Iced: Fever Series Book 6

All here. Interesting premise, breakneck pacing, the return of favorite characters, new nasties to battle, comedy, suspense, character development...and not one sigh of relief. ...There be Spoilers ahead... Dani - We are finally allowed into the deep places that generate her attitude and chosen lifestyle. Finally out of the cage, off the collar (literally) and unencumbered by Rowena's suffocating influence, she is giddy with freedom and in a headlong rush everywhere... because she can. And because she wants to "superhero" everyone to safety. Nobody gonna starve in a cage on her watch. Kat/Sean/Cruce - The chapters from mentally tortured empath Kat's POV are...well, torturous. "Soul mate" Sean - blah. Kat's attempt to withstand Cruce's mental seduction - admirable but waaaay too drawn out. Kat seems to have morphed from the no-nonsense warrior who fought back-to-back with Mac, into a nunnish, funereal, hand wringing wreck. OK. Going will-to-will against War can take a lot out of a person. I get it. But still, too much ink on this. The only interesting Kat moment occurs when she discovers she can't "see" Ryodan on her empathic radar. She speculates there is nothing there to see. Ryodan points out that it might be her lack, not his. (Ya think?) Also, seems odd that he constantly touches her during their encounters, taking her hands, kissing her cheek, stroking her arms, holding her gently. Seduction? Manipulation? Soothing? Just wondering... Christian - Ah. Gorgeous, scary, erotic, horrifying, almost Unseelie Prince Christian. No older-guy-hot-for-barely-teen-girl "ick" factor here at all. IMO, Christian isn't actually in love with Dani. In the Fever books, he was literally saturated in the love tale of the Unseelie King and the Concubine while trapped in the White Mansion, and that is the framework for his attentions to Dani. The more Unseelie Prince he becomes, the more connected he becomes to the tale. To him, Dani is an ideal, his "princess", "damsel", "angel", a shining light in his growing darkness, not the souped up 14 year old street urchin she still is at this point. Or not. We'll see. Ironically, some of the best comedic moments in Iced result from Christian's quirky, ongoing transformation. Dancer - A likeable character who would seem the logical front runner as Dani's eventual love interest. Or not. KMM is tricksy, and Dancer is a complete question mark. He is depicted as a mostly laid back, somewhat geeky 17 year old, but surprizes us with his complete lack of fear of Ryodan and Christian (even taking command and barking at them on occasion), and we are given hints of dark secrets-yet-to-unfold. Read: Fasten our seatbelts when KMM delivers on those hints. Lor - The member of The Nine least likely to know what century it is. This beastie is a keeper. Love his sense of humor and am intrigued by his affectionate, avuncular treatment of "the kid". Kasteo - There are only brief mentions of him in Iced, but how is it he reported anything to Ryodan about childhood-Dani when he allegedly has not spoken a word to anyone in 1000 years? (A little matter of his brethren killing the love of his life...) "Shadow" - Hellooooo, number six! So far we have been allowed to know Barrons, Ryodan, Lor, Fade and Kasteo. Hoping the introduction of "Shadow" foreshadows (pun intended) additional detail, more back-story and greater focus on each of these guys, including the three who are still unnamed. These creatures are IMO the most delicious mystery and the true beating heart of Fever world...and of their own series if we should be so lucky. Ryodan - Several reviews have remarked on what an abusive brute Ryodan is. Brute, yes. An animal, in fact. Just like everyone's beloved Barrons and the other seven. Not men who turn into a beasts, but beasts wearing the skins of men. Abusive? Ryodan does not damage Dani any more than she damages herself by freeze framing into things. He seems to be all about putting Dani on his "Mine" list, being her exclusive trainer, assigning one of his guys to baby-sit her, fending off the advances of supposed suitors, musing about what a magnificent woman she will be and, most significantly, NOT including her in the outsiders-must-die-if-they-learn-we-are-immortal thing. So here's a thought - Perhaps Dani is allowed to live because, after watching her since age 9 and testing her capabilities with this frost mystery, Ryodan determines she is, at least partly, one of them. Part beast. Let's review - Mom was a pleasure loving bumble bee with many casual liaisons, but who was dad? Where did Dani get her super hearing, sight, speed, et al? Just like Barrons and his guys. Just like Ryodan. Granted, she hasn't gone all horned and fanged yet, but there was that interlude during which we got to follow her into her internal "cave" and meet the very Nine-like creature within. And the business of Dani and Ryodan thinking so alike in battle. And that exchange between Dani and Ryodan in which she insists she wants to be immortal like him...and he says to ask again when she's older, rather like a father saying "we'll see." A father. Maybe this isn't Ryodan waiting for a prospective mate to grow up, but rather tempering a daughter while she grows up. Which brings us back to Ryodan's right hand guy, Lor, treating Dani in such an avuncular manner, like a protoge. An insider. And to Ryodan's attentions detouring to Jo. (More about that travesty below.) On the other hand, arch sorceress KMM might bring us back full circle in later books to Dani and Ryodan as an eventual mated pair. (Would vastly prefer that. Equal juice and all.) If so, a word about the age difference issue. When Dani is a few years older and, hopefully, wiser, a liaison with Ryodan would be no different than the one between Mac and Barrons. Mac - 20 something, Barrons- in the thousands. Dani - 20 something (or late teens - she's a bit of a prodigy), Ryodan - in the thousands. Same/same. The only deal breakers on this series for me would be if KMM allows Ryodan to be "K'Vrucked" - or - diminishes him by leaving him in a "relationship" with Jo. In Iced, that pairing is the definition of anticlimactic. It would be characteristic for Ryodan to enjoy a mutually satisfying sexual interlude with Jo (The Nine apparently use sex both to calm down and to recharge...ergo that "shaking" scene after Ryodan gets nearly-frozen-to-death Dani back to Chester's), while he uses Jo as an information conduit about Abbey doings, per her starry eyed remark to Dani that she and Ryodan are a couple and "tell each other everything".