Shadowfever: The Day(s) After

So. I read Shadowfever the day it came out. I finished it around seven p.m. Tuesday evening. I think my mind is still processing it and I know it will take a reread or two before it is completely digested but I wanted to give myself a little bit of closure for now so here I am, talking about this series AGAIN on this blog. Get over it, people, I love this writer :)

Here's my problem: I am now faced with a serious dilemma of how to review this book. There's really no way without blowing a bunch of spoilers - little ones and big ones - so I won't. Just like I did with Mockingjay, I'll just talk a bit about my reactions. 'Cause I think they're a bit more important than dicing up the book just like Mac does with Unseelie.

First off, I smiled when I finished the last page. There was no howling or stomping around with steam shooting out of my ears, ranting to my poor husband about how this or that should've or didn't happen. I. Am. Satisfied. That surprises me in a way because there were some definite questions flitting around in my head that I wanted answers to but...not all of them were answered, not completely.

What made me happiest, I think, is that Mac gets her HEA. Come on folks, you knew it was coming! How could KMM leave us all hanging like that? I'm not telling how it happens or with who, but it does. YAY! I am a total sucker for the HEA. Sometimes it can't happen (like with Aeriel at the of Meredith Ann Pierce's Darkangel trilogy) and sometimes it shouldn't happen (how many romances have I read where the couple is completely obnoxious) but usually, it's a nice payoff for me as a reader.

There's TONS of action in Shadowfever and lots of dangling subplots are tied up. However, some of them aren't and that's why I appreciated the last few words: "The End...For Now." Here's what KMM says when asked about future books, specifically more Highlander ones (from http://www.karenmoning.com/kmm/highlanderfaq.html) :

FAQ: Will you write another Highlander novel?

I honestly don't know if I can write a straightforward romance in which the story revolves primarily around the romance again. There, I've said it. I know this will disappoint some of my fans but the romance alone wasn't enough to keep my muse happy. I need more than that in the stories I tell. So, if the question is will I ever write a book like my Highlander series again where the primary thrust is: woman meets man, complications ensue, woman loses man, reclaims man and has a HEA, the answer is probably not without a whole lot of other stuff going on, too.

That being said, I may find myself at some point in the future, dying to re-visit the Highlands again and totally in the mood to lose myself in love for no other purpose than love's sake.

I guess the answer is: no plans to write a straightforward Highlander romance right now but I never say never.

Remember, the Keltars figure prominently in the Fever series, and Christian will be getting his own play--just not the way I did it in my Highlander series. I need a little more nitty, gritty reality in his tale. He's becomes quite the complex man.

Christian is definitely a complicated one. Shadowfever wasn't especially kind to Christian.

Anyway, as I was saying earlier, I'm satisfied. I gave this book an A although it's not perfect strictly because of my emotional reactions (duh). It is well written, has plenty of surprises I wasn't expecting, and even managed to make my jaw drop a time or two (or, uh, three). I will say here that I figured out who the UK was halfway through. Extra characters are never superfluous.

The Fever series is now at an end. Read it sometime if you like long, drawn-out paranormal romances with lots of action and drama. And faeries. Don't forget the faeries.