Welcome to the Darkfever Discussion

The first part of this post is where we include the important facts/clues that we learned in Darkfever. A lot of this book is introducing us to the Fae world, getting to know the three main players – Mac, Jericho Barrons, and V’Lane, and giving us get a taste of how evil some of the Fae can truly be. As we go further along in the books, a lot more questions and theories will be addressed.

We are pretending we have only read Darkfever. Yes, some of the issues below have already been answered in a subsequent book, but we are keeping those answers held back until that particular discussion for those that are reading this series for the first time.

Note: Direct quotes from the book are in italics.

Fae Facts:

• “Fae: a.k.a. the Tuatha Dé Danaan. Divided into two courts: the Seelie or Light Court, and the Unseelie or Dark Court. Both courts have different castes of Fae, with the four royal houses occupying the highest caste of each. The Seelie Queen and her chosen consort rule the Light Court. The Unseelie King and his current concubine govern the Dark.”

• Aoibheal, the Seelie Queen of the Light is no longer in charge and no one knows where she is.

• V’Lane is one of the Seelie princes, and the Queen (at some point) asks V’lane to use Mac to help find the Sinsar Dubh.

• “After an eternity of confinement, some of the lower-caste Unseelie have begun escaping their prison. Despite our efforts to isolate the weakness in the fabric of our realms, we have not been able to determine how they are breaking free.”

• The Fae have eight relics: Four Light – Stone, the Spear, the Sword, and the Cauldron. (Barrons and Mac have only the spear)
• Four dark – Mirror, Box, Amulet and the Book (Sinar Dubh).

• Unseelie are hunting for the Sinar Dubh as well, under someone named The Lord Master (Confirmed as Darroc from her Highlander books)

• Barrons already has one of four stones, Mac steals another from Malluce. It makes a noise, when all four get together they will sing a “Song of Making” – This will reveal text of sinsar dubh. In “an accomplished druid’s hands” one of the stones can reveal part of the text.

• Spear is one of two weapons known to kill Fae – any Fae, no matter the caste – except the shades. Mac has no defense against shades except the light.

Mac Facts:

• Mac is a sidhe-seer (she can see through fae glamor  and she can sense the sinar dubh) She is a Null (can freeze fae for a short period of time) and she can sense OOPs (Objects of power)

• Old lady refers to her as an O’Conner, Mac questions her biological parents

• Seelie/Unseelie are unable to detect their own objects of power  – Mac can detect them, making her very useful to everyone

• V’lane offers Mac the Cuff of Cruce – permits shield from Unseelie – Mac won’t take it because she knows it comes with a price

• At end of the book, Mac detects Sinsar Dubh traveling in a car.

Barrons Facts (aka: What is Barrons?):

• Barrons makes Mac get the spear (Seelie item) he won’t touch it. Can he touch it? We don’t know yet.

• Twice Barrons jumps down from a very high place without getting hurt. Won’t answer to Mac when she confronts him about it.

• “The truth is, your world is going to hell in a hand basket, Barrons had said. Recalling his words, I caught something in them I’d missed before. He’d said “your” world. Not “our” world. Mine. Was it not his world also?

• Mac sees him walk at night among the Shades, and they ignore him. They eat everyone else.

Miscellaneous Facts:

• Lord Master is not Fae. He is bringing Unseelie in through a gate.

• Quote from the Gray Man: “The Lord Master is back, you stupid bitch, and he’s going to do the same thing to you he did to the last pretty little sidhe-seer. You’ll wish you’d died at my hands. You’ll beg for death the same way she did.”

• “I told you she would come, Mallucé,” said the Lord Master. “We will use her to finish what her sister began.” (<–What exactly did her sister begin?)

• Fiona, Barrons’ assistant in the bookstore is privy to Fae information.

Barrons Quotes That Make Us Do a Dirty Swoon:

• “He wasn’t handsome. That was too calm a word. He was intensely masculine. He was sexual. He attracted” (Mandi falls down dead)<—Sophia kicks Mandi to the curb to snuggle up with Barrons.