(Uh huh) He does seem to be protective of her, but as a permanent couple? No. Ryodan is epic. Jo is not. An imbalance of that magnitude would be a total waste of one of the most complex and tantalizing alphas KMM has ever written. Am I over-thinking all of this? Sure. Anything to do with Fever World calls out for it. That is the genius of KMM's work. We get so involved with and proprietary of her characters/worlds that, even when she takes things in a direction that infuriates or disappoints, we're still with her. Celebrating, speculating, dissecting, griping, analyzing, and always, always anticipating the next anything. Might as well go ahead and buy the book. And the next. And the next. Got to. ***Correction*** Have dodged the Rhyodan/Dani father/daughter thing. Found an interview with KMM in which she indicates they are NOT related. Let the games continue...

When 1st learning that the next 3 books in this series was going to have Dani as the main character, I was worried. While I liked her in the previous books I just didn't think she would be that entertaining. I'm happy to say that the author did a great job with her character and I found Dani to absolutely entertaining and adorable. She's got a lot to deal with in ICED and she manages to handle everything like the superhero that she knows that she is. For the most part of the book, she partners with Ryodan to figure out what is icing parts of the city. It's a pretty scary thing since no one can seem to figure out what's causing it as well as predict when it will happen. There's no warning at all so Ryodan enlists Dani's help and there are lots of scenes featuring some great banter between the two of them. There are also some great emotional moments as well as the characters try their best to live in this new world since the walls came down between the human and Faery worlds. Dani's character is very complex as she is only 14 years old but I feel that she's very mature for her age. She has witnessed and dealt with so many things that the average teen wouldn't until they are much older. Death and destruction is all around her and her role in this new world is an important one. She is so unique and special and no one can do what she does. That puts a lot of responsibility on her shoulders and Dani does a great job at handling it. She wants to be important and feel wanted. She knows she can kick ass and loves it. Her ego is hilarious and refreshing and is needed to deal with all that is going on. But she's still a teen and shows her vulnerable side from time to time. I found this to be very realistic as Dani can't be so hard core all the time. We also learn more about her childhood and how it has shaped her character. There's so much more to learn about her will hopefully be revealed in the future books. Ryodan on the other hand knows that there's more to Dani than meets the eye. This is a great time for me to segue into discussing Ryodan's character since he and Dani make great partners in the book. Ryodan is mysterious and oh so sexy! We've gotten to know him as Barrons right hand man and finally get to see him as the boss. He's also fiercely protective of Dani and sees so much potential in her. There are lots of moments where these 2 want to strangle one another which was to be expected and like I mentioned above, the banter between them is awesome! I'm looking forward to see what these 2 will have to face next and the progression of their working and personal relationship. Another character that ends up being partnered with Dani is Christian MacKeltar. If you've read the previous book in the series, Shadowfever, they you know that something happens to Christian in it. In ICED he's constantly changing throughout the book and he's not the man that he once was. He keeps an eye on Dani and wants to protect her which soon has him bumping heads with Ryodan. This threesome dynamic is interesting and while they all don't get along all the time, they all have a common goal of saving Dublin and must work together to do so. If you're as much of a fan of the series as I am you're going to enjoy this book. Karen Marie Moning does a great job of balancing the funny with the serious in ICED. There are also some scenes that had a horror feel to it that had me cringing while reading, but I loved it. This world has turned into a very scary one and I think it's important for her to keep that feel to it. You just don't know what's going to happen next and I'm sure there are many things that exist that we haven't seen yet. I would have to say the thing I liked most about ICED was the getting to know more about the characters. The ones that I already know and the new ones that are introduced. They are all very entertaining and is what makes this series my absolute favorite. I'm liking the direction that the series is taking and am so glad that this wonderful world will carry on. I for one cannot wait to see what's going to happen next!

