Bloodfever By Karen Marie Moning - Fever # 2 Book Review

I used to be your average, everyday girl but all that changed one night in Dublin when I saw my first Fae, and got dragged into a world of deadly immortals and ancient secrets. . . .

In her fight to stay alive, MacKayla must find the Sinsar Dubh—a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over the worlds of both the Fae and Man. Pursued by assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she can’t trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and powerful men: V’lane, the immortal Fae Prince, and Jericho Barrons, a man as irresistible as he is dangerous.

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.

I wasn’t thrilled with the first book in this series, Darkfever, so I went into Bloodfever expecting more of the same; annoying main character, annoying Seelie prince death-by-sex fae, frustratingly mysterious Jerricho Barrons, ambiguous evil book, underwhelming character development; all the things that made Darkfever so unsatisfying. But I ended up not only liking Bloodfever, but loving it. It’s like Karen Marie Moning took all the things that didn’t work in Darkfever, fine-tuned them, and tur...moreI wasn’t thrilled with the first book in this series, Darkfever, so I went into Bloodfever expecting more of the same; annoying main character, annoying Seelie prince death-by-sex fae, frustratingly mysterious Jerricho Barrons, ambiguous evil book, underwhelming character development; all the things that made Darkfever so unsatisfying. But I ended up not only liking Bloodfever, but loving it. It’s like Karen Marie Moning took all the things that didn’t work in Darkfever, fine-tuned them, and turned them into some of the best things about Bloodfever. The biggest two shifts, I think, were Mac herself, and V’lane. I didn’t hate Mac in Darkfever, but I didn’t exactly like her, either. But she shows so much character growth in Bloodfever that by the end, it’s almost hard to believe it’s the same character – but in a good way, not a rushed way. V’lane…he was my biggest issue with Darkfever. I couldn’t stand him. He seemed like a glorified, immortal, homicidal rapist. Which is why even I’m finding it hard to believe that I’m saying…I like him now. Sure, he’s still got his bad sides, you’re still left unsure whether or not you can trust him, but we see some depth to him, some hidden – dare I say it – chivalry, that was just absent in the last book. Whereas he was the reason I almost didn’t start Bloodfever, he’s one of the reasons I want to get my hands so badly on Faefever. Jericho Barrons…ah, Barrons. I am filled with just as much burning curiosity about him as I was at the end of Darkfever, maybe more. And I love it. I love him. His interactions with Mac in this one are amazing, especially toward the end, and cause for some great development for both characters. I’m even starting to like the idea of the Sinsar Dubh more, to be bothered by its lack of real backstory less. That’s not to say Bloodfever didn’t have any problems, though. A lot of chapters, especially the earlier ones, have an annoying habit of wrapping Mac’s current adventure up nice and neatly, until the last one-or-two-sentence paragraph contradicts it. “…Just when I was starting to feel almost happy and good about myself, my life went to hell again.” and things in that vein. For every question answered, there were three more asked, which began to get a tad irritating. Overall, though, Bloodfever was infinitely better than Darkfever, eliminating all doubts in my mind that I’ll be seeing this series and its characters through to the end. Bloodfever - 4 out of 5 stars