SHADOWFEVER is the rabidly-awaited conclusion to Karen Marie Moning's Fever series and packs as much of a punch as its prequels. Now a convert to Moning's writings, it was, however, with trepidation that I first picked up the inaugural book of the series, Dreamfever, almost two years ago . There was something so ludicrous about the idea of a pink-loving, sun-worshiping blonde southern belle heading to Ireland in search of her sister's murderer and becoming wrapped up in a sordid supernatural underworld. Much like many of the book's other characters, from the brooding bookstore owner Jericho Barrons to Fae prince V'Lane, the idea of protagonist MacKayla Lane wielding something more threatening than a martini shaker seemed so far-fetched that I worried that this entire series would be nothing more than a farce.

I could not have been more wrong. Moning isn't afraid to wield the elements of her genre heavy-handedly (there's plenty of internal dialogues consisting mostly of pronouns, long lustful gazes, incredibly beautiful people, sex that changes worlds, etc.) but, most pertinently, these elements are in some of the steadiest hands they could be. The transformations that Mac undergoes in these five books are real and vital and extremely well-written, fully investing the reader in her fate and that of her world. Moning clearly understands emotions and, even more importantly, knows how to accurately represent their power. SHADOWFEVER is the apex of all Mac's changes, where more than one shocking twist is expertly pulled off. I can almost guarantee that fans will not be disappointed by the end to this series.

New readers would do best to start with Dreamfever, as it is a virtual certainty that only confusion can come from starting off with SHADOWFEVER. Fans of Sherrilyn Kenyon and Christine Feehan should find MacKayla's romantic exploits to be well within their purview and will enjoy her sexually-tense interactions with, well, just about everyone she meets. Furthermore, it's impossible not to cheer her on as she comes into her own power and starts kicking some serious ass (fae, human, monster, you name it). If you want to see your afternoon, evening, and the early hours of the morning swiftly disappear, start these books now and enjoy.