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veraann's review against another edition
4.0
Really liked this book. It is my first by Ilona Andrews. It was fast-paced. It had some romance and banter between characters without feeling cheesy. The world created was interesting.
Spoiler
I liked that there was a love triangle between William, Declan and Rose without being the girl torn between 2 men. It wasn't a huge focus on this triangle and she wasn't leading either on. It was refreshing to read something in this genre that had that element without being the focus or the whiny girl not knowing who to choose.bookwyrm76's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book. It's more romance than the Kate series, but it was fun and a fast read with some characters that I liked. At the end, I really wasn't sure if it woudl be the start of a series or a single book. Andrews could have taken it either way.
snoopydoo77's review against another edition
4.0
Okay I have to say if I would not know Ilona Andrews and their great work, there would be no way I would have picked up this book looking at the cover. It is rather cheesy and reminds me of some sneezy 80 romance book.
But luckily the book is not like the cover.
I really enjoyed this book it was different form some other settings I read recently and that was refreshing. I thought it had a great modern take with some old-world charm in it. It was very nicely explained and written and easy to understand.
You can find my full review here:
http://snoopydoosbookreviews.com/on-the-edge-the-edge-1-by-ilona-andrews/
But luckily the book is not like the cover.
I really enjoyed this book it was different form some other settings I read recently and that was refreshing. I thought it had a great modern take with some old-world charm in it. It was very nicely explained and written and easy to understand.
You can find my full review here:
http://snoopydoosbookreviews.com/on-the-edge-the-edge-1-by-ilona-andrews/
kathydavie's review against another edition
3.0
First in The Edge, a suspenseful paranormal romance series revolving around a section of lawless country inhabited by fiercely independent families. The couple focus is on Rose Drayton and Declan Camarine.
My Take
Wow, the first half of this story was just excellent...well, the whole story was good. It's this fourth re-reading that has encouraged me to raise my first reading from a "3" to a "4".
It's just that the first half was such an amazing bit of writing with Andrews creating an entirely new world...again…and then it descended into romantic cliche for the second half. I was wrong. It is a romance, but nothing clichéd. It's how Declan goes about seducing Rose, one intellect against another. Then there's the seduction of Rose's brothers. Brothers who have their own conflicts to deal with that add such spice to the story.
Andrews paints a good picture of the differences between the Broken, the Edge, and the Weird. She also creates some fascinating characters in Rose, George, Jack, and their grandparents. Declan is also an empowering character who double deals and yet is an honest man.
Neither Declan nor William have a clue about life in the Edge or the Broken, not realizing how social customs differ and how much of an issue money is.
The second and third challenges Rose must come up with are so practical and incredibly helpful to the Drayton family. Jack's issues are particularly challenging for this kitty cat.
Andrews uses third person global subjective point-of-view with the primary perspectives from Rose, Jack, George, and Declan.
It is a lighthearted ending — that Declan. At least we find out where he gets that sense of humor!
I did enjoy reading it and look forward to exploring Bayou Moon, 2.
The Story
First threatened by poverty, then magic-eating hounds, Rose encounters Declan Camarine, a blueblood hunter, who appears to be hunting Rose for her power.
The Characters
Rose Drayton, girl who flashes white, gave up her dreams to raise her brothers and now works an under-the-table job in the Broken. Georgie is the older brother and a necromancer with a heart of gold. Jack is the younger and a changeling who turns into a lynx. Grandpa Caedon Cletus Drayton has degenerated with a love for dogs' brains. Grandma, Éléonore, a.k.a. mémére, is old, 107 years old, and powerful. Their mother killed herself; their father ran off.
The sad and protective William Wolf, a changeling who lays floors, was court-martialed from the Adrianglian army and has exiled himself to the Broken. And it is so sad as to why he collects action figures.
Declan Riel Marteo, ade Dominik, ade Logran, ade Rotibor, Earl of Camarine, Lord of Longshire, Svyator, and Veres, threatens, insults, and bargains with Rose. Grunt is his very odd horse.
La Porte is . . .
. . . a huddle of houses in the Edge, a strip of lawless territory between the Weird and the Broken. Sarah Walton is a contemporary of Rose's and a mean girl who now lives in the Broken. Leanne had been best friends with Sarah. Sarah Ogletree and Kenny Jo a bully and a loudmouth, is her and Beau's oldest son. Other inhabitants include Lee Stearns; Jeremiah Lovedahl; Adele Meddler Moore; Amy Haire is Adele's daughter while Mindy is Amy's daughter; Elsie Moore, Adele's crazy aunt, has tea parties with her teddy bears — Mr Pitt, Mr Brosnan, Mr Clooney, Mr Bean, and Mr Bana; Emily Paw is Elsie's niece; Ruby is Adele's great-grandchild; the vindictive Rob Simeon, Frank's son, wants to marry Rose for her power; Maggie Brewster has the foresight; the McCalls could use the money; Brad Dillon is a jerk who led Rose on; Olie is too stupid to know when he was being mean; Paula is expecting twins; Seth Hines escaped to the Broken with his family; Tina Watty was another mean girl; George Farrel, the local preacher, is borderline insane; the Ronns run a meth lab; Tom Buckwell looks like a bear and is Fred Simeon's uncle; Nicki and Holly are Tom's daughters; Thad; and, Jennifer and Ru didn't make it.
The Wood House is a heavily warded shelter in the Wood.
The Weird . . .
. . . survives on magic and its citizens abound with it. A mirror image of the Broken, it consists of Adrianglia, the United Kingdom of Gaul (of the Old World) of which the Dukedom of Louisiana is a part. The Republic of Texas and the Democracy of California are west of Louisiana. Mexico is still part of Castilla, Spain. Yanice is a trader. Grandma's family had provided retainers to Count d'Artois of the Kingdom of Gaul. The Red Legion is the Adrianglian weapon of last resort. Declan must report to the Duke of the Southern Provinces; his duchess is a former Edger.
The deteriorating Lord Casshorn Eratres Sandine is the vapor man and the brother of the Duke of the Southern Provinces. Casshorn has some ambitious plans. He adopted William.
Pine Barren is . . .
. . . the city just on the other side, in the Broken where magic dies, breaks you, and yet provides the exotic merchandise desired by Edgers and the jobs they need to survive. Peter Padrake, a.k.a. Commodore Peter Padrake, owns the Parallel Universe, a comics shop. Emerson, Eric's uncle, owns Clean-n-Brite, a janitorial service that employs Rose. Latoya, a.k.a. Mophead, and Teresa work with Rose. Eric Kaplan owns Kaplan Insurance. Max Taylor runs Taylor's Metal Detectors and charges a draconian fee to change money. The Broemmer Hotel had fired Clean-n-Brite. Juniper Kozlowski is the manager at the Burger King.
Agatha is Girl Genius and Lord Sesshomaru is a demon brother from the comics. Connor had been Cletus' friend and the Esmeralda had been their corvette.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a busy orange sky with the Wood in orange behind the long-haired Rose leaning against a red truck, dressed in jeans and a turquoise top with a rifle propped on her shoulder and spirals of white mist rising from her hands. The huge, blond-haired Declan is behind the truck and Rose, his naked chest blending into the black at the bottom of the cover. Just under his hyoid is a testimonial and an info blurb in white. Below Rose is the title in a pale lime green with the author's name in a pale blue beneath it. At the very bottom is another info blurb, also in white.
The title covers so many concepts, for Rose is and lives, even as Declan keeps her, On the Edge.
My Take
Wow, the first half of this story was just excellent...well, the whole story was good. It's this fourth re-reading that has encouraged me to raise my first reading from a "3" to a "4".
It's just that the first half was such an amazing bit of writing with Andrews creating an entirely new world...again…
Andrews paints a good picture of the differences between the Broken, the Edge, and the Weird. She also creates some fascinating characters in Rose, George, Jack, and their grandparents. Declan is also an empowering character who double deals and yet is an honest man.
Neither Declan nor William have a clue about life in the Edge or the Broken, not realizing how social customs differ and how much of an issue money is.
The second and third challenges Rose must come up with are so practical and incredibly helpful to the Drayton family. Jack's issues are particularly challenging for this kitty cat.
Andrews uses third person global subjective point-of-view with the primary perspectives from Rose, Jack, George, and Declan.
It is a lighthearted ending — that Declan. At least we find out where he gets that sense of humor!
I did enjoy reading it and look forward to exploring Bayou Moon, 2.
The Story
First threatened by poverty, then magic-eating hounds, Rose encounters Declan Camarine, a blueblood hunter, who appears to be hunting Rose for her power.
The Characters
Rose Drayton, girl who flashes white, gave up her dreams to raise her brothers and now works an under-the-table job in the Broken. Georgie is the older brother and a necromancer with a heart of gold. Jack is the younger and a changeling who turns into a lynx. Grandpa Caedon Cletus Drayton has degenerated with a love for dogs' brains. Grandma, Éléonore, a.k.a. mémére, is old, 107 years old, and powerful. Their mother killed herself; their father ran off.
The sad and protective William Wolf, a changeling who lays floors, was court-martialed from the Adrianglian army and has exiled himself to the Broken. And it is so sad as to why he collects action figures.
Declan Riel Marteo, ade Dominik, ade Logran, ade Rotibor, Earl of Camarine, Lord of Longshire, Svyator, and Veres, threatens, insults, and bargains with Rose. Grunt is his very odd horse.
La Porte is . . .
. . . a huddle of houses in the Edge, a strip of lawless territory between the Weird and the Broken. Sarah Walton is a contemporary of Rose's and a mean girl who now lives in the Broken. Leanne had been best friