Darkfever

by Karen Marie Moning

ONE-LINE SUMMARY: When Mac’s sister is mysteriously murdered in Ireland, MacKayla (Mac) discovers that she has the power to see the Fairy Court and becomes engaged in a battle against evil.

In order to read this book, you have to first get past the half-naked bodies on the cover and the author’s apparent history of writing romance books. Once you accept that the author still hasn’t quite found the line that would bring her more solidly into the fantasy realm, the book is actually entertaining enough to pick up further sequels.

But you do have to be open-minded. There are numerous descriptions of Mac’s clothing as “pretty,” which doesn’t seem so irritating until you realize that there is no reason for all these mentions. Do I need to know that the silver sandals Mac props on a coffee table are pretty? No. In fact, I don’t even need to know they’re silver.

One of the most unintentionally hilarious bits in this book is when Mac gets caught in a rainstorm and goes into a bookstore. She explains, “I love books…way more than movies. Movies tell you what to think. A good book lets you choose a few thoughts for yourself. Movies show you the pink house. A good book tells you there’s a pink house and lets you paint some of the finishing touches, maybe choose the roof style, park your own car out front.”

Less than twenty pages later, this description appears: “This morning I’d awakened to find a wide band of bruises across my torso, just beneath my breasts. I couldn’t wear a bra because the underwire hurt too much, so I’d layered a lacy camisole trimmed with dainty roses beneath a pink sweater that complemented my Razzle-Dazzle-Hot-Pink-Twist manicure and pedicure. Black capris, a wide silver belt, silver sandals, and a small metallic Juicy Couture purse I’d saved all last summer to buy completed my outfit. I’d swept my long blonde hair up in a high ponytail, secured by a pretty enameled clip.”

No, no, no. We do not need this kind of detail in this kind of book. Are you a movie, or a book? (That being said, this has probably already been optioned for a movie. Gorgeous young male immortals, ugly special-effects type monsters, hot young fighting woman on a personal revenge mission, AND fairies that can MAKE YOU HAVE SEX WITH THEM. This is a winner by Hollywood standards.)

However, despite the occasional foray into cheesy paperback romance description, I still enjoyed the book. The plot is enough to keep me interested, and the second book in the series, Bloodfever, is much improved in the romance description department. I’ll be following this series — cautious, but hopeful.

Posted by: ssjane | November 30, 2007 | 5:24 pm
Posted in: Books | Fantasy | Mystery/Thriller