Iced (Dani O'Malley, #1; Fever, #6) in Audiobook Junkies

Aug 26, 2011 Carmel (Rabid Reads) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

I hadn't realized how much I'd missed Karen Marie Moning's Dublin until I found myself smack dab in the middle of her Fever universe after having felt its absence for nearly two years. I've always enjoyed Dani as a character but I was worried about how she'd fare as the main protagonist and whether this book would fall into Young Adult territory. Thankfully, real world rules no longer apply; fourteen is mature by After the Wall Crash standards and although there are some Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

I hadn't realized how much I'd missed Karen Marie Moning's Dublin until I found myself smack dab in the middle of her Fever universe after having felt its absence for nearly two years. I've always enjoyed Dani as a character but I was worried about how she'd fare as the main protagonist and whether this book would fall into Young Adult territory. Thankfully, real world rules no longer apply; fourteen is mature by After the Wall Crash standards and although there are some juvenile aspects, this is not a teenaged tale. There’s a line-up of men vying for Dani’s attention, the Death-by-sex-fae are unrelenting and plenty of other older characters do the nasty. This is not a watered down version of Mac and Barrons; Iced is pure KMM gold!

The Mega has always been a fun character to read about; she’s a brilliant ball of energy in an otherwise drab universe and getting her own spin-off gives her the opportunity she needs to really shine. Moning does a bang up job of making sure that readers understand that Dani’s age is just a number. She’s a larger than life superhero with adult responsibilities but she’s also a teenager who’s looking forward to her first of many firsts. I never once managed to forget that she’s 14 but I wasn’t appalled by the amount of sex in this book either. Remember that this is the Fever universe not modern day Ireland. Mega’s joie de vivre leaps off the pages and her witty dialogue will have you grinning from ear to ear.

Karen Marie Moning’s writing has no equal in the world of Urban Fantasy; the Fever universe feels like an alternate reality instead of just a fictional one. KMM has ruined me for all other books and authors because once you’ve had filet mignon it’s hard to go back to ground beef. For the sixth book in a row, the world building is unparalleled, the characters are world-class and the plot is exceptional. I highly recommend that you start with Darkfever if you’re considering giving KMM’s novels a try because even though Iced is book one in the Dani O’Malley trilogy it’s also the sixth installment in the Fever series.

Three interesting candidates step up as potential romances for Dani and it’s impossible to choose a team after only one novel. Personally, I like Dancer at the moment; he’s sweet, human and in her age bracket. He keeps her grounded and helps remind her to be a kid. Christian is über creepy and currently ranks at the bottom of my hotties list but I’m not discounting him yet because, well, this is Moning after all. I’m not sure how I feel about Ryodan for Dani but for me… he can nod at me anytime!

There is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of this book but it should in no way deter you from reading it even though Burned is a long ways away. It’s tolerable. Iced does Karen Marie Moning’s bestselling Fever series justice and I think that fans will approve; it’s fecking Mega!

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Aug 26, 2011 Darcy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, uf, 2021, fae, 2012, audio-book, listened-to-at-work, 2013, re-read-2021

When I learned that Moning was going to continue the Fever world in a new series centered around Dani I was leery, mostly because a little of Dani goes a long way. As it got closer to the release of Iced I started to get excited. Then as I saw friend after friend start to read Iced and their ratings and comments I was back to leery. It seemed like you either loved it or hated it. I seem to be in the middle, as I liked this one.

As I said a little of Dani went a long way, and it might have been m When I learned that Moning was going to continue the Fever world in a new series centered around Dani I was leery, mostly because a little of Dani goes a long way. As it got closer to the release of Iced I started to get excited. Then as I saw friend after friend start to read Iced and their ratings and comments I was back to leery. It seemed like you either loved it or hated it. I seem to be in the middle, as I liked this one.

As I said a little of Dani went a long way, and it might have been made more obvious by listening to the audio rather than reading the book, because, “Dude!” was used waaaaay too often. I thought the narrators did a great job. My only complaint would be that the male voices weren’t as loud as the female ones. I would turn up to hear more clearly, then have my ear drums assaulted when it went back to the female voice.

I really liked that we learned more about Dani’s background, things about her make much more sense now and I understand why she reacts the way she does. I did get tired of everyone treats her like a kid, then turns around and expects her to save them, I don’t get that. It is as bad as her referring to herself as a superhero, the kid part sneaking out.

