I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Iced
by
Karen Marie Moning
It is part of the , series and is a urban fantasy that was published by Delacorte Press on October 30, 2012 and has 495 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Shadowfever, Tapestry, The Highlander's Touch, Feverborn
First in the Dani O’Malley urban fantasy series, a spin-off from Moning’s Fever series. And still based in Dublin.
The writing was good – a “4”.
Dani’s character sucks – a “2”.
The romance angle…ick… – “1”,
which all averages out to a “2”.
In 2012, Iced was nominated for the Goodreads Choice for Paranormal Fantasy.
My Take
G.A.G. The actual writing was good. And as much as it pains me to say, Moning did a great job depicting an angst-y, whiny, bitchy, egotistical, self-centered, self-important, bragging, naive, clueless, full-of-herself, teenager. Gettin’ the picture on how I feel about Dani??
I’ll wait until either Dani grows up or someone kills her off…please God!! She doesn’t think. At all. She simply reacts and eats Snickers. Okay, I get the Snickers… Her whole approach to her freeze-framing is so incredibly stupid. Essentially, she races faster than the wind until she bonks into something. People. A wall. Cars. Has she ever considered the possibility of figuring out how to navigate as she moves??? I mean, duhhh… Then there’s the trip to the White Mansion’s library in which she acts like a three-year-old at Christmas. W.T.F. Then there’s Dani’s attitude about anything negative that she does. An “it’s their own fault if they get in her way”, and she goes merrily on her way with the occasional sad moment.
This whole “attraction” thing Moning has going on with FOURTEEN-year-old Dani, Ryodan, and Christian is just gross. Seriously disgusting. Dancer? Okay, he’s within a reasonable age, but the other two? I don’t care how Fae-ish they are. Dani’s cluelessness only adds to the ick factor. It’s almost funny how many of the sexual innuendos go flying right over Dani’s head.
We do learn a lot about Dani’s early childhood and the horrors she underwent with her mother and then with Rowena.
What is the deal with WeCare? They claim to want Dani’s endorsement after the things they said about her on their copycat news sheet?
The whole “seduction” thing with Kat and Cruce had such potential that Moning never took anywhere.
Then there’s the moment Dani figures out the attraction for the Hoar Frost King followed by the hours and hours of trying to find the right note. Well, duh…just think of what was likely to be occurring at the various kill sites and play it from there.
I did crack up at Moning’s description of churches and faith: “…some folks perform rituals, subset A, and other folks perform rituals, subset B, C, or D, and so on…and deny everyone else’s right to heaven if they’re not performing the same rituals.”
Well, one thing I can say for Iced, there’s plenty of action and even more mouth. Mostly Dani’s. If you can handle listening to bragging, ignorant teens, you can handle Dani.
The Story
The walls have cracked between our world and that of the Fae and the Unseelie prison walls are down. The world has collapsed. A third of humanity has died overnight with the death toll rising.
Dani is happily racing about, posting her one-page newsletter keeping Dublin informed on how to kill various Seelie/Unseelie monsters, and hanging with Dancer. Then Ryodan steps in with a job offer. One he won’t allow her to refuse.
It seems that Christian MacKeltar has been keeping an eye on Dani as well.
Then there’s Kat’s dilemma of the iced prince seducing her in her dreams.
The Characters
Dani “Mega” O’Malley (I think of her as “Gaggy”) is a fourteen-year-old pain with superpowers she’s willing to yammer on and on and on about. Think of a wired teen with super-ADD. She lives to kill Fae. Seems she’s also the one who killed Alina, Mac’s sister. Dancer is her best friend. A supersmart seventeen-year-old trapped in Dublin when the walls fell.
Ryodan runs Chester’s, the underground party central for the Fae. He’s also Barrons’ best friend and a seriously scary, powerful dude. Lor is both annoyed and amused by Dani and Kasteo and Fade are some of Ryodan’s henchmen.
Christian MacKeltar is the Highlander Druid whom Mac rescued. Only he’s turning into an Unseelie Prince with a serious hard-on for Dani. Inspector Jayne and his Guardians have their part to play in ticking off Dani. Jericho Barrons and Mac have a cameo appearance and Barrons Books & Baubles still stands, and Dani talks about them…a LOT. Rainey Lane, Mac’s mom, has a short scene.
Katarina McLaughlin is the current Grand Mistress of the abbey full of sidhe-seers who were supposed to be protecting the Sinsar Dubh; Sean O’Bannion is her soul mate. Margery McLaughlin is Kat’s cousin, one of Rowen’s inner circle, and I’d like to put her up against a brick wall. Colleen, Tara Lynn, and Jo are fellow sidhe-seers—Jo is a friend who comes to rescue Dani from Ryodan’s dungeon. Rowena is the now-deceased former leader. And a real nightmare on her own.
V’lane is actually Cruce, a majorly evil Unseelie Prince who has absorbed the Sinsar Dubh, a book containing all the darkest, most twisted magic of the Fae race. He’s also one of the Four Horseman, War to be precise. Queen Aoibheal is gone and R’jan is king of the Fae now.
An Ice Monster is freezing people to death and bringing a new Ice Age to Dublin. In June. The Crimson Hag likes to gut people and knit their entrails into a skirt for herself.
The Cover and Title
The cover is grim. It’s a nightmarish street scene of gray, dilapidated buildings; an angry, red sky overhead; an icy, gray road underneath; and, surrounded by crackling gray ice. Dani is the tiny focus in the center, her long, red hair blowing, and her long, black leather coat flying behind her as she swaggers across the street.
Oh, yeah…the world is well on its way to being Iced, and they’re all panicking.
