Ok, I'm back! I haven't had as much time to read as I'd like, but I'm going to make a renewed effort of reviewing everything that I do get a chance to read.

The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning - this five book series follows the story of Mackayla Lane, a somewhat ditzy/superficial 22-y/o Georgian native whose world is torn apart when she learns that her older sister, Alina, is brutally murdered when studying abroad in Dublin. After receiving a mysterious message from her sister hours before her murder, Mac heads off to Ireland to keep abreast of the investigation and find her sister's killer. What she least expects is to walk into a Dublin bar and see....a monster? Yes, Mac discovers that underneath the old world glamour of Ireland's capital city is dark underworld, and that the Fae, good and evil, do exist. Suddenly, Mac finds herself plunged into a world of danger and mysteries when it appears as though her sister's murder may somehow be linked. Predicatably, Mac also finds herself involved with Jericho Barrons, the dark and sexy proprietor of a luxurious bookstore, killer of Unseelie (evil Fae), and V'lane, a Seelie (kind-of-good Fae) Prince who uses his sexual aura to manipulate Mac. What do these two want from Mac, and who is good and who is evil? Mac will stop at nothing to make sure her sister's killer is found, and at the same time becomes involved in the search for Sinsar Dubh, a dark book of ancient orgins created by the mythical Unseelie King, to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands and wrecking havoc on Earth.

I have mixed feelings about this series, but not in a terribly bad fashion. I'm thoroughly enjoying reading the Fever series - what I think of a new interpretation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but without the vampires. The writing, to say the least, is not very good - it's told from the first point perspective of Mac who, as the series progresses does mature and toughen up, but in the first couple books her inane mental repartee and inclination towards all things pink and cute and shiny can be incredible annoying. This is a purely plot driven story - if you can get past some really bad American cliches and descriptives, then hey, go for it. I obviously did! I will say that this is a series of books that get better as they progress - the first left me feeling pretty ambivalent. The following books get more invested, and by the end of the fourth I was dying to know what happens (the books end in really bad cliffhangers, and they get worse with each book so I hope you're patient readers). I had read Moning's previous Highlander books, which, while being nearly identitical in plot, we're pretty entertaining, so this was a pretty extreme turn for her. WARNING: This is dark and incredibly sexual, and in later books will deal with some serious issues that I know some other readers are uncomfortable with, but for the sake of the story and the development of character relations needed to happen.

Bottom line: the writing is sub-par, but the characters are pretty likable, and the story gets better with each successive book, so if you're looking for a trashy and mindless read that will keep you occupied this is a good choice.

***3 1/2 - 4 stars (depends on the book)

Series Includes:
1. DarkFever
2. BloodFever
3. FaeFever
4. DreamFever
5. ShadowFever (coming Winter 2010 - sorry!)