Book Review: Iced

Iced by Karen Marie Moning
The Dani O'Malley series book #1

I love Karen Marie Moning's books. Her Fever series is probably my favorite. I haven't been able to get my hands on her Highlander series, yet, but I've heard they're amazing as well. So when Ms. Moning decided to expand the Fever series by adding the Dani O'Malley books I was so excited. (A couple more books that follow my beloved Mac and Barron's are in the works, too - Score!)

Dani O'Malley, or "the Mega", as she likes to call herself, is a girl with extra special gifts. Not only is she a sidhe-seer who can see the revolting and beautiful Fae, but she has super hearing and super speed as well. Normally she's a one man show armed with her most prized possession - the Sword of Light (one of two Fae relics that can actually kill the immortal Fae.) But when the walls between Faery and Earth come crashing down, at just 14 years old, Dani finds herself Ina post-apocalyptic world trying to save the human race. With the demands of Ryodan, a man like Barron's, but oh so very different, breathing down her neck she tries to solve the mystery of why certain areas in her cherished city of Dublin, Ireland are becoming iced.

Dani is a spit fire. She's badass, immature at times, go-with-the-Mega-flow, and a true free spirit. But she's also emotional and hormonal despite her best efforts to stuff that crap in a mental padlocked box. The only life Dani's ever known has suddenly infiltrated human kind, and she cares. She doesn't want the Fae to control any human being - after all she was born to kill them. Dani's mind and heart jump all over the place. In those ways you can tell she's a 14 year old girl, but she's also very practical in her tipsy turvy world. She had a hard childhood complete with an uncaring mother. Dani "Mega" O'Malley is a survivor to the core.

Even though this series centers around an adolescent girl it is NOT a young adult read. There's adult language, sexual innuendos, and a lot of sci-fi. Keep an open mind when reading any of Karen Marie Moning's books and you'll be sure to enjoy them.

I'd suggest starting with the Highlander series.
Beyond the Highland Mist
To Tame a Highland Warrior
The Highlander's Touch
Kiss of the Highlander
The Dark Highlander
The Immortal Highlander
Spell of the Highlander
Into the Dreaming

However, you could pick up the Fever series without ever having read the Highlander series, and be just fine. You'll just find out about the Faery world as MacKayla Lane, the main character, finds it all out.
Darkfever
Bloodfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever

There's also a graphic novel called Fever Moon. It contains some adult scenes, and I'd suggest reading the whole Fever series before reading this. There's too many spoilers!

Enjoy!

Book Review: The Fallen Series

The Fallen Series

by Lauren Kate

 

Fallen

Torment

Passion

Rapture

 

When my sister first turned me on to this series, I'll admit, I was a little skeptical. I love my fair share of the paranormal, sci-fi genre, but this particular series deals with fallen angels and the like. I'd like to say I'm pretty good at separating reality from fantasy, but when I get into a book I become engrossed. I was worried that my beliefs and convictions were going to get the better of me, and I wouldn't be able to enjoy the series for what it is: completely fake. Nevertheless I decided to give it a try.

 

The whole series centers around Lucinda Price and Daniel Grigori. Lucinda, or Luce, is a very complex character who isn't completely understood until towards the end of the very last book. Daniel is refreshingly simple compared to his love.  For all intended purposes the only thing you have to remember is Luce = mortal and Daniel = fallen angel.

Their love spans across millennia in a complex, cursed way. The details of their relationship, and the unexplainable draw towards each other, again, isn't fully put together until the last book. I guess that's the genius marketing behind the series. You don't know what's going to happen next unless you keep reading. By the time I made it to Rapture I had a hard time getting into it. I was ready for the story to end, for loose ends to be tied tight. I thought, many times, about not finishing it, but felt I owed it to myself to find out what happens between Luce and Daniel once and for all.

The first book was pretty amazing. It was something different. No vampires and no werewolves that seem to haunt today's young adult audience. But towards the end, when Luce is finding out more about herself and how her and Daniel get to where they end up, is when things got a little too weird for me. Lauren Kate seems to let the line blur between Lucifer (Satan) and God. Daniel is a fallen angel, yes, but he's not a demon. He didn't choose a side, but instead chose his love for Luce. It still got him kicked out of Heaven, but he's not a demon. In the last book, God takes the form of a woman and is referred to in feminine terms. These are things that bothered me from a Christian stand point. I felt convicted that I was reading such blatant lies about God, and these reasons were a lot of why I thought about not finishing the series.

I've recommended this book series to a few friends and family members, but after reading the last book I don't know if I would anymore. The first book was amazing, the second one great, the third okay, but the last did it in for me. If you want a fantasy love story that doesn't hit so close to your spiritual heart I'd recommend something else.
 



Pillow Talk

It's amazing what kind of things a couple can talk about while laying in bed. It's probably one of my favorite times of day. The kids are asleep, the house quiet and still for the first time in over 12 hours. I love laying in bed next to my love as we get the chance to talk without interruption. Some nights we're too exhausted to hold a conversation past the point of small talk and whispered "I love yous", so instead we lay beside one another, each of us on our own electronic, his iPhone and my iPad, usually. I cherish these quiet times. Even if we're not paying attention to one another I find that laying next to my husband in silence can be just as fulfilling as a deep conversation.

Last night was no different. Even though I had just driven 9 hours from Colorado. Even though I was stressed because of a crying baby. Even though I was annoyed because of my company. In fact, I went over my speed limit comfort zone, and tried racing home because I knew I had at least a couple hours to have my husband to myself. I was not disappointed. The kids fell asleep a little before 10, and James and I proceeded to stay up until after midnight just talking and enjoying each others company.

I hope tonight is no different.