Abrasado

Fever #7

by Karen Marie Moning, Laura Fernández Nogales (Translator)

MacKayla Lane lleva una vida aceptable. Tiene grandes amigos, un trabajo decente y un coche que se avería cada dos por tres. En otras palabras, es una mujer normal del siglo XXI. O eso es lo que creía hasta que algo extraordinario le sucede.

Cuando su hermana es asesinada, dejando tan solo una pista acerca de lo que le ha sucedido (un mensaje encriptado en su móvil), Mac decide viajar a Irlanda en busca de respuestas.

La búsqueda del asesino de su hermana la sumergirá en un mundo de oscuridad en donde nada es lo que parece y el bien y el mal hacen uso de las mismas armas seductoras para salir vencedores.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Fae, Paranormal Romance, Adult

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2015

About the author

“The only other calling I ever felt was an irrepressible desire to be Captain of my own Starship. I was born in the wrong century and it wasn’t possible, so I chose to explore the universe by writing fiction instead. Books are doors to endless adventure.” -KMM

Karen Marie Moning is the #1 NYT bestselling author of the Fever Series and Highlander novels.

An alum of the Immaculate Conception Academy, at seventeen she attended Purdue University where she completed a BA in Society & Law, with minors in Philosophy, Creative Writing and Theatre, while working full time as a bartender and computer consultant. She intended to go to law school but after an internship with a firm of Criminal Attorneys, decided against it. For the next decade, she worked in insurance, where she wrote intercompany arbitrations and directed commercial litigation. At the age of thirty, she decided it was time to get serious and do what she’d always wanted to do: write fiction novels.

Beyond the Highland Mist was published in 1999 and nominated for two RITA awards. She then published six more novels in her award-winning HIGHLANDER series, and received the RITA Award in 2001 for The Highlander’s Touch.

In 2004, she began writing the #1 New York Times bestselling FEVER series. The books have been optioned twice for potential franchise development by Twentieth Century Fox and DreamWorks Studios, but the rights are currently held by Moning who has expressed a desire to one day see it as a television series. Her novels have been published in over thirty countries. She divides her time between Ohio and Florida and is working on two future projects for Random House Publishing.

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” – Jorge Luis Borges

Reviews

[Emily May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I blink, it feels as if another negative reaction to Burned pops up on Goodreads. You can find review after review of complaints about the direction Moning took here and I'm going to be completely honest with you: I expected this book to be terrible.

Most fans know the story by now but I'll just do a quick recap for those who don't. Moning released Iced way back in 2012 and her fans were in uproar! The fourteen-year-old Dani was apparently being lusted after by millennia-old men! Pedophiles! Ugh! Gross! Eww! So Moning freaked out, scrapped her original plans, extended the release date for Burned and tried to rework everything to keep the readers happy.

Uh-oh. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right?

Well, honestly I thought this book was great. Had I not known the story behind the book about Moning's change of plans, I would never have guessed. It really surprises me that fans of the old Fever stories didn't eat this one up. It has classic Moning written all over it. Part well-developed supernatural mystery, and part easy-going, banter-driven exploration of relationships (romantic and otherwise).

I'd hardly spent any time back inside Mac's head before I was reminded of how much she infuriated me, captured my heart, and made me laugh. The character of Mac has always been delightfully refreshing to me; I like the way she's down to earth, a little silly and clueless, but ultimately willing to get her hands dirty when the situation requires it.

Apart from a few lovable tiffs, Moning has thankfully moved beyond the Mac/Barrons relationship story. I knew I couldn't stand reading a book where Mac just waxed poetic about Barron's ginormous penis. No. This book has new characters, new dangers, new mysteries... as well as the old faces we always loved. We get a brand new perspective on some of the other "Nine", which I personally really enjoyed.

Maybe I'm in the minority, but Moning didn't let me down. I thought she delivered a funny, lovable, intriguing pageturner that fixed all the issues I had with Iced. This series just is - and always has been - deliciously entertaining. Sometimes the plot twists are a little wild and kooky, but it never stops dragging me out of this world and into a wacky supernatural Dublin.

It's like three scoops of your favourite ice cream with chocolate sprinkles. What more could I want?

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[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I was angry right now. As angry as I was when I finished reading Iced. But I'm just sad. Terribly sad and disappointed.

Technically, Burned isn't badly written. It's just completely flat and unemotional and everything books 1 to 5 weren't. There is no excitement there, no tension (sexual or otherwise). Burned didn't make my heart race, it didn't make me turn every page in frantic anticipation, it didn't turn me into an emotional wreck. And it certainly didn't make me want to throw my underwear across the room (despite the constant references to sex). This book didn't keep me up all night because I couldn't bear to put it down. It kept me up all night because I just wanted to get it over with.

I understand what KMM tried to do here. I really do. After all the backlash she faced over Iced, she tried to redeem herself. And that's great, it means she listens to her readers and I respect her for that. The problem is that you can tell this version of Burned isn't the one she originally intended to write. Instead of trying to work with what she had (the events in Iced), she tried to make it all disappear. In Burned KMM is on a mission to right all the wrongs in Iced. And Fever loses its soul in the process. Because you can't just pull a few magic tricks to change the direction of the series and erase what happened in the last book. Iced happened. KMM should have accepted it and done something with it, as infuriating as it might have been. Burned just reads like a major cop-out. And you can tell KMM's heart isn't in it.

What did we lose here? So many things. I don't know where to start.

Mac & Barrons are only pale copies of what they once were. There was intimacy between them at the end of Shadowfever. They had a relationship/partnership or whatever you want to call it. It meant something. Especially after all they went through. He called her Mac, she called him Jericho. Now? It's back to Ms Lane and Barrons. Oh no, wait. It's Mac & Jericho when they screw each other senseless (which they don't here but more on that later). All intimacy is gone. All spark is gone. Now it's just two brick walls talking to each other. The Constant Jackass isn't even around most of the time. Bloody hell, I miss you JZB. What it took five books to achieve, KMM undid in Burned. And it's heartbreaking.

Mac is a ghost of her former self. In the first half of the book she is passive and completely apathetic. All she does is drag herself around, rambling to herself incessantly. Her inner dialogue never stops and more than half of it is both boring and uninteresting. I never liked Rainbow Mac much but I'd give anything to have her back. At least she didn't feel sorry for herself and didn't let others boss her around. What really shocked me here is the way she's being treated by the other characters. They all seem to think she's a brainless twit. A pathetic idiot.

“Her brain vanished when her body did,” Ryodan says to Barrons. “Apparently,” Barrons says.

Or was this supposed to be funny and I didn't get it? I thought it was insulting. So was Dancer's attitude when he tried to explain the black hole at Chester's. Mac is no Einstein but she definitely is no nitwit either. It feels like the other characters in the book have no respect whatsoever for her. I hated it. She grows more spine in the second half of the book but she still doesn't feel like Mac 5.0.

Now for the total cop-out. KMM has a magic hat. It's full of magic tricks that magically transforms characters into entirely new personas. Add a wave of magic wand and tada! Iced forgotten. All problems solved. It's a wonderful world. Major spoilers ahead, do not click on the tags if you haven't read the book.

Dani: the moment she disappeared in the Silvers I knew this was KMM's cheap trick to make her age. Make her go away in Faery for a few weeks/months and have her come back at a more appropriate age, so that readers will no longer think of Ryo and Christian as pedos. Then Jada made an appearance and I was pretty sure she was Dani. Then dismissed the idea. Surely, KMM wouldn't pull this on us. Unfortunately she did. "Hey look, it's Dani! She's an immature 14-year-old brat." Five minutes later: "hey look, it's Jada/Dani! She's a 20-year-old ass-kicking sex bomb!" Sorry but no. This just doesn't work for me. I wish we'd seen Dani age and evolve because no matter how aggravating I've always thought her to be I still think she's a very interesting character who deserves much more than this overnight transformation. It really is a shame KMM didn't write this book from Dani's POV and give her character a chance to develop.

Ryo: this is even worse than Dani. At least Dani's transformation makes sense somehow. But this? What a way to ruin a character. I've always loved Ryo. He used to be a complete bastard. Unapologetically so. Now? He's a freaking saint. An avenging angel who's been watching over Dani and protecting her for years, with the help of the Nine. Why did he have Dani locked up in the dungeon at Chester's (in Iced)? Not to punish her for killing Unseelie. Not because he's a total asshole. No. Because he wanted to find out what Dani remembered about what Rowena did to her. He broke her finger in Iced? So sorry about that, he tends to forget that humans are such fragile beings. Seriously? He is thousands of years old but he forgets how frail humans are? And he calls her "my Dani!" Can I just cry for a minute here? The icing on the cake? Mac now admires and respects him. Sees him as her older brother. Did I miss something? When did this happen? This is BS. A total travesty. I loved Ryo the asshole. I hate Ryo the saint.

Christian: we don't see him much here but the few chapters told from his POV left me dumbfounded. Not a single word about his lusting over Dani. Not one. It's like he never entertained the idea of getting into her pants. Poof! Pedo thoughts forgotten! Pretty handy.

There are a few more things I'd like to add before I put an end to this review. In any other book they would have been major annoyances. But in this wreckage they turn out to be minor quibbles:

The book is pretty boring. I just reread the whole series and while doing so realized KMM has a serious editing problem. It mainly lies in the inner dialogues, as I previously mentioned. They are much too long, not interesting enough and add little to the story. I skimmed through a LOT of pages here.

The plot isn't fascinating. It's not bad, it's just not nearly as complex as it was in the first five books.

Sex. Sex is everywhere. There are sexual references in every single page (and probably even single paragraph) of the book. And the problem isn't that it's sex-sex-sex all the time. The problem is that it adds nothing to the story and serves no purpose at all (I'm not talking about Lor's POV here, which I thought was great -more on that later). Okay, so Mac & Barrons aren't getting any and Mac is horny as hell. I got it the first time you said it, no need to re-hash it over and over again. She lusts after Barrons, Ryo, Lor… Her "ode" to Ryo's dick left me bewildered. She has fantasies about being sandwiched between Barrons and Ryo… Yes, I get it. Mac needs to get laid. Very badly. This is absolutely fascinating, now can we move on? Nope, doesn't seem like it.

The invisibility trick. Yet another rabbit out of KMM's magic hat. I felt like I was reading Harry Potter again. This was basically a cheap plot device to offer alternate POVs . In retrospect I'm thinking this wasn't such a bad idea after all. This book is overloaded with POVs (Mac, Dani, Lor, the Unseelie King, Christian, Kat…) so throwing Ryo's and Barrons' in the mix would have meant instant combustion.

What makes me even sadder here is that there were great things in this book. It could and should have been fantastic.

Mac and the Sinsar Dubh. Such a cool idea. It gave me high hopes for the book but kind of fell flat after a while. The book tries to control Mac, she recites The Raven to resist it. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. And the Sinsar Dubh is no longer heard of after Mac becomes invisible…

The Unseelie Princess Yet another great idea that wasn't exploited to its full potential. I would have loved to read more about her and her sisters.

I loved the Unseelie King's POVs. They were mostly sad but beautifully written.

I loved Lor's POVs. The guy just cracks me up and he is one of the very few characters in the book that actually feels like he's alive. The whole Pri-ya thing is hilarious. He is completely unapologetic about who he is and that makes him pretty irresistible.

I expected many things when I started reading Burned. I certainly didn't expect to feel so sad and heartbroken upon finishing it. I still can't believe this just happened. I don't want to believe this just happened. I feel like I've lost a friend and am suffering from an emotional hangover. Karen Marie Moning, congratulations on a job well done. You managed to ruin this series and break my heart at the same time. Such an overachiever. Someone should give you a prize.

[Diyana Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I WANT THIS BOOK NOW. AND DANI NEEDS TO GROW UP OR ELSE IM GOING BAT SHIT CRAY CRAY BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT THAT FECKING JO ON RYODAN'S ARMS BECAUSE SHE'S SO ANNOYING UGH




****may contain spoilers below!!!!!****




UPDATED REVIEW (sort of): so I finally got to read the book I was dying to read for ages, I can move on with my life now. NOT. Now I can't wait for the NEXT book. And I hope for that book, there would be MORE DANI! >:(

I love Mac, don't get me wrong, I missed the funny girl. But come on, I was waiting to read this from Dani's POV, so yeah when it was basically 90% Mac (okay maybe not 90%, I mean there were other POVs so yeah) I was a bit miffed. So yeah, NEXT BOOK, DANI. Well, I guess it's going to be her next....right? And well she DOES appear in this book, but not as who you expect her to be. So you'll miss her A LOT in this book.

GOOD NEWS! Jo's not with Ryodan anymore so lets rejoice!!!! ANOTHER GOOD NEWS, I ship Lor and Jo now. (don't deny it, you know they're cute together); I LOVED the Lor and Jo scenes and now I don't hate her as much!!! YASSS good.

Okay so what I said earlier about Mac, actually you know what I kinda liked it, I mean yeah when I started the book I was like *groans* WHERE IS DANI I MISS HER ALREADY, but as the story progressed I find myself going back to the Fever world, where we started with Mac, so I was alright with it. Plus you get to go behind the scenes with her and know stuff you didn't know!!!! MORE STUFF ABOUT RYO!!!!! (yes, I love Ryo)

AAAAAAAND we got our wish (with a price) Ryo/Dani shippers! Dani is much older now (wow 20??? that's a lot older than we asked for but ayyy lmao its good) and THEREFORE ITS NOT WEIRD ANYMORE yay! AND THAT SCENE where the thing happened and.... okay so basically my shipper heart was satisfied.

And that's all I'm saying about this book. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT.

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I guess I am back, because this books is written as if Iced never happened. KMM must have gotten A LOT of flack for it. And she totally deserved it.

The book is too long, everyone is horny and doing it. KMM let the smut-writing side of herself run free, clearly. 3 chapters of Lor having sex. Okay. Mac stumbling invisible being horny for good 200 pages. Meh. In fact, Mac's POV definitely has exhausted itself, there is nothing interesting left about her, and her and Barrons lasting over each other got old real quick too.

Good: Unseelie King POV, Lor (dumbass, but entertaining), Jada, Casteo.
________
I am with Emily on this one - a little surprised by all the hate. Not that I am against hating on books - I spent quite a bit of time hating Moning's previous "Iced" myself - but "Burned" is just fine, a good entertainment, if you care to know what I think of it.

In fact, "Burned" managed to make me forgive many sins of "Iced." I don't know if opinions of "Iced" like mine indeed affected Moning's writing of the rest of the series, or Dani-related developments were in her plan all along, but as far as I am concerned, "Dani problem" is solved, and in a manner pleasing to me.

If I have to find something to complain about, it is that "Burned" is a bit too gratuitous and romance-heavy. I kind of feel that Moning doesn't really have a lot left to tell about the Fever world and to fill the space she went back to her romance roots. I just don't think that there is a big, sprawling mystery behind it all, as I felt while reading the first five books. The plot of "Burned" is, frankly, thin - everyone is trying to look for Christian and Mac is battling the Book inside her and is being very passive simply observing everyone. The rest of the novel is filled with sex, nudity, and more sex (It won't be a spoiler to say that previously released Sex from Lor's and JZB's POV are prominent parts of "Burned.") Everyone is hooking up or trying to hook up in one place or another. (I am not complaining, really.)

So, don't be discouraged. "Burned" might surprise you in a good and not a bad way.

[Danielle Book Boss · Rating 5 out of 5]

1/26/2015 - This was so FECKING amazing! 5 FECKING STARS! FECKITY FECK FECK FECK.

Alright finally finished, final thoughts - DO NOT READ... THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS IN HERE:

1. I can't say how happy I am that my favorite Dark Highlander survived 2. I'm relieved Christian is back with his family. Now to curb that death by sex so he can have an HEA in a highlander book... 3.I like Jada' fierceness but I REALLY want Dani back. 4. Who the hell is Dancer? Is he a piece of the Unseelie King? 5. Where have the Unseelie princesses been? Are there more? Why doesn't anyone know about them? 7.I'm over Mac being invisible. I hope that resolves in the first chapter of the next book. 8.I REAAAAAALLLYYY want to know what Papa Roach really is. Not Unseelie, not Seelie... what else is there? 9. Okay I wasn't Ryo's fan, but I like him now. Though I still do not like the way he talk to people some times. 10. What's going on with Cat? I really like her. I have so many other questions but those are all I can think of!



Update 6/2/2014: I think I'm late with this but it's been pushed back to January 2015. And with that I hang my head and push on through my TBR pile




Update 1/27/14: Well it happened again folks...Burned has been delayed until January 2015...that sounds like the future. My initial reaction:



But now I'm just feeling like this:



Update 8/20/13: Just read on FB that is has been pushed back to July 2014 but that Dani will be 17 in Burned which is great!





April 2013 Update: Freaking January??!!!

March 2013: KMM said on facebook: "It's very possible there will be 14 months between ICED and BURNED. But there is no official release date yet."

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[June · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a book that inflamed fans from across the globe. No matter what you think of the material on display you need to give Moning kudos for inspiring a passionate response from everyone involved. I am trying to base my review on the material provided, not which character became the lead. This is how I feel. the book is sloppy, its presentation feels mismatched, characters seem "out-of character", and overall the wrapping up of plot points from Iced at moments seem contrived. Logical plotting seems completely amiss. Moning asks you to not question rational choices and 'just go with it' at times. My biggest complaint is the overall series arc is moved about an inch forward. Essentially nothing happens. The book feels designed to make fans fall in love with Ryodan rather than making a good quality product. Mac's character development felt pretty much nonexistent. And really it's not that surprising since she starts the book but a few months after the conclusion of the original fever series. I think the book would have read better 5 years into the future, I would have loved to glimpse how Barrons and her are interacting with Dublin post 5 years apocalypse. And the storyline centering around Dani, it felt stale and boring, it feels like Pri-ya all over again. Pri-ya was probably one of the better literary devices to push Mac's character along and I do not want a water downed version of it in Dani's development. Its not fresh for Dani's character and it belittles the original concept. I thought Iced pushed Moning into the category of a good fiction writer not a writer whom is cemented into a preconceived gendre. I think there were many factors that shaped the outcome of Burned- from marketing, sales, fans, and even Moning maybe felt Mac was easier for her to write. I don't know, but I think people should have applauded her efforts in Iced. Pushed her more to expand her potential rather than limiting her and pushing her backwards. Iced was a book that read well and the plot was pushed forward with character development and good storytelling. It felt fun and fresh. Burned feels stagnant and redundant.

[Brandi · Rating 2 out of 5]

My feelings are spewed all over the place in the comment thread, and don't open spoilers if you don't want to be spoiled, but I have to add this: Michelle made a comment on Erica's review that was a total epiphany for me. She said:

"for Moning who has always had so much secrecy behind the motive of her characters having everything Ryo and the other characters did spelled out felt like a slap in the face.'

It's so true!!!!! I was livid over the plot device she used, but livid was a little extreme and I couldn't figure out what was really pissing me off so bad about that specific element. Well, THAT'S what it was.


I'm still pissed.

Actually, you know what, my love of the past books is coloring my rating here. I'm so emotionally involved in this series that I don't even like to separate them like this, but my original 3.5 was just too generous in the extreme. I'm livid and hurt over this goddamn book.

So let down.

I really hope that the people who screamed for Dani to be aged really fucking love this book because otherwise all that was accomplished was the ruination of a spectacular series.

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Iced I wondered where the author would go with the cliffhanger we were left with.
Mac’s world that we first entered in the first book of this series is certainly changing….darker and grittier. The fight between good and evil continues.

So, okay, Jericho & Mac are back again…….I missed them in Ice….

and still as hot together!!!!

Just blown away what happens to Mac half way thru….what, she becomes invincible!!!! That was sooo unexpected!!

And Dani……..the Mega we know….

…well….she comes back from the Silvers, where she has now aged to an acceptable age…allright….she’s now 19…yikes!!!! And what do you know….Dani now has multiple personalities..what!!!!!she’s now a cold-hearted, snarky and takes no shit gal going by the name of Jada!!!!!

I can’t help loving this character and I loved that there’s still something of the old Dani left…

So many things are revealed….far too many to mention here, but were there surprises that blew me away. And I loved seeing the MacKeltar highlanders again.

The ending was totally and stunningly jaw-dropping……

what a hell of a cliffhanger!!!!

How long do I have to wait for the next Fever installment?

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Edit: I found the screenshot of the original release from 2011 of The Alpha Alternative. Also - GR deleted part of my review after it was posted, so no more good stuff.


The Alpha Alternative, online: It's missing the above very last paragraph from Barrons talking directly to KMM. But since this was made canon in Burned, I guess that last paragraph is pointless. Which makes me rage beyond all levels of rage.

Serious spoilers to come. Don't click if you haven't read through Chapter 3 of Darkfever and/or read this scene.

Before I get into the issues I have with this being reality, let me just talk about the snippet's worth without that baggage. This is supposed to be a 'bonus sex scene from JZB's POV.' Well, it succeeds in one aspect. It's in Barrons' POV. Sex scene? Not so much. It's a rehash of the conversation that Barrons and Mac have at the Clarin House, with loads of Barrons internalizing. Then there's mention of an awesome 4 hours of sex, every-which-way you can imagine, but no details. Kind of boring, honestly. And then we're done.

Meh. I was hoping for something a little closer to Book 4, Chapter 4...that maybe took place after Shadowfever. That would have been epic.

Okay, so now onto my issues about changing the story here to suit this "bonus" scene. First, in the original version, Barrons says to KMM something along the lines of 'there. you got the sex scene you wanted. now you have to decide if it's true or a lie. Words. You're always wanting them.' I chose to believe that it was something made up, because of a variety of reasons.

Supposedly all this stuff happens, then Barrons realizes that Mac wasn't ready and will blame him, hate herself, and never accept it, so he ERASES HER MEMORY OF IT. WTF?! Seriously, what.the.fuck? Look, I know Barrons is a HUGE DOUCHE. He's a fucking asshole. If I met him in real life I would kick him, knee him in the face and run away. Fast and far. However, he's the asshole that I love in the books. This scene...crossed a line. Before, he'd steered Mac where he thought she needed to go, he'd done things for her protection without her permission, he'd goaded, and tested, and trained her. He wasn't particularly nice about it. But he never took her choices from her. She always, always, ALWAYS had the power of choice (excepting Priya period). Period. And this erased ALL OF THAT. Fuck that.

Problem Number 2: Details don't match up. The conversation couldn't even be kept the same. Seriously, KMM? You couldn't go back to Darkfever and ensure that you had them saying the same words to each other in the same order? But that's not the worst of it - the worst is that at the end of the scene in Darkfever, Mac is bruised from his arms around her ribs (and that's all she speaks when she mentions her injuries), but at the end of The Alpha Alternative, she's apparently bruised in other places because of how he grabs and holds onto her during their no-holds-barred sex marathon. *rolls eyes* That means it didn't happen. There's the fact that Barrons rips a button off her jeans (something I'm sure she'd notice in her limited wardrobe, but it's never mentioned in Darkfever). Didn't happen. There's the fact that at the end of The Alpha Alternative, Mac is wrapped in a sheet when Barrons erases her memory and lets her remember only the conversation and threat....but in Darkfever she doesn't mention (with alarm) suddenly being naked in his presence. Did.Not.Happen.

A fun scene that was Barrons fucking with us - I could have gotten behind that. A scene that was completely made up. Sold. But no, KMM wasn't happy with that. She had to go and make it 'real.' Burned indicates that this actually happened and Mac gets back the memory at some point. It's manufactured drama. What a load of bullshit.

That's right, I'm calling bullshit.

Now, looking back, I think this is the beginning of the downhill slide that became Iced and Burned. KMM stopped writing the story that she had planned out, started writing bullshit for the fans, and everything got all fucked up. Once upon a time she said that the Fever series came to her in one long stream, complete and ready to be told. All she had to do was transcribe it. I believe it, because the first five books (Darkfever, Bloodfever, Faefever, Dreamfever, and Shadowfever) are masterful and there's not a single contradiction in them. Then we get to this, to Iced, to Burned and it all goes out the fucking window. Nothing we knew is true anymore.

*throws book* Fuck this.



This is why I honestly choose to believe that The Alpha Alternative, Iced, and Burned are fan-fiction (written by the author, but still). I hope, with everything in me, that she manages to turn it around in Feverborn, though I'm not holding my breath.

Merged review:

See here and here for my pre-read thoughts (took up a whole damn review section! I ran out of room!)

January 2015 Initial Read:
First things first, this cover. I hated it from the moment it was revealed. I mean, COME ON! We'd gone from beauties like this:


Beautiful. Each and every one of them. Then we get that monstrosity up there. It telegraphs sex. I guess that's pretty fitting because it's damn near all anyone in this book thinks about. That cover did not fill me with a great deal of hope, though. Not that I had a whole lot of it to begin with. Iced made me rage. I won't get into it here, but you can check out my review. Then there was the whole testing of the bond between Mac and Barrons that's alluded to in the blurb. I went into this book with some serious reservations. On the other hand, this is Karen Marie Moning! The author that blew me away in the original five books of the Fever series! I have faith! I had hope! I couldn't wait to see her make me eat my words of hate and irritation at Iced.

SPOILERS for Burned are clearly marked in this review, but fair warning - there are going to be SPOILERS for Darkfever through Iced discussed.

Burned did not do that for me.

So, It took me about 3 days to read this book, only reading a few hours a day, because I spent the entire time taking notes. In the end I have over fifteen pages of notes on this book, and a severe disappointment - but again, I have hope (why, yes, I might be a masochistic optimist) for the future of the series.

Instead of the consuming story I had hoped for, I was treated to 400 pages of the author explaining everything that I, as a reader, was too dense to understand in Iced, sprinkled with a few truly great moments and teasers. Yes, I complained - a lot - about the adult, immortal men in Iced lusting over Dani, a 14-year-old-girl and abusing her. Yes, I said, on more than one occasion, that if KMM wanted to include sex (or innuendo) in this series I wanted it to wait until Dani was older. I don't think that's too much to ask. I was told by the author in interviews that I'd read the story wrong.

That went over well.

So, KMM took to Burned to explain exactly how wrong I was. Every.Single.Thing I had an issue with in Iced is contemplated, dissected, discussed and thought about. That's not even counting the moments where previous canon is being re-written. Things that were clearly stated in the previous six books were suddenly not the same. Facts are twisted. All of it telling me how wrong I was in my interpretation of the events that occurred. From multiple character points-of-view. There were meta-speeches in characters minds repeating the same words I've read KMM say in interviews. I can't even say how much this pisses me off. SHOW me I was wrong, don't tell me; don't have (multiple) characters TELL me. I want to SEE that I was wrong, not hear it. I've been hearing you, KMM, say how wrong I was for the last couple of years. Luckily, this is the only real rage-inducing thing I experienced while reading, and I'm pretty much over it. I get it. I do. KMM took a lot of flack and answered a lot of questions about the choices she made in Iced. Pedophilia was brought up frequently, frequently enough for her to address it in a FAQ (which has since been removed from her blog). That's bound to put anyone on the defensive. So I'm trying not to be too mad about this. I just wish that she'd not felt the need to cram this stuff down my throat and let the story speak for itself.

They fence me in with teenage rules that don’t hold me for shit, seeing how I grew up. You can kill but don’t cuss. Break any rule necessary to save the world but don’t watch porn or even think about having sex. How do they come up with this stuff--hold parental powwows for brainstorming diametrically opposed ethics?

You probably know, if you've read my Iced review, that Ryodan was my biggest problem in its pages. The vibe that he gave off when he was with Dani - one of waiting for her to grow up (she's FOURTEEN, and he's been watching her a LONG time), so he could have the woman she'd become - squicked me out. Then there's the abuse: holding her without food or water for three days, because reasons; slamming her face into a stone pillar, repeatedly; breaking her finger...Yup. I hated him. I hated everything about him. Prior to Iced I had kind of liked Ryodan. I didn't know enough to love or hate, but I was leaning towards like. Then all of that went down - and honestly that felt kind of out of character, too - and I'm not sure I'll ever like the bastard again. I can love an asshole - see Barrons; I can get down with manipulative - see Barrons again; I can handle secretive - hello? Barrons still; but abusive and a pedo vibe? Hard pass.

"That's not why I watched over her."

"Bullshit. We all saw the woman she could become."

Anyway, that's rehashing the past. However, that's something that KMM excels at in Burned, so I guess I'm not too far off point. In these pages we learn that everything we thought we knew...we were wrong. Ryodan's not an abusive asshole - he didn't mean to break her finger, he forgot how fragile humans were; he didn't hold her for three days, chained in his basement, because he's a controlling freak - he did it for her own-fucking-good. There wasn't a pedo-vibe to his interactions with her, he was a guardian angel, protecting her, being her pillar, holding the roof up while she re-laid her foundation. What-the-eff-ever. I'm not buying what you're selling, KMM. No matter how many different characters sit and extol Ryodan's virtues, realizing what a nice guy he is.

I find myself questioning everything I thought I knew about Ryodan. Running prior conversations through my mind, realizing the man I believed moderately intelligent and highly manipulative of others--to their own detriment and destruction--is in fact highly intelligent and enormously manipulative of others, but I've begun to suspect it's because he's trying to fix what he perceives as the things they want fixed but don't know how. He sees the bird's-eye view and takes the hard, catalytic actions. Unsettling, disturbing to those of us that don't, makes it easy to call him bastard, heartless.

But why would he bother?

There are only two possibilities: either he wants whatever goal he will achieve by altering that person, or, unfathomable as it is, he cares about the world he pretends to scorn, and the people in it.

Now, maybe, just maybe, if I'd been shown that I was wrong about Ryodan, instead of having every character possible think about it, talk about it, and reflect on it, then I might have eaten my words. I still would have hated what he'd done, but I might have grown to like him again. There was one moment in the book where we were shown that Ryodan might be kinder than we've previously seen - his interaction with Jo - however, it's so heavy-handed, especially on top of all the virtue-extolling everyone else is doing, that it just made me roll my eyes. Take away? Ryodan's not a bad guy. In fact, he's a saint. Check.

This is already getting long, so I'm just going to skip to what I feel like was the checklist for this book.

1. Ryodan's an abuser and giving off strong pedo-vibes? No! He's a nice guy! Here, let me tell you! Check.
2. Dani's too young? We can fix that. Into the Silvers, you go, my girl. Check.
3. We miss Mac! Ahh. Well, she can be the narrator again. Check. This wouldn't have bothered me nearly as much if Mac didn't turn into a passive idiot. At one point she goes around blurting out SERIOUS secrets - not just to anyone, but to the fucking UNSEELIE PRINCES. Are you fucking kidding me?
4. What's she been up to? Recap. Recap some more. Recap again. Recap stuff you just were there to experience. Check.
5. End scene of Iced, with Mac holding the Spear on Dani and being pissed at her, not make sense? Explain it away. She didn't know. Don't mind the previous stuff you've been told. It'll change as needed. Check. The manufactured drama between her and Mac in order to get her into the Silvers? Irritating. Mac, suddenly, doesn't know how she feels? Didn't realize that she was still blaming Dani? Regardless of the fact that she'd already worked through this in Shadowfever? Whatever. Rewrite that history.
6. Christian's too creepy. Can't have that. Fixed. Check. The miracle fix of the love-triangle, too. *rolls eyes* Makes me wonder why it was there in the first place.
7. Pedophilia? No way! Meta-speeches by several characters. That'll get the point across. Check.
8. More about the Nine - we must have it! Insert plot-device to allow us to spy on them, getting much more intimate with their thoughts and feelings - which apparently they talk about in private. Check. Invisibility cloak for Mac!! Now she can spy on everyone! And can I say how much I hated that she felt the need to spy on Barrons. WTF? How about you stop being a passive idiot and go talk to the man that's always had your back, always saved you, and always kicked ass for you? Gah, Mac, you're pissing me off.

One last thing I'm going to complain about...no, two last things. One: Mac's boring internal monologues got on my last nerve. I skimmed a lot of them. There were pages and pages and pages of her telling me stuff I already knew. I know some people complained about these in the first five books, but I swear she wasn't this bad. I guess I'll find out when I re-read. I haven't re-read the books in several years (granted I've re-read them several dozen times so I know them well) but I don't need to be hand-fed every single bit of information. And I know what a freaking linchpin is!

Two: the focus on sex! O.M.G. Honestly. There's a freaking catastrophe happening around every corner! How about focusing on some of them? The random inserts of sex, thoughts of sex, and voyeuristic viewing of sex throughout the book was just...gratuitous.

Okay, I lied. I'm going to talk about one more thing I didn't like. Going back to the Dani-age thing. Yes, I wanted her older, but I wanted to see her grow up and become the person she was meant to be. Even if it was in snatches, gradually, whatever. I didn't just want it to happen. And the way it happened? Not loving it. I see where KMM is going with this, and I get it, but I think it's the easy way out - and I never thought of KMM taking the easy way. I actually hate this. I think it's a cheap trick. How I can see this being resolved is going to give the best of both worlds - Dani's personality and character, along with Jada's kick-ass, sex-kitten, world-weary mind and body. That'll make it okay for Ryodan to have her. *sigh* I'll wait to see how it plays out, and hope for something more, but I'm really bummed that I didn't get to see her evolve at all. Now it'll just be one more thing that happened off-page.

Shit. I lied again. Last thing. I promise. I hate, hate, hate, hate that Barrons calls Mac, Ms. Lane still! The intimacy that was gained in Shadowfever is apparently gone. Now they're "islands." Then there's some irritating, manufactured drama that is completely pointless. I could not believe how much drama Mac allowed this to cause.

Speaking of Mac (no this isn't another "thing"), she's no longer the kick-ass, Mac 5.0. She reverted to Mac 2.4 or something. She's passive, in the extreme, a mere narrator for events happening around her, and lacking in any initiative. Apparently, she's done what she came to do, and the rest of the time she's going to sit around watching her version of "reality tv" - and don't get me started on that. She's just lost everything that made me love her. Every once in a while I would catch a thought or action that flitted through her head, but mostly I was amazed that this was the same Mac I'd previously fell in love with.

And so I remain, as Barrons would pithily say, idiotically passive.

The other effect her passivity has is making her interactions with Barrons seem ... less, somehow. He's the same asshole that I love, but without Mac strong it makes him seem even more an asshole.

Okay. I'm done now with that. I swear.

[If it ain't good I don't read it ! · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know how the old saying goes. Be carefully what you wish for.

And hey we wished for it. Dani all grown up. Ryodan and Jo splitting up. We all know Karen Marie Moning never disappoints, she followed our demands to the T. Well look at what a big cluster fuck everything turned out to be.

Just to be clear I loved this book. It blew me the fuck away. Far suppressed all of my expectation. The problem being it blew me just a little to far away.



Here's the thing. A girl can do a lot of fantasizing in two years. She can make scenario's up in her head about how shit could go. Enough to fill a book. I had plans for Dani and Ryodan. It was a done deal for me. And as far as Mac went, I had her and Dani back on the sister sister train. The point is, I went into this book with the delusion that shit would go my way.

Little did I know Karen was probably sitting somewhere like

Got emmm


Jokes on me because WAS. I. EVER. MORE. WRONG.

Need I say more people. The events that took place in this book still have me reeling even as I write this review. The only accurate description on the current state of emotions is blown the fuck away. And the only thing being able to catch me being a big ass net that has the name Feverborn written all over it. People I literally don't know how I can go on.



I mean what the fuck am I supposed to do with this:

“You’re talking about my favorite human. I want names. Details. I’ll rip out their hearts. I’ll flay their fucking hides.”

