I finished rereading the first two books in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. It was like sliding back into a familiar skin. Each time I read, the written world opened up around me.
I love the way she describes things. There is enough imagery to spark your own imagination and then she backs off, deliberately letting you see what you see. I remember the visions I created years ago, during my first time through. This time was just as good.
The main character starts off bubbly, bright, and pink galore. Then her sister is killed in another country and she sets off to find out what happened. Sounds like the plot of a murder mystery, right? Except it turns out to be a bigger mystery with light and dark fairies (Fae) and the fate of the world.
Watching Mac learn, grow, and toughen in her new environment is satisfying. She makes blunders, but learns. Yet she still fights to maintain herself through it all. Her inner dialogue is real and raw. An honesty no one else is privy to. It’s intimate.
These first two books are definitely romance genre, but they’re not what I always thought of when I imagine romance novels. It’s not about falling in love with someone and making passionate love, or lusting after someone and doing it with abandon. It’s about intimacy. Self-discovery. Being in charge of your own wants and needs. Indulging in the feelings, but not necessarily acting on them.
Two books in and we’re still building up to a release. A decade or so ago, I may have been frustrated by this. In fact, I did get frustrated by stories that teased for this long. Now… now I appreciate it. Now I have a better sense of why patience pays. Why sometimes never starting is the better idea. And why, sometimes, the wait makes it all the more satisfying.
The Accidental Domestic Goddess 