I was a little scared to read Iced by Karen Marie Moning because Dani O'Malley was not my favorite character from the previous Fever books. She's also very young and somewhat annoying due to how she handles certain situations, but she's a teenager and teenagers can be annoying. I know I was an annoying teenager and I apologize every chance I get with my mom. KMM does an amazing job with Dani and her teenage ways. She has several mood swings like a teenager does in real life, and she's naive to certain situations. Don't get me wrong I will never forgive Dani for what she did to Mac, but reading Dani's POV made me like her a little better. (Especially with Natalie narrating Dani) Although, I was a little weirded out with the sexual tension that was happening in the book between one of the male characters towards Dani. Dani is only 14 years old, so the mom in me wanted to kick the male character's butt for even looking in the direction of Dani. Although, Dani would've mentioned that she didn't need any kind of protection because she can take care of herself. She's stubborn in the story and doesn't listen, especially when she ends up working with Ryodan in the story. Ryodan I think wanted to knock some sense into Dani a few times in the story. (maybe more than a few times) KMM picks up Iced from the last book in the Fever series and it was interesting to see what was happening, especially with the villain being kept captive. I knew there was going to be other creatures that needed to be handled since the portal opened. Dani is dealing with a monster that is icing people and killing them. She is determined to find the creature and kill it. She's unfortunately dealing with drama with Ryodan since he kind of owns her in the story. Ryodan is trying to keep Dani safe, but she's determined to handle her life without anyone intervening. Dani doesn't know how to stay out of trouble in the story and she ends up hurt a couple of times, physically and emotionally. KMM doesn't make it easy for a teenager to grow up, especially in the world this new world. I really enjoyed listening to Iced and look forward to listening/reading Burned, when I get a chance. I have to finish Burned before the next book releases in January. KMM became a favorite author of mine, when another reader introduced her to me. If you enjoy Urban Fantasy you'll enjoy this serious from KMM. Be prepared for a crazy world of the Seelie and Unseelie taking over and Dani trying to get control of her city again. If there is one of many reasons why I LOVE this series is how it is set in Dublin, Ireland. To visit Ireland is on my Bucket List. Narration: I listened to Iced, whenever I went to work and left work. I friggin' loved Natalie Ross and Phil Gigante together. I seriously wish these two could narrate my life or at least be my GPS, especially Phil. I could listen to Phil's voice all day if I could. He has that deep voice that I love and he portrays the male characters so well. Natalie does an amazing job with Dani. She makes Dani come alive and makes me enjoy reading her POV. I think if I would've just read the book, I wouldn't of enjoyed it much. This is why I prefer listening to KMM's books. These two narrators together bring the story to life and the characters feel real. I could go on and on about these two narrators, but all I can say is LISTEN to Iced and you'll know why I adore these two narrators.

This story focuses on Dani 'Mega' O'Malley. It is fast paced and filled with action, much like Dani herself. Dani is a 14 year old girl, a mutated human who displays same/similar gifts to the "Nine" (Ryodan, Lor, Barrons etc whose origins are unknown). This means she has super-strength, super-speed, super-healing and is incredibly intelligent. The background of the story starts immediately after Shadowfever: Book 5, where the wall between faery & earth fell. Dani refers to it as AWC or After Wall Crashed. The location is Dublin, but we spend a lot of time in Chester's, the nightclub owned by Ryodan, a neutral ground for all species. Through Dani's eyes, we learn about the different levels within Chester's and her perception of what is occuring. Since Cruce aka V'Lane tore down the wall, Dark Fae are running wild, killing humans. However over time, humans have developed a symbiotic relationship with the dark fae out of survival; if humans eat the flesh of dark fae, it makes them stronger & there is an implied 'immortality'. The downside is, they become less human & there is a high possibility of death. Humans provide sex, emotions and in some cases body fat to the fae in exchange. As money is worthless, the barter system has become the primary method to gain goods/services. The plot centres around the Hoar Frost King, who in the beginning is an unknown entity. As humans and fae are being frozen, Ryodan needs Dani's smarts to ascertain what is causing it & why. As Dani is highly independent & does not like being contained, Ryodan will do anything to gain Dani's assent, even use physical punishment & manipulation. Dani fights it all the way but eventually concedes in order to save Jo, a sidhe-seer that tried to rescue her. We learn that despite Dani's sarcasm & outward disdain, she has a deep level of sensitivity & responsibility toward others. Dancer, who is a brilliant young physicist, features strongly as a secondary character. He is the only person that Dani trusts & she is proud to be associated with this genius. Dancer is extremely intelligent, more than the 'Nine' and shows no fear of Ryodan. That in itself is interesting. There is more to Dancer than his genius but that has yet to be revealed. Christian McKeltar is slowing becoming one of the four Unseelie Prince's, Death. Even though he is going through a metamorphosis, the human/druid part of him is ever