*Not this book, the book that this book is about. It’s kind of a meta thing.
Warning: This review contains some spoilers.
What’s a girl to do when the world’s nearing annihilation and she’s possessed by a psychotic book? Karen Marie Moning gives us our answer as Mac, Barrons, and crew return for the final (maybe?) installment of the Fever Series, Feversong. Barrons, Jada (but I really like Dani, so I’m just gonna call her Dani from here on in, K?), and their friends must race against time to free Mac from the evil Sinsar Dubh and find the elusive Fae Song of Making before it’s too late.
This book has everything: people who eat people, talking cats who eat people, reluctant Unseelie Princes trapped in a goo cocoon, emotionally-available, jacked Physics nerds, a near utterance of “I love you” from Barrons to Mac, “Tubthumping.”
All in all, I think it is a fantastic read; dare I say, the best in the series. From beginning to end, the Fever series has some of the best twists and turns I’ve ever read, keeping me reading non-stop and keeping my kids occupied by 24/7 Disney Junior and all-you-can-eat Pirate’s Booty. While Feversong slows at times, it mostly keeps up the breakneck pace of the first five books in the series. It also reestablishes the plan Moning has been working with all along, which brings to mind my question: was Moning sitting on the line, “Holy psychotic PCs, Robin, we’ve a murderous MacBook on the loose!” for nine whole books?
I think the best part of this book is Mac’s (Get it? Mac + Book! Ha!) triumph and true rise to hero at the end. I have to admit, I’ve always had a hard time liking Mac. With her Barbie doll looks and entitled attitude, she always kind of reminded me of the girls who banned me from their lunch table in middle school. Even though I didn’t particularly like Mac, I empathized with her. I still rooted for her. And, I was still totally enthralled by her story. To write a compelling story with an unlikeable protagonist is no small feat, but Moning nails it.
What’s more, she works the same magic with Jericho Barrons. I will preface this by saying that he is one of my favorite male romantic leads of all time. He is almost, almost, mind you, up on the podium with one Mr. James Fraser. But, beneath the steel-toed boots, muscled exterior, violent tendencies, and frequent f-bombs, Barrons has the personality of a pissed off grandpa. One word responses? No small talk? Doesn’t suffer fools? PePaw, is that you? He’s about thisclose to telling those kids to get the hell off his lawn. And, yet, Moning has made him into a sinfully attractive, magnetizing presence and, in my opinion, one of the greatest romantic heroes in recent years. If that’s not brilliance, I don’t know what is.
I do, however, have an issue with some of the character interaction. Ok, ok. I know what you are thinking—this is a book filled with faeries, magical songs, people rising from the dead (maybe just one person), and men with no discernable refractory period. Of course there are things in this book that are unbelievable! As a side note, this brings to mind the days of watching Lost—the ultimate display of unbelievable plot points—with my logical engineer husband who would constantly shout out, “That would never happen!” In the same sense, I often find myself shouting the same thing when characters interact in this book. I mean, it’s nice for Dani that Alina and Mac’s parents forgive her for murdering their daughter, but I just can’t see any grieving parents being so kind and quick to forgive. And, why are Mac and Dani such good friends, anyway? I get that Mac lost her sister, but I just don’t see their connection without being specifically told they are close.
Other Nitpicky Criticisms:
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- I could have done without the book’s narration. I get that Moning needed to show he was in control of Mac’s body, but I couldn’t take the narcissistic rant that sounded like a cross between Kanye West and Dwight from The Office. I AM. Desire. Lust. Greed. Insufferably. Annoying.
- While the song did play and he did, in fact, dance to it, I could have used some serious Barrons “Tubthumping,” if you know what I mean and I think you do.
- While on the subject, maybe it’s because she’s over 18 and all mature now, but I could have totally handled Ryodan thumping… Oh, Gah, nevermind… It looks like we’re going to see that anyway in Dani’s novel, High Voltage, due to come out in January 2018.
My final thought is this: if you haven’t read Feversong yet, read it now! If you have kids, get yourself down to the Costco to get a pallet of Pirate’s Booty. That’ll buy you about 5-10 chapters, at least. A word of warning, though, don’t eat it yourself while you’re reading. Unless, of course, you aren’t grossed out by people eating people. Then, by all means, go for it.
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Buy Feversong by Karen Marie Moning
Read more from The Fever Series on TN!
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WRITTEN BY ADRIENNE
Adrienne is a mother, teacher, writer, and sexy vampire book aficionado. She likes candlelit dinners, long walks on the beach, and naps that don’t end with someone yelling, “Mommy!” You can read her blog at TheMoodyMommy.com
