Review: Burned by Karen Marie Moning

Burned (Fever #7) by Karen Marie Moning
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication date: January 20th 2015
My rating:  4.5 stars 
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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.

My Thoughts:

I was a little worried picking up Burned for a couple of reasons, but it turns out I had nothing to be worried about because it was AMAZING!!

So why was I worried?  Well first of all Burned was supposed to be the second book in the Dani trilogy and it turned out to be about 70-80% Mac’s POV.  Second, I was worried about Dani’s age, especially since I already picked a ‘ship I’m rooting for (Ryodan, of course!) and that was hardly appropriate considering Dani’s fourteen! Third, the many times the release date got pushed and delayed smacks of an author making some major changes in their original plans, and that usually doesn’t bode well for a story. Fourth, the time in between usually means I’m was going to be fuzzy on past details unless I do a re-read.  Did any of these concerns diminish my enjoyment?  HELL NO!! Trust, Karen Marie Moning delivers and now I’m counting down the days to book eight!

Like I said I was a little disappointed to hear we were getting mostly Mac’s POV instead of Dani in Burned, BUT even though we don’t get as much Dani POV as we thought/wanted, we “see” Dani though Mac’s eyes quite a bit! The other reason I was a little troubled by this change is because I don’t like it when a couple is pretty much settled with their HEA only to have an author create more drama and mess things up, so I was happily surprised that I really enjoyed getting back to Mac and Barrons! Their chemistry is even more combustible *fans self* than it has been in the past. Burned is arguably the hottest book in the series!  The “betrayal” mentioned in the blurb was something we knew about a long time ago, and I can understand why Mac was miffed, but their relationship was never in question, IMO, even so.

As far as Dani’s age problem: Well, I won’t spoil things for you, but I will say KMM has presented another pickle that has me reading every passage where Dani appears with a fine tooth comb, searching for hints and nuances that will give me what I want!! Highlight for Spoiler: Original MEGA back as she was, or maybe a melded Dani 2.0.  I did guess the twist early on, something about a scene tipped me off. I was glad to know that early into the book, though.  Ryodan and Dani continue to be a relationship I’m OBSESSED with and it’s clear that Ryodan is, too.

The push backs of the release date were frustrating, but in the end it didn’t impact the quality of the story for me. I was hooked from page one and it was a thrilling read! I’m surprised by how many revelations we got in Burned because usually KMM is slow in giving them out! Mac finds herself in a unique situation that allows her to discover several juicy tidbits that I’m going to be pondering for a while.  Fuzzy memory wasn’t an issue either for two reasons: there are some reminders as you’re reading Burned that bring key points back, and there’s a glossary at the end of the book that includes key people, places, fae, and objects. That was a big help. I suggest reading it before you dive into Burned.

Last little tidbits:

I HATED Jo in Iced, but I like this new direction the author is taking with her!  I’m definitely on board! As I said, Burned was probably the HOTTEST book of the series, and it wasn’t only because of Mac and Barrons’ relationship. 

Burned just sort of ends, not on a cliffhanger or anything, but the story just kind of stops, so as usual I’m anxious to get my hands on the next book. Feverborn has the release date listed on Goodreads and Amazon as October 2015, and I just checked KMM’s blog and she says she still hoping to release Feverborn this year. I guess we’ll see.

I didn’t summarize the plot because I think I’ve said enough.  If you’re a fan of this series, it’s best to get yourself a copy AND READ IT!  We can gossip/theorize when you finish.