present. He is in love with Dani & has set himself up as her protector. In order to find out what is freezing Dublin, Christian takes Dani to the Unseelie King's castle to obtain a book and this is Dani's first foray into the other Realm. Christian & Ryodan do not like each other, for reasons that are evident as you read. In respect of the sexual aspects within the story, I've read some of the reviewers found it uncomfortable. I did not feel this way for the following reasons: - Dani is still innocent about her own sexuality as we see in some of the innuendo's that go over her head. This I found fairly normal. - Dani is all about helping people, killing fae and pushing her abilities to the extreme. - Dani talks about sex in a matter of fact way. Initially she said that her first time would be with Barrons or V-Lane. - She has been exposed to the death-by-sex Fae, so she is aware how the effect of this sexual allure affects everyone, including her. - Dani, snuck into Chester's, in particular Level 4, where she observed Ryodan & his men engaging in sexual activities. Dani makes it clear that she thinks it is gross and wishes those images could be removed from her brain. - She uses words like 'boinking'. Read the language of this teen. - Ryodan is attracted to Dani. He will not allow anyone, himself or his men to view Dani other than a young girl. - Christian, who is 22, is prepared to wait for Dani. As an Unseelie Prince, naturally he has trouble controlling his sexuality but with Dani he will. - Dancer has feelings for Dani. He is 17, closer in age to Dani and the way he acts is within the norm for that age range. I found myself being amused by these men & their intense need for her combined with the assurance that Dani maintain her innocence. Waiting 'X' number of years for Dani to grow up is nothing to them. They're immortal and life goes on. KMM did this in such a tasteful yet realistic way. Love this story. The finale fight with the Hoar Frost King is climactic with Dancer proving how brilliant he is & Dani showing off her "mega-brain". At the very end, in another part of town we see MacKayla. To my surprise, I felt no sympathy for MacKayla's desire for revenge against Dani. I think it is misplaced & she needs to let that go. I hope the next story sorts that out. Dani needs her as a friend and mentor.

I've been a fan of Moning since before the Fever series even started. I loved loved loved all her sexy Highlander books and always found myself counting down the days until she published another of her super addicting novels. Since I've read all her other books, I think I can say that this is on par with all her other novels. So yes, I preordered this book oh I dunno...maybe six months in advance (read: the day it was available for preorder) because well, I loved Dani in the Fever series. I found that her boundless energy was infectious and the interaction between her and Mac just really made the series that much more special. Even when it was revealed that Dani was Alina's murderer (oops! Spoiler alert for the Fever series!) I stil took her side cause Dani is well "The Mega" and she is just that kick ass awesome. I finished Iced in about four to five hours and as I stated above, I was NOT disappointed. Yes, Dani is fourteen (OMG) but really everyone, Moning has to be applauded for writing one of the most believable 14 year old character I, at least, have ever read. There isn't any underage sex scenes although there is some innuendos and really BIG hints that when Dani is old enough she's going to have to fight off all those (big, sexy, brooding, annoying, yet lovable) men that seem to be creeping into her life with that sword of hers. Anyways, please please PLEASE do not let the age of the heroine deter you! It's such an amazing book, I would hate for anyone to miss out on it. Now that I got the age issue out of the way, I'd like to say that this book is different than the other Fever series because Dani is a different person than Mac. She's active, she likes to get down and dirty and she's all about proving herself to the big boys. As such the book moves very fast so be prepared to get stuff tossed at you from all angles. I liked it, kept my mind entertained. As for the possible love interest (the developing love interest), I'd like to say that he is nothing like Jericho Barrons. I believe another review mentioned this and I just want to reiterate that yes, it is true we are not going to see another Jericho Barrons in this trilogy it seems. Although this pains me terribly since I love Barrons as much as the next reader but I do like who Moning has dragged from the wings to set on center stage. This guy is interesting, really really interesting. He's hard to read and just amazing as a character. He really is a bad boy, more so than I think even Barrons was or maybe in a different way. I don't know, he's just so curious and confounding so I guess I'll have to wait until the next installment to make a decision. There are other possible love interests and there are moments where you're looking between all three of them thinking who the heck is going to win in this tug of war. Makes for a great romance triangle eh I mean square... As always, Moning seems to love torturing her readers (devout audience); we're left with a huge cliffhanger at the end of the book. I think I shed a tear or two. I'm already counting down the days until the next installment and I don't even know when that is going to be released **sigh**. Well done Ms. Moning! Can't wait to read the next one :) Oh P.S. (This might be a very mild spoiler so...spoiler alert). I'm rooting for Ryodan :)

