Darkfever: Fever Series Book 1

By Karen Marie Moning

MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks . . . until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death—a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone—Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae. . . . 

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane—an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book—because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands. . . .

Look for all of Karen Marie Moning’s sensational Fever novels:
DARKFEVER | BLOODFEVER | FAEFEVER | DREAMFEVER | SHADOWFEVER | ICED | BURNED | FEVERBORN | FEVERSONG

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Karen Marie Moning's Bloodfever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 31, 2006
• ISBN: 9780440336358

Karen Marie Moning

Karen Marie Moning is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fever series, featuring MacKayla Lane, and the award-winning Highlander series. She has a bachelor’s degree in society and law from Purdue University.

Reviews for Darkfever

[sweet_serenity · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

*******NOTE: EVERYTHING IN THIS REVIEW STILL STANDS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT SHADOWFEVER, THE FIFTH BOOK IN THE SERIES, IS REALLY SUPER AMAZING, SO KEEP PATIENCE AND FAITH AND READ THROUGH THE OTHERS BECAUSE YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS IT***

So..This book was underwhelming given the hype that surrounds it, and its high Goodreads rating. It wasn't all bad though, and I do have high hopes for the sequels.

The heroine of this book was super-annoying for 90% of the time. She was a stereotypical "blonde" to the max. Loves pink, blabs on about ridiculous nail polish colours... But a note at the back of the book made clear to me that the author deliberately made her that way, rather than merely thinking she was writing someone at the height of cool. And a better, more serious "Mac" shines through every now and again, so I'm hoping to see more of her.

The male lead was also super-annoying. Too stand-offish, too much the arrogant mentor, too mysterious. But this too, I sense will change. The first book is pretty much devoid of romance after all.

The world and plot are good, though there are signs it may move too fast/make things too simple. Sidhe-seers who have to pretend not to see the monstrous Fae for what they are like normal humans? Awesome. The villains are a little shallow though. The story is at its best at its darkest, grittiest moments, and when the action is thickest.

At other times, well... the story has too many little "quirks" that frustrated me. Every few scenes the author would turn prophetic and say something like "little did I know at the time..." or "later I would come to realise..." which served little purpose and was very annoying. Also, the character had a habit or making digs at pop-culture like the paranormal, and pushing the "OMG! I can't believe this, the supernatural DOES NOT EXIST!" line too far. This sort of thing can work in shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, because they are self-aware or making fun of themselves in a cool way, rather than an alienating way, but this book really screwed it up. Speaking of Buffy, I suppose that also illuminates my dislike for Mac. Buffy was often shallow to start with, but it was alongside her likable qualities, whereas Mac seemed to have almost none.

Anyway, I would definitely advise you to pick up this book, because though flawed, it is also short, and I'd like to think of it as an investment in future reading. HOPEFULLY, after reading this book whilst 50% annoyed & frustrated, I will pick up the sequel and be amazed by the transformation. Stay tuned to see if I'm right or wrong.

****I HAVE JUST READ THE SECOND BOOK IN THE SERIES:
Bloodfever is a HUGE improvement on the first book! Mac does mature and become more interesting and likeable, and most of the annoying quirks I mentioned above thankfully disappear (especially the little "prophetic" interjections- I only remember one in the entire second book). So I really really think you should read this book, and continue with the series even if you don't entirely love it, because the second book is worth it.

