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Sep 08, 2013forbesrachel rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Driven to find the murderer of her sister Alina, as well as find the answers to her mysterious message, Mackayla leaves for Dublin. There, she finds herself out of her element; the speech is difficult to understand, the people act in odd ways, there is no one to help her, and creatures of lore are walking among the normal citizens. Mackayla starts off as a girl who had everything (fortunately she is not snobbish), but finds herself in a situation where she has nothing, and although she stumbles along the way, she does think things through, whether through her lists, or by making smart decisions on the spot. Upon reflection she often picks up on things she missed earlier too. The first volume introduces all the players that want the Sinsar Dubh, a Fae book of great power. Mackayla only seeks this book because her sister's last message urged her to find it, but she comes to realize there is more to this than she thought, and that the ones that are seeking it are not to be trusted. One of these is Barrons', a man she wavers between the idea of trusting or not. From their first encounter, Mackayla's and Barrons' relationship is tumultuous, they are both people that do not like to give in, they quarrel (actually it is more like they press all of each others wrong buttons), and they definitely only grudgingly work together. Barrons is a mystery, he is reserved and his motives remain completely hidden. He does nothing to reveal his past and is secretive in his actions. Mackayla quickly picks up on how to read him, but it does nothing to illumine anything about him aside from his personality. Even her constant questions barely manage to get useful information from him. Both keep their secrets and mistrust one another, which leads to the final act of the book. As Mac has no one she can trust, she sets off into the Dark Zone herself, following a clue her sister left behind. The conclusion gives us a peak into the future, for during the final battle we get a sense of what Mackayla will become, and finally some mysteries are solved. Even with all the revelations though, more questions appear. As a narrator Mac often breaks the fourth wall, speaking directly to us about her thoughts, feelings, and the lessons she figured out later; the whole book is told from the perspective of her in the present, reflecting on the past. She is witty with her remarks, especially regarding Barrons, and reflects on her past to provides a clear contrast to her current state of affairs and mind. She continues to bring up what clothes she is wearing compared to what she used to wear, as the clothes are a reflection of her sense of self. There are a great many things that happen to her; meeting V'lane, a royal Seelie who pulls the basest desires out of women, and who she somehow manages to fend off, seeing the terrifying Unseelie, learning of her's and her sister Alina's origins, and more. All of these serve to change her into something more durable, a woman that can stand up to any man or thing. Slowly, she embraces the impossible and her nature as a sidhe-seer. Darkfever is made of an exciting blend of urban fantasy, romance, and mystery, and this is only the beginning of things. The end is satisfying for the volume but many questions are left regarding the death of Alina, the plans of the Unseelie, and just about everything about Barrons. There is definitely the possibility of an interesting chemistry to arise between them, because they have the potential to be equals (Mackayla notes right away he does not seem used to someone not obeying him). The whole time Mackayla has fought off the idea of fighting to save the world, but she no longer has a choice.