BLOODFEVER by Karen Marie Moning

I have aged like a fine wine

Wow, to think about the journey I've been on with Karen Marie Moning. I read book 1, Dark Fever, almost 4 years ago, and boy did I hate it (you can read my review here). I was incredibly disappointed because so many people have recommended it to me, and given my love for paranormals and urban fantasy, I really wanted to love the series. My loathing for this book was so great, I vowed I would never continue the series. However, over the years, I've continued to hear praise of this book, people telling me that the series gets better later on, my favorite podcasts talking about how much Mac grows as a heroine. And come late March and I feel myself beginning to get into a book rut. No books interest me, all the books I want have interminable holds (STOP DEFUNDING LIBRARIES! to learn more about new york library budget cuts and to show your support, please visit Invest in Libraries) So on a whim, I decided to dip my toe back into Fever. And boy, I am so glad I did. Bloodfever has left me in awe at how talented Karen Marie Moning is.

Given the unconventional nature of my four-year comeback I'm going to structure this review a little differently. I'll break down each part of what I originally didn't like, and why I was either so wrong, or what has changed.

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Beautiful Yet Deadly

"Ok but the most frustrating part is how the MC get's all like "don't call me a barbie," (which I can respect because like obviously not all blondes are airheads) BUT THEN SHE THINKS AND ACTS LIKE A BARBIE!! [...] if Mac doesn't want to be thought of as a Barbie, why does she think about her blonde hair and pink manicure and frilly clothes every other scene?? It's like she can't get through a conversation without thinking about how her "gentleman-prefers-blonde pink manicure" is going to get chipped or how much she misses being a blonde because she had to dye her hair to hide from faeries WHO ARE TRYING TO KILL HER. Also who is always thinking about her huge boobs and lithe body like Mac really want us to know that she's a hot blonde bombshell. IF YOU DON'T WANT US TO THINK YOU'RE SOME VACUOUS BIMBO, WHY ARE ALL YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT YOUR PHYSICAL APPEARANCE!!" - my 2020 review of Darkfever

Wow. Just wow. I must admit I'm a bit ashamed of myself and how judgmental I was here. (Aside: now that Margot Robbie has completely disabused us of the notions of Barbie or really any woman as a "vacuous bimbo" character, this review really falls flat). I think in a combination of both me and Mac maturing, it's clear to me now I took such a one-dimensional view of Mac.

How has Mac grown?

Well, after listening to Smart Women Read Romance discuss Darkfever I realized that the story is structured as an older Mac retelling her experiences. I don't know how I missed it the first time around, and maybe my opinions were also clouded by the older, jaded Mac constantly talking about how naive she was, but now knowing that Mac is much more knowledgable and skilled and admits how silly she was in the beginning has made her much more palatable. Too stupid to live has never been my favorite trope, and even in the second book, you begin seeing how Mac realizes she is so incredibly out of her depth, and how she is desperate to gain any crumb of knowledge that would aid her survival.

How have I grown?

I am definitely less judgmental than I was before, and now I understand where Mac is coming from a lot more. When I read the first book, I was really annoyed by how preoccupied Mac was with her physical appearance when there were a lot more (what I thought) important things happening. But now I totally get it. In a world where everything is turned upside down and you suddenly find yourself surrounded by so much ugliness, trying to preserve that little bit of beauty was Mac's way of trying to maintain a little bit of herself. Also who says you can't be a vicious killing machine donned in gentlemen-prefer-blondes pink (that is my favorite color after all!!!)

I've begun to realize that I was raised believing that caring about your appearance and trying to be beautiful was a complete anathema to competence and diligence, and over the years, I've begun to realize these are far from mutually exclusive. There is absolutely no reason why one cannot strive to stun in both a physical and figurative sense. I will say, sometimes I am still a bit uncomfortable how much Mac's focus on her own appearance is much more for the male gaze rather than for herself, but I do think this is a bit of a product of its time

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Alphaholes and the Grovel

When I first read Darkfever, I was mad both at how alpha-hole Barrons is and also at the lack of smut in the book.