“I already took care of them.”

My hands are fists, nails digging into my palms. I force myself to unclench them so I don’t drip blood on the floor. Other people abused Dani? Who? I want to kill them, too.”
- lor



And this:

“His face changes, eyes distant on a memory, and he smiles faintly. I realize I might not know him at all. Perhaps no one does.
“She threw her head back and laughed. The kid fucking laughed, eyes shining. Like there was no greater adventure she could possibly be on. Like life was turning out to be the most exhilarating, fantastic roller-coaster ride she could ever have imagined. Fuck the pain. Fuck the misery. In the middle of the hopeless, brutal hell her short existence on this Earth had been, that girl laughed,” he finishes on a near whisper.
That was Dani. Nothing broke her. Ever. Not even if it meant splitting herself into pieces to deal with things, so she could laugh and want to go on living.
“You don’t snuff a life like that,” Ryodan says softly. “You honor it. You take measures to protect it, even from itself when necessary, and keep it alive.”

I mean what? What the fuck do I do with it? And don't even get me started on this.

“Ryodan doesn’t move a muscle, just stands there.
She wets her lips and angles her head so that her mouth is a breath away from his, and I’m a mess of quivering frigging nerves in the corner because she just stays like that and her eyes fix on his mouth, and his fixes on hers and I think, Shit, this room is going to blow, then I think, Shit, this is Dani and Ryodan. But it’s not.
It’s two cataclysmic forces of nature that are brilliant and stubborn and strong, who cut their teeth on razor blades and live on a razor edge of violence at all times.”

Can we just have a reflective moment of silence for whatever shit we thought we knew because we read the last 6 books in this series.



Karen Marie Moning basically just wrote a 512 page book fucking with everybody's head to the point where i just stopped for a moment while reading this and just contemplated my very existence.



“Every time I think I’m getting smarter I realize that I’ve just done something stupid. Dad says there are three kinds of people in the world: those who don’t know, and don’t know they don’t know; those who don’t know and do know they don’t know; and those who know and know how much they still don’t know.

Heavy stuff, I know. I think I’ve finally graduated from the don’t-knows that don’t know to the don’t-knows
that do.”
― Karen Marie Moning, Bloodfever

A'int that the motherfuckin truth. Here's hoping Karen Marie Moning knows what the fuck shes doing because i sure as hell don't.

[Jo ★The Book Sloth★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so...disappointing. 2,5 is a very generous rating.

In my book this wasn't even a sex scene. It was a rape one. Now most who've actually read my reviews are familiar with the fact that I have a very high tolerance of blurred lines when it comes to literature(I'm not so forgiving in real life). I can actually overlook it completely if a woman says "no" when it's actually anything but... But this was Barrons and Mac.

This "scene" completely destroyed my view of their romance. I loved the fact that they didn't get down and dirty 10 minutes after they met each other. My favorite thing in the books was that they developed their attraction by getting to know each other.

Then I read a scene in which they have sex at their second meeting, while Mac is actually afraid of him even if she wants him, when afterwards Barrons actually has to take her memory so that she won't remember anything and have regrets. This is so not cool.

I usually don't mind it if the hero is too aggressive because afterwards the heroine is happy most of the times. This time Barrons didn't allow Mac the courtesy to think this through for some time, he didn't allow her the time to actually think of her attraction to him. Having read Mac's POV on this day I can completely honestly say that my idea was that she didn't even like the guy.

I think this scene is completely out of place with the rest of the books. The only reason I give it a 2.5 is because I loved seeing how Barrons' mind works. It was way more primitive and savage than I would have thought.

Merged review:

2,5-3 Super-Surprised Stars

BR with my awesome MacHalo Girls. (If we have any boys sorry, haven't noticed you.)

When I was little and I did something wrong I would never apologise, even when I knew I was wrong. So my mom would ground me and yell and generally force the words "I'm sorry" out of my mouth because she thought that being unable to say sorry at such a young age was unhealthy but the words would come out fake and lose some of their value. Now you're probably all wondering what the hell this has to do with Burned. Well, this book felt like a big-ass forced apology from Ms. Moning for Iced. The sad thing is she shouldn't have to apologise to anyone about what she chooses to write and by not writing what she wanted she made the story seem a bit "plastic". BUT despite that she did manage to lure me in at many points and make this book a little bit unique so for that I have to say congratulations to her.



Now I'm gonna take a page from Mac's book and tell you all my observations in a few words because you know... too bored to do better.

Positive Facts

Fact, Burned was much more interesting than Iced.
Fact, there were plenty of twists in the story and if I'm being honest I was surprised by some of them.
Fact, Lor was AWESOME. I want more, more, more.
Fact, we have more Barrons. I love me some Neaderthal.
Fact, for me Ryodan was pretty much redeemed for what he did to Dani and Jo in Iced.
Fact, the second half of the book was close to great.
Fact, Jada, I like her. I hope she stays(or at least part of her).
Fact, The Unseelie Princess thing was a great twist. I want more details about her, about the sweeper, about everything.
Fact, the UK and the Concubine were one of my favorite things in this book. More of them please Ms. Moning.

I heard also that you believe this world you claim you can save is doomed.”
He does not answer, merely stands, enjoying the warmth of her body near his, the sweetness of her breath on his face.
She disparages, “You would deceive me for a single kiss.”
“I would raze worlds for a single kiss.”
“Try saving one, for far more than that.”
“The fabric of their Universe is damaged. Without the song, it is not possible.”
She says, “You are the Unseelie King. You will find a way.”
“That sounds suspiciously like faith in me,” he mocks.
“You see faith where only a challenge has been issued. Will you fail?”
He lowers his head again, until their lips are nearly touching. “Kiss me as if you remember me. Inspire this wild god as once you did. Incite poetry and fire with your passion and perhaps I’ll find a way.”
[...]
This time, unlike so many others, he doesn’t take charge, or seek to deepen the kiss. Merely stands after the agony of half a million years of grieving this woman, basking in his first moment free of pain. Breathes it, inhales it, allows the particles of his being the chance to become for a single glorious moment something other than drawn in tightly upon himself in a frozen, eternal shudder of denial and crushing loss. Regret is poison that kills the soul.
She cries out against his lips, draws back and looks up at him. “Such grief! It is too much. I cannot endure it!”
“If you believe nothing else I tell you, my queen, believe my pain. Consider the cause.”

Fact, the whole Mac vs Book thing can evolve to greatness. I hope KMM uses it well.

Negative Facts

Fact, why the Alpha Alternative KMM? I hated it when we weren't sure if it was fact or lie and confirming it happened didn't make me like it more.
Fact, Mac in this book was a puny, silly, doormat version of herself. What happened to Mac 2.0 or 5.0 or whatever? Where is the badass she was in book 4,5? This pushover isn't the Mac I know and love. Hope this changes.
Fact, what happened in the relationship between Mac and Barrons? All the intimacy that there was between them in the end of Shadowfever is gone in this one. We are back to "Ms. Lanes" and secrets and distance and loneliness. Why?? I actually teared up in this scene...

In bed, I steal moments of tenderness when sex has finally exhausted me to the point where I’m too bone weary to fret anymore about the enormous capacity for evil that’s taken up squatter’s rights inside me. I touch him, put all those things I don’t say into my hands as I trace the red and black tattoos on his skin, the sharp planes and hollows of his face, bury my hands in his dark hair. He watches me in silence when I do, eyes dark, unfathomable.
I sometimes wake up to find he’s pulled me close to him and is holding me, spooned into my back with his face in my hair, and those hands that don’t speak like mine don’t speak move over my skin and tell me I’m cherished, honored, seen.
Out of bed we’re islands.
Ms. Lane and Barrons.

Fact, while I do like Jada, I thought the way KMM chose to grow Dani up was anti-climatic. You can't just take a main character, throw him in the Silvers and poof, the old girl is gone and now we have a woman in our hands. Convenient but I wanted to watch Dani mature and grow old. Not suddenly get her all grown up.
Fact, there is too much recounting. If I wanted to get all the facts and details of the previous books in the series, I'd go ahead and re-read them. I don't want to have so many info about what has happened again and again. It becomes tiresome.
Fact, Mac's inner ramblings were too much sometimes. I want less talk and more action. Between this and the re-countings we could have done away with about 20% of the book. Writing shorter books isn't bad.

For more details about the negatives of this book you can go ahead and read Sarah's review. I think she analysed it perfectly.

All in all, not bad but KMM can do SOOO much better. I expect better of her. I don't want uncohesive characters and plotlines. I want solid stories that leave me craving more. I was very surprised that I liked this book even as much as I did but I still need more.

[Mahlet]

Fever Series Scoop from Karen Marie Moning's June 22, 2013 Sarasota, Florida Fan Event

One of my book besties is at Karen Marie Moning's "Maniac" fan gathering in Sarasota, Florida RIGHT NOW. During the Q&A, Ms. Moning told the crowd that Dani won't be 14 for much longer - she will be 17 in Burned! YAAAY!

Now this is me, not KMM talking: This is a DARK FANTASY fictional world so basically?...RYODAN CAN GET ON THAT! And I am dying for some Ryodan/Dani hooking up, ok? :) Deal with it.

Additional Updates from June 22, 2013: (YAY! girlfriend texted me more deets)

-We will learn more about Dancer. Dancer is NOT a part of the Unseelie King.

-We will learn more about the Nine, but the Nine will NOT be paired up like the Black Dagger Brotherhood series with books for each of them.

-We will get Mac's POV in Burned. KMM has TWO versions of Burned right now. She's trying to decide how she wants it to go. SHE PLANS TO WRITE 2 MORE MAC BOOKS AFTER DANI'S TRILOGY IS OVER, but those plans could change. The last 2 Dani books and 2 Mac books may get combined into 2 books....Then she may write 3 more Fever books...Depending on which way KMM goes in Burned, "we may get 4 more Fever books or 7 more Fever books."

(Huh????? I'm so bloody confused, lol - We're getting more Mac books? :) I didn't know but apparently my girlfriend already did. That's awesome!! But still, this "combo" book talk raises questions for me: Will the next two Mac books take place during the last two Dani books, but from Mac's POV? Well, no matter WHAT, I know the books are going to kick ass and be awesome and I'm ready to go where KMM takes me)

Had to talk it out with friends and work out the math:
--"We may get 4 more Fever books" - means the 2 final books in Dani's trilogy (Burned and Flayed) PLUS 2 new Mac books
--"Or we may get 7 more Fever books" - means the 2 final books in Dani's trilogy (Burned and Flayed) PLUS 2 new Mac books PLUS the "I may write 3 more Fever books" KMM mentioned today" <---We don't have any indication yet as to the H/h for those 3 additional Fever books she's contemplating.

-KMM won't say when Dani loses her V card!

-More of Mac AND Barrons in Burned.

-Someone in the audience asked KMM when she would free Cruce. KMM responded, "When would you like me to?" :)

-KMM asked the reader attendees why everyone was so pissed off about Jo and Ryodan. One person answered, "We're jealous!" another answered, "Jo's not good enough!" KMM responded by saying something like "ALL of us aren't good enough, but which one of you would say no to Ryodan?" Then an older women (maybe about 65 years old) at one of the tables raised her hand and said if Ryodan is waiting for Dani, he should not be cheating at all (not just with Jo), and then the women added "I want my shot with Ryodan!!" LOLOL!

-KMM will not be at Dragoncon 2013 (my girlfriend asked since KMM was originally slated for it in 2012). And KMM is also a "no" for RT 2014 in Nola (Darn! I was hoping on that one). She's asking for a year off.

Update June 24, 2013: (My girlfriend remembered a few additional tidbits from Saturday's event)

-Movie option for the Fever series has expired, but KMM is happy about that. She would rather have a Fever television series and have more control. She cited Game of Thrones as a good example of book-to-television. She also mentioned that TrueBlood has veered far off from Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series and how that’s something she would not want to happen with her Fever series.

-KMM also said she is not signing any more contracts. She hates being under deadline. She wants to put out a great story.