It was interesting how Dani seemed so grown up about sex at times, yet much of what was going on in regards to that flew over her head. I was really creeped out by how the guys viewed her. At one point Christian knew his attraction was wrong because she is 14, while he is 22, 8 years, but at that age 8 years is a lot. I don’t even want to think about what the difference is between her and Rydon. While I could understand Christian’s attraction and his actions, some of which were gross, Rydon stymied me. He laid a claim on Dani, his guys knew about it, yet he was having sex with Jo. I liked how Dani reacted to this, she tried to defend Jo, get her to change her mind. Dani questioning Rydon if he loved Jo was classic. This was one of those times where she was more adult in her definition of love, trying to get Jo to see what was really going on and get Rydon to admit was a piece of crap her was. While bothered by the men’s interest in Dani, I did love seeing them snipe at each other, each claiming she was his. I think what made it so funny was that Dani didn’t get it.
Dancer intrigues me. A brand new character that we don’t know anything about, but I have a feeling he will have big role to play, sort of like V’Lane/Cruce or Dreamy Eyed Guy/King. There is more there, but for this book I like that he is a safe place for Dani. I do wonder if the bracelet he gave is some sort of tracking device, as it seems to out of the norm for what their relationship is. I did love it when Dancer laid into both Rydon and Christian and they could do nothing but take it.

The girls at the abby and what was happening there up til the end seemed like filler to me. It was interesting to see Kat try to fight Cruce, but it was the same thing over and over again. I thought much of the same about Inspector Jayne too, right up until he betrayed Dani. I really didn’t see that coming and honestly, think less of him for it.

I had hoped to see Mac and Barrons more in this one. I understand why Dani is afraid of facing Mac, but I don’t think she needs to be. I do wonder about their meeting at the end, guess we will have to wait until next book to see how things shake out.
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Mar 29, 2012 J.A. Belfield rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Dude! Where to fe***ng start?
Okay, I’ll go with the simplest part of my review first: Iced is one of the best books I’ve read in a good while.
The reason for this is that it’s made up of a whole heap of different components.
It has: intelligence; wit; twisted hot guys; a kick-a$$ yet 100% vulnerable MC; awesome characterisation; descriptions that leave you in no doubt as to what’s happening or with no trouble visualising; imagination; originality; mystery & intrigue; action; sexiness; surprises; a Dude! Where to fe***ng start?
Okay, I’ll go with the simplest part of my review first: Iced is one of the best books I’ve read in a good while.
The reason for this is that it’s made up of a whole heap of different components.
It has: intelligence; wit; twisted hot guys; a kick-a$$ yet 100% vulnerable MC; awesome characterisation; descriptions that leave you in no doubt as to what’s happening or with no trouble visualising; imagination; originality; mystery & intrigue; action; sexiness; surprises; and to top it all, a GREAT voice.
Let me just chat about that last component for a second. Because it’s no secret a lot of KMM fans were a little concerned about the MC chosen for Iced. After all, Dani could be a bit of an irritant during her scenes in the Fever series, always giving it the big ‘I am’. However, I cannot possibly put into words just how impressed I am with KMM for pulling off a believable voice, one full of teen angst and attitude, alongside Dani’s constant self-proclamations, without pissing the reader off. Because, yes, in Iced, Dani is—to steal a Dani term—‘the shit!’ In fact, I believe it’s wholly possible that I prefer Dani’s voice to Mac’s. She’s fun, she’s sarcastic (and I love sarcasm), aaaaaaaaand she make even the toughest and self-composed dudes laugh. Loved her. Seriously.
So let’s chat about the twisted hot guys a mo. To be honest, I didn’t know which way to be tugged when it came to the dudes. Because Dani has not just one but three with their eye on her—I suspect, all for different reasons, too. Ryoden kinda left me confused and frustrated. He’s an infuriating guy who you can’t help but be mega intrigued by, but his interest in Jo? Yeah, not getting/buying that. Though, let’s not forget the very subtle shift in her demeanour toward him down in that cellar once ‘contracts’ were on the table. Underhanded is the first word that springs to mind when I delve deeper in that relationship. And then we have his most unusual interest (and almost soft spot) for Dani. I honestly believe his taunting of Christian is exactly that. I’m not convinced Ryoden wants Dani for something as base as sex. I believe there is WAY more to Dani than meets the eye, and I think Ryoden sees it. Either that, or there is some kind of prophecy that Ryoden just happens to know of—because, let’s face it, the dude knows everything, right? Of course, this is mere speculation, which I rarely ever do in reviews—but then this book leaves you with a whole lot to speculate if you look beyond the mere happenings of this title and search for the bigger picture. As already mentioned above, we also have Christian. Though he was somewhat creepy at times, he was also incredible hot in his own right, and incredibly vulnerable (and entertaining). I don’t believe he has any underhanded agendas—at least, not that he is himself aware of—but I do think there is much more going on with him and Dani needs to watch out. His intentions might seem pure to himself, but I’m not 100% convinced he’s the one pulling his strings. Finally, there’s Dancer. The mere human. The one seen as weaker by the other two, but can knock them dead with his brain power and proved exactly that, as well as not being an ounce of afraid of the bigger two. I loved his relationship with Dani, loved their interactions, and whilst my heart is telling me he is totally the right guy for our young heroine, my more sensible brain is telling me to never assume and never believe that anything will ever be that simple.
Anyway, I think that might be enough spoilers for one review in my character opinions alone. But I do feel I have to mention the plot at least a little bit. Because, despite the pace of the book seeming a little slow, it didn’t feel slow as I was reading. It felt more as though I was working vigilantly alongside Dani—and one must stay vigilant if they’re to take it all in—to solve the mystery (or all of them) at the exact pace she did. Did I see anything coming? Tiny little bits maybe. Like the idea Ryoden comes up with for the grand finale, though I didn’t anticipate just how the actual occurrence of such would play out. But I didn’t pre-amp much.
So, drawing the review to an end, I’ll wrap up with a mention of the ‘dreaded cliffhanger’. Some folk hate cliffhangers. Personally, I’m pretty ecstatic there was one in Iced, and I am seriously hoping for a good five books or so to this series, because KMM style, I suspect it will take at least that long for all my questions to be answered. And, boy, am I left with a shed-load of questions. About Cruce & Mac & Ryoden & Christian—okay, pretty much everything and everyone—but to list them here would be the biggest spoilers of them all. So I’ll just end by saying: gimme more!
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Sep 12, 2012 Mogsy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fae, urban, paranormal, post-apocalyptic

I had serious doubts when I first heard about the author's plans for this novel. As urban fantasy series go, I thought the first five Fever books were okay and liked them well enough to want to keep reading if KMM decided to write any more books based on the characters and setting in this world.

What jarred me was when I found out that this sixth book, while continuing the Fever story, was going to star Dani O'Malley as the main protagonist and narrator in kind of her own spin-off. My first thou I had serious doubts when I first heard about the author's plans for this novel. As urban fantasy series go, I thought the first five Fever books were okay and liked them well enough to want to keep reading if KMM decided to write any more books based on the characters and setting in this world.

What jarred me was when I found out that this sixth book, while continuing the Fever story, was going to star Dani O'Malley as the main protagonist and narrator in kind of her own spin-off. My first thought was, just why the hell would you take the most juvenile, idiotic and annoying character in the Fever series and give her her own novel? Several novels, actually, as it appears Dani will actually be getting her own trilogy.

As it turned out, her narrative wasn't as I thought...once you get used to her childish belligerence, naivete, her mangling of the English language and the overuse of the word "feck", that is. I even started to like it after a while. Dani is fourteen years old, and I can certainly believe it. Even though I'm sure she would irritate the hell out of me as a real person, as a character I enjoyed reading about her, and KMM gave her a unique voice which I could immediately tell apart from Kat and Christian (the other two POVs we get in this novel).

The main issue I have, however, is I'm not sure what direction the author wants to go with Dani's series. At first glance, you'd probably think, oh, 14-year-old female protagonist, urban fantasy genre, post-apocalyptic setting, this must be a YA book!

Um, but it's not. Way not. Like the rest of the Fever series, Iced is meant for adults. And here's where I'm a bit confused as to why she chose a child to be her protagonist for this trilogy.

I also wouldn't categorize this as "paranormal romance" in a million years, at least without feeling twenty different kinds of dirty and wrong. If this does turn out to be a PR, of the three men in Dani's life, only the idea of one of them ending up with her is tolerable to me and doesn't trigger a gag reflex. The other two, a creepy stalker-ish 20-something-year-old "death by sex" Unseelie prince and an overbearing, controlling immortal older man (subjective age probably 30s or so) just give me all kinds of creepy pedo-vibes. Do they seriously have to give her candy, too? Ick.

Any way you look at it, this book is published in modern western times for a modern western audience and in modern western society, 14 years old is still a child. While there is nothing too explicit in this novel, reading about Dani constantly getting stripped to her underwear around these guys and them all getting hard-ons and possessive instincts while looking at or thinking about one day having sex with her and taking her virginity gives me all kinds of uncomfortable feelings. The iffy vibes practically rolled off the page and into my face, and it's hard to shake.

It makes me wonder if KMM will jump a few years ahead in the next book. It'll probably be the wise thing to do if she wants to continue in this vein. If nothing else, it certainly provides a talking point, because aside from a unique main character and her having a different voice, nothing else in this novel really stood out for me. The story was okay, I liked it but it was a bit predictable. Everyone spends the whole book trying to figure out the mystery of why certain places in Dublin are being iced, but not even halfway through I already guessed the reason. The one mystery I can't solve? Why Ryodan, who has experienced so much after living thousands of years, can do everything better than Dani, has all kinds of resources at his fingertips, would need to enlist the help of a 14-year-old girl to handle his problems. ...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own, kindle, read-in-2012, look-forward-to

Frantic - check
Exciting - check
Strong Dani - check
Scary fairies - check
A cliffhanger I can live with - check

This and other reviews can also be found on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

Full review to come when I caught my breath again. ...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Lupdilup rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Listening!
Just the idea of being back in Dublin had me doing cartwheels.
I have to wonder if in a few days, when my head and my ideas cool off am I going to come back and change my rating to 4 stars, I don’t know, as in right now, I loved it!!!
Dublin is freezing over, and it will take Ryodan with the help of 14 year -old Dani and some new and old characters to solve the mystery.
For some reason, I found this world a little darker, a little edgier and a lot sexier than Fever.
First, let me start Listening!
Just the idea of being back in Dublin had me doing cartwheels.
I have to wonder if in a few days, when my head and my ideas cool off am I going to come back and change my rating to 4 stars, I don’t know, as in right now, I loved it!!!
Dublin is freezing over, and it will take Ryodan with the help of 14 year -old Dani and some new and old characters to solve the mystery.
For some reason, I found this world a little darker, a little edgier and a lot sexier than Fever.
First, let me start with Dani, a complete different heroine than Mac; where Mac was soft, Dani is hard- she's been forced to grow up fast, she doesn't have the pink outlook the Mac's used to have, but you can see that she still a child in so many ways. We learn a lot about her, what has shaped her attitude, all she has gone through to survive, and there’s no doubt, there’s still a lot more to be learned.
I can’t deny that living inside her head for the major part of this novel was sometimes wearisome, just as any 14 year old would be; I couldn’t help thinking in the back of my mind, why didn’t Ms. Moning let her spend a few years in Fairy in between Shadowfever and Iced.
I imagine I have to trust the journey, and the transformation that Dani will inevitably have to go through to become the kind of heroine Mac is, or perhaps even a better one.
On the other hand, the magic of Ms. Moning’s words is ever-present on every page; taking you, coaxing you to feel, and making you experience the darkness, coldness and sexiness of the new Dublin.
Barrons who?
Not quite, but I can say with total confidence, Ms. Moning sure knows how to create a fantastic and total alpha- sexy hero.
Ryodan may be a little too mean for some, but I can remember plenty of times when Barrons was a total d**k to Mac, and yet, I totally fell in-love with his character. I had to remind myself to trust Ms. Moning.
Right now, I think Ryodan is sexy as hell (I'm loving him already) even though some of the things he does to Dani make me want to hate him; nevertheless, I take a look at Dani, and I think to myself, she’s got a lot growing up to do...... There's plenty of testosterone to go around.....And it made think, why in the hell is this child here??? But Dani O'Malley has been here all along, she’s been here since she’s was 9 years-old, she’s been through a lot and has seen a lot in this dark, predatory world.... Nobody said it was pretty.

All I can see right now is a whole lot possibilities to where this story might be heading, but this is exactly why I love her books... I love the not knowing, the guessing and sometimes the knowing...If you’ve read her novels you know exactly what I’m talking about, the mysteries are being knitted it, and I’m already paying close attention to the small details.
There are new characters to love and some old ones to get freaked out by, but they only make the ride more engrossing and never boring.
I would inevitably do a comparison to the Fever series, and all I can come up with is, Darkfever wasn’t that great, but after the third book, I was left exhausted, impressed, in-love, and at awe with Ms. Moning’s talent, and I most definitely see the potential here.
Wouldn’t you know it...Yes a (small) cliffhanger! But even If I knew there was going to be one, it would’ve never stop me from picking up this book the day it came out.
In the end, all I can hope is that you enjoy the novel as much as I did.
Next book, please!!!!
I posted a review of the audiobook at:
http://lupdilup-hotlistens.blogspot.c... ...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Julie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, favorites

I love the world KMM has crafted. I've followed the creation of the Fever World in it's creation in the Highlander series to Mac, and It's been the biggest roller coaster I've ever been on. This was more of the same intense emotional ride as the other books since the walls fell. I bought this book on release day in Oct. but with all the comments from so many I just held on and couldn't pick it up. Not sure why I waited, if I just needed to be in the right mind set or just trying to wait closer t ...more

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