Hey friends,
I completed this book just under a month ago. I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to actually write the review. It's almost like it was so much I actually had to let it sit for a while before I made any final decisions on it. It's funny because as the time goes by it's been since I initially listened to it I feel that I like Burned even more. On a side note, if you look at the reviews on Goodreads, it almost like people either loved it or hated it. Team Mac loved it and Team Dani hated it.
I completed this book just under a month ago. I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to actually write the review. It's almost like it was so much I actually had to let it sit for a while before I made any final decisions on it. It's funny because as the time goes by it's been since I initially listened to it I feel that I like Burned even more. On a side note, if you look at the reviews on Goodreads, it almost like people either loved it or hated it. Team Mac loved it and Team Dani hated it.
Get the audiobook here! Publisher: Delacorte Press / Brilliance Audio
Release Date: January 20, 2015
Format: Audio MP3
Pages: 512 pages (Hardcover) / Audio Length: Approx 13 hours
Narrator: Natalie Ross, Phil Gigante
Source: Audible
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Date: February 18, 2015
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Synopsis: It’s easy to walk away from lies. Power is another thing.
MacKayla Lane would do anything to save the home she loves. A gifted sidhe-seer, she’s already fought and defeated the deadly Sinsar Dubh—an ancient book of terrible evil—yet its hold on her has never been stronger.
When the wall that protected humans from the seductive, insatiable Fae was destroyed on Halloween, long-imprisoned immortals ravaged the planet. Now Dublin is a war zone with factions battling for control. As the city heats up and the ice left by the Hoar Frost King melts, tempers flare, passions run red-hot, and dangerous lines get crossed.
Seelie and Unseelie vie for power against nine ancient immortals who have governed Dublin for millennia; a rival band of sidhe-seers invades the city, determined to claim it for their own; Mac’s former protégé and best friend, Dani “Mega” O’Malley, is now her fierce enemy; and even more urgent, Highland druid Christian MacKeltar has been captured by the Crimson Hag and is being driven deeper into Unseelie madness with each passing day. The only one Mac can depend on is the powerful, dangerous immortal Jericho Barrons, but even their fiery bond is tested by betrayal.
It’s a world where staying alive is a constant struggle, the line between good and evil gets blurred, and every alliance comes at a price. In an epic battle against dark forces, Mac must decide who she can trust, and what her survival is ultimately worth.
Release Date: January 20, 2015
Format: Audio MP3
Pages: 512 pages (Hardcover) / Audio Length: Approx 13 hours
Narrator: Natalie Ross, Phil Gigante
Source: Audible
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Date: February 18, 2015
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Synopsis: It’s easy to walk away from lies. Power is another thing.
MacKayla Lane would do anything to save the home she loves. A gifted sidhe-seer, she’s already fought and defeated the deadly Sinsar Dubh—an ancient book of terrible evil—yet its hold on her has never been stronger.
When the wall that protected humans from the seductive, insatiable Fae was destroyed on Halloween, long-imprisoned immortals ravaged the planet. Now Dublin is a war zone with factions battling for control. As the city heats up and the ice left by the Hoar Frost King melts, tempers flare, passions run red-hot, and dangerous lines get crossed.
Seelie and Unseelie vie for power against nine ancient immortals who have governed Dublin for millennia; a rival band of sidhe-seers invades the city, determined to claim it for their own; Mac’s former protégé and best friend, Dani “Mega” O’Malley, is now her fierce enemy; and even more urgent, Highland druid Christian MacKeltar has been captured by the Crimson Hag and is being driven deeper into Unseelie madness with each passing day. The only one Mac can depend on is the powerful, dangerous immortal Jericho Barrons, but even their fiery bond is tested by betrayal.
It’s a world where staying alive is a constant struggle, the line between good and evil gets blurred, and every alliance comes at a price. In an epic battle against dark forces, Mac must decide who she can trust, and what her survival is ultimately worth.
Burned was so much more and better than I ever expected, but not perfection. Burned picks up the same night that Iced ended. I was thinking that the book would go one way, but after a few chapters, I quickly saw that this was going to be a different ball game. This book was an combination of everything that I enjoyed about this series plus a pretty awesome plot twist midway through that I didn't see coming.
