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Darkfever is a perfect example of why I seldom DNF a book, even using the �100 page rule�.

I love Karen Marie Moning’s Highlander series, so I was really looking forward to finally starting her Fever series, particularly after seeing all the positive talk and reviews over the years. So imagine my surprise to find this, the first installment in the Fever series, less than enjoyable - at least to start with.

Being Urban Fantasy � and this is definitely not Paranormal Romance - Darkfever is written in first-person. This is not my favourite narrative, but it usually doesn’t affect my enjoyment of a book, providing I like or can relate to the protagonist on some level.

And right there was my issue. I did not like MacKayla Lane’s voice at all. She came across as a shallow, superficial, immature, petulant, selfish, self-centered dimwit. I was not able to relate to her sole purpose in life being focused on how good her tan was, and whether the Ice Princess Blush nail polish on her manicure and pedicure was perfectly matched with her baby pink twinset.

I also didn’t like the conversational style of writing, although I must give credit where it is due � the author did mange to effectively portray what a bimbo Mac was. Unfortunately I didn’t appreciate it as it served to annoy me rather than enhance the reading experience.

What I did like, and what kept me reading, was the story being told. The boundry between the Fae and mortal worlds is beginning to crumble and Fae are wreaking havoc. Mac receives a posthumous voicemail message from her recently murdered sister, which sends her on a quest to Dublin in search of something called the Sinsar Dubh.

Once there, it is not long before Mac realizes that her life as she knew it is over. And while this is obviously not good news for Mac, it is great news for the reader. When Mac discovers what she is � a sidhe-seer (one who can see through the glamour cast by the Fae) � and is forced to enlist the help of the mysterious, enigmatic Jericho Barrons to make sense of it, the story really picks up, and Mac is forced to focus on something other than cosmetic choices and color-coordination.

We start to see a transformation in Mac borne by necessity, and we finally get to see that she does have some underlying substance and grit. The world the author created is fascinating and detailed, the storyline tense and riveting, the characters rich and diverse.

Barrons is a fascinating character, and the author did an excellent job of keeping us guessing as to who (or what) he is, and how the reluctant and wary partnership between he and Mac will develop. Definitely a reason to keep going with the series right there.

There was no romance at all in this one, but the author did drop some hints that may or may not amount to something in future books. I’m intrigued by this and by the world created so there is no doubt that I will be continuing this series.

While Mac did not have a complete personality transplant, and we still have references as to whether Revlon will be discontinuing the Iceberry Pink nail polish which perfectly compliments Mac’s short pink silk skirt and clingy pearly top, which perfectly showcase Mac’s toned, sun-kissed legs and full breasts, these manage to become almost amusing rather than irritating, and a book that started off on such shaky ground still manages to get 4 stars (but only just and that's probably too generous!)

While these books have a connection to the Highlander series, it is not necessary to have read them first � although I highly recommend that you do so because that was an excellent series.

Edited to add: Having just finished Bloodfever, a far more enjoyable read for me with a 4 star rating, my thoughts about my original rating for this one being too generous have been vindicated. I am revising the rating to 3 stars with encouragement for readers to continue the series past this book.