Review: Shadowfever

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



20 hour audiobook. Natalie Ross & Phil Gigante are awesome narrators.

Update to review: This portion is written both in the first or the last book of the series.
Karen Marie Moning is a genius. I don't know if she meant this series to have so many levels - but it does...or at least I took that much away with me. The first thing to say is that you have a mega mystery on your hands. There are cliff hangers at the end of each book so I warn you ahead of time - DO NOT GET ONE BOOK. Don't think you can read the first book and blithely run out to get the next book when finished. This series does not work that way. You will go out of your mind until you can start the next book. Fair Warning! As soon as you finish the last sentence in the book you will be compelled to start the next book. I happened to have mine in audio version (all of them). That kept my sanity in check. The books while entertaining also made me retrospective. I questioned human nature as a whole and individually. Each choice/decision we make have consequences (to paraphrase the book). As Mac says, "It's not my fault who I am, the only thing my fault is what I choose to do with it." (Shadowfever) So you can take this series as light entertainment or search for the genius of KMM and look deeper & even introspective into your life choices.

Even though this series has many dark things in it and some very X rated scenes and much bad language I think it would be a good series for young adults to discuss values and how our decisions affect not only us but have a ripple effect. I wouldn't recommend it to all but if they have been exposed to these things in the past (and most have) it wouldn't be harmful and may open a dialogue for them to discuss the core values we have. It would definitely be a series that would keep their attention and therefore give them an opening to talk.
Barrons keeps telling Mac throughout the series to "see me". He warns her to think before she acts. Mac does make mistakes but tries to be honest with herself about her actions and mistakes. Yet she does keep making the same mistakes over and over. Trust issues are a problem with both of them. The books break down human nature and all our weaknesses and examines them yet these books are highly entertaining while giving us food for thought. I know that I will be contemplating this series for a long time.



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Review: Ravished by a Highlander

Ravished by a Highlander by Paula Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



4 Stars for Paula Quinn (author) & 4 Stars for Carrington MacDuffie (Narrator)

Mesmerized is the first word that comes to mind, Paula Quinn had me mesmerized. I'm amazed that she has already immersed me into the history of the highlands without my awareness & knowledge. Every phrase is so descriptive that I just close my eyes & I'm there sharing Davina's grief over her loss of the nuns & her protectors. I see the stoic, half dressed, giant of a highlander named Rob who saves Davina from death while he bears the wound from her arrow. I feel Davina's confused feelings for Rob Macgregor & his unusual softness of heart conflicting with his anger that she doesn't trust him (even though she doesn't know him). It seemed impossible for me to be so deeply immersed into the characters within the first 15 minutes of the book. Yet, between Paula Quinn's writing skills and Carrington MacDuffie's gift of Scottish brogue & English speech captured the character's essence & conveyed just the perfect amount of emotion and detail to transport me into the Highlands.

Rob yearns for the innocent Davina but is held back by her calling to God and the veil. Regardless, he must protect her from her unknown enemies. They've struck once leaving her the sole survivor of the convent. Davina confuses Rob on many levels. He is shocked that a woman, especially one in a convent, has such a complex understanding of politics, the inner workings of the government & deep divisions between the Protostants & Catholics. He wants to know all her many secrets and yet those very secrets can keep them apart.

Ravished bya Highlander turned out to be a beautiful love story with just the right amount of conflict and surprises to make it to my favorites shelf. Did I say it was steeped in history?



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Review: The Immortal Highlander

The Immortal Highlander by Karen Marie Moning

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The joke's on me! I've been waiting and wondering throughout each of the previous audiobooks about Adam Black and his story. So when I finally got here, I kept thinking "that sounds familiar". Yes - I read it back in 2004 when it first came out. So now I'm listening to it and Still Loving it!

As the book says, Adam is "the foulest of the fey, a trickster, deceiver, cold blooded, arrogant seducer who cared for nothing but his pleasure at the moment". Yet, he is so much more. That description is a part of his past & somewhat a part of his character. But, who hasn't done something in their past that now they ask themselves WTF was I thinking? Plus his deep feelings of betrayal by Cenn's mother has warped him. So, I for one, was so happy he met Gabrielle. He's suffered the past TOO LONG. Not to say there isn't suffering in the book - Oh yes there is. But he has Gabrielle by his side and she is polar opposites of his past love. She is the balm over his hurts and it's about time. Centuries to be exact. Adam has the Queen of the fey punishing him for being too close to the humans. So as punishment - she makes him human. Poof - Powers gone [well he has a smidgen left - just enough to remind him of all he's lost.] She makes him invisible to make it just a little more interesting. On the other end, the humans hate him for his mischievous interfering over the centuries. So he has nowhere to turn but to Gabrielle - one of the few who can see the fey & has been taught to fear them, for those that can see on both planes disappear. As it usually happens when you are down - your enemies come out of the woodwork to ensure it happens all the quicker.

The Immortal Highlander never let me down as I went through all of Adam & Gabrielle's adventures with them. I was as frustrated as Gabrielle during their pre-foreplay & foreplay. I had moments of panic, fear and a few heart palpitations throughout the book. I fell in love with Scotland through Adam's eyes and learned to understand and love him. It was a great read the first time years ago and even better via audiobook with the other books in the series under my belt. I'm really curious to see where KMM goes now in the series. Hopefully, Phil Gigante (Narrator) will be there for the rest of the series for he is KMM's Highlander in all the books.



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