There are so many characters and POVs going on in this installment that each chapter starts off with a sentence followed by the characters name. Mac, Barrons, Dani (and her journal), Joe, Cat, The Unseely King, Christian, Ryodan, and a few others, all get chapters. On top of all of the POVs going on, the story is told both in the past and the present. We experience past events with Barrons and Mac, with Christian, with Dani, and so much more. Many of the minor characters like Cat and Joe get much more face time. This book packs in a lot of information regarding many of the plots. On one hand, it's almost like a filler book, it really connects the story lines and provides clarity to many situations. Not that it feels like the end, but instead it feels more like one story arc is officially closing and another is starting. Just like it felt at the end of Shadowfever, book 5. I feel that this installment was all about relationships. The relationship between friends, lovers, etc.
When first I listened to Iced, I was nervous to get a whole book about Dani, as I didn't think her character could swing it. But now.....Hmm, let's just say that I'm more confident that I'll be interested to see what happens with her. There was a huge revelation with her and it's spectacular. In all honesty, if I knew Moning was going to go in this direction with Dani, I think I would have preferred if she stayed on track with the Dani O'Malley series. It makes me wonder why she did an about face and went back to her bread and butter of Barrons and Mac. Was is pressure from the fans? The publisher? Regardless, I would liked to follow Dani through more of her story in this book.
There are so many characters and POVs going on in this installment that each chapter starts off with a sentence followed by the characters name. Mac, Barrons, Dani (and her journal), Joe, Cat, The Unseely King, Christian, Ryodan, and a few others, all get chapters. On top of all of the POVs going on, the story is told both in the past and the present. We experience past events with Barrons and Mac, with Christian, with Dani, and so much more. Many of the minor characters like Cat and Joe get much more face time. This book packs in a lot of information regarding many of the plots. On one hand, it's almost like a filler book, it really connects the story lines and provides clarity to many situations. Not that it feels like the end, but instead it feels more like one story arc is officially closing and another is starting. Just like it felt at the end of Shadowfever, book 5. I feel that this installment was all about relationships. The relationship between friends, lovers, etc.
When first I listened to Iced, I was nervous to get a whole book about Dani, as I didn't think her character could swing it. But now.....Hmm, let's just say that I'm more confident that I'll be interested to see what happens with her. There was a huge revelation with her and it's spectacular. In all honesty, if I knew Moning was going to go in this direction with Dani, I think I would have preferred if she stayed on track with the Dani O'Malley series. It makes me wonder why she did an about face and went back to her bread and butter of Barrons and Mac. Was is pressure from the fans? The publisher? Regardless, I would liked to follow Dani through more of her story in this book.
My main issue with this installment is the villain, or lack there of. Now don't get me wrong, the Unseely Hag that's torturing Christian is pretty awful, but she's not a detriment to the world. Not like past villains. Of course the Unseely King is always doing the wrong thing, but he's so focused on trying to sleep with his concubine again, the world - or even his initial purpose of recreating the spell of making are not even on his radar (I guess it's technically the spell is a mute point anyways). There are these black holes leftover from the being they destroyed in Iced, but thinking back, I don't get the sense of urgency to get rid of them. That was odd.
Listening to Fever was fast paced and it the narrators delivered again. Like the previous few audiobooks in this series, we have two narrators, both Natalie Ross and Phil Gigante. I really like these two together. They work well with the characters and they both are able to stretch and change their voices for each character.
Overall I enjoyed Burned. Will I keep listening to this series? Absolutely. Do I know what to expect with the next installment? Abosoleuly not, clearly Moning is flip floppy with her series, but as long as she does it well - it doesn't matter. Have you read or listen to Burned? If so, what did you think of it? If you haven't, I do recommend this series if you enjoy books focused on Fae.
Happy Reading & Listening,
~Tamara
Listening to Fever was fast paced and it the narrators delivered again. Like the previous few audiobooks in this series, we have two narrators, both Natalie Ross and Phil Gigante. I really like these two together. They work well with the characters and they both are able to stretch and change their voices for each character.
Overall I enjoyed Burned. Will I keep listening to this series? Absolutely. Do I know what to expect with the next installment? Abosoleuly not, clearly Moning is flip floppy with her series, but as long as she does it well - it doesn't matter. Have you read or listen to Burned? If so, what did you think of it? If you haven't, I do recommend this series if you enjoy books focused on Fae.
Happy Reading & Listening,
~Tamara