• “His gaze flicked to my chest and stayed there a moment. When he returned his attention to the box, I caught my breath and stared blankly at the top of his dark head. Barrons had just given me the most carnal, sexually charged, hungry look I’d ever seen in my life, and I was pretty sure he didn’t even know he’d done it.”

• “Sometimes Ms. Lane one must break with one’s past to embrace one’s future. It’s never an easy thing to do. it is one of the distinguishing characteristics between survivors and victims. Letting go of what was, to survive what is.”

• “His fingers were light as butterflies on my battered cheek and he was speaking softly, but it wasn’t in English. It sounded like one of those dead languages they use in the kind of movies I used to channel-surf through quickly – and now regret not having watched at least one or two because I probably would have been a whole lot better prepared for all of this if I had. I think he kissed me then. It wasn’t like any kiss I’d ever felt before.”

“Take off your panties” V’Lane Recap:

• “It is what I am. I am every erotic dream you’ve ever had and a thousand more you’ve never thought of. I am sex that will turn you inside out and burn you down to ashes.” It smiled. “And if I choose, I can make you whole again.”

• “There is no protection against one such as I, sidhe-seer. We of the royal house affect humans in this manner. There is nothing that can be done to prevent it.” One day I would know that for the lie it was. But not before I’d been burned by the truth in it.

Mac Meter – Her progression from Rainbow Girl to Savage Mac

Mac starts off very – girly. Long blonde hair, painted nails, and wears pink as much as possible. Barrons refers to her as “Rainbow Girl”. By the end of Darkfever, she is “Savage Mac.” – black hair, black clothes, curses, and has experienced things that would be unimaginable to Rainbow Girl. Here, we will track her progression.

By page 130, Mac dyes her blonde hair black, and chops off her hair so the Gray Man won’t recognize her.

Later…

• Barrons wasn’t turning out to be a good influence on me at all. In a single night he’d gotten me to dress like a floozy, burgle like a common thief, and now he had me cussing like a sailor as I seconded his opinion. “Fuck,” I exclaimed.

• I’d lived through yet another Dublin night and that, in and of itself, was swift becoming cause for celebration in my badly warped little world.

• One day I would stop taking off my clothes in V’lane’s presence, but the cost of that resistance would be a piece of my soul.

And to end the book

• Gone was the energetic step that had bounced so prettily on air. Mac 2.0 strode with determination and focus on feet that were rooted firmly to the ground.

Mac Meter (1-Rainbow Girl, 10-Savage Mac) Score: 3

Notes from Spell of the Highlander (final book in KMM’s Highlander series)

Towards the end of the final Highlander book, KMM foreshadows events in her Fever series. There are probably more clues than this, but here are the big ones stated in the final pages of Spell of the Highlander:

• Seven times now she’d (Queen Aoibheal) prevented the extinction of the purest and most potent of the Druid lines. And positioned the five most powerful druids that had ever lived precisely where she wanted them. Where they could ally her.

The Five:

There was Dageus (The Dark Highlander), possessing far more knowledge of the Draghar, the thirteen ancients. The memories she’d left in him were doing things to him that he wasn’t admitting, Not to Drustan, not to his mate.

There was Cian (Spell of the Highlander), possessing far more power than any one Druid should have: the genetic fluke, the unexpected mutation born once in a bloodline. The things Dagues and Cian could do together if they put their minds to it worried even her.

Then there was Drustan (Kiss of the Highlander). Drustan MacKelter was that unique kind of man whose named lived forever in legends of men- a warrior so pure of heart that he was beyond corrupting. A man who would die for his beliefs, not just once but ten thousand times over if necessary.

As for her other two chosen, she would be seeing them soon. (<—WHO?!?)

Also: Adam Black (The Immortal Highlander) tells Gabby the torques he wears are a symbol of the royal houses. Barron’s torque is silver and black. Coincidence?

Discussion Time:

We don’t want to get into the nitty gritty speculating yet, because there are so many more developments in the next three books and we don’t want to spoil it for those that have only read book one. As we go through each book, we will have more theory related questions.