-A women in the audience asked KMM if men were intimidated by her. A man in the audience shouted “NO!” :)

(Me: George R.R. Martin and Charlaine Harris’ have very different contracts with HBO. Charlaine Harris is not a TrueBlood producer or writer, and she’s repeatedly stated in interviews that HBO doesn’t tell her how to write her books, and she doesn’t tell HBO how to write TrueBlood. In contrast, GRRM is a Game of Thrones producer and writer…which explains why the adaption is unparalleled and, in my opinion, television at its absolute finest. Author control of a film adaption a la E.L. James can happen, but I think E.L.’s background as a television producer was very helpful in maneuvering through Hollywood and demanding nothing less than what she wanted. And P.S.? I think hiring Sam Taylor-Johnson as the Fifty Shades Director was kind of brilliant)

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Welcome to war games, Mac, where the terrain never stops changing and he who adapts fastest wins."



Mac is back! For those of you who either skipped or disliked Iced because of Dani, have no fears, Burned is mainly told from Mac's POV, and it starts with a scene from Barrons POV. *sigh*



The world is still in chaos.
Mac is fighting inner 'demons'.
Dani undergoes a change.
Christian is still suffering attacks from the Crimson Hag.
Mac makes a few discoveries about Barrons and the Nines.
Alliances are made and broken, while some characters finally meet their maker.



I enjoyed catching up with the gang. Overall, Burned was an entertaining read. All the multiple POVs did get a little overwhelming at times, and I may be in the minority, but I really missed a certain character, Dani. I missed her personality, her spunk and energy.

"I wake up every day with a single imperative: live. By any means necessary. The only way Death will ever get his slimy bastard hands on me is over my dead body."

Of course my favorite thing about this book. Barrons.Of course.



“I’m a moth to his flame and it frightens me how willingly I’d burn my wings off for him. Destroy the world. Follow him to Hell. It’s scary to feel like you can’t breathe without someone."

Also, I probably shouldn't try to write reviews while on massive amounts of cold medicine.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two years and two months later, Karen Marie Moning releases the seventh book in the highly anticipated Fever series with BURNED. After the countless delays and near-tear devastation readers experienced since the last release, the Moning Maniacs are in a frenzy waiting for this bomb to drop.

True to her signature style, KMM approaches this book with the same intensity of all her previous books – but combine that and you get BURNED. The questions that arise in the previous book get answered, but that’s not to say that there aren’t more twists and more questions along the way.

Every time I read a KMM book, I try to speculate what is going to happen. Weeks after reading it, I come up with my own theories about who this person really is and what KMM plans to do next. I’m constantly trying to outmaneuver the creator. I should know better because every time, I am still blown away by her choices.

To those of you who had a problem with Dani being too young, you have no reason to worry. As promised, KMM does age her, but it is HOW she does it that really changes the pace of the story. The strange tension between Dani and Ryo isn’t so taboo any longer. The question now is, does Ryodan prefer the sleek, calculated new Dani or prefer the old, fiery one?

I’m still coming to grips with this myself because what KMM reveals about Dani was not something I expected. It completely blindsided me and yet….IT WORKS. Readers didn’t like Dani’s fire, her tenacity and her innocence? Well, she fixed that. And I’m dying to know how the audience will react to it. Personally, I think it’s genius. Not only does it give readers what they wanted, but she will also make them wonder if that’s what they really wanted. You have to be careful what you wish for because KMM delivers. But with a twist!

Mac is back and better than ever! God, I missed this chick. It’s so easy to get back into her head. But whereas the previous Mac was parading around the city, killing things and creating havoc, this Mac is different. She’s slightly more passive but that’s because there’s more on her shoulders. Within her, she carries the Book and it speaks to her constantly, tempting her to give in and unleash it. Mac knows what’s at stake and if she loses her control, it’s death and destruction for all.

Surprisingly Barrons and Mac are going steady. Or as steady as a man like Barrons can be. He isn’t exactly the easiest man to handle. Mac has discovered something that he did to her. Given what happened to her before, it’s a breech of trust and whatever little happy little bubble they are in gets popped. Barrons isn’t a man to apologize and Mac is furious out of her mind. It kills me, but no doubt makes for an amazing story.

The rest of the gang are all present as well. Christian, Dancer, Kat, Jo and even the MacKelter twins all play key parts to make this story run smoothly. Most interesting is what transpires with Ryodan, Jo and Lor. KMM really enjoys toying with her characters and boy, she really messes with them here. I LOVE IT! She takes what she sets up between Jo and Ryodan in ICED and has a field day on their emotions. If you’re like me, by the end of it all, you’re dying to get more.utc-top-pick

What I enjoy most about KMM’s writing is that she’s a fearless writer. There’s this innate confidence in her writing and I truly believe she can pull off anything. You just have to have faith in her. When the twists and turns hit you and the bombs drop left and right, it’s easy to just let your emotions control you. But if you’re patient enough to see how the events come together in the end, you get a visceral experience unlike anything before.

I say this all the time but I’ll say it once again. If you haven’t read the Fever series, you simply must. There aren’t many authors out there who can still blow your mind like Karen Marie Moning can.

[Stephanie (Bookfever) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waited for over two years on this book and done with reading in a few days... *sigh*

[Olya · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book was so bad that I actually had to comment on it, which is a first for me. This whole story was one huge backpedaling mess. It felt like Karen was lost in the direction she wanted to go due to reader demands. There are so many scenes that contradict Iced (the last book) that they make no sense logically,chronologically,etc. I think Karen wanted to stamp out Iced, and because the story is so rushed it turned out very messy. Nothing actually happens for most of the book. All the characters get a personality change. Even Mac. She becomes whinier than ever, while Dani is battling tragedy. "Why did my life turn out this way and not pretty in pink? Look all that happened to me. Life is so unfair. Poor me. I can't even kill anything." And Barrons? The man threw Mac's rape in her face. Mocked her with it. We also get to know his betrayal. There is a nice list of grievances I have against him. Why are people so loyal to him? You can tell that Karen is really biased with her characters. Barrons and Mac got all the praise.

Also this book contained too much sexuality. It's like Karen didn't know what else to give us so she kept describing how amazingly great looking everyone is and they would be amazing in bed. And because of the personality changes in the characters, this story reads like a romance novel. All of a sudden these great and powerful immortals want their HEA. Nobody in there even acts like they are a century old. Overall, this book was a filler. I can see what Karen is going to do, but it's too easy to guess now. I miss when her books used to be unpredictable.

1 star because I couldn't even read it all. I skimmed a lot of parts. Sorry Karen but I'm done.

[Nina · Rating 2 out of 5]

To clear up any confusion that you guys may have due to the change in direction KMM took with BURNED (regarding whether this is Dani's book or Mac's book), here's an approximate breakdown of character P.O.Vs

Mac - 70%
Dani - 10%
Barrons, Christian, Lor, UK, Kat - 20%

-



-

Yes, Mac once again takes centerfold...but don't worry (Dani fans), Dani remains a 'main character'. She's just not quite there as much as I hoped she would be. I was semi prepared for this when KMM announced that Dani would be the secondary narrator, I just didn't expect to get so little (only about four chapters out of forty is in Dani's P.O.V). The other P.O.Vs (Barrons, Christian, Lor, UK, Kat) combined got more page time than her. So technically, I think this should just be called 'Mac's book with various characters narrating popping in here and there'. Although Dani does not get much in terms of P.O.V, we do get to see more Dani through Mac's eyes, and that was immensely enjoyable. (I'll take as much Dani as I can get!)

My favorite part of this book was Jada. Jada was the biggest twist ever and I loved every second of it. She's a bonafide badass rolling with the pros. I can't say much about her without giving the surprise away, but I can say this: I'm cannot wait to see how this plays out. Seriously.



I also adored Barrons and his protectiveness over Mac. It took five long, grueling, but exhilarating books for Barrons' and Mac's relationship to get where it is now, so I really hated that their relationship got into a little tiff (or betrayal as the blurb puts it) in this book. Barrons' love for Mac is palpable. Undeniable. I was smitten. Barrons is the reason why I continued the Fever series when I initially only felt lukewarm about Mac.

My favorite scene is without a doubt when Mac is in Ryo's office observing the two...wolves.

"Two wolves stand in this room, with a complicated past and an uncertain future, their lips a breath apart, and I’m not sure if they’ll kiss or kill each other. Probably both."

"It’s two cataclysmic forces of nature that are brilliant and stubborn and strong, who cut their teeth on razor blades and live on a razor edge of violence at all times."

KMM launches us into her intoxicating Fever world once again and although I enjoyed the ride, I just really wish we got some more from Dani's P.O.V. I'm really disappointed we only got a single chapter at the beginning from Dani. I wish we got to see some of her horrifying tribulations in Faery. She must have hit rock bottom, driven only to survive to have let Jada completely take over. The way Jada described Dani's pain was utterly heartbreaking. How she believed that Ryo would come to save her. My poor girl. She's a breath of fresh air and quite frankly, Mac's voice gets annoying. She can be really full of herself sometimes. Example:

Mac has these inner spiels about how she's all powerful and badass (because of the book inside her).

"That is all, my ass. I’m my own woman. I’m Death walking. I’m the possibility for Complete and Total World Destruction. I can sure as hell make my own decisions."

and

"[I am] arguably the most powerful person in Dublin, possibly on the planet—with the exception of one currently frozen prince."

Then when a situation arose where she could have proved the greatness that she claimed--when she faced Jada with Ryo & Barrons while they were fighting over the stones, in thirty seconds flat Mac got a bloody nose and three broken fingers. She proceeds to lay on the ground and continues with her annoying internal monologue until she goes invisible. Then she runs away.

Seriously.

She can also be frustratingly dense at times.

“We need sifters,” I say for the dozenth time.
“Wake the fuck up, Mac,” Ryodan says, “there aren’t any. Few of the Fae can sift, and we’ve killed most of the ones that can.”
“Maybe you should have thought of that before you killed the princes.”
“The princess refused to disclose their location until we did.”
“Dree-lia can sift,” I point out.
“Have you any idea where to find her, lass?” Dageus says. “None of the Seelie are responding to our summons.”
“We could go into Faery and hunt for them,” I say.
“Aye, and potentially lose years of our time trying to locate her,” Drustan growls. “Leaving Christian on the cliff, dying over and over. Bad plan.”

I am also conflicted about Ryodan. He's no longer the alpha dominant figure he was in Iced. The untouchable, cool, calculating, ruthless, predator. He's kind of just Barron's second now. At least that's the impression I got in Burned. I wonder how KMM plans for Ryo to eclipse Barrons when she keeps pushing Barrons as the greater one?

Despite the exhausting-to-read P.O.Vs from Mac, I still enjoyed the little development we got from the story.



One last note
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I do not like Jo; I wish KMM would kill her off. But it looks like that will never happen now that she's gone straight from Ryo's bed to Lor's (and Lor seems to be taking a liking to her).

I was also surprised by Ryo's emotional investment in Jo--when he 'hung his head in sorrow' when Jo broke up with him. (The fact the Jo was the person that ended it also shocked me.) It seemed totally unlike him, I was really caught off guard. And the little scuffle between Ryo and Lor over Jo? Let's just say that really rained on my roaring-all-consuming-forest-fire-like love for Ryo. I still love every single interaction he had with Dani/Jada, especially the scene where Mac is invisible and she's observing Jada and Ryodan in his office. The kill me or kiss me scene.

Against his lips she murmurs, “You’ll never kill me.”
Then Jada puts her arms around his neck and pulls him against her, melting against him until there is no space between their bodies. She turns her face slowly to the side and rests her cheek against his, her chin on his shoulder. Laces her fingers into his short thick hair.

She closes her eyes and for a fleeting instant every bit of tension in the fine muscles of her face vanishes. If pressed to define the moment, I’d call it basking, a cat soaking up sun on an icy winter’s day. Savoring something she’s wanted for a long time, and I wonder, did she think of him while she battled whatever demons she faced for the past five and a half years, lost in Faery? Did she hear his voice in her head during her darkest hours?