Iced is a dark fantasy if I've ever read one. It's a story where the bad guys win, and the good loose. Every POV character in this book suffers terribly. They are all trapped by something (or, more appropriately, someone) - made powerless, unable to choose their destiny. Good fiction is supposed to make us feel, and I can say that Iced inspired a wellspring of feeling; I'm just not sure those are the type of feelings I want to experience while reading. Seeing every character in this book stripped of dignity and freedom left me feeling stressed and angry. Danni put through the ringer in this story - and the man responsible for most of her pain is Ryodan. Early in the story he captures her, tortures her, and leverages her love for her friends to force her into service to him. Jane and Christian both take their turns messing with her life, but they are lesser offenders. Ryo robs Danni of choice, power, and freedom. He controls her by threatening those she cares about, beats her up, uses her, and plays unending mind games. Kat is attacked every night by Cruce. Her POV chapters are full of defeat and despair. Cruce comes to her in the Dreaming and tortures her with desire. She doing her best to hold it together for her people and the man she truly loves, but her control is slipping. She is imprisoned by unwanted lust for a homicidal maniac, and through the whole book it felt she was one step away from cracking and giving into him. As if the poor girl didn't have enough issues, Ryo screws her over too. Christian desperately wants to be same man he was before eating Unseelie, but the Prince in him is taking over and his grip on sanity is slipping. I wasn't sure how Moning was going to handle Christian's transformation into Unseelie. Mac theorized the Unseelie may have turned out better (more like the Seelie) if they'd never been imprisoned. I'd hoped we'd see some of that potential for normality (if not goodness) in Christian. I wanted to see him fight the darkness within him, and win, becoming something more than his brethren. I thought he had it in him. But instead it's apparently driven him mad. He experiences blackouts, loses time, wakes up with dead women in his bed. He's obsessed with Danni to an unhealthy degree. Moning turned him into a creepy and disturbing character, which disappointed me. Despite this, I haven't written him off completely. He does more good for Danni in this book than anyone other than Dancer, despite his madness. He has a Jekyll and Hyde thing going on, and Dr. Jekyll may yet win the day in his story. And then we have Ryodan - the author everyone's pain in this book (mine included). Don't expect him to be the Barron's in this story, and certainly do not expect him to bear more than a passing resemblance to the Ryodan from Fever. I liked Ryodan in Fever. He seemed wise. He asked the hard questions and offered advice. I saw this as his way of helping people. His counsel had a profound impact on Mac's decisions at the end of Shadowfever. Unfortunately, there is nothing likeable or redeemable about Ryodan in Iced. He is as much a villain as the Ice Monster. He is no longer wise, and seems hell bent on subjugating Dublin and becoming some sort of king. There isn't one person in this story who he doesn't manipulate and screw over, but Danni suffers more than most. Let's review a short list of his crimes, shall we? He chains Danni to a wall, starves her, imprisons her best friend Jo (and later starts sleeping with her), forces her to sign a magical contract that essentially makes her his slave for life, beats her when she disobeys him (he smashes her face repeatedly into a stone column and breaks bones), and threatens her friends. He lays down an impossible list of rules and makes her suffer if she deviates from his dictates. And that's just scratching the surface. He is the worst sort of abusive father figure. He takes from her, and offers nothing in return. He doesn't even have her back. When her sword is stolen and she asks for help retrieving it, he actually refuses to help and sides with her enemies. Barron's would have never done that. He was a loyal beast. He did not rob Mac of her power, instead he empowered her. He gave her the Spear of Destiny, and taught her to resist the voice. He always had her back. Ryo is a completely different sort of animal - self-serving to the core. I loathed him in this book, I pray Moning doesn't plan on making him a serious love interest for Danni. In fact, I now sincerely hope that Danni finds a way to kill him. As far as I can tell, Dancer is the only male character in Danni's life that supports her without looking for anything in return. We first heard about Danni's "boyfriend" in Shadowfever but don't learn a lot about him. Danni says he's a genius, and in Iced we learn she wasn't exaggerating. He's a physics geek, an inventor, and shockingly brave and resourceful for a boy that's completely human. His weapon is his mind, and with it he manages to hold his own in a supernatural world. In this story he is the one that never lets Danni down, and is always there to save her. Dancer, not Ryodan, is the Barons of this story. The one that will never let Danni die. He supports Danni, talks to her, doesn't push for answers, cleans her up when she's hurt, makes her eat well, and stands up to the supernatural men in her life. He's nothing short of amazing. Consider me 100% team Dancer. There was a lot of darkness in Fever, but there was always hope too. It was a huge theme in the story. Even when things were at their darkest, you knew Mac was going to pull through. She was epic, she had allies, and best of all, she had Barrons. Remember this quote from Faefever? "Although it may not seem like it, this isn't a story about darkness. It's about light. Khalil Gibran says Your joy can fill you only as deeply as your sorrow has carved you. If you've never tasted bitterness, sweet is just another pleasant flavor on your tongue. One day I'm going to