Fever Moon Review / Interview

Review by Donna WFS and Katherine Z. Barrons

We are interviewing a couple of the sauciest Wenches, who also happen to be two of the biggest Fever fans this side of Dublin, otherwise known as Donna WFS and Katherine Z. Barrons or KZB.  The last time we caught up with them, they had just come back from their latest jaunt into the Fever realm, aka Fever Moon.  Let's see how they felt about Karen Marie Moning's latest Fever-based novel.

So, what drew you to Fever, ladies? 

Donna -  
Karen Marie Moning is one of my favorite authors. I discovered the Fever series after book 4, Dreamfever, was published. I quickly blew through all four books and then went through several months of complete anguish, because of the evil cliffhanger at the end of book 4. While waiting for the final book in the series, Shadowfever, to come out, I read them again a couple of times. I have to say, Fever really stuck with me. Even after reading other great books and series, I kept thinking of them.

Kat - 

Well for me, it all began with reading the Barrons POV scene that KMM had to create after urging her fans to vote for Barrons in the Alpha Showdown on the vampirebookclub.net website (which, not surprisingly, he won in a landslide).  Six words and I was hooked! "Fuck the tie, unzip my pants" and I was a goner.  I read all the Fever books in less than a week and I could not stop. (Thankfully, I did not have to wait for Shadowfever like Donna did...I would have gone nuts waiting for resolution to that cliffhanger!!)  I've been re-reading these books ever since.  They are just That. Freaking. Good.

Are you a fan of graphic novels in general, or were you just so addicted to that hunk of alpha male, JZB, that you had to brave the genre to get more of him?

Donna -
The world KMM has created is rich, exciting, and complex. Although I'd never purchased a graphic novel before, I was unable to resist the lure of seeing Fever as she envisioned it. When I saw Barrons Books and Baubles for the first time, I couldn't take my eyes off it. It was so much grander and more beautiful than I had imagined.

Kat -
I must admit that I was both nervous and excited when I heard KMM had decided to sign on with Del Rey to do a graphic-novel interpretation of the Fever series. Nervous because I love (not like, LOVE) Fever. I am totally and completely head over heels for Barrons and the fantastic storyline that has left me breathless, heartbroken, hopeful, thoughtful, and exhilarated.  Nervous because so many visual adaptations of my favorite series have broken my heart before (thank you Alan Ball, for ruining an wonderful series!) that I didn't think my Fever-loving heart could take it if they missed the mark with this incredible series.  Imagining the possibilities for KMM's new book was how I fell asleep on more than a few nights (you'll come to realize how big of a nerd I really am). As I drifted off I dreamed of what Barrons would look like. How much would he match the image I had in my head? What would Rainbow Girl, MacKayla Lane, look like? Would they include the Pri-ya scenes? How would BB&B look with the Chesterfields, the softly lit corners and crevices, the expansiveness of the place when you least expect it? Well I had nothing at all to worry about.  Not even a little bit. Fever Moon is a beautiful, spot-on interpretation of Dublin AWC (After the Wall Crash).  All of our favorite characters are gorgeously depicted, and the pages, which are beautifully detailed, enthralled me. Just like the Sinsar Dubh, they sucked me in and kept me eager for more.

Now that your favorite characters have sprung off the pages KMM created, do you agree with the depiction?

Donna -

There are many familiar faces, including the Dreamy Eyed Guy, but no V'Lane, except in a brief flashback. Mac is a strong, beautiful, sexy woman, although I had imagined her a little softer and sweeter. I'm not sure why, really, after all the shit that poor girl has gone through. Barrons, in my mind, will always be David Gandy with the badassery of Chuck Norris.



Copyright: Christina Radish

Kat - 



I think the depiction of Mac is pretty accurate.  She's got the looks, the boobs, the attitude.  I wish I could decide on the actress I thought would play Mac best in a film, but I just can't.  Maybe I don't want to visualize her getting it on with my Barrons.  Hmmm.  But I digress.  I think the image of Barrons in Fever Moon is a sexy one, but the features are too chiseled, too pretty to be my Barrons.  And although David Gandy is probably the hottest man on the planet and I adore him, I truly do (its a problem), there is only ONE man I can picture as Barrons, and he is Eric Etebari. As a matter of fact, Karen Marie Moning has said that Eric's portrayal of Ian Nottingham in later episodes of the Witchblade television series reminds her very much of Barrons, and he has become a regular VIP guest at the release parties for her books. He is gorgeous and, for me, he oozes the essence of Barrons. Sexy, hungry, possessive, pissed off, and animal. Look at him! Rawr!!



