typing this I’m still only halfway through the book!

Let me begin by saying Ms. Moning was an exceptionally gracious hostess. While we were standing in line Monday night for the signing, someone said she was taking a break once every hour – we thought it was to rest her hand, but apparently she caught a stomach virus on the flight to New Orleans and was very sick. Even so, she stayed to make sure everyone got their book signed, which is incredible. When Rachel and I left the signing it was almost 8:00 pm – she’d already been signing for four hours!!! The line:



Rachel and I had signed up to attend the 2nd Q&A session on Tuesday at noon. Karen showed up wearing black leather pants and a pretty gold sweater. I have to stop here and tell you - she’s gorgeous! Absolutely stunning – her covers do not do her justice. Her hair is cut in a short straight wedge, not the long curls on her covers. And her voice has an almost musical quality to it; she’s very soft-spoken. Her voice reminds me of her descriptions of the Fae’s lyrical voices in her books; even though we were in the 2nd row I was glad she had a microphone.



So, on to the questions:

How did the Fever series come about? She said the whole story – all 5 books – came to her in a dream one night. She knew it would be 5 books, knew the titles, and how it would all end. As she wrote each book, she would have to go back and check herself to make sure she wasn’t giving away things that the reader didn’t know yet. (Someone asked what she’d eaten the night before, and someone else asked if she’d had any “blooper” dreams about Barrons – to which she laughed and looked over at her husband, lol. She said, no, no blooper dreams – Barrons is too scary.)

After one audience member asked about writing the male POV, Phil Gigante (Barrons’ voice on the audiobooks) asked about *spoiler* Barron’s 5 days standing watch after his son died and Barrons' POV. She said she didn’t want to show his pain, that’s not the type of man he is – he wouldn’t show it; he did his five days and moved on.

Apparently she wrote a scene that’s not in Shadowfever *spoiler* where Mac meets Tullie, and that scene will be in the next book (more about her next series below).

Also *spoiler* the Isla and Peter scene is for the reader to choose. I think the questioner asked about the outcome of the scene, or whether Peter was good or bad? (I’m not sure, I didn’t hear the question.)

Something Ms. Moning mentions repeatedly throughout the session: *spoiler* There are no clear-cut heroes or villains in the series, it’s left to the reader to decide.

When asked about Mac’s wardrobe for the future (Mac 1.0 was pink, Mac 4.0 black), she said *spoiler* It’s confused and conflicted. The author said she dressed as Mac would have dressed at Monday night’s signing: Black leather pants, a goldish- St. John top, and pink panties, lol)

I asked about the relationship between her Highlander series and her Fever series: (Squee!!! I spoke with Karen Marie Moning!!! *faints*). She says that she doesn’t feel like she did justice to the Fae until around Immortal Highlander. She wanted to do more, and after her dream she knew she had the perfect format for her characters. When I asked which series she recommended reading first, she asked her audience to answer that question and it was a resounding “HIGHLANDERS!!” Into the Dreaming is not related in any way as it was for a different publisher.

Does she see herself in Mac? Yes, bits. Her husband laughed – apparently Karen loves fast cars. Her husband said she’s the best combination of Barrons and Mac (how sweet is that?!?)

What’s planned for the future? She says there’s still a lot more to explore and she’ll be here for a long time. She is planning on taking some time off, but the next series will probably be a three-book story arc. She is a firm believer in a story with a definite ending, not a never-ending series.
- We will see more of Barrons and The Nine in future books, as well as Danny, Christian, and Rhyodan. Also Mac, she added.
- She wants to do Dani’s story, but can’t decide if she’ll do Dani at this age and grow up with her (which is what she wants to do) or do Dani after she’s grown up a bit (which would be better for sales). This makes me wonder if she’s thinking about doing a YA series featuring Dani?
- She also feels like she has one more Highlander story in her – there’s another Keltar story that wants to be told.
- She mentioned her graphic novel coming out in 2012 – she’s seen some of the work and says it’s very sexy and she loves it; Al Rio is the artist.
- She said she was relieved that the movie options for the series expired and that there have been some TV inquiries (Sci-Fi Channel); she’s interested in that possibility.


A few people asked for advice on writing:
- First and foremost, get your butt in the chair and keep it there.
- Be true to your vision and don’t trend hop.
- She likes to write at 4:30 am at her home; she and her husband both do their best work there.

__________________

We were also treated to Phil Gigante reading Shadowfever’s Chapter 8. It was mesmerizing!!! I haven’t heard his voice on the audiobooks but now I want them very badly – when I closed my eyes to listen, his voice washed over me and he was Barrons!!!

When someone asked about how well her husband's CD, Shadowsong, fit with the book, she explained it like this: When she was done writing for the day, she’d go over it with her husband and they’d talk about it. He’d have all this Fever stuff running around in his head as he’d go to the studio to create music, which is why it goes so well with the book.

Finally, when asked about how she felt about finishing the series, Karen said she was thrilled that now everyone else knew the ending she’d been holding on to for five (six?) years. Then she got teary-eyed and said the best part has been all the friendships she’s watched being forged over her books and how special that was for her.

Waiting on Wednesday: Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

__________________

I have been waiting for the release of Shadowfever, the conclusion of her phenomenal Fever series, since I finished reading the last page of Dreamfever - talk about a cliffhanger ending! Shadowfever was originally due to be released in December, then got pushed back to January. Was I disappointed? Sure. But Ms. Moning has promised it's worth the wait! I need my Mac and Barrons fix now!!!



From the author's website:

"Evil is a completely different creature, Mac.
Evil is bad that believes it's good."

MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever.

Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister's murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals that have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief, while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh--a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King that contains the power to create and destroy worlds.

In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac, and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.

Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman that haunts her dreams? More importantly, who is Mac and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?

From the luxury of the Lord Master's penthouse, to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover, to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac's journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and make a choice that will either save the world...or destroy it.

Hardcover: 608 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: January 18, 2011
ISBN-10: 0385341679
ISBN-13: 978-0385341677

__________________

AND - the best part - Karen Marie Moning just announced she's coming to New Orleans for the Shadowfever launch party!!! Woot! I am so freakin' excited!! It looks like she's planning events for Monday January 17 (Martin Luther King day here in the US) and Tuesday January 18. I wouldn't normally take a day off for a booksigning, but this is an exception to that rule - Ms. Moning knows how to throw a party and this is one of my all-time favorite series - I can't take both days off so I'm going to have to figure out which day I should be there...Anyone else thinking of coming in?