[stewartry · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As I was reading and writing about Karen Marie Moning’s ”Highlander” books, I kept seeing things out of the corner of my eye about the Fever series. Things about how absolutely incredible it was, how much people loved it, how amazing it was, omg. I smiled indulgently, thinking how nice it was that readers were so very loyal to KMM. I had the first book, Darkfever, sitting by waiting for me to get to a stopping point with other books, and I expected it to be as much fun as the other KMMs, more urban fantasy than fantasy romance, and enjoyable. It was incredible. I loved it. It was amazing. And, yes, even a little: omg. My mind is very slightly blown by how good it was, and how thoroughly it exceeded expectation. Oh, it wasn’t perfect – not by a long mark. But it ranks among some of the best urban fantasy, I think.More of the review: on my blogI love that on KMM’s website Mac is represented by Kristen Bell, of Veronica Mars fame. It’s perfect – the blonde blue-eyed wide-eyed appearance, and steel within the magnolia. That would be awfully nice casting. There are breadcrumbs out there leading toward a movie adaptation of the series. Dear Casting Director: Kristen Bell please.)The story was good, though it was a little annoying that the origins were not anything the “Highlander” series accounted for (unless I seriously missed something). It’s the beginning of something (and I chuckled at one review I saw out there in which the reader was steamed that there were no neat resolutions. “Series”, dear heart. Look it up.) I like that the good guys’ team seems very small so far, though there is room for expansion, while the bad guys are numerous and very, very dangerous: what they are capable of is horrifying. (I.e.: That wasn’t parchment.) There is a lot of room to grow in the series – and having said that I need to riff on it, because growth is what has occurred since that first “Highlander” book. That series was play, practice, prologue. The Fever series is what grew out of that.

[rabidgummibear-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was still interesting as a reread. I'm curious to see how I feel about the series as I continue to read through.

This is like the first round before the weird story starts coming out.

[veeshee-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This novel had a lot of elements to it, some that I really liked and others that I absolutely hated. It's going to take me a while to go through them all, so let me jump right into it!

The plot: This was really interesting, with the introduction of different Fae levels and really cool terms. However, I felt like nothing was properly explained throughout the whole story. There were instances where Mac would say something, but then she wouldn't explain it in further detail. There were so many gaps in my understanding and it made me so frustrated .... but it also made me want to read more to fill those gaps.

The characters: I hated every single one. I hated Mac and her stereotypical Barbie doll behaviour. If I have to read one more description about her nails, hair, breasts, or clothes, I will kill myself. I understand that this is the way the author wanted to make Mac appear but when the character has literally no redeeming quality, it makes it really hard to read. Barrons is simply terrible in his callous and rude attitude. I didn't like that he never explained anything and showed almost no feeling about anything except at the very end. Also, their chemistry is very abusive, with him constantly physically hurting her. All other characters were mentioned so briefly that I wasn't able to even form an opinion about them.

Writing style: It was mostly okay but there were occasions where it felt like I wasn't reading the first book in the novel but rather a summary/prequel of what's to come. The story is filled with comments from Mac that go like "I thought that life was simple, but now I know better," telling us that this story is taking place in the past. At first, it was interesting but I soon grew tired of it.

Overall, this novel wasn't something that I really liked. I hated all of the characters and the structure and writing style made this novel seem like a prequel rather than the first installment in a series. However, I couldn't stop myself from reading. I attribute this to my ever-present interest in everything Fae. I'm always looking for a good book on the fae world and magic. I wish the author had given me more details on these elements, but she definitely piqued my interest enough to make me push through this whole story. I don't know if I will read the second novel or not but there are a lot of people who keep saying that the novel gets better and the characters mature so maybe I will give it a shot!

[thepageparamour · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2.5 stars

I struggled to finish this one and almost put it down, except I really wanted to know how it ended and if Mac would find out who killed her sister. Mac (I hate the name by the way) was really annoying. Some of her inner monologue was unbearable...she kept claiming she wasn't a shallow Barbie, but she really kind of was. This went on for throughout the entire book! Also, the scenes where she was stripping her clothes off uncontrollably in public were completely ridiculous. Barrons was an interesting character. I couldn't tell if he was good or bad or what his deal was. Honestly, the only things that kept me going were Barrons and my curiosity about what was going to happen. I'm debating on whether the continue the series but some interesting reveals at the end are tempting me to read the next one.

[mitabird · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars

This is my second time reading this book and I remembered nothing about it. The first time I read it (4 years ago), I gave it a 4.5. I'm not quite sure why I didn't like it as much this time around. Mac was fine as the heroine. I thought Barrons was a jerk. Maybe I was expecting more to happen? I'm not really sure. I am going to be reading the next one soon.

[pamv-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is strictly light fantasy that I found to be very entertaining.

I don't usually go for a series of books but I am intrigued enough to go for the #2.

