Author: Karen Marie Moning
Release Date: August 30th, 2011
Publisher: Dell
Pages: 671
Format: Paperback
Acquired: Bought
Interest: Series
Others in the Series: Darkfever, Bloodfever, Faefever, & Dreamfever
Age Group: Adult
MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina, were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever.
Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister's murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals who have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.
What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh - book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King, containing the power to create and destroy worlds.
In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.
Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac herself and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?
Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister's murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals who have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.
What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh - book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King, containing the power to create and destroy worlds.
In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.
Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac herself and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?
This is not the end!
I know that might sound a little dramatic, but this is not the last book, early this year Moning confirmed that there will be two more books, plus a spin-off trilogy featuring Dani! So, if you are as obsessed as I am and ready to tear through the pages in order to get closer to Barrons, there is hope for you!
Now, turning to the book. And I have no idea what to say. My head was spinning in circles the entire time. It was one jaw-dropping moment after another. I thought that Moning would give us a little here and a little there throughout the series, but this woman just punched as all in the face with this book. Talk about saving the best for last!
Everything that has been building up from the last four books - the Book, Darroc, the Unseelie King, the mysteries concubine, the lust battle between Barrons and Mac - it all comes down in this one book. And more!
Ever since the walls came down I always wondered how Moning would take the series, since now that the Unseelie and Seelie are revealed to everyone, it's not like with the walls back up things could go back to normal, and Moning never lets us forget it.
I'm going to admit that there were times that I was literally shivering in my skin. The way some people acted was just right down barbaric and frightening. I just couldn't live in that world, and Moning made it so believable. She brought out the true nature of people and what happens when a war begins that will force the human race to stop fighting each other and start fighting the real enemy.
This book was a dark exotic trip that took the reader away into a world where the secrets are finally revealed and the question of who is friend and who is foe is finally answered. Mac's character, I think, was the biggest shocker of it all. She has really grown into a strong, intelligent woman. I mean, there were moments I was surprised by what she did. She use to be so predictable, but now she's become more cunning and hard-edge. And I know a lot people are saying that this is because of the rape, but I think it goes a lot deeper than that. Who she is and where she fits in this world were some really important points that should be taken into account, and not to mention all that she's learned and the people that she's had to defend.
Mac is who she is because of the way the world she lives in has changed, and she's changed. For the better, I might add.
And I am so glad there is going to be more books, because the way it ended could not have been the end. I mean, there was a lot of build up from the other four books that were really brought home in this one, but there was also a lot that happened here that needs to get addressed and Moning cannot leave us hanging! I mean it. This woman is going to be the death of me!
Throughout all the dark corners, the twisting turns, and the erotic moments, this book delivered, it really did. It was sensational, it was captivating, it was spellbinding, it was a masterpiece, and I am so glad I read this book series. It was different and it was unique; the character's come to life and they are the type to stay with you long after you've turned the last page.