-

"One last note about Ryodan: He will eclipse Barrons. Blot him right out of your soul's sky. That's the challenge I've set for myself as a writer."

-KMM

[Kathylill · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's a sad day when authors feel the need to justify their writing. Sorry to tell you this KMM: It's not your role to tell me how to read your books. As a reader, my interpretation, my sentiments and my impressions are my own.
(KMM's blog post in aswer to some negativ reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...)




After reading Burned I want more than anything else for Karen Marie Moning to write the story of the Unseelie King from the concubine perspective. I think this would be epic fantasy romance at its best. I loved the scenes told in his voice in Burned. Karen Marie Moning knows how to write and in my opinion you can see it, feel it best in those few chapters in Burned that are from his perspective. There is so much sadness, it drips from the pages.

However, as much as I loved those the book is not made up entirely of the Unseelie King and the rest was a disappointment. And I did not think Karen could disappoint me much after Iced. I started to have a shimmer of that when the cover of the book was changed from beautiful and mysterious to that naked male nipple torso with some run-of-the-mill Photoshop tribal tattoos. And the cover is denotative for the adult material in the book. Unfortunately the sex scenes are not the ones between Mac and Barrons (at least not present ones) but hardcore SM sex from Lor, bondage fantasies, voyeuristic scenes and so on. This is not romance. This book is ugly porn.

For me Karen Marie Moning started a Young Adult series with Iced about Dani, a troubled teenager with great powers in an apocalyptical fantasy world. And although I was a not such a big fan of Dani’s character in the Fever series until then, I was not opposed to give it and her a try. But a 14-year old girl, who talks in 3rd person about herself, calling herself The Mega, using feck and Dude too many times to count is simply not a good substitute for Mac and setting her up for future sexual interest with several millennia old pervs was not my conception of romance. After several attempts in a Q&A by KMM to explain that it wasn't sexual at all she even went so far tell us reader HOW TO READ her books.

Stay with me. Keep the faith. This made it difficult for some readers who tried to view the Alphas through Dani’s vantage and felt an ‘ick’ factor. Well, stop it! You weren’t supposed to do that anyway, LOL.

Well, I would appreciate it, if the author wouldn't LOL at me. Thank you very much. In Iced Dani was 14, at the beginning of Burned she is still 14, and a few pages later she is Not. She comes back almost 5 years older (19/20) and this book is no longer told in her POV but in Mac’s, it’s no longer a Young Adult but a horny-porny fantasy who tries to sugarcoat over the last book and proclaims look here, Ryodan was not nasty in the last book, he was a saint, an angel who only wanted to help and he even is Barrons half-brother and oh look his “pee-pee” is big and powerful and shaved too. I would have preferred to see Dani grow, to grow with her, to see her wake up and grow up to this kick-ass, genius and stunningly beautiful young women. Instead her growing-up story has been embezzled. I feel as if somebody robbed me of the experience.

Reading Iced made me furious with the author. Reading Burned erased my anger but instead now I am sad for Karen Moning. I feel the same as Erica wrote in her review “Burned was not the book she wanted to write and you feel it on every single page.”

[Ferdy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers

How could a once great series turn into something so nauseatingly awful?! I was really hoping Burned would be utterly engrossing and full of fun twists and turns like the original Fever books, I wanted it to be nothing like the fucked-up-disgusting Iced book. Unfortunately, it turned out to be even worse than Iced, that said I have to admit there were some parts which were enjoyable and/or interesting to read (mainly everything that happened with Jo and Kat). Mac and Dani on the other hand were utter bores, one did nothing but whine about everything and anything and the other was unrecognisable as a character. I was expecting so much more with Mac taking centre stage again, instead she crashed and burned. I honestly preferred her when she was upbeat and clueless, it was better than her being a whiny passive mess.

-I was looking forward to reading Mac's POV again but all she did was bore me. Her whining and inner monologuing dragged on and on, there was very little action or entertainment, it was just Mac banging on about one boring thing after another. The worst thing about her was how passive she was, everyone else around her fought, plotted and planned, whereas Mac was all 'duhhhhhh' and basically just stood there commenting on everything from arses to arseholes.
Ugh, I was so sick of hearing about her guilt, her bloody spear, her poetry, her inner struggle with the Sinsar Dubh, and her banging on about being oh so strong (when she was actually weak as fuck). Her thoughts were repetitive and generic, at least ditzy book one Mac didn't spend all her time inner monologuing, she actually interacted with others, investigated, and got shit done. New Mac was full of self pity and mundane philosophy, I pretty much hated her.

-I really didn't care about Christian/the Crimson Hag or the black holes or Mac finding out Barrons spelled her when they first met, none of those arcs interested me in the slightest. They were all filler and problem-of-the-week type plots, they added nothing to the series. I wanted to know more about Cruce, the Unseelie/Seelie, and Mac and co trying to rebuild the walls/world - something that was actually overarching to the series as a whole, instead of the crappy villain/problem of the week type plot.

-My opinion of Barrons went way down in this, he used to have a huge presence, not to mention great chemistry with Mac. In this he was so forgettable, it was like he couldn't be bothered with anyone or anything (maybe because his son died/got erased? who knows?), his fierce-alpha-badarse personality was pretty much gone. I was always engrossed by the old Barrons's antics, in this one he barely made an impression.
Also, the way he was with Mac was disappointing, he was so distant and blah with her, their slow burn relationship in the first five Fever books may as well have not happened. Half the time they acted like they didn't even know each other and the other half the time it didn't even seem like Barrons gave a fuck about Mac.
Also, Barrons totally lost his appeal when he didn't kill Mac's rapists until it suited him, he was more interested in getting things to go his way than killing the sick fucks that humiliated, hurt and degraded her. When he did get around to killing them it wasn't for Mac's sake or because they deserved it, it was because it fit in with his plans.. He didn't even let Mac be a part of it even though he knew she wanted to be there.

-I'm so pissed and disgusted at what KMM did to Dani, she went from being her own character to something entirely different for the sole purpose of Ryodan getting his own little fuck toy. She was no longer a character in her own right, she was conveniently twisted and changed because KMM was so desperate for Ryodan and Dani to be sexual around each other without it seeming paedophilic. Well, the two together were still disturbing and creepy as fuck, Dani/Jada was essentially still a child to me. Her being physically older didn't change that, she didn't grow up or have normal emotional experiences, she didn't get to date and just live her life. Nope, instead she magically became older (without actually living any of the experiences that being an older teenager/younger twenty something year old entailed) and more powerful - there was no actual growth.
I didn't buy Dani magically changing from child to adult simply because she stepped through a mirror and fought/killed things off page for a few years, it takes a lot more than that to be an adult. Dani was still a fucking child. I guess actually character growth/development didn't matter, all that mattered was Ryodan getting to fuck Dani's brains out ASAP without it seeming wrong and fucked up.
Honestly, it seemed like KMM copped out on Dani's actual journey all so she could cater to Dani/Ryodan fans. Dani didn't get to live her life, have fun, or date around and be in normal relationships. She'll be stuck with old disgusting Ryodan forever without experiencing anything else (unlike him who has literally fucked millions, I feel sorry that the poor cow will only get to have sex with him). It's honestly like she's been put in an arranged married or something, because the Dani from previous books wouldn't have settled down with pervy, abusive, disgusting Ryodan, she would have experienced everything that life had to offer before committing to anyone. I feel pissed and cheated that Dani's character was destroyed all so that she could get it on with Ryodan without him being called a peado and a perv.

-I rolled my eyes at the attempts to make Ryodan less of
a perverted wanker. If anything it just made him seem more of one. He acted like he watched and looked out for Dani because he genuinely cared about her, when really it was only ever about the woman she could become, he wanted to groom her and shape her into someone he could eventually fuck and keep as a little wifey. There was nothing noble about it, he didn't give a fuck about Dani outside of getting to fuck her one day, he was only ever interested in what she could do for his dick. He was a paedophilic douche, and just because Dani 'aged' it didn't change that.

-I was so happy when the unseelie princess got the upper hand over Lor and made him submissive, I loved that the Nine were finally rattled by something. It made a nice change from their constant cockiness, it was a shame that it didn't last long though. So yea, I was pissed when Lor managed to twist everything to his advantage and get the best week of his life. The prick.

-I actually really liked Lor and Jo's back and forth, them getting together was unexpected, I especially loved the parts where Jo blurted out all sorts because she thought Lor was Pri-ya, Lor's reaction to Jo's comments were hilarious. The few Kat and Kasteo parts were interesting too, even though they didn't really interact they were still weirdly cute together.

-Really? Mac conveniently turned invisible? Ugh. All the deus ex machinas (Dani's instant ageing so she could get with Ryodan, Dani becoming super powerful/old so she could be a match for Ryodan, Mac's convenient powers) pissed me off. In the first five books Mac and Dani had to work hard for things, there were always obstacles in their way and they fought for every little thing. In this one things magically/conveniently fell into their laps just for the sake of the romance and/or story. It made them, the story and their romances less endearing.

-Ryodan really got on my nerves, he was such a hypocrite. He had multiple hissy fits and threw his toys out of the pram whenever Barrons stuck up for Mac but it was perfectly fine for him to bend the rules for Dani. His double standards were irritating, Barrons should have put him in his place and given Dani as hard a time as Ryodan had being giving Mac.

-Ryodan and Barrons brothers? Really? What was the point of that? I guess it would explain why they're always hanging out with each other more than the other Nine.

-I hated how Barrons seemed way more loyal to prick Ryodan than Mac. I suppose it made sense though since Mac is new to his life and Ryodan has always been there.

-Still didn't like the Keltars, they were a joke. Ugh, they were so over the top and cartoon-ish in everything they said and did.

-Why did Irish Dani sound like an American with her saying things like vacation instead of holiday and mom instead of mum? It didn't make sense.

-What was with that ending?! Who cares if Dageus is dead or not? He's not even a major player in the series. Why have the cliffhanger/end all about him?! Honestly, I wasn't even bothered that he died.
Also, I hate when characters are killed off and then magically return, at least with the Nine it's always been like that, the Keltars shouldn't be able to do the same.

-Oh and again just because it was shoved down our throats that Dani was all grown up and sexy it didn't make her relationship with Ryodan any less disturbing and icky. For fuck's sake even Mac who thought of Dani as a little sister was rooting for them and was getting all hot and bothered about them kissing. Yea right, as if Mac would want a psycho abusive slut like Ryodan shagging her emotionally and sexually inexperienced little sister, no matter how much said sister had 'aged' - As fucking if!! The twit even said that Ryodan practically raised Dani. So yea, he was like her fucking dad yet Mac and everyone else were cool with Ryodan/Dani getting it on. SICK. SICK. SICK. SICK. SICK.

-The fact that Ryodan went randy and lusty for Dani as soon as she was a little older proved that his obsession towards her was nothing but self interest for his future sexual needs. The dirty old perv.

-Mac really needs to tell Ryodan to piss off, he treats her like utter crap. She also needs to tell Barrons to be a bit more loyal and trusting towards her instead of constantly being up Ryodan's arse.
It's also annoying that Barrons is number one for Mac, that he means more to her than Alina, her parents and anyone else in her life but she's nowhere near number one for him.

-Also, enough about Dani's virginity and how it's going to Epic with a capital E when she loses it. It's going to be nothing of the sort when it's obvious creepy peado Ryodan will be the one taking it.

-I really hope there's more Jo/Lor and Kat/Kasteo in the next book, their parts were fantastic. I cared far more about them than predictable and boring Dani/Ryodan.

-I absolutely despise Dani/Jada, she's a dull frigid virgin who thinks she knows it all but actually knows very little apart from fighting/killing. Naturally, Ryodan will awaken all her repressed sexual feelings and rock her world or some clichéd bullshit. I really want the old Dani back and for her to tell Ryodan to piss off so she can actually live her life the way she wants to. But that'll never happen because it's all about Ryodan getting to sex the speshul snowflake murderous virgin that he's groomed since childhood. Ugh, no thanks.

-Where the hell was Dancer? He was barely in it. And what happened to Dani/Dancer's friendship?! It was clear that their relationship was ignored just to push the Ryodan/Dani agenda.

-I hate how Dani/Mac's relationship has been ruined, they used to have such a great bond, but since Dani is no longer Dani they'll never be how they used to be. Instead both will only care about their respective guys, and their sisterly bond won't matter any more.

What a HUGE disappointment. I was expecting something original, fast paced, and action packed. Instead it was full of Mac's nonsensical-never-ending monologues and Ryodan/Dani's Mills and Boon/Harlequin/disgusting 'romance'. I want the old Dani back and for her to get as far away from Ryodan as possible and just live her life without his oppressive, perverted shadow following her around and controlling her. Also, Mac needs to stop being so passive and stop wasting time analysing everything around her and instead take control. Also, Barrons needs to get back to his old interesting self, instead of the shadow he turned into. Also, more Jo/Lor and Kat/Kasteo, they were the best aspects of the book. *Sigh* I doubt any of that will ever happen, it'll just be more frigid/emotionless Jada/Dani with Ryodan healing her and 'awakening' her repressed desires by kissing and sexing her and talking shit. Ugh, I'm going to go throw up now.

Note: 1 star for the Fever world and the few funny bits and 1 star for Jo/Lor and Kat/Kasteo. The rest of the book can piss off.

ETA: I hated all the parts where KMM tried to justify Ryodan's past behaviour, and tried to redeem him of his vile paedo abusive attitude.
Apparently he only broke Dani's finger because he didn't know how delicate young bones were despite being old as fuck!! Oh and he only tied her up in his basement because he wanted to know how much she knew about her alter ego, he was just looking out for her pwecious girly feelings. Yea right.
And he only looked out for her and was interested in her as a kid because she was strong and bright and not because she was someone he wanted to fuck in the future. Oh and he only had her followed and tattooed because he was protecting her from all the bad in the world and not because he was a control freak who wanted to keep her on a leash. And he only got territorial about Dancer and Christian not because he wanted Dani to fuck only him but because he was simply watching out for her despite acting jealous and pervy. And he only humiliated her and was abusive towards her in front of her enemies not because he wanted to cause her pain and show her who was boss but because it was for her own good. Yea okay. Oh and Ryodan's not a bad guy, he's actually a misunderstood, selfless saint who had no sexual interest in Dani whatsoever despite making innuendos about her strength and speed ever since they properly met. FUCK THAT!!
KMM twisting things and making Mac Ryodan's biggest supporter was obviously a big fuck you to all of us who were creeped out over Paedo-Ryodan preying on Lolita-Dani. Er no, I don't think so. Ryodan is still a paedo-pervert-abusive-douche and if Dani gets with him it'll annihilate her already destroyed character. No matter how KMM twists things and insults readers with her 'explanations' and justifications about Dani/Ryodan, it's still fucked up.

[Stacia (the 2010 club) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I really don't get the hate.

Okay, so I do get the "eh." Yes, I even get the "wth?" But I really don't get the collective sigh of disappointment.

Was this Moning's best book? No. Not even close.
Was there too much, yet somehow not enough, going on at the same time? Yes.
Was Burned a good enough continuation of the series? I'd have to say yes.

The first half of book dragged while I waited for something to happen - but I can't say that it was putting me to sleep either. The explosion of PoV's was a little strange to adjust to at first - but I can't say that I didn't enjoy reading any of them either.

See where I'm going with this? Different is different. Not bad, not good. It's just different. I'll adjust. The characters are still there. The story is still chugging along. I'm still interested in reading. This is still a damn good series, regardless of whatever hiccups happen along the way. End point.

I love Lor, btw. And now, I want to love the rest of The Nine. Repeatedly. All of them. I find it interesting that Kasteo's description is very similar to that of Zsadist from the BDB. Z fans might end up having a new anti-hero to latch on to.

So I'll just go ahead and end this with a couple of Dani theories. I haven't read any recent theories on Dani, so if mine have been dis-proven, I wouldn't know yet. Feel free to correct me. It says in the glossary at the end of the book that there are rumors of a female member of The Nine. Since Ryo has been watching over Dani most likely from birth or a young age, I'm thinking that she is one of his people. It mentions that there is no distinct amount of time for a member of The Nine to come back between death and resurrection. The time varies from days to longer (Barrons has taken over a month). Is it possible that Dani died and was reborn of a younger age? It's possible that Dani and Ryo knew each other before. I'd prefer to think that it was because they were lovers (she as an adult in a previous life), but maybe they were related, although the ethnic differences would be a weird logistics thing if Dani actually comes from a line of sidhe seers with her last name.

About Jada : I have the feeling that Jada will be separated from Dani's body at some point. I think that Jada is Christian's soulmate and Dani is Ryo's, and since they are two distinct personalities, they might work in two separate bodies. But I could be reaching with this theory...

Random, but side note : I wish Moning would decide if Dani/Jada's hair is red, brown, or reddish brown. I've seen all three descriptions. I'm going to picture auburn in my head, since that's a mix of both colors.

[Aure 'the Dark' · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ya know ... I have many many feels now, got even more unanswered questions, I was prepared for this book to totally suck! And guess what? IT DIDN'T!! not for me anyways! I don't know if it was because I missed Mac and Barrons so bloody much but I can honestly say that I liked it and I'm very much intrigued of what's coming after. I do hope though we won't have to wait another millennia for the next book -___-
Optimistic much!? Yeah ... yeah ... Those were the stones to your garden dear Moning.
Anywho ..
For those who're still wondering if they should read it..( the answer is always YES btw ;P ) Expect the unexpected , if you're looking for Shakespeare- this is not It!
Just buckle up, you're in for one hell of a ride! ;)

Peace,
A.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterwork by an incomparable writer. Burned is brilliant, sexy, and dangerous. I adore Moning! No one does it better.

[Edvard · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's been over two years since ICED was released, I expected that in the two years and some months that KMM made us wait, that we should get something completely mind blowing. To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement.

Dani got four chapters in the whole book. Four. KMM made the unfortunate decision to go back to Mac’s whiny, irritating, endless monologue to please her old fans, while Dani fans sit here and wonder why we lost an amazing refreshing, original, voice in Urban Fantasy.

Warning - spoilers ahead.

It wasn't as if there was a lack of materials to write about for Dani, hell, we lost 5 years of her life in the Silvers and we don’t get a single glimpse of the anguish she suffered. We don’t get to see what propelled her to her drastic change. What we do get is Mac’s constant inner angst completely overshadowing a HUGE plot twist. It was the most frustrating thing ever.

As for Ryodan, he went from an unequaled King (Liege, Lord, and Master) in ICED to Barron’s lapdog in BURNED. I guess KMM turned her back on her own words huh? That her goal was for Ryodan to surpass Barrons. Ryodan now shuts up when Barrons turns an angry eye. Let's be realistic here: KMM has no intention for Ryodan to surpass Barrons or she would have properly given him the 3 novels with Dani. And what about that scene where Ryodan was depressed because Jo broke up with him? His character has changed so drastically. The little jealousy fight between Ryodan and Lor over Jo made The 9 seem pathetic.

I wonder why KMM is forcing Jo on us? She goes straight from Ryo’s bed to Lor’s bed and we’re supposed to accept that because suddenly Lor’s catching feelings for her now? Where the fuck is the badass too-scared-to-ask-what-they-are 9 that we loved so much? Everyone’s suddenly getting paired off with a love interest that it’s starting to feel like a soap opera with Ryodan and Lor arguing and fighting over Jo especially.

I waited two years for this with the highest hope because KMM’s previous books are masterful. But now she has decided to please the Mac fans and it has all gone downhill. It’s disappointing to see such an amazing series crash and burn like this.

[Jennifer Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars

”You only know who you are in opposition to something, what you choose to fight for and against. The rest doesn’t matter.”

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This story is told from a few povs but mostly it's in Mac’s (This book is part of the Dani O'Malley trilogy so yeah WTH?) and had a lot going on. Mac is still sharing her body with the book and battles it's constant temptations. The main goal is for an unlikely grouping of leaders to work together in the attempt to free Christian from the Crimson Hag. The King struggles to connect to with his true love. Dani undergoes some crazy changes. Lor gets his sexy on big time. As for our Barron’s, he’s hotter than ever and a few of his secrets are revealed.

"Sex either blows your fucking mind or it's not good enough. You want me to blow your fucking mind, Ms. Lane? Come on. Do it. Be a big girl."



"I crush on Jericho Barrons violently."



The story once again ends with a cliffhanger but I found it bearable. I will say that my favorite girl's new developments WTH too many haters on Dani's age I guess but I want my girl back!! didn't please me and hoping things go back to the way they were before this book and so I'll wait for the next book due this October.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part of Burned was actually really enjoyable. And then everything crumbled into dust. Mac is certainly back- to being the whiny, self-absorbed girl from the first novels. There's no excuse now, because she's gone through all these hardships and trials and evolved into this kickass character I adored, but she's just so useless now.

I predicted most of the twists way before they happened, so I'm disappointed about that.

Ryodan's better than he was in Iced, so yay for that. Lor's probably the most likeable character in this book, though. Fade, another one of the Nine, comes off more immature than Mac was, and that's a huge accomplishment.

Also, there were all these huge plot holes I noticed, such as why the Nine, who are thousands, if not millions of years old, speak in English when they talk to each other alone. Am I the only one that noticed that? There are some others, but they'd be massive spoilers, so I won't talk about them.

Overall, I'm very unamused. I'm also really, really disappointed. Even the cliffhanger barely peaked my interest.



Pre-Release giddiness and excitement
Update 9/1/14

I don't like that cover. The other one seemed to fit the story better, but this one's just doing the typical PNR cover of a guy flexing his abs :(.

Update: 5/28/13

What I think will happen in Burned:

Warning: Spoilers for the Fever series and Iced are in this. Seriously. DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FEVER SERIES YET! K? Good.

Karen Moning's bestselling books, the Fever series, isn't over yet. Book number 6-8 will be centered around Dani "Mega" O'Mallery, instead of Mac Lane. Annoyingly, though, Iced had a cliffhanger. What is it with these cliffhangers? Do authors think that I won't read the next book if something drastic doesn't happen at the end of the previous one?

Basically what happened in Iced was that there was this bad thing called the Hoar Frost King that was freezing parts of Dublin. Dani, Christian, Ryodan, and Dancer finally beat it, and everyone is happy. Including me And then, on the last page, Mac comes up behind Dani and threatens to stab her.



In order to figure out what the feck will happen next, we have to lay out the facts. First, Dani isn't human. Okay fine. We don't know that for a 100% fact, but I'm 95% sure. Then again, I was 98% sure V'lane was a good guy, and look at what happened. So Dani isn't the typical human. Happy now?

We will like Christian again. I actually like him screwed up the way he is, but that's neither here nor there. We know we'll like Christian again because Moning says so in one of her Q&As.

Ryodan, Barrons, and the rest of those people can be killed (for good). There are two ways we know of (for now): K'Vruck and the Book.

Dancer has some deep, dark secrets. Kat mentions this.

Mac is extremely hard to kill. We found this out in ShadowFever.

Apparently, we're done with the Unseelie King and his Concubine in books 6-8. So no facts there.

Dani killed Mac's sister and feels guilty over it.

And I think that's it. The rest either doesn't seem important or it is just what we think happened. Now for the guesses. I'd like to mention again: I have not read Burned, yet. So these guesses will probably be wrong.

Christian is either going to become good, or he will die.

At the end of Iced, he was kidnapped by the Crimson Hag. I think Dani will rescue him.

The fact that the nine can die is going to be important. I think that one of them will be killed. Christian once talked about speaking with K'Vruck. Actually, I think he already has. Why? Because of all those times Dani was speaking with him and- poof- he couldn't remember some parts of the conversation.

Cruce will get out of the ice. There's a reason that he was trapped, not killed. Maybe the way he's going to get out is he'll burn his way out.