"But the prologue got me so excited! I thought there was going to be some bang or die or sex pollen tropes or something" - my 2020 review of Darkfever

I really hated Barrons as a character. I think the scene where he grabs her in her hotel and she's completely bruised on her throat and her stomach is scarred into my memory. I hated Barrons, and I did not buy him as the MMC. Yet I was still upset that there were no intimate scenes in the book. And know I've realized that was the whole point.

Back then, I was a baby romance reader, and given my lack of experience in the genre, I didn't understand the mechanics. Maybe because I have read so many more romances, I've desensitized myself to alpha-holes or because Barrons has also grown as a character, but I no longer find him as detestable as a character. I'm understanding his motivations a bit more as Mac slowly peels those layers back. He is overhanded and arrogant yes, and he crosses multiple of Mac's lines. And that's why they couldn't have sex in this point of their relationship.

Mac and Barrons are not at the point of their relationship in which they could be intimate and I would accept him as a proper hero or accept the relationship as something healthy. Moning does such a great job of threading the needle here. You can feel the lust they have for each other. How underneath the loathing and the over-bearing tendencies, there is this strong carnal need for each other. Yet its clear Barrons is not at the point where we as the reader believes he can be a good partner.

Barrons is not a "good" person. I would not want to be in a relationship with him and I do not want Mac to be in a relationship with the person he is now. And that is the beauty of it. I am now so excited to see how Moning is going to start his journey of groveling. How will she redeem him? How will Barrons humble himself and let his walls down enough for Mac? Right now Mac is completely dependent on Barrons. I't s a completely screwed up power dynamic, he is the only thing keeping her alive. But Moning has already set up the steps Mac is taking to become a power on her own. How will Mac grow into her own strengths and develop more allies to be able to stand on her own?

Yes, Mac and Barrons is not a relationship that would work right now. But I see it. Oh, I see it so clearly now. And I can't wait for the grovel.

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Craft or Craftiness

To be clear, when I first read Darkfever, by no means did I think Moning was a bad writer. I just didn't think she was a great one either. Granted. this was when I was still very early in my reading career and shortly after my long reading hiatus, so I hadn't seen the whole spectrum of writing just yet. Now that I've learned a lot more about craft (a lot from the Fated Mates podcast!) and I'm trying to write my own book, I've been paying a lot more attention to the actual writing of what I read.

Just thinking about how I read the first book four years ago, and was able to pick this one right up, and for the most part, it was like no time had passed. The first book has clearly been engrained in my memory, and some of the details that had slipped my mind were reintroduced so smoothly by Moning that I didn't feel the need to go back to the first book to brush up at all.

As an exercise in writing, this book is sooooooo well-written. Karen Marie Moning is an incredibly talented writer, and when reading this book purely focused on the craft, the way she puts all this together is amazing. Unfortunately, i am not nearly as experienced nor as eloquent as I'd like to be to really explore why and how talented Moning is but I will try my best.

The clearest sign is how Moning ends and starts each chapter. Each chapter ends on a simple statement that shifts the paradigm and each chapter opens on the recovery. Moning weaves the tale and gives you just enough information for some pieces to click but others to lie just out of grasp. I cannot understate how subtle and powerful the writing is, Moning truly is a magician..

Here's a compilation of my favorite chapter ends/starts (without any spoilers)

"The instant I opened my eyes, I knew something was wrong." - Moning, Karen Marie, Bloodfever, Ch1

"It wasn't just my sidh-seer senses that tipped me off, screaming something Fae was very near." - Moning, Karen Marie, Bloodfever, Ch2

"...just when I was starting to feel almost happy and good about myself, my life went to hell again." - Moning, Karen Marie, Bloodfever, Ch6

"Mac, baby, close only counts in hand-grenades and horseshoes. I was really close; in fact, I was almost home when [REDACTED] found me." - Moning, Karen Marie, Bloodfever, Ch14

SHIVERS. ABSOLUTE SHIVERS. Wow. Karen Marie Moning is so talented, and I am so glad I picked this series up again. I can't wait to dive further into this series. I get the hype now. I FINALLY GET IT.

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Ratings:

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/4 overall

🔥🔥 (the promise of more....)