Nofisat is a BellaNaijarian Reading the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning

This is A BellaNaijarian Reading, where folks come to discuss the books their reading—why they’re reading it, what they love about it, and why you should read it, too. You can read previous entries here.

Nofisat is a recent graduate on the cusp of finding herself and her true purpose. She’s reading the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning and she has several thoughts about it.

Nofisat’s Reading Habits
I’d be lying if I said I’ve been reading novels all my life. Although I grew up with siblings obsessed with reading anything in the semblance of a novel, I was never interested in reading anything that had little or nothing to do with my academic requirements. I paid no mind to reading a novel and conjuring images with one’s imagination; it all seemed like a bag of baloney to me. I had this notion: why would I be interested in reading books when I can get the same rush from watching movies? (Actual images!)

On this note, I will say: reading chose me, and not the other way around. I was home during a semester break one afternoon, bored to wits. I decided to scan through one of my sister’s novels laying on the bed. It was titled Exclusive by Sandra Brown. I remember being intrigued by the excerpt, and not thinking twice before diving in. I was enamoured by all the emotions I felt while reading, how it pushes my imagination. I’ve never looked back since then. Now I prefer curling up in a chair with a good book than any other past time or leisure activity. I always get a feeling of gratitude of being introduced to the world of prose by the extremely talented author, Sandra Brown.

Although I’m a hopeless romantic, I’m mostly enthralled by novels with visceral plots that I know will question and shape my beliefs and perspectives. The excerpt of a book always determines if I want to read it or not, it’s all about the blurb for me.

I buy my books from random book vendors sometimes, but mostly at Books @ Half Limited. I’m always in awe of that book store. So many books in one place gives me the goosies. I also search online for books that I’ve heard or read about and can’t find the paperback, which in turn led to me discovering websites for reading novels that I indulge in when I run out of paperback or am thirsty for books by a particular author.

In my opinion, book clubs are worth the effort because they expose you to the views and perspectives of other readers. I don’t belong to a book club, but I have discussions with my sisters on books we’ve all read, and I also review books I’ve read for my WhatsApp contacts. I would love to have my own YouTube channel, where I can review books and help new authors promote their books, and encourage people to read more.

On reading the Fever Series
First, I read reviews about the five books in the series to gauge if it’s worth investing my time in. Then, sometime toward the end of July, I read an excerpt and decided to move forward by reading the whole thing. It’s about the Fae world. I’ve only read one other series about the Fae world (A Court Series), which I really enjoyed, and made me want to read about the Fae world from a different author’s perspective.

The book is about MacKayla Lane, a twenty two year old girl who learns of her sister’s murder and goes in search of her murderer in Dublin. MacKayla gets sucked into another world she never knew existed: a world of Fae, Seelie and Unseelie immortals, Dark Hunters, a deadly book that can destroy the world as we know it, and mostly the world of Jericho Barrons, a deadly being (true nature not specified) who has lived for over seven hundred thousand years, seeking to get the book of Sinsar Dubh and use its deadly spells to save his only son that he had been forced to cage underground for centuries. I have much respect for MacKayla, life has thrown her so many unexpected adventures and hardships, together with having to deal with her sister’s murderers, but her strength and drive to always face her problems head on and thrive in the face of despair is a character trait I admire. Her character growth from Book 1 to 5 is remarkable.

The author’s characterisation is praiseworthy. She breathes life in her characters in a way that leaves the reader in awe of her imagination. But one really big issue I have with this book is the author’s manner of storytelling. She doesn’t give a full insight into her characters’ emotions, actions and words. She skims the surface and expects the reader to figure it out. There are so many backstories and dialogues that have been glossed over. I believe another fantasy author like Sarah J Mass would have done a much better job with the plot and characters.

Other books Nofisat has read/is reading/wants to recommend
I read Madame Bovary by Gaustave Flaubert and the next book on my reading list, Soultaker by
Bryan Smith is sitting pretty in my wardrobe.

Honestly, I’ve only read one book that was published in 2018: Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich‘s.

Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich is top of my list for books I look forward to read in 2019. I’ve read the previous 25 books, including the four summer books, and can’t wait for the next instalment.

I’d recommend all the books in the McNally Series by Lawrence Sanders/Vincent Lardo, and also Queen Bee of Mimosa by Haywood Smith. I also love Sean Stewart‘s mastery of prose in Galveston.

Sloane Gardner; her mother left her in the world with little or no knowledge of what to do with her life, the challenges that she’d face. She had to go through life on her own. Even though she was surrounded by friends and allies, she couldn’t relate with any of them and went ahead to carve her own path. At the end of the novel, she embraced every single one of her choices and decisions, because they were of her own accord, and as a result of the situation she found herself in, due to navigating life on her own terms and in her own way. She was a survivor who chose to make lemonades out of lemon.

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Have you read any of these books? Tell us about it.