Review: Bloodfever

Bloodfever (Fever Series #2)
by Karen Marie Moning
Urban Fantasy
Amazon  /  Goodreads

Plot Summary

MacKayla Lane’s ordinary life underwent a complete makeover when she landed on Ireland’s shores and was plunged into a world of deadly sorcery and ancient secrets.

In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh–a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over both the worlds of the Fae and of Man. Pursued by Fae assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she cannot trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and irresistible men: V’lane, the insatiable Fae who can turn sensual arousal into an obsession for any woman, and the ever-inscrutable Jericho Barrons, a man as alluring as he is mysterious.

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.…

Review:

I feel like 'Bloodfever' is more of an extension of the first book 'Darkfever' than it's own story.  The first book ended kind of abruptly and on a cliffhanger - there's no real resolution, so that this book is absolutely necessary to pick up next.  And MacKayla's life continues to get more complicated and darker in this installment.  She also develops quite nicely into a stronger, more resilient heroine, who is determined to keep her own secrets in an effort to hold on to some control, while everything else in her life spirals crazily.  I love that her character is getting more spiky, snarky and daring as the story progresses!

One of the reasons I'm enjoying this series so much so far, is because of the antagonistic relationship between Mac and Jericho Barrons.  It's so fun!  They rely on each other but they fight a lot and it's obvious there's a lot of sexual tension there.  It's so fantastic that the author is really drawing that out!  You really need to keep reading the series to find out what's going to happen on that front.  And I am definitely still reading.

The world-building is expanded on even more, with more questions raised than answered about what is happening in Dublin with the influx of unseelie fae.  And I have to say the resolution of this book in particular was emotional and nerve-wracking - there's a few surprises, and some dark, sordid scenes that thankfully the author didn't over describe, leaving just enough to the imagination.  It's hard to think of this book on it's own merits though, as I'm reading this series back to back practically and they are all running together in my mind.  But I think that's the best way to immerse oneself in this fantastically detailed and dangerous world.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and was very much eager to pick up the next in the series, as this ends on yet another eye-opening cliffhanger!  This book has cemented my addiction to this series!

Also, if you are unfamiliar with this series, I liken it to the Sookie Stackhouse books, although there is more of a focus on Celtic/Fae lore as opposed to the myriad of supernaturals in the Sookie books.  And this series has less of a focus on fantasy and self-contained stories, as each book seems to continue the main storyline.