Shadowfever: A MacKayla Lane Novel [Kindle Edition]

Karen Marie Moning (Author)

Book Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“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 who 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, containing 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 haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac herself 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 to make a choice that will either save the world . . . or destroy it.

BONUS: This edition contains a deleted scene from Shadowfever and an excerpt from Karen Marie Moning's Iced.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A Letter from Author Karen Marie Moning

The Fever Series is all about seeing the truths beneath the illusions and figuring out how to deal with them—or die. While investigating her sister’s murder in Dublin, MacKayla Lane discovers that beneath the beautiful surfaces of nearly everyone and everything she encounters, there’s something else entirely. From the Fae with their deadly glamour, to the siren-call of the Unseelie king’s all-powerful book of dark magic, to Mac herself who starts out young, lovely and innocent only to end up—well, you’ll have to read Shadowfever to find that out—nothing is as it seems.

When I first saw the concept art for the cover of Shadowfever, I was thrilled with how well it encapsulated the entire series in a dual design. Lift the acetate cover of Shadowfever and there’s something else beneath it: a picture of a woman whose back is to the camera (for good reasons, she doesn’t even like to look in the mirror lately) staring off in the distance at something you can’t see (and probably wouldn’t want to anyway) with a tattoo on her back of black wings, like the Unseelie king. But Mac’s human. Isn’t she?

Review

This book concludes the series fantastically and in ways I could never have predicted. A phenomenal book! This really is a must-read urban fantasy series. -- Carolyn Morgan BOOK CHICK CITY 20111227

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 2812 KB
• Print Length: 689 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0575108584
• Publisher: Delacorte Press (January 18, 2011)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003EY7IRC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,593 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

283 of 300 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fitting end to an amazing series January 18, 2011

By A Book Obsession.. TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was very hard to review without spoiling anything. I can honestly say it was the most engrossing book I have ever read. From the beginning, until the very last words I was completely sucked in. In fact, I actually cried while reading the very first chapter, it was that emotional in such a short amount of time. All of the pressing issues are solved and the questions are answered. Only one major question remained at the end of the book, but the answer was something Mac decided she didn't really need to know. I don't have a problem with this as a little mystery makes things much more interesting in the end.

Mac is thoroughly tested over and over in this book, but just as she has in the past, she survives, she endures, and somehow comes out the other side stronger. She has grown so much from the girl that stepped off the plane, yet somehow never once lost who she really was at the core, despite being pulled in so many different directions. I understand now why everyone believed she only had a slim chance of choosing the "good" side of the prophecy. The odds against her were almost insurmountable, and a lesser person would have failed where she persevered. I truly admire her, and her willingness to stand up for what she believes in. I don't think a better person could have been picked for the fate of the world to rest on. Oh, and just as a little side note, she does finally kiss a man that she can't breathe without, and finds that breath is of little consequence. As far as who that man is, well you will just have to read Shadowfever yourself to find out. ;)

I'll admit, as much as I wanted this book, I also was a little hesitant to read it. I wasn't sure how just one book could tie up all of the issues and leave me with a sense of happiness and satisfaction. I am very happy to say that I was wrong and that I should never have doubted the author. The book was every bit as good as the predecessors and left me more than satisfied. Many times after reading a final book in a series I will feel almost hollow and just generally disappointed. Not because the book was bad, but because I just didn't feel any satisfaction in the ending or knowing that I was saying goodbye to the characters. With Shadowfever, this just is not the case at all. The ending is everything it should be, leaving me happy and content, an absolutely rare feat in any final book.

I would highly suggest not reading this book if you haven't read the first four. You need that foundation to give this one the justice it deserves. As the Author promised, it is a story about light, not darkness. However, as they say, the night is always darkest before the dawn and that definitely is the case with Shadowfever. Be prepared for one heck of a roller coaster ride full of countless emotions that will leave you reeling, and desperate to know what happens next. If I could rate this higher than a "five," trust me, I would. I hope everyone enjoys Mac's final trials in life, love, and war as much as I did. My hat goes off to the author for this amazing world she created and the awesome cast of characters. Bravo!

102 of 118 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Satisfying End to a Stellar Series! January 18, 2011

By Letitia

Format:Hardcover

I received the book on Saturday, and am currently starting it again for a MUCH SLOWER reread...