Dancer isn't human. Yeah, it's pretty obvious, but remember V'lane?

Also about Dancer: he's either going to die or is immortal. There's some heavy foreshadowing there.

Another Goodreads reviewer mentioned his, but the cover looks like a place-holder. Is that what Burned is? A place holder?

And, apparently, Burned picks up right after the ending of Iced. Is Mac still pissed? At the end of Shadowfever, it seemed like she was about to forgive Dani. Why, then, is she holding a spear at Dani's back?

I don't think Dani's mother is dead. It seems like everyone thinks that in the book, but there was this one time Dani was talking about her.

I also believe Dani won't be one of those heroines that fall in love and become pathetic.

Jo is probably going to die. Well, I want her to die. She's annoying.

Some things I can't guess:
What are the nine?
Why does Dani lose her powers?
What is Dancer?
Why can't this book come out faster?

And Burned? I'm going to be waiting a long time for you. Do not annoy me.


Find these predictions and more at http://www.thereadingobsession.blogsp...

Edit again: June 18

They changed the release date to April 22? WTF?

Wait! The release date is now July 22nd 2014? No! They can't do this to me! Change it back!Changeitbackchangeitbackchangeitbackchangeit NOW!

Please?

[Rachel L · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/11/16 Update!
This story is no longer for free online but is published at the beginning of Burned (Fever #7) for those who have not read it yet.

Takes place 11 months before events in Burned, most likely in Fever #1 timeline.

Merged review:

4.25 stars!

“Temptation isn’t a sin that you triumph over once, completely and then you’re free. Temptation slips into bed with you each night and helps you say your prayers. It wakes you in the morning with a friendly cup of coffee, and knows exactly how you take it.”



Burned is the continuation of the Fever series. I'll warn you right now, if you haven't read the previous books in the series there will be spoilers in my review. That being said, my review should be spoiler free for those who have read the series.

With the exception of a previously free online short story at the beginning (which is necessary to read), Burned picks up where Iced left off. Dani and Mac are in a confrontation that has been waiting to come for a long time. Choices are made and consequences doled out, the future is changed forever for one of these two characters.

In the meantime, power struggles for control of the city ensue. Many characters feel they should be in charge or left alone in their own sectors. The issue of Christian needing rescueing is one on almost everyone's mind as well as aftereffects from the iced areas in the previous books leaving black holes.



“I want to tell her revenge is a devil you don’t want to worship. In destroying your enemy you become it.”

Well first things first I'm going to gripe a bit about something I knew but still am a bit miffed about: we no longer have Dani's POV. Even thought this was supposed to be the O'Malley series (that title is now changed back to Fever) we are given the perspective of Mac. Who I love, but she already had 5 books to herself. Give us back the Mega!!!! Grrr.

This book had less of a coherent plot than Iced did, it was a bit more political intrigue than set action and adventure but it was still enjoyable. Mac and Barrons are still together yet at odds. Mac is dealing with having the Book inside of her and the effects on her being. Mac's struggle for this book is mostly her struggles with the Book and past issues with Barrons that come to the forefront. There was a lot going on with side characters that I am intrigued to see develop in the next installment or so. Crossing my fingers for a new couple to ship so we will see.

Not much else to say. While a lot happened, not anything noteworthy happened, know what I mean? I definitely wish to see changes in certain characters in the next book and hope for a more solid plot to read. Otherwise I really enjoyed this installment in the series, but it seems as if its role is filler.

“You are what you are. Find a way to live with it.”

[♡Karlyn P♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Update 9/16/2014: Wow, the new blurb is out and it looks like Mac will now be a main protagonist, not just Dani. Is this why the book took so long? The direction of this series apparently took a sharp left turn.

"To reiterate, Mac and Dani are both primary protagonists in BURNED." -- KMM, Facebook

-----------------------

I can't wait, I can't wait!! Oh wait, I still have to wait...

[Sophia Triad · Rating 5 out of 5]

MAC IS BACK! Kind of…

Mac will never be alone again, you see. She has a major disadvantage/advantage (not sure yet) inside her. A copy of the infamous Sinsar Dubh! It waits until Mac uses her spear in order to take over. And then it kills everybody it wishes, fae and humans, guilty and innocent. The book talks to Mac, trying to tempt her to use its magic.

Mac is definitely not herself. She is passive, lonely and whiney. Barrons still does not trust her. They don’t have sex and Mac is furious with him because he has hidden from her when they had sex for first time (ok, although he is a lying bastard, it still felt good that he was there before the Unseelie Princes). Let’s just say that the first time they were together, Mac was not priya and she knew what she was doing.

So Mac and Barrons have issues. Again. For another book. Once more. For no particular reason.
Again he calls her Ms Lane and again she calls him Barrons. What happened with Mac and Jericho? I thought they have moved on with their relationship.

But Jericho Barrons is still so much into her:

“Mine,” Barrons says flatly. “You will never go there. You have a problem with Mac, you work it out with me. I am her shield, I am her second fucking skin.”

And Mac is still so much into him:

“I’m obsessed and addicted and ripped-down-raw in love with Jericho Barrons.”

So, Mac stays at the background, fighting the temptation of the book, being treated like an idiot by certain characters, describing her observations and being literally invisible.

So many characters in this book:
-The MacKelter family is around. Daegus is moving up as a major character (Go read: The Dark Highlander, Highlander #5 by Moning)
-Christian and the Crimson Hag
-The mysterious Dancer
-Kat and Kasteo, Sean and the baby
-Cruce. God, how much I miss V’Lane!!!! Deep Sigh…
-The Nine immortals, Barron’s team. Lor stands out in this book. He was by far my favorite character. Lor’s scenes with Jo and the priya thingy were awesome and funny.
-This is the book that we say our goodbyes to Dani. I hope that we will see her again.
-There is the addition of some new characters such as Jada, Unseelie Princess and Papa Roach.
-Ryodan is still around and very much in charge. There is unmistakable sexual tension between him and Jada. He is still the boss and still punishes. Cruelly, you may say.

The book may confuse you, even if you are accustomed to this world. There are:
-Quite a lot of points of view
-Many plot twists
-Many things that are happening at the same time
-More world building.

And there is another mystery, which may result to the end of our world: Supernatural Dublin is slowly disappearing. There are black holes everywhere that they are slowly expanding.
It somewhat reminds me the plot of the "Neverending Story" where the world of Fantasia has been slowly devoured by a force called "The Nothing".

What I NEED next: I want a strong, rainbow Mac back to kick some ass and raise hell!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have very mixed feelings about this book. This was my most anticipated book of the year and I guess I'm disappointed. I had enormously high expectations for this and this was not at all what I expected. It was pushed back 6 months. Why? It didn't feel like it was worth the wait. It didn't feel like she took the extra time to make it the best book ever. There were times I felt this book was lazy ( recycling old material and plot lines. Is she even trying anymore?). Having said that, I love the world and these characters so much that even a bad book set here is enjoyable most of the time. I'm conflicted.

Here's the thing, I wish authors wouldn't tell us their plans. I wish they would just do it and tell us when it's done. Karen Marie Moning told us she was going to write 3 books from Dani's perspective before going back to Mac. I was very concerned about that until I read Iced and it was incredible. I had a new appreciation for Dani and I couldn't wait to read more of her story. So I was very surprised that 70% of this book was Mac's perspective. I don't know if I'd be as critical if I had known that going in.

I have so many problems with this book. First, there were way too many perspectives and they always popped up when I didn't want to be interrupted in the story I was reading. Perspectives I remember reading from: Mac, Dani, Christian, Unseelie King, Lor, Barrons, Jada, Kat. Second, I thought we were done with the damn book. Come on. We spent 5 books tracking it down and imprisoning it, and now it's back possessing Mac. I'm so over this. I loved the fresh start we got with Iced. There was a new enemy. It brought new life into the series and now we're going backwards, back to the same old story of defeating the book. Third, I like Mac the fierce, beautiful, bad-ass fighter. I do not enjoy smelly, struggling-to-maintain-her-sanity, followed-around-by-Unseelie, afraid-to-use-her-spear Mac. It bothered me that she refused to give it to someone who could use it. Fourth, not enough Dani! I fell in love with her story in Iced. I wanted to know more. This book gave us snipits. It wasn't enough. I was happy having a break from Mac for a while. It killed me when we lost 5 years of Dani's life. It broke my heart. I would have rather read her story through the 5 years of hell. I was first hurt, then pissed. I want those years back. Finally, that wasn’t an ending. In fact, this felt like a middle-book. This was not a complete story. She opened up several story lines and resolved only 1. I'm having a hard time coming up with the point of this story because that one resolved issue wasn't the main focus for the entire book. There were several main focuses. It felt very scattered at times.

While I have these issues with it, I still devoured the book. I still enjoyed reading it. I still find this world fascinating. I just think this wasn't the best book in the series. Also, my expectations were off here. I'm sure that plays into my feelings as well. I'm definitely excited for the next book. I hope that I won't be waiting quite so long for the next one.


Sidenote: I hate this cover with a fiery passion. Whyyyyyyyyyyyy!?!? The other covers were great. This cover is embarrassing. The other covers were cool and cryptic and mysterious. This cover is like every other raunchy romance out there. This is not a raunchy romance book. To me this is urban fantasy first, romance second. This isn't the Black Dagger Brotherhood but clearly they are trying to bring in those readers as well. Yuck. I hate this cover. Rant over.

[Glass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review posted at Ja čitam, a ti?

Dani are you OK? Are you OK, Dani? (will you tell us that you're OK)

Tanja: Glass, sorry it was stronger than me. Anyhow as each chapter in this book starts of with some popular lyrics I shall do the same (with some changes, though). But still it sums up the whole book for me. So, if you are ready let's discuss it.
Glass: LOL, it does sum up latest Fever novel - I've been waiting for so long to find out what happened with Dani. But... I thought that Burned would be told from her POV, just like the previous book. Not that I am complaining - I love Mac and I was happy to see what was going on with her. It's just that I had certain expectations. And Burned crushed all of them.
Tanja: Somehow I'm used to that when it comes to Moning. She really manages to crush all my expectations ever since book one. But back to the narrator issue, I truly wish she stick to the original plan. Somehow Dani is my girl. I do understand that people have issues with her age, but then again look at Victorian novels and their age. Times change so do norms.
Glass: I completely agree with that. It is sad that she felt a need to indulge to the all negative responses and change original storyline. Burned was exciting, action-packed and fun, I loved it - but still there is that big plot twist (let's call it like that to avoid spoilers). What did you think about that? I am still not sure. It was unexpected (which is good thing), but also I'm disappointed because I'm pretty sure that it is not how the story should have developed judging by Iced.
Tanja: Yes it was certainly unexpected, but then again I have no idea what to think of it. Somehow I like the way she dealt with everything. This is really a good way to make everyone happy. I do appreciate it, but it really just depends how it goes from here. It's pretty much open.
Another thing I think we should warn our ladies about are guys here. I think we need to tell them to stay away (I certainly do, as you and me fighting for the same guy is already enough *wink*)
Glass: Oh my... *dreamy eyes* I want to lock away all of them in our fictional harem, Tanja. All of them! They can be infuriating and rude and damn bossy, but also, they are fierce, protective and loyal. And hot.
One thing that I appreciate when it comes to Karen Marie Moning is how she keeps you on your toes. I love that all options are, as you put it, open - everything is possible and you can't even guess what will happen next.
Tanja: Don't tell me about locking them away, you know me and alpha males. I'm a goner when it comes to them. But yes, that's what Moning is amazing for and which reminds me that once again you and all who love this series should most definitely read Kate Daniles series. I'll just leave it here. Back to Burned, I really have no idea how to either sum up or wrap up this just because I have no idea what's going to happen next. It's as usual, we have to wait and see. But also Moning announced that we can expect Feverborn in October, which frankly made my year!
Glass: Let's just hope that publication date won't be pushed again. And again. And again. We will anxiously waiting to see what will happen with our favorite characters.

Until the next time,