hold a lot of joy." Mac suffered an untenable degradation at the end of Faefever. She is robbed of her freedom, and her power of choice is taken away from her. But Moning reminds us several times through the narrative and even in the author's note that the darkness was only a temporal thing. Pain is an essential part of life, it carves us, makes us deeper and better people. Iced is five times darker than Faefever, with no hope in sight. All of Danni's freedom and power is slowly stripped from her throughout the story. Numerous people degrade her, tear her down, and rob her of her essential freedom of choice. No one saves her, and she doesn't learn how to save herself. To me, Iced felt like the last chapter of Faefever stretched over an entire book. With all this darkness, I found myself asking - where is the message of hope? The wise narrative voice reminding us that our suffering is a temporal thing, and good things are coming? In stories like this, where people are constantly oppressed and held down, I keep reading because I hope to see some vindication in the end. I want to see the oppressed will rise up, and rain destruction down on those that hurt them. I need that victory, to make up for all the pain I waded through to get to that end. While Iced ends on a victorious note, with a monster slain and a city saved, there is no absolution. No catharsis. Each of the characters that started the story imprisoned, end it that way. Good suffered, and evil triumphed. Ryodan, Jayne, and Cruce get away with hurting people with no real consequences. Hope and victory both are sadly lacking from this story, and for this reason, I can't rate this book above three stars.

Summary: The walls between faery and our reality have fallen and half the world population is gone. Dublin is filled with fae, sidh-seers, unseelie eating cops, and men who no one is quite sure what they are. In the year 1 AWC, something is freezing humans and fae, and Dani O'Malley is in the center of it all, doing her best to survive. Review: As a spin-off series from the Fever books, Iced is a powerful kickoff for the series. Karen Marie Moning is one talented author, and reading Iced just confirmed it. However, even though I enjoyed the book a lot, the feeling I am left with is confusion. Dani's pov is fascinating, and it's fun to follow her thought process. She thinks as fast as she can move, which is EXTREMELY fast. In the Fever books, her POV was a bit annoying, but I think it's much improved in this book. Dani's voice is different from Mac's--it is both younger and wiser. If you don't like teenage speak, this book might be hard to swallow. The book is anything but YA. The world built in the Fever series is still here, with new villains and heroes. The fae are as "Evil" as ever, yet we still see places where that judgement might be harsh. There is blood, death, and awkward moments. A lot of the characters have changed over time, and we see what that means. We learn about Ryodan. I liked him better in the original Fever books, because in this series, he comes across a bit douchy, not as a magnificent alpha male. Sure, Barrons had his jerk moments, but I never felt he treated people badly. The way Ryodan treats some of the people he "deals with", I agree with Dani, it's shitty. I love Christian, who is in this book a lot, also. He is a contradictory character now that he's turning into unseelie, and we never know if he's good, bad, or downright bizarre. While I miss the sweet, handsome student, this guy is much more interesting. And there are several chapters from his POV, so that was fun. We also find out about characters you would never have expected. Dancer, Dani's best friend, and the only normal relationship she really has. We get chapters from Kat's POV and find out about her burdens. We get to know more about Lor, Jo, and even Jayne. One of the issues I have, and maybe it's intentional, is I am uneasy and not sure about Ryodan and Dani's relationship. Is it potential for romance (when she is of age, I hope), or is it something else? If it is romantic, it is a bit skeevy cause she's so young. It doesn't bother me with Christian so much because a) we get inside his head and see that he recognizes that she's young. b) he's only 8 years older. Once she gets to be 16/17, I think it works. With Ryo, not so much. That leads to my other issue that if the romantic triangle (or quadrangle as the case may be here) is Ryo/Dani/Christian, it seems suspiciously like Barrons/Mac/V'lane. Too much so. We even have a Fiona! However, there are differences, plus I may just be presuming certain relationships, so I will reserve judgement. One of the other issues I have with the book that I think is prevalent through the Fever series. The series is set in Dublin, in Europe. Not the United States. So why does Dani talk like an American teenager? She picked up "dude" from American movies . . . but her tone and linguistic structure should be different. Why are all the musical artists mentioned are American? Why is everything an American reference? That is the only part of the world building that I think the author fails at. All in all, a great addition to the Fever world. Mega is back and ready to save the day! Sex: Dani sees NO action, so if you are concerned about that, don't be. There is kissing and sex from other POV's, and an awkward moment Dani runs into. Violence: Blood, guts, swords swishing, claws killing. Lots of violence. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars World Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Quote: "You got any Adele?" Jo says hopefully. "Not a single song," I say happily. "Got some Nicki Minaj, though." "Somebody kill me now," Ryodan says and closes his eyes. Next Book: is called Burned, but I am not sure when it will be out.