What were your first impressions when you met Mac and Barrons. Were you drawn to them from the start? Did Mac’s innocent/naive vibe appeal to you? Was Barron’s intensity and the cloud of mystery surrounding him aggravating or sexy?

Do you think Barrons didn’t touch the spear on purpose?

Why is Fiona privy to all Fae/Barrons information? We assume she is mortal due to her age, but what is up with her?

Mac finds JR scratched into wall near where Alina died. She thinks it means Junior (what Alina used to call her) . What if she meant JB (Jericho Barrons)? Alina alludes she has been betrayed TWICE.

Who are the other two powerful druids the Queen is referring to above?

Did we miss anything? Any other thoughts before we head off to Bloodfever (the book we like to call – the book with the cave scene)

Remember, in fairness to those that have not yet read the rest of the series, we are going to try to limit our discussion to events that took place in Darkfever only.

A very special thank you to Mandi for taking our unruly spreadsheet full of notes, quotes and thoughts and forming it into a coherent, thoughtful post.

• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Buzz it up
• Share on technorati
• Subscribe to the comments on this post

Tomorrow I’ll be hosting the first discussion for the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.  Stop by and chat with Tori, Mandi and me about Darkfever.  We’ll be talking about important facts we learned, Mac’s progression from ‘Rainbow Mac’ to ‘Savage Mac’, sharing some yummy Barron’s quotes and much more!!  

• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Buzz it up
• Share on technorati
• Subscribe to the comments on this post

Mind Gamesby Carolyn Crane  Paperback: 384 pages Publisher: Spectra Available: March 23, 2010 Genre: Urban Fantasy

JUSTINE KNOWS SHE’S GOING TO DIE. ANY SECOND NOW.

Justine Jones has a secret. A hardcore hypochondriac, she’s convinced a blood vessel is about to burst in her brain. Then, out of the blue, a startlingly handsome man named Packard peers into Justine’s soul and invites her to join his private crime-fighting team. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal. With a little of Packard’s hands-on training, Justine can weaponize her neurosis, turning it outward onMidcity’s worst criminals, and finally get the freedom from fear she’s always craved. End of problem.

Or is it? In Midcity, a dashing police chief is fighting a unique breed of outlaw with more than human powers. And while Justine’s first missions, including one against a nymphomaniac husband-killer, are thrilling successes, there is more to Packard than meets the eye. Soon, while battling her attraction to two very different men, Justine is plunging deeper into a world of wizardry, eroticism, and cosmic secrets. With Packard’s help, Justine has freed herself from her madness—only to discover a reality more frightening than anyone’s worst fears.

FV: Amy, I’m so excited to be chatting about Mind Games by Carolyn Crane with you. I’ve heard great things about this book and I’ve had it on my TBR for quite a while. Now that I’ve finally read it, I’m kicking myself for waiting so long.  I think the only upside to having waited so long is the torturous wait for the second book in the series (Double Cross) doesn’t seem as bad.

Amy: Yes, I’m kicking my self as well for putting it off due to my usual lack of interest in Urban Fantasy.  But thanks to Carolyn Crane I have a new outlook for the UF genre!

FV: You’ve said that Urban Fantasy is not really your thing and this is the first one you’ve made it all the way through.  What were your first impressions when you first started to read?  Why was this one different for you? 

Amy: I think so much of why Mind Games clicked for me was the action started right from the first page and reminded me a lot of how romantic suspense stories start.  And, the world building happened in slow increments within the action that I was not bored trying to soak in a new world order. 

FV: I agree with you on the world building for sure. I was immersed in Carolyn Crane’s world before I even realized it.  It was such a natural introduction and I absolutely loved the uniqueness of it.

Amy: Also, a lot of UF writers have no incorporation of m/f romance or sex.  I need an inkling of smut or at least sexual tension between characters to keep me riveted to a story and Carolyn Crane delivered that which was a major plus for me!