Would you sum up the plot points for our anxious readers?

Donna - Sure!  I'll take this one.
Fever Moon begins with the image of our heroine, Mackayla Lane, in full warrior mode. From her black leather wardrobe, complete with the Fae-killing Spear of Destiny strapped to her thigh, to her ass-kicking stance, we immediately know this girl bears little resemblance to the pink-loving, naive southern belle who first came to Dublin a short while before. From the second floor of Barrons Books and Baubles, she's overlooking a city under siege. The walls that kept the Unseelie monsters from the human plane have fallen. Mayhem and destruction are everywhere. Inspector Jayne and other police officers are battling the Unseelie Hunters flying overhead. Side note: the good Inspector is way hotter than I had imagined.

An article in the Dani Daily informs us this story takes place roughly six months after the walls fell. A mysterious supernatural villain is stealing parts of people's faces (ugh!) and leaving them in comas. Already, there are seven victims, and a poor young mother is about to make it eight. Dani comes to the rescue of her two young children, then alerts Mac and Barrons of the situation.

Speaking of Barrons, once he makes an appearance, he wastes no time needling Mac about V'Lane (so jealous!). Throwing us a bone, we get to see a flashback of Barrons sexing Mac back to sanity when she was Pri-ya. Uh huh. Sexual tension and snarkiness ensue, you know, the usual Mac/Barrons interaction.

Pretty soon, Mac and Barrons are deeply involved in the mystery, as the new victims of the face-stealing monster hit close to home. It turns out we've met the culprit, the Fear Dorcha, before. I won't say any more because I'm getting a little too spoilerish.

Any surprises in the book?

Kat - 

I felt like there were two surprises in this book.  One, Inspector Jayne is a hottie!!! Who knew??  But the second and most important surprise was that Mac is very aware of how Barrons' actions reveal his feelings. More importantly, she isn't looking for the pretty words that might have calmed her in the past.  She knows that his actions speak volumes, and that when he decides to kill to protect Dani, who Mac loves like a sister, he does it because he loves Mac.  She seems clear on that point, and I think that could be for two reasons. The first is that this book is based on Shadowfever, the last book of the series and the end of the line for the angst freight train that we have all ridden throughout the books. Toward the end of that masterpiece, Mac becomes clear headed about a lot of things and finally takes Barrons at face value.  The second reason is that there is a truncated time frame in which to tell the story in the graphic-novel format.  Whatever the reason, I just got the feeling that Mac is much clearer on Barrons' motivations in Fever Moon.

Would you recommend Fever Moon to other Saucy Wenches? 

Donna -

I'm glad I picked up Fever Moon. I've been missing the Fever world; it's like an old friend. Fever Moon will appeal to fans of the series, although if you haven't read the books this graphic novel is based on, you might have a lot of questions. So read them.

Kat -

I was ecstatic to be thrown back into Shadowfever. Watching Mac and Barrons fight the Fear Dorcha, seeing Inspector Jayne shoot at Hunters, watching Dani zoom in and out of danger, well, it was so VERY satisfying.  DEG's eyes were indeed dreamy, V'Lane's image was similar to the golden angel I had created in my head, and every page popped out and spoke to me, transporting me to Dublin, where I walked the streets in search of the Fear Dorcha, looking over my shoulder, keeping to the lights.

So, yeah, I'm absolutely and wholeheartedly giving Fever Moon two thumbs up!!

Last question — any thoughts on ICED, the next Fever novel that KMM is releasing on October 30th?

Donna -

I do wonder who will appear in Iced, Dani's new spinoff series. KMM has released some teasers, and I'm definitely hooked! Oh Karen, I'll read anything you write, don't you know that, girl?

Kat -

Oh I am extremely excited about Iced!! I love Mac and Barrons and am anxious to hear about the latest and greatest where they are concerned, but Dani is such a great character!  I'm happy that she is getting her own books, and I am hoping that we get to discover who her mysterious "friend" Dancer is! So bring it on Karen!!


Have you read Fever Moon yet? Are you a fan of the graphic novel interpretation of Mac and Barrons' story? Does the breathtakingly beautiful artwork capture the characters and settings you visualized when reading the Fever books? Let us know what you think!