[myab-3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I didn't know what to expect with this book... heard it was good, was kind of comparing it to her highlander series (which it is nothing like) - kind of reminds me of the Stephanie Plum series... just with paranormal stuff - I Really enjoyed it - got some good laughs and had to read past some gruesome parts before I went to sleep - lest they haunt my dreams ;) Just started the second book and I can't wait to see what happens!

[jspilman-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

These books draw you in. They aim higher than they accomplish, with world building, relationship angst, and atmospheric struggles of morality and lust. An urban fantasy version of Dublin, almost always dark and wet provides the atmosphere, and Moning uses that well. Her main character (Mac for MacKayla) is pretty well developed, with a real(ish) voice (actually literally, the audio of this book sounds like the character has come to life). The hero (Barrons) is appropriately dark and mysterious. Like many compelling romances (see Twilight) this series is told entirely from Mac's perspective, which highlights her fear and attraction and gives the reader the opportunity to give up reasonableness and become a naive 18 year old. It is easy to read compulsively through the first few books. Then, the crazy sauce gets too thick and the remaining books are a quick peak into the Fever world if and when you get a chance.

[cynical_ames · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm sorry, I don't get it. I'm not sure why Darkfever is so popular. For most of the book I was bored and on top of that the characters are incredibly unlikeable. I only continued because I was advised that it gets better and it did improve a little but not enough for me to give it 3 stars.

My major problem was Mac and Barrons. Mac is supposed to be a bartender from a small town so she's sheltered but she's spoilt and lacks brains and common sense. She stumbles into bad situations without thinking of her own safety, basically she's Too Stupid To Live. Her Barbie look which had me thinking of Paris Hilton makes this worse. By the end, I thought she deserved to die. I couldn't believe how she managed to fight so well and survive without any training.

Barrons is arrogant and rude and not in a good way. He may be gorgeous and intelligent but he's not someone I'd ever want to spend time with. His change in behaviour at the end, painting Mac's nails for her because she was unable to do it herself, was completely out of character. However, I did feel sorry for him for having to deal with Mac. I'd have snapped and killed her quite early on. But that's me.

The story is occasionally commented on by Mac herself reflecting on these events from some future time. Every now and then this broke and ruined the tension and disappointed me by giving away information I didn't need to know yet. It was like someone telling me the end of a joke just before it was told. I didn't like this quirk at all. Why the author thought this was necessary, I don't know.

Not much is resolved within Darkfever so it tries to peak your curiosity to encourage you to buy the next one. Well, I got this for free from Amazon (thank goodness) and I don't see myself buying the next book. I may give it a shot at some point in the future but I'm not itching to get it from the library any time soon.

[tanya6d · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about Mackayla Lane, your average modern young adult, who goes to Ireland to avenge her sisters murder. However once there, she is brought into a world she didn't know existed, and learning truths about herself that she probably wishes she didn't. Soon she finds herself not only trying to find her sisters killer, but trying to keep herself alive as well.

I really liked this book. I found myself wondering what was going to happen next, and I look forward to reading the next in the series.

[mecaza-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Always on the lookout for some GOOD erotic matierla.. (Not a lot of GOOD stuff around). This series promises to be very good.. really enjoyed this first one and looking forward to the next..

[loosemoose-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Moving on to the next book. Hoping it gets better.

[librarycin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mac is 22 years old and living with her parents in Georgia. Her sister, Alina, has gone to study for a year in Dublin, but when Mac gets a phone call that Alina has been murdered, her world changes forever. Mac heads to Ireland to find out what happened to Alina, and discovers things about herself, and the world, that she really never wanted to know. There is (literally) a world, a supernatural world, she knew nothing about. I really liked it. There were even some humorous bits, as Mac is really a girly girl, shoved into this dark supernatural world. Some of the most exciting parts for me were before Mac learned some of the supernatural stuff. Overall, though, I really did enjoy it. It did end on a bit of a cliffhanger, though. If I'm lucky, it won't be too long before I get to book two.

[turningleaves-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This series is Amazeballs! First book is 3.5 stars, but read this and as the books progress in the series you will be rewarded like a God and loving yourself for treating yourself so right.

5 stars!

[fueledbycoffee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have a love/hate thing going on with Mac. It's a wonder to me (and the sign of a great writer) when you can dislike someone right off the bat and then change your mind half way through the book. How much pink nail lacquer does a girl need? Why are shallow girls always so fashion forward? Why do I care?This is my first foray into Karen Marie Moning's paranormal writing. I've read plenty of her Scottish Historical Fiction but nary once a murder mystery or Fae to be found. I won this through a Goodreads First Reads book lottery almost exactly a year ago. I don't know why I never got around to picking it up till now but yes, I'm a Barrons convert. Pssshhht....Damnit, another series I've been sucked into.Overall, a highly recommended adult, urban, paranormal fantasy. Off to find me book two.Many thanks to Goodreads First Reads and Dell Publishing for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book.

[thehistorychic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Re-Read Thoughts Aug 22 2014Read/Listened for Fun (Audible/Kindle)Overall Rating: 4.00Story Rating: 4.50Character Rating: 3.50Audio Rating: 4.00 (much better the 2nd time around even though I know the narrators are going to change) Overall this is one of those series that I love in spite of not liking Mac. I remember why I liked her in the beginning (which was nice) and it was nice to revisit "likable" Mac. I know most people adore her but she really annoys me. That being said, I love this series enough to re-read it. The action is fantastic. The world-building is great. Barrons is *swoon-worthy*.Original Thoughts Jan 1 2011Bought on AudibleWhat I Loved: This is going to sound odd but this book was nothing like I expected. The story is interestingly twisty and while I could understand what was going on, I never could get ahead of the story. I really enjoyed that aspect of not knowing was coming. Mac is a strong female lead but not overbearingly so. She makes mistakes, she is scared, and she seems very much like a 22 yr old thrown into a situation that she had very little control over. At first when she was described as a 22 yr old barbie looking type of gal, I was set to hate her. By midway through the book, I was rooting for her.What I Liked: Mac and Jericho's very complicated sarcastic relationship. Jericho is still a character that I am warming up too as I can't quite figure out exactly how he fits in with everything. I don't know if I trust him or not. That being said he was great to read. Vlane wasn't in the story enough but his effect on Mac was astonishing *blush*.Complaints: None that I won't address in the Audio ReviewAudio specific review: The narrator took some getting used too. She made Mac sound older and Jericho sound very grouchy. As I got used to her reading though, I noticed that the pacing was fantastic and the nuances were dead on. So stick with it past the first couple of chapters, you will get used to the voice and tone she uses.Why I gave it a 4: I would listen/read this book again. This is a great launch to the series and can't wait to read the next one.

[aly_locatelli · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Assume makes an ass out of 'u' and 'me'."

I dare you to not read Darkfever.

I dare you to not enjoy Mac's internal narration, and her curse-word substitutes: "petunia" for ass and "frog" for fuck.

I dare you to try and stay away from Barrons.

I dare you to not like this new, invigorating, glorious plot.

I dare you to not like every single character you meet, no matter how much of a dickhead they turn out to be.

I dare you to not love the rich background provided, and the histories shown.

I dare you to not fall for all the different species that stalk through the pages of this book.

I dare you to not argue with your feels on more than one occasion.

I dare you to not laugh even at the soberest of times, or when something awful has happened, because the narration is just quirky enough to alleviate the tension for ten seconds.

I dare you to not get all flustered and hot when Barrons speaks, even if you end up hating him immensely half the time, and wanting to punch him for the other half because he's an Alpha male dickhead who will not give you any sort of reasoning for his actions.

I dare you to read the rich descriptions of Ireland and Dublin, and not want to go there.

I dare you to not adore Mac, even when she's trying to be kick-ass and fails miserably.

I dare you to read this and not wish some of it to be real, even if that wish implies terrifying monsters walking the streets.

I dare you to read Darkfever and not love it.






Pre-Review

The "Glossary From Mac's Journal" is one reason why you should read this book. It contains treasures such as 'death-by-sex Fae' and 'many mouthed thing'.

Seriously. This book is not only brilliant, but hilarious too. I love Mac.

Review to come!