FV: While I don’t always need romance in my urban fantasy, I do enjoy it.  I loved the romantic tension in Mind Games, I was on the edge of my seat and undecided for most of the book.  I think this story had a good balance of romance, mystery and suspense. 

FV: Most urban fantasy stories seem to be written in first person.  Mind Games was written in first person, present tense.  I’m a fan of first person POV, but I admit, I’m not used to first person, present tense and I found it distracting at first.  I think it took me about eight chapters before I quit thinking about it.  How did you feel reading first person, present tense?

Amy: First person definitely gives the story a unique vibe but it really didn’t bother me all that much. However, I would have enjoyed a look into Packard’s mind and emotions.

FV: I really didn’t mind not having insight on the thoughts of the other characters.  I think it really added to the suspense and not knowing how to feel about Packard.  I know not all people feel that way about first person POV though.

FV: Let’s talk about our heroine Justine.  She’s a thirty-something hypochondriac of epic proportions.  She fears she has vein star syndrome, a disease that killed her mother.  Although hypochondria is really nothing to laugh at, Justine’s character is quite funny.  Her internal dialog and paranoia made me laugh constantly.  I’m not proud of that, I blame Carolyn Crane.  It was just so funny darn it.  What are your thoughts on Justine? 

Amy: I think Carolyn Crane was brilliant in choosing hypochondria as the vice for Justine. I loved and laughed as well at her constant paranoia as it reminded me of some real life people I know!  I enjoyed Justine’s brassiness yet sensitive nature. She felt very real and a character that could totally be your best friend.

FV: What about our hero Packard?  What was your impression of him?   Did you fall for him right away? 

Amy: First impression was definitely a "you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours" and I ultimately believed Packard was for all parts out for himself.  But as the story progressed and you began to see the underlying tings of jealously he had toward Justine’s boyfriend and the protectiveness he formed towards her it definitely changed my over all view of him.  Ms. Crane was also great at conveying the innate vibe that Justine and Packard felt off each other whenever they were together in a room. That intense chemistry between the two added to the sexual tension and I loved it.

FV: Oh yes, the sexual tension was out of this world.  Nom, nom.  <—That’s an official book review term, true thing.  

FV: I found myself to be quite distrustful of Packard throughout most of the book.  I wanted to trust him and understand his motivations but there always seemed to be a wrench thrown into the works just when I was ready to get on board with the plan.  He seemed to be manipulative however, it was hard to fault him considering his reasons for his behavior.

Amy: I found Packard to be a bundle of emotions and as hard as he tried to adjust to his circumstances it was always his "Achilles heel" so to speak. Without giving away spoilers, it will be very interesting to see how Packard evolves in the next book (Double Cross) given his changing environment.

FV: Is it September 28th yet?  

FV: Did you have a favorite scene? 

Amy: Yes, but I can’t reveal it without spoilers lol.

FV: Me too!  Let’s just say my favorite scene involved a hot tub and a cucumber reference.    There is so much brilliance to discuss in the book it’s impossible to do it without spoilers.

Amy: I really enjoyed the whole concept of Mind Games and can’t wait to get my hands on Double Cross to see what’s in store for all of the characters!

FV: I’m totally with you there Amy.  Mind Games has a firm spot on my top ten favorite urban fantasy’s of 2010 and I can not wait to see what’s next for Justine and others.

Amy’s favorite quote: (There were too many to list but here is one of the steamy quotes:)

"He kisses up my neck, lingering tantalizingly over my ear, doing warm breathy things that feel illicit, especially once his tongue gets involved.  Then he bits down on my earlobe, hot and sharp, and a swoon moves through me, like unexpected sunshine on my stomach." 

How much and how fast can I get that? Lol

FV’s favorite quote:

“When you get around solid, upstanding men, you’re like a bird with tinfoil. It makes you incoherent on a romantic level.”

Amy and FV’s Rating: 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Book Depository

Other books in the series:

Double Cross (September 28th, 2010)

GoodReads

Author’s Website

• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Buzz it up
• Share on technorati
• Subscribe to the comments on this post