Title: Dreamfever
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Fever (Book 4)
Publication Date: October 26, 2010
Format: Paperback, 512 Pages
ISBN-10: 0440244404
ISBN-13: 978-0440244400
Synopsis:
MacKayla Lane lies naked on the cold stone floor of a church, at the mercy of the erotic Fae master she once swore to kill. Far from home, unable to control her sexual hungers, MacKayla is now fully under the Lord Master’s spell. In the New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning’s stunning new novel, the walls between human and Fae worlds have come crashing down. And as Mac fights for survival on Dublin’s battle-scarred streets, she will embark on the darkest-and most erotically charged-adventure of her life.
He has stolen her past, but MacKayla will never allow her sister’s murderer to take her future. Yet even the uniquely gifted sidhe-seer is no match for the Lord Master, who has unleashed an insatiable sexual craving that consumes Mac’s every thought-and thrusts her into the seductive realm of two very dangerous men, both of whom she desires but dares not trust.
As the enigmatic Jericho Barrons and the sensual Fae prince V’lane vie for her body and soul, as she rallies the sidhe-seers to fight an impossible battle, and the power of the Dark Book weaves its annihilating path through the city, Mac’s greatest enemy delivers a final challenge…
It’s an invitation Mac cannot refuse, one that sends her racing home to Georgia, where an even darker threat awaits. With her parents missing and the lives of her loved ones under siege, Mac is about to come face-to-face with a soul-shattering truth-about herself, and about the world she thought she knew.
Quick & Dirty: This highly enjoyable series continues to deliver exceptional world-building, a compelling plot and authentic characters.
Opening Sentence: Death. Pestilence. Famine. They surrounded me, my lovers, the terrifying Unseelie Princes.
Excerpt: Prologue
The Review:
MacKayla “Mac” Lane has taken me on an amazing journey starting with Darkfever, Bloodfever, Faefever, and now Dreamfever.
Dreamfever is yet another fantastic installment in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. Ms. Moning is a masterful storyteller with powerful prose. After the devastating and intense events of Faefever, things will never be the same for Mac.
***SPOILER ALERT***
Dreamfever continues where Faefever left off. Mac has been captured by the powerful and deadly Unseelie Princes. Unfortunately for Mac, the Unseelie Princes are death-by-sex fae. Mac becomes increasingly terrified when she realizes that this time Barrons and V’lane won’t be able to save her. Powerless and unable to fight the fae fever, Mac is consumed by the Princes’ raging lust. With overwhelming hunger, emptiness and need, her fate seems sealed because she now Pri-Ya. Mortals are rarely able to withstand such a fate.
Dani, a fellow sidhe-seer comes to Mac’s rescue. Dani is at a lost and out of her depth, not knowing what to do to help Mac. Eventually, Barrons comes for Mac, knowing that unspeakable things have been done to her and that her innocence is forever lost. With no memories, Mac struggles to regain her past.
Mac 4.0 is much more hardened than one would ever expect given her humble origins in Darkfever. The first five chapters were very hard to read. I wanted much more for Mac. I wished that she didn’t have to experience so much pain and that her path wasn’t so difficult and hard fought. Ms. Moning does an amazing job at keeping the reader engaged and invested in Mac’s journey.
Barrons surprised me the most in Dreamfever. On the surface it may seem as if what he shares with Mac isn’t meaningful, but it’s just the opposite. One of the most killer elements of this series is the dialog, but Ms. Moning has mastered the “goes without saying.” So much of what transpires between Barrons and Mac goes unspoken. While it’s never confirmed who or what Barrons is, we get more insight into his past. We also get an idea about what Barrons might be, and it’s shocking. V’lane’s motivations still remain a mystery.
As I read the closing paragraphs of Dreamfever I was frantic, breathless, pacing, feeling sick to my stomach. As the pieces were coming together, my mind took hold of what I knew to be true, but didn’t want to face. I was up until 2:00 am, hanging onto every word, and hoping that Ms. Moning wouldn’t go there. But as they say in writing – KILL YOUR DARLINGS!! The cliffhanger ending is simply cruel. I have never read an ending to a book that left me feeling so utterly destroyed. I remember sitting for several moments, fighting the urge to scream, but still it came. A resounding NOOOOO! I wanted to break into Random House and steal a copy of Shadowfever because I just couldn’t wait to receive my review copy.
Overall, Dreamfever is an addictive and gut-wrenching read. Ms. Moning has created a complex and riveting world with unforgettable characters. This is the darkest and best chapter yet in the Fever saga. Dreamfever will leave you breathless.
Notable Scene:
He smiled at me, and I really wished he hadn’t, because his teeth were chain-saw blades that whirred endlessly behind thin lips. He gnashed them at me and laughed. His eyes were black-on-black, bottomless pools. Tall and emaciated, he smelled of dead things, of coffins with rotting lining, of blood and insane asylums. He hands were white and fluttered like dying moths. His palms had mouths, whirring with silvery blades.
Beneath one arm was tucked an utterly innocuous looking hardcover.
But it wasn’t the Sinsar Dubh that held me riveted.
I stared at the psychopath’s face.
Abruptly, he stopped laughing and yanked the Book out from beneath his arm. He held it with both hands at the farthest possible distance from his body, and for a moment I thought he was offering it to me.
We were so close that, if I’d wanted to, I could have reached out and taken it. I wouldn’t have reached out and taken it for anything in the world.
Then he jerked and spun the volume around, as if the text – if there was anything inside it that remotely resembled text – was upside down and unreadable.
From his mouth came the whine of metal grating on metal, and he opened and closed his lips as if trying to form words, but nothing came out.
The Fever Series:
1. Darkfever
2. Bloodfever
3. Faefever
4. Dreamfever
5. Shadowfever
You can visit Karen around the web here: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
FTC Advisory: Random House provided me with a copy of Dreamfever. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don’t receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
on 
on