[scottnl-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good start to the series, although I think it's odd that Mac was so laid back and not that ambitious in life, was suddenly so gung-ho to find out what really happened to her sister, it was such an abrupt shift in character.Mac is an interesting character. She seemed really caught up in her appearance and that she took offense if someone thought she was like a Barbie, yet constantly described her manis/pedis and whether or not her outfits would clash with her hair color.Barrons on the other hand is the perfect opposite of Mac; cool, calm, cunning and methodical under pressure. I can't wait to find out exactly what he is (besides a supersexy badass).V'Lane......not sure about him yet. I do find it extremely creepy that he can manipulate one into sex without that person realizing what is going on. He's like Roofies, but you're not actually ingesting anything that will show up in a tox screen at some point down the road.Definitely glad my cousin recommended this, can't wait to finish the series!

[cynditefft · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I first heard of this book because of a link to a fan trailer someone posted on Twitter. I didn't even know what I was watching (other than a collection of photos of hot guys and cool cars). It was a mindblowingly sexy trailer, though, and so I asked on Twitter if anyone liked the book.

Boy, did they! And now I know why.

Darkfever is the first of the series and I can tell you right now, I'm going to eat them like candy, one right after the other. Riotously funny in spots, non-stop action, the tease of what's to come in future books with Jericho Barrons... yep, I'm sold.

I will say that Moning has a couple writing hiccups I'm not fond of. She overuses names in dialogue (Barrons calls her Ms. Lane every other time he opens his mouth) and I don't care for the narrator style where she interjects lessons learned after the fact (i.e. later I'd realize that...). It pulls me out of the story and reminds me that this is just a recounting, and not happening as I read.

Still, even with those flaws, I loved the book and am rolling right on to the next one!

[a.happy.booker · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I heard such great things about this book and it was recommended to me by more than one person so I was really hoping that I would like it a lot more than I did.

What was good: The audio book narrator was wonderful. She had the perfect, and I mean PERFECT Georgia accent for MacKayla Lane. A lot of what got me through the book was the great narration. The plot was interesting, Mackayla makes her way to Ireland in search of her sister's murderer and finds out that everything she believed about herself and the world was wrong and that she really didn't know too much about her sister at all. She meets some pretty awful characters/things/creatures and a few fairly rude "friends" along the way. The effects that certain fae have on humans were quite interesting. There is one particular scene in the museum that had me laughing out loud. All in all, the plot was intriguing enough to get me from start to finish while keeping my attention.

But it wasn't amazing. When I stopped listening, I didn't find myself eager to get back to it so I could find out what happens next. I think that a lot of my problem with this book comes down to my love of traditional fantasy, and although I do like a unique re-imagining of things, I simply cannot buy into the "fae are aliens" thing. I honestly did not like that aspect of the book at all and is the main reason why I won't be continuing the series. I had no issues with the writing itself. I didn't find it to be overly descriptive, the dialog fit with the situations and wasn't overdone. Even the fact that Mackayla talked a lot about her clothes and could be a bit immature, I felt that would most likely lead to her really growing as a character in later books.

So, for anyone who would enjoy a book where the fae are aliens and some come in a many-armed many-mouthed variety, I would recommend this book. Its simply not for me.

[piper0820 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was told about this book a few years ago when I finished Twilight(I know, I know, NOT the same, but got the recommendation none the less). I had forgotten about it until recently and decided to give it a try. I read some reviews but had no idea the following it had. Now that I have read it i have one question to ask myself: WHO OH WHY DID I NOT PICK THIS UP SOONER?!?!? This first book was fantastic!! I loved every minute of it. I finally read the other 4 and with out giving anything away, this was by far the best paranormal series I have read. I am relatively new to the UF/PNR genre, but I am pretty certain this will always be at the top of my list. Thank you Karen for introducing me to a beautiful, exciting and steamy world.


Please please please, if you see this book around and haven't read it or someone suggests it to you, DO NOT IGNORE THEM!! You will not be wasting your time.

[msralways · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Liked it enough to continue with the series, specially because people kept telling me that this one was the weakest of them all and to stick with it and that's what'll do. I really liked the main characters, but I think there were some long, very long descriptions that could use a little trimming. Oh, and the UST between Mac and Jericho is TO DIE FOR.