Wanted to give the book 4.5 stars instead of 5. But it was still really good! I'll make this simple. Not a Young Adult book, so please don't pick it up for your teenage daughter. CONS With Dani being the storyteller: Too much "Dude", freeze-framing, and snicker bars (did anyone else feel like eating a snicker bar every time that they finished reading a section of the book?). Although other reviewers may disagree, I thought that she was a little immature for a 14 year old. That's 9th grade right? No matter who you are, if you've got a "good looking, nerdy" guy friend who's 17...you're going to be attracted to him and want to do more than just "hang out". Especially if he's what puts the sunshine in your day (and he gave you an awesome bracelet!). I wish that KMM would have explored the relationship of Dani and Dancer a bit more. It is a plausible relationship. And again, 14 is 9th grade...tell me what 14 year old does not have a crush (that they will mentally recognize) on a 17 year old senior in high school? I just think a few more pages (not a bunch) would have created the romance aspect with the main character that most readers have said they missed. Not so much focus that it would make the book YA, but enough focus that we feel like the main character has a romantic side. Ryo is not as "sexy" as Barrons (i.e. the main character is a 14 year old girl and so she doesn't see Ryo in a mature "sexy" way). Maybe KMM could have helped us (the reader) by making a chapter in Jo's point of view? And Ryo seems less controlled than Barrons. Barrons never hit or hurt Mac physically even though he wanted to. Why does Ryo have to be physically aggressive toward Dani in one of the scenes in this book? Did not like! She's still human! Missing that punch of romance...and, as others have said, I wish that Dani didn't know so much about Ryo already. It took Mac 5 books to know what she knows about Barrons. In addition, does anybody else wonder why Ryo just says that he will "kill Jo" if she knows that Barrons and his men come back to life, yet Ryo and the rest of Barrons's men do not seem fazed that Dani knows their secret? Why did Mac have to go through the possibility of being killed for knowing and Dani does not? PROS The book has the same compelling KMM writing style. The Fever world is amazing. We see a cool side to Lor. Dancer is pretty awesome. We learn more about Christian and Ryo. We learn more about Dani--the good, the bad, and the ugly. And the story itself is pretty great! I feel that the book was written in the style, story, and purpose that KMM told us that it would be written--and it was well delivered. No complaints about attractions of Ryo to Dani...if you read Twilight's Breaking Dawn...the same "icky" thing happens with Jacob to Renesme...so get over it folks! Speaking of, how old is Bella and Edward? Oh yeah, Edward is extremely old (he's just frozen into an eternal 17 year old) while Bella is only 17 yrs old at the end of the series right? 17 is perfectly old enough to have sex and then a baby (not!). So get over it folks--this is an Adult novel and it reads as such. Be smart-don't let your kids read it. And if you're worried about the "ick" factor because Dani is only 14, don't read it. But again, I stress, if you read the 4th book and Twilight and was not "icked" out by that, you'll like this book just as well. Bravo Karen! With a little maturing of Dani (and if not, maybe a couple of views from Mac, Dancer, or Ryo's perspective next time?), eliminating a couple of "Dude"s, freeze-framing, and snicker bars, and you've got a compelling read for all to enjoy!

ゾクゾクワクワクしたフィーバーシリーズが不本意ながら一段落させられて、どうやら作者はしばらくは「ダニ」シリーズを書き終わらないと、フィーバーシリーズを再開しない意向らしい、と作者のホームページを読んだときはおもったのだが。でも、ここに書かれている「ダニ」は、「マック」にも劣らない複雑な背景を持っているようだ。彼女の持っている能力はまだまださらに凄みを増して、顕されてきている。しかも、サイドストーリーとするには継承の度が強すぎる。登場人物も少し焦点や重要性を変えていても、そのまま継承されている。「ダニ」のほかに、脇役とするにはより重要な、準主役ともいうべき、「バロン」軍団の一人と、ハイランダーシリーズではほとんど名前しか出てきていない人物が （いずれもシャドウフィーバーでは重要な役だったが）その存在の意味を強めている。凍結されたはずの登場人物も暗躍している。しかし、ある有名作家の作品で印象的な登場人物のアイルランド系の男性の名前が「ダニ」に関連して出てきたときは、一瞬同じ作家なのかと錯覚を起こしてしまった。いつもだが、次が待ちきれない。

Good one in the fever series.

