Faefever-Karen Marie Moning

Faefever
Karen Marie Moning
Delacorte, Sep 2008, $23.00
ISBN: 9780385341639

Mackayla Lane lived a fun filled twenty-two years in the American Deep South until her older sister Alina was murdered in Dublin, Ireland. Mac left Ashford, Georgia only to land in a paranormal Dublin as she learns she and her late sister are Sidhe-seers who can see fae. She works for the mysterious Jerrico Barrons at his bookstore which is right next to a dark zone inhabited by shades and fae. Seelie Prince V’Lane wants to seduce her while the Lord Master who killed her sister wants her for some nefarious reason. She assumes all three want her because she can sense when the sinsar dubh million years old spell book is near; she trusts none of them. To protect herself she carries the spear of Luin, which is one of two objects that can kill fae.

Her last encounter with the vile book left her crawling but understanding how the sinsar dubh travels from person to person killing masses of people as it moves on. Somehow she knows the book is aware of her. Police Inspector Jayne blames her for the death of his brother-in-law as he assumes they had an affair until his relative killed himself. Mac meets Trinity College Professor Christian Mackeltor who can sense when someone lies to him. She tells him about the dark hollow zones and he mentions his uncles’ druid magic trying to prevent the wall between us and the Fae from collapsing. If it does the unseelie led by the Horsemen of the Apocalypse will destroy the earth. Soon all the players including enemy seers from Arlington Abbey will converge as the wall teeters.

The fantasy Dublin world seems genuine as the various paranormal characters come across as real. The heroine is a fascinating protagonist as she struggles to survive in a world she does not yet understand especially her role in it. Although some readers will be unhappy with the climax, most will applaud the direction that Karen Marie Moning is taking her saga (see BLOODFEVER and DARKFEVER).

Harriet Klausner