Review--Burned by Karen Marie Moning

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.

I’m going all over the place with my TBR pile lately, it’s insane! Anyway, I decided it was time to get caught up on Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series and I finally, finally picked up Burned! It’s been a good long while since I read Iced, and as far as I know, recaps for adult books don’t exist. Tragedy. But luckily, Karen included a guide in the back on people, places, and things that kind of gave me a down and dirty recap on the important things. When I was finally ready to start Burned, I did so with moderate ease!

Mac has just learned that Dani incidentally killed her sister, which was what brought Mac to Ireland and started her whole journey. But Dani was manipulated and before she can really talk to her, Dani disappears in the Hall of All Days through one of the many mirrors. Now Mac is left with her absence and feels tremendous guilt over how she approached Dani, for trying to find her would be impossible.

Mac still has a copy of the Sinsar Dubh trapped inside of her as well, this magical book has been a pain the you-know-what. She fights its pull constantly, knowing that if she were to ever truly accept it, she would lose herself to its magic.

All is not well in Ireland though, the aftermath left by the Hoar Frost King is still apparent. There are black holes left behind that could promise even more destruction and chaos if they are not fixed. But then a new problem occurs for Mac, as if she didn’t already have enough on her plate. Christian was kidnapped by the Crimson Hag who continually kills him and he’s resurrected again and again for her torturous pleasure. Add to that, a new character is on the scene and she’s not at all happy with Mac or any of her friends and has pretty much taken over the abbey that Kat once was in charge of after Rowena was killed. Chaos reigns supreme!

This is definitely a series you are better off reading straight through, no years long gaps in between because it will wreak havoc with your memory. Unless you have the super kind of memory that I envy! Lol! It’s also not for the faint of heart. Things get pretty graphic, both on the violence and sexual levels. So be prepared for that if you’ve never read one of Karen’s books before! I also noticed a few appearances from characters in her other series. I never read that one, but I feel like I might need to one day! Cameo appearances are always enjoyable when you know the who’s!

There was quite the startling revelations made at the end of the book too! Not only did one come in at the halfway point—which I vaguely remember people mentioning at the time that this was a new release—that totally shocked the heck out of me, but the ending cliffhanger was yet another shocker! As were a few other minor things along the way! I may have been gone for too long from this series but I find it easy to dive right back in with these characters! 

Find myself making this a shorter review, but it tends to happen when I take so long to read a book that’s been out for years and I feel like I am the last to read it! Lol! The Fever series still remains one of my favorites, no matter how long it may take me to read the newest additions! It’s a highly addictive read and I am happy to be back!!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars