meganpbennett's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I read the first four books in the Fever series years ago, and I decided to reread Darkfever to see how it held up to what I remember. I remember really liking it, but I found it was okay this time. Mac isn't a particularly great narrator, and story is far darker than I remember.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Death, Blood, Violence, Sexism, Body horror, Sexual violence, Injury/injury detail, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Rape, Stalking, and Grief
alreads13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Death, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence
emmaopaline's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Minor: Misogyny and Sexual violence
bookwisp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexual violence
kryskross's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Rape
cealotte's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I was pretty hopefully for this book. I love fae stories in modern settings, and I was excited for the pairing of that with a murder mystery. However, this book was such a letdown. The narration of the story (first-person) actively spoiled parts of the plot, letting you know before something happened that the main character (and sometimes others) survived and later had thoughts about how the specific moment went down. The main character also spent a lot of time on asides or mini rants about unrelated topics--in a way that felt more like a venting of the author's opinions than a productive. (For example: rants about how the millennial generation is entitled in the middle of nowhere.)
I do acknowledge that this book was written in the early 2000s, however I still was disappointed by some of the problematic parts of the story. There's a lot of misogyny and internalized misogyny. Not just from a specific characters, which would be fine. But from every angle. There's also a moment when a character is described as "Saudi" and that is directly associated with him being "fierce, dark and ruthless."
The romance also doesn't even develop during this story. (I'm assuming it kicks in in the subsequent novels in the series.) The two characters simply antagonize each other until the very end, when all of a sudden they show each other some basic decency--and there's a possible kiss.
There are two scenes with sexual content. However, they're both non-consensual moments when a fae being of dubious motivation whips the main character into a frenzy in an uncomfortably public place. It just reads incredibly awkwardly. If you're reading this book looking for spicy content, it technically exists but I would look elsewhere.
I bumped my rating to 2 stars purely because part of me is curious to read the next book.
I do acknowledge that this book was written in the early 2000s, however I still was disappointed by some of the problematic parts of the story. There's a lot of misogyny and internalized misogyny. Not just from a specific characters, which would be fine. But from every angle. There's also a moment when a character is described as "Saudi" and that is directly associated with him being "fierce, dark and ruthless."
Spoiler
I also expected that there would be more romance in this book, as it is a romance. The main relationship is set up to be almost an enemies to lovers. The two characters butt heads constantly and seem to viscerally dislike each other. However, this plays out in the guy (Barrons) being quite abusive towards Mac. During an initial meeting, he slams her into the wall and pins her there till she can't breathe, causing her to be in a lot of pain later. It's not sexy or kinky: it's violent. He then continues to insult her, bully her, and control her actions throughout the rest of the book.The romance also doesn't even develop during this story. (I'm assuming it kicks in in the subsequent novels in the series.) The two characters simply antagonize each other until the very end, when all of a sudden they show each other some basic decency--and there's a possible kiss.
There are two scenes with sexual content. However, they're both non-consensual moments when a fae being of dubious motivation whips the main character into a frenzy in an uncomfortably public place. It just reads incredibly awkwardly. If you're reading this book looking for spicy content, it technically exists but I would look elsewhere.
I bumped my rating to 2 stars purely because part of me is curious to read the next book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
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