Thursday, September 1, 2016

Karen Marie Moning - Burned

When the wall that protected humans from the seductive, insatiable Fae was destroyed on Halloween, long-imprisoned immortals ravaged the planet. Now Dublin is a war zone with factions battling for control. As the city heats up and the ice left by the Hoar Frost King melts, tempers flare, passions run red-hot, and dangerous lines get crossed. Seelie and Unseelie vie for power against nine ancient immortals who have governed Dublin for millennia; a rival band of sidhe-seers invades the city, determined to claim it for their own; Mac’s former protégé and best friend, Dani “Mega” O’Malley, is now her fierce enemy; and even more urgent, Highland druid Christian MacKeltar has been captured by the Crimson Hag and is being driven deeper into Unseelie madness with each passing day. The only one Mac can depend on is the powerful, dangerous immortal Jericho Barrons, but even their fiery bond is tested by betrayal.
 It’s a world where staying alive is a constant struggle, the line between good and evil is blurred, and every alliance comes at a price. In an epic battle against dark forces, Mac must decide who she can trust, and what her survival is ultimately worth.


Comment: I got this book pre ordered and it arrived my house mid December but it has been in the pile since then and I confess I wasn't very eager to start it. This past month I just went for it but now that I've finished it, I feel as ambivalent about it as I was before reading.

This is installment 7 of the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. In this book Dani is still dealing with the effects of the actions from the previous book and Mac is still feeling guilty about her role in Dani's life now.
Because there's a power struggle in Dublin, all parts battle to gain the upper hand or, at least, to maintain some order in the daily life of the city. But everyone has a secret agenda and weeks after Dani disappears through a mirror into a strange land in faery or somewhere, Mac is still not close to find her. Everyone thinks the other has Dani.
At the same time, the good guys want to rescue Christian, who's done a great sacrifice in previous books. With the seers having a new leader too, can things work out or will there be more problems no one thought about?

My comment will have some spoilers!

Overall, I liked the book, it had some interesting moments and scenes and some situations were addictive to read. Plus, some new things happen that surely surprise even fans because it wasn't stuff one would expect and that was a positive point.
But there some things that aren't bad but get on my nerves. I know many readers think the same, others disagree and it's great a series can have such opposite opinions but personally the things that I can't help noticing make me feel slightly meh about the whole thing.

I didn't love the original first five Fever installments but I was dedicated to them, especially the last one where Mac and Barrons finally seemed to admit what all readers wanted. I was happy by how things ended up in that book.
When the continuation of the series was announced from Dani's perspective I was quite eager to keep reading, even more so because all readers could anticipate the possibility of romance between Dani and Ryodan. Therefore it was a letdown when we realized Dani was still a teenager and obviously no romance would be happening. But of course she would grow and in this book my expectation was that but there we open the book and instead of having Dani's voice we are back to Mac. I don't mind that but wasn't this supposed to be Dani's POV? Wasn't the center of Mac's story already told? I confess part of me was annoyed, another not caring enough.

Many readers say anything is perfect already because the author writes well, this is emotional and dark and no perfect HEAs everywhere. I can understand that but all readers have a different perspective in this, is that wrong to wish for a different path? I feel ambivalent about the plot, to be honest, I feel I haven't really invested in this, some of the character's actions and attitudes put me off but I was hope for glimpses of things I want and that is enough motivation. But I can easily not read. I'm saying all this because although I understand what the author is doing, I suppose I'm on the side that wishes for the series to end or to focus on someone else more than Mac. Nothing against Mac but her personal story was told. Sure, everyone can improve but...

As for this plot, well, as always it's slightly confusing for me. So many hidden agendas, secrets, motivations, personal details and opinions mixed into rescue missions ans character changes... Dani returns in a way no one would expect and I don't know how I feel abut it. Surely, a slow advance in years from book to book would be more believable than what happened? Now that Dani is a grown up, the possibilities are endless for plot and character development but...I guess I feel guilty, this is what I looked for but not this way. It feels like the author can't please everyone at the same time.

I liked having new clues about some characters namely Barrons, Ryodan and some of the Nine. These characters are amazing and I'm sure a book for each in the future would be great but the idea of going through so many secrets that annoy us is too much. 
The writing is great as ever, in that all readers must agree but can writing alone lead a story through so many complicated plot moves and lack of conclusions? I mean, surely there is a goal in this, but from book to book despite the things we find, the aura os mysteries increase too and that can be annoying after so many books.

All things considered, this was not a perfect book. Readers can see it either way but it would be much simpler if the author could have solved some things better before and now give a new start to Dani's adventures - even if in the same world/reality - whether she's a teenager or as a grown-up most people want her to be. I feel conflicted but one thing is certain: I can certainly wait until more books come out and I have an idea of what to expect before spending money.
Grade: 5/10

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