I was always annoyed when I had to read from Dani's POV in the Fever series, so I didn't pick up this book for a long time, having serious apprehension about how I would deal with a whole book from Dani's immature POV... BUT I loved this book! I have such respect for Karen Marie Moning to be able too write a book from a 14 year old's viewpoint and make it suitable for adults. The story line was great, I loved finding out more about Dancer (loved him when I found out he was Aussie!) and Ryodan.... Mac (whose character I LOVE) actually annoyed me a tad in the two Dani books, I think because I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know so much more about Dani. If you had any reservations about whether or not to read this, I would say definitely do read it because Dani may just surprise you!

Alalalalalalalala.... J'ai A-DO-RE ce roman !! J'ai eu un tout petit peu de mal au début à entrer dans l'histoire puis vers la moitié je n'ai plus pu le lâcher et l'ai fini en une nuit ! Je ne pensais pas que Dani me plairait comme caractère car elle ne me paraissait pas super gracieuse dans les chroniques de Mac et je dois avoué que j'aime les héroïnes féminines. Là c'est tout le contraire, Dani est une "gamine" qui utilise le mot "Dude" dans toutes ses phrases ou presque et porte des sous-vêtement en coton avec des têtes de mort et pourtant je l'ai adoré ! Je ne pensais jamais la comprendre mais c'est là ou KMM est forte car elle arrive à nous replongé dans notre adolescence et on s'identifie facilement au personnage, en oubliant même parfois qu'elle n'a que 14 ans (pitié qu'elle grandisse vite!!!). Dani est super attachante, elle a un regard super juste des adultes et c'est vraiment rafraîchissant ! L'histoire est vraiment chouette, il y a beaucoup d'action étant donné que l'on a affaire à une petite intrépide qui n'a peur de rien et provoque catastrophe sur catastrophe sur son passage éclair ! Encore une fois KMM nous laisse avec d'avantages de question qu'à la fin des 5 tomes de la saga Fièvre et c'est super frustant !! On sent qu'une trame se dessine derrière l'histoire de ce tome et j'ai vraiment hâte de connaître la suite ! ATTENTION, il ne s'agit pas d'un roman jeunesse bien que l'héroïne soit jeune et mon coeur s'est serrée plus d'une fois pendant ma lecture pour Dani bien qu'elle ne sache pas encore interpréter ce qu'elle ressent, ça ne présage que du bon pour la suite !! Ses petites hormones commencent à la tourmenter et je pense que ça n'ira qu'en s'accroissant dans les prochains tomes. En d'autres termes, si vous avez aimé Fièvre, n'attendez plus ! Cette saga est aussi jouissive que la précédente et Dani vous plaira vous verrez ! Maintenant, je ne sais pas comment je vais attendre jusqu'au prochain tome....grâce à KMM et ses maudits cliffhangers !

Before I get into the review let me tell you that I adore the Fever series. ‘Darkfever‘ was my first urban fantasy novel. I completed the first five books in the Fever series in 2016. Early this year, I started to miss Mac and Barrons a lot. Since I don't like re-reading a book I decided to go for the extended series. Despite reading poor reviews of 'Iced' I still went for it because I just had to get to book seven i.e. 'Burned'. After reading Iced, I have to tell you that whatever bad reviews you read about it are true. The book is bad. If you hated Dani in the previous books, you might come to like her a little bit in this one but overall you might not be impressed by Iced. Author Karen Marie Moning has set the bar so high with the first five books in the Fever series that even she finds it difficult keeping up with it let alone surpassing it. Though Iced reflects Moning's exceptional style of writing and is also gripping to a certain extent, it still lacks gravity. The plot is thin and has limited scope for stretching. Also, the characters are not strong enough to keep you invested in their lives. Yes, the two old men Ryodan and Christian lusting after the teenaged Dani is indeed an issue as pointed out by several readers. It especially becomes an issue when Dani keeps reminding the reader of her tender age. Had she not been mentioning the fact that she is barely 14-years-old, readers for once could have ignored that one important detail and tried to go on with the love triangle or rectangle. All in all, Iced is not a good pick. However, even I feel disappointed by this one, I will still continue with the Fever series hoping to get more of Mac and Barrons. Full review on AlphaGirlReviews.com.