Shadowfever does answer a lot of the questions readers have had through out the series. There is only one question that wasn't answered, that sticks out in my mind, but because of the circumstances surrounding the question and answer - and Mac's acceptance of the fact she may never know and no longer NEEDS to - I don't feel I need an answer either. Vague much? Yes, but the Q&A is too spoilery.

And there is one thing I will strongly caution all the reader's against: DO NOT SKIM THE BOOK. DO NOT GO LOOKING FOR ANSWERS AHEAD. If you must, go ahead and read the last page (front and back), you'll get enough of an answer to one question to keep you satisfied not to seek answers to the rest.

The way KMM has written this last book, with each turn of the page - the theories that we've all come up with are constantly challenged and evolving and half the fun is trying to figure it all out before it's finally revealed.

And KMM has written and woven another magical Fever novel. And it does bring up new questions, which will probably be explored in the spin-off series... But the questions that pertain to Mac and Barrons and V'lane? The three main leads in this series? Those are the answers we get.

I thought this book was a bittersweet end to a much loved series. Steamy, erotic, dark, emotional, torturous, gripping, fantastical... A rollercoaster ride. One I'm already looking forward to revisiting after only finishing it three days ago.

Two thumbs way up, KMM!

87 of 103 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying conclusion to an amazing story January 18, 2011

By Jen TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Before I started this book, there was a big part of me that believed there was no way I could be satisfied when I was done. There were simply too many questions to be answered, too many loose ends to ever tie up in a way that both made sense and appeased my need for a happily ever after. I was wrong.

There is so much packed into these pages that when I think back to the question, "Who is the beast?" it seems like a lifetime ago. It's no wonder you don't get much information from the summary, regarding what this book is about (it mostly recaps the series as a whole.) I find that even trying to talk about it in generalities reveals fantastic developments in the plot. So if you haven't read "Shadowfever" yet, I urge you to stop reading here, with my reassurance that it's a fantastic book that left me wholly satisfied and warm inside.

****EARLY STORY SPOILERS AHEAD****

The first chapter of this book shredded me. When Mac thought she had killed Barrons, I cried for her. I ached. Then I watched her put herself together; to take the hard lessons he taught her and live so that his death was not in vain. This is not the Mac of Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1). She is powerful, but hollow. She finally gets her showdown with the Lord Master with decidedly anticlimactic results.

Mac seemed to learn so much about herself and her feelings with Barrons' death. It was disappointing to see so much of it go out of the window when they were finally reunited. She was ready to end the world for him, yet suddenly, overhearing a phone call makes her regress utterly? It was one of the few parts of the book that left me frustrated. It was hard to see the roles reverse between Barrons and Mac... to see him so vulnerable... And when she finally looked inside his mind and learned what he was feeling while she was Pri-ya... Sigh.

***SPOILERS OVER***

Without spoiling any more, I can tell you some of the questions that are finally answered: What is Mac? Who killed Alina and why? Who is the Unseelie King? Who is the King's consort? Who is the Dreamy-Eyed Guy? Why has Barrons been pursuing the Sinsar Dubh? Who is Cruce? Who was the dying boy in Barrons' memory? What is under the garage? And perhaps the best question of all... who is the real villain in the story? The answer to that last one blew me away.

Karen Marie Moning has created a tale of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. NO ONE should read this book without reading the other books in the series first. And after reading this fifth installment, I'm sure many fans will go back to the previous books and re-read the stories from a new perspective, knowing truths we never dreamed of when it all began. There are enough threads that I can easily see more books in this Fever world, but I promise there is no cliffhanger here. Just a fantastic ending to a creative and enthralling story.

I'd give it more than 5 stars if I could.

More About the Author

Karen Marie Moning is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of thirteen novels, including the urban fantasy Fever Series and the Rita-award winning Highlander series. Her novels have been translated into twenty-four languages. She's currently working on a spin-off series set in the Fever world and a graphic novel featuring MacKayla Lane. Visit her at www.karenmoning.com

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

(What's this?)

#45 in Books > Romance > Historical

#45 in Books > Romance > Fantasy & Futuristic

#80 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#86 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#45 in Books > Romance > Historical

#45 in Books > Romance > Fantasy & Futuristic

#80 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#86 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance