On the Edge

Plot Summary: Rose Drayton is just getting by. Most of her family are dead or deserted, and she's trying to raise her two younger brothers on an under-the-table salary from a cleaning company. It's a sad, but unremarkable story except for the magic that runs through Rose's family, and the small number of people who live in the Edge. It's a strange no-man's land that borders the Broken, our non-magical reality, and the Weird, a place where magic runs freely. Life has been its usual grind until two unusual things pop up in the Edge simultaneously; man-eating magical hounds and a tall, blond, aristocratic warrior who won't take no for an answer. I cannot think of a single thing I'd change in this book. It's like the Andrews read my mind, and crafted the perfect fantasy just for me. I realize that everyone is calling this an urban fantasy, but "On The Edge" read more like a paranormal romance to me, especially when compared to the Kate Daniels series, which I also love. I think this book straddles the bridge between PNR and UF, and would satisfy fans from either side. First, there was the character development overall, which was top notch and expanded well beyond Rose and Declan, the blueblood from the Weird. Rose's brothers, Jack and Georgie, and Grandmother Éléonore were all brought to life in ways that felt authentic and sincere. Rose's small family is a big part of the story, and often the heroine in these types of stories is a complete loner, but Rose is different in that she constantly had something to lose. It made the dangers feel even more intense. The romance between Rose and Declan had perfect pitch, balance, and harmony. In short, it sang sweetly to me, and I wish more authors could write relationships that stretched and pulled out the romantic tension like taffy. Unlike the Kate Daniels series, the reader is treated to a lot more in the romance department, and even a love scene or two. Yippee! Finally, I can't close without saying that this is another really cool fantasy construct that blends our boring, mundane existence with something fantastical hidden in a parallel dimension. Maybe `dimension` isn't the right way to describe it, but the concept is simple and seductive. I like the idea of magic existing on the other side of some hidden boundary. Most of this book took place in the Edge, with trips to the Broken, and given the setup at the end, I'm assuming a big chunk of book two will take place in the Weird. I can't wait to read more.

Comic geeks and anime fiends take note--since this is set in a slightly more attuned to how the real world (shudder at the thought) works, we get to read about all that geeky stuff we love. Inu-Yasha is mentioned, the Green Arrow, DC Direct Action Figures...I spent a good part of the first half of the book squeeing until my dad looked at me weird. On a more important to the book itself note, Rose isn't Kate. You can't compare the two because frankly their situations aren't the same. Rose is raising her two (hellion) brothers George and Jack (George who can raise the dead and Jack who's a feline changling) on a $7/hr wage, trying to give them some semblance of a good upraising so that they can go forth in the Broken world and make something better of themselves then she did. Her granddad is best considered a zombie (George resurrected him...he does that a lot. He's got a real soft heart and hates to see things die.) and her grandma has a spitfire personality. Their parents...well the mom is dead (after being...rather scandelous) and their dad ran off 4 years ago to hunt for treasure. As you can see if nothing else, family life is complicated. Declan took a little longer for me to warm up to, but there's mitigating circumstances after his introduction so I can't really hold this all against him. I do admit to falling somewhat in lustlove with him cause the man has a large array of pointy weapons. A veritable treasure trove of sharp, pointy swords, knives and everything in between. His interactions with Rose border on the 'how quickly before he says something to piss her off' more often than not, but there's no....malicious intent for either of them in their fighting. Its two entirely too similar personalities clashing repeatedly because they're too stubborn to learn better. He tries! I will give him props, he tries really hard to if not give in to Rose's demands, work with them. Our cast of surrounding characters range from the typical backwoods oily sales car type to the ridiculously terrifying Bad of the book. Casshorn didn't just look terrifying, and it wasn't even his acts that terrified me the most. It was the way he talked. Exaggerated politeness while discussing flaying a person alive and sucking all their juices was then paired with the equivalent of 'I hope your family is doing well' Southern mannerisms. William, who has a variety of roles in the novel and I can't really go into all of them since some of it would include spoilers, is a loose canon. I liked him well enough at first, but like Rose he just seemed kind of...meh to me. Again good reasons. The book had some really funny lines and the funniest to me was at the very very end, the VERY last page (309 in the mass market paperback edition), five lines down from the top. I can't post it because its a spoiler, but that line right there? I had to drop the book it made me giggle so hard. And sure I'm an easy person to make laugh, but for some reason that line made me really, really

After reading the Kate Daniels series in less than a week, which had me jonesing pretty hard for another fix--this led me to re-reading the whole and biting my nails for the next installment (which comes out June 2010 *sigh*)--so imagine my delight when I realized several weeks ago that there's to be a brand spanking new series. Of course when I read the blurb, I was like 'huh?', the Edge?, Weird?, and Broken? But I knew already that Illona Andrews would never let me down, so I immediately pre-ordered with my Kindle! I woke up at 6AM today and made sure my Kindle downloaded the book straight away. Try imagining reading and getting ready for work at the same time--quite hazardous, don't recommend it with coffee lol--. From the very start, On The Edge, kept my attention engaged. The world-building was fabulous, you aren't inundated and suffocated with facts--somehow it just flowed. I loved the romance, the interesting characters, and the awesome villain---not to mention the hero! The heroine is more than a match for him! I love how she HAD TO WORK for her powers (just like Kate!!), she trained for it--it's a bit annoying that most of the books out in this genre comes with effortlessly-super-powerful heroines. I'd love to be Wonder Woman too but it just doesn't make it as believable when you know the heroine WORKED for it. I'm not going to give you an in-dept review of the story, I want you to read it and see it for yourself. The only thing I complain about is that now I have two series of Illona Andrews that I'll be jonesing for! Ahh!

Many readers will be familiar with husband and wife writing duo Ilona Andrews through their very successful Kate Daniels series. (If you're not, I highly recommend them, but that's another review.) On the Edge is the start to an all-new series from the writing team, one that many readers might view as "something to fill the time while I wait for the next Kate Daniels book". This would be an erroneous view to take. I picked up On the Edge knowing I was in for good writing, but I thought I'd be able to read a couple of chapters and then put it down to make dinner. As it turns out, the spouse was subjected to frozen pizza for dinner that night, because I could not put the book down. When I finally had no choice (work, what a pest!), I thought about it when I wasn't reading. I couldn't wait to pick it up again and get back to the characters and the world. From the moment Rose and her two young brothers, changeling Jack and necromancer George appear on the page, I'm completely hooked. Some world building background: The Weird is a world that mirrors our own, but with magic instead of technology. For example, their Airforce flies wyverns, not jets - but they do have an Airforce. They even have special forces. Our world, called the Broken, has no magic at all, and if an Edger stays in it for too long, they'll lose what magic they have, permanently. Edgers like Rose and her family are mixed blood descendants of both the Weird and the Broken. Many of them have magic, but not enough to be welcome in the magical Weird, and too much to want to give it up and go live a "normal" life in our world, the Broken. (If they even could - many of the Edgers weren't born in the Broken, and therefore don't have things like birth certificates or social security cards.) They survive on the Edge, a strip of land between the Weird and the Broken, stealing electricity from across the Border and using Ward stones to keep out the worst of the dangerous creatures the Weird deposits in their Wood. Rose and her two brothers, Jack and Georgie, are among the most powerful of the people on the Edge. In fact, bluebloods from the Weird have been showing up for years, trying to steal Rose away so she can pop out highly magical babies for them (power seems to be a big part of the pecking order in the Weird.) But Rose isn't having it. When Declan shows up, she tells him what she told all the others - no, I won't sleep with you, I won't marry you, go away. But Declan is different. He doesn't try to force his way past her Wards - he offers her a challenge. Give him three tasks, and if he can complete them, she will belong to him. If he fails, he'll leave the Edge and never return. Rose reluctantly agrees. But coming up with tasks guaranteed to make Declan fail is soon the least of Rose's problems. Evil, terrible hounds have started showing up and trying to eat people, particularly magical people, which puts Rose, her brothers, and their paternal grandmother Éléonore at the top of the

There exists a place between the mundane world (called the Broken) and the magical (called the Weird). This place takes on elements of the two other worlds to become a place where lesser magic can exist. This place is called the Edge. Rose Drayton lives on the Edge. Her life is alternately mundane and magical. She must work as a cleaning lady to make ends meet for her family, but whens he's in the Edge, she also has the enviable ability to 'flash' a dangerous burst of magic. It was Rose's flash that got her into so much trouble in the first place. Trouble comes in many forms, though. And just when things seem to have settled for her family (for better or worse) Declan enters her life. The arrogant aristocrat seems to bring as much trouble as Rose herself--and the sort of trouble that follows him into the Edge threatens everything Rose loves. The genre for ON THE EDGE is pretty ambiguous. Because it doesn't take place in the world as we know it, the story doesn't quite fit into the category of 'urban' fantasy. However, because the story seems so similar to our world, or parts of it, the distinction of 'traditional' fantasy doesn't apply either. Instead, Andrews has affectionately dubbed the story as a 'rural' fantasy. I suppose that or 'dark fantasy' or 'fantasy' will do. The genre isn't important, anyway, because I think that people who enjoy all sorts of fantasy can enjoy Andrews' story. Perhaps, particularly the fans of urban fantasy will find something refreshing in this new world. The premise and characters of ON THE EDGE are great. Though I winced when 'redneck grandpa Cletus' entered the stage, I was able to forgive the stereotypical name and actions, because I believe Andrews was pointing them out in fun. Otherwise, the 'rural' aspect of ON THE EDGE is done in a way that's understandable, interesting, and human. The characters especially make ON THE EDGE fun. I felt for Rose and her little brothers. I usually don't really care for kids in fiction of any sort, but Georgie and Jack really had my heart. Little Georgie the necromancer who hates death and feral Jack who wants to protect his brother... And--of course--like any Andrews novel, the book is too easy to read in one sitting. Andrews' control over action and the story is admirable and easy to read and follow. Finally, I have to wonder how Andrews is going to continue this series. Because ON THE EDGE has been verified as a series. I'm not entirely sure if Rose and Declan's story will continue, as it has wrapped up so nicely. Alternately, I can see where there would be room to give the pair more challenges. Still, I can't help but think I'd like to see what other families and women are struggling on the Edge... Definitely a highly recommended read for this year, especially since Andrews steps away from adding another urban fantasy to the mix and instead decides to try something completely unique.