[jesssika-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Okay so the main character is Mac. She is a 22 year old girl who has just had her world turned upside down. Lounging by the pool anxiously awaiting the day her sister returns she gets the call that her beloved sister Alina has been murdered 4000 miles away in Ireland. The contrast of where Mac is from (Georgia) to where she ends up (Dublin Ireland) is enough of a shock for anyone. On top of that her world goes kaboom when she meets Jericho and finds out that not only is she a sidhe-seer but a Null. The story begins to start and then stops as you wait for the next installment.

I liked the characters and overall wittiness of the book. What I didn't like would be when Mac would do something or learn something new it was often followed by: ""Later I would learn..."" I got so tired of that line that I would skip a paragraph if it so much as hinted to having hte words in it. I also didn't like that there was obvious chemistry between Jericho and Mac but NOTHING not even kinship really blossomed there. Oh well who knows maybe in the next one? There are tons of openness on where this story could go. I am intrigued enough to snatch up the next one and read it."

[creativejunkie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pretty good. It did take a great while to get into it, though, and the overwhelming telling rather than showing contents of the book wore on me.

Also, not gonna lie, I was expecting sex both from what I was told and from the distinctly sexual content of the cover. In case you were wondering, there's no sex. Not even a really good kiss.

[theseprettywords · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Slow start but really picked up toward the end. can't wait to start the next one.

[erikawastaken · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pros:
* Awesome world building
* Neat use of Fae
* Interesting plot twists and actions

Cons:
* The single most annoying main character ever written.
* The main character breaks the fourth wall and talks to the reader -- constantly.
* Did I mention the annoying, Mary Sue of a main character who suffers from issues like being too pretty, too blonde, and having too high of a metabolism?

I don't know how I made it past the first 100 pages. The main character is completely ridiculous and nearly impossible to relate to. Now don't get me wrong, I love a unreliable narrator (i.e. anyone Gillian Flynn writes), but this chick was beyond ridiculous.

And yes, I do have the next one sitting on my bedside table ready to go!

[heartlessone42 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did. I expected typical urban fantasy, but I finished it in an afternoon. I was well written with dark undertones and just enough lightness to keep it from being depressing. Very good book leading into a really good series.

[sbinifera · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A bunch of good ideas (good, if not exactly original) poorly assembled. Too few dialogues, too many hindsights.
I'm going to read the next books just because I already have them, but I'm not overly thrilled with this series and I don't understand what prompted all the good ratings this book got.

[addictofromance · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

For a reading challenge on Goodreads, I was to read Darkfever. Now for a few years I have hesitated in reading this series, despite all the high reviews, because I had read her highlander series and I knew that this Fae series is quite opposite from it, and I was right. I obtained Darkfever through Audible, and this is the first time I had such a difficult time staying with a story, now I know that it isn't just the format. I was expected a romance based novel, and Darkfever isn't really like that in any form. After reading her highlander series, I was expecting a similar tone, but Darkfever totally blew me away in the difference it is from anything else I have read from her. I didn't get fully into it until the last third of the story. I kept with it for one, that it was for a reading challenge and I try as much as possible to stick with a story, and that there is a reason this series is so popular. I would categorize this as just paranormal fiction, there isn't much romance until the very end. After reading Darkfever, I understand where the author is going with it, and I understand better now why she has written it in the way she has, but it was so different from what I even imagined. I don't know if I am the only one that struggled in any form with this one, but I did and even though I enjoyed it quite a bit by the very end, it took a little over five hours of listening before I starting feeling engaged with the story. I am rating this higher than I normally would because the writing is stellar just its form is far different than I expected and I think that's why I struggled so much with it.Darkfever is a story that introduces a world of dark and dangerous creatures that surround millions of people they just can't see the danger to them. I definitely wouldn't want this world to ever be real. I did love the suspense aspect to the story. There is quite a bit of a high intensity level for the story and I did like that. However I was expecting a high romance level, and it is very low. I am hoping that in the next books in the series, the romance level will be raised more. Despite by negative opinion on this story, there were some aspects I really liked. I loved seeing two totally opposite men involved in Mac's life. The characters are very realistic and vividly written, so you can't help but be drawn toward them. It did take a while to adjust to the narrator, but after a little while, I started to enjoy her inflections in the narrative.Overall a tale that brings the reader into a world packed full of intense danger and fantasy, a story to get the blood thumping and one that will leave you aching in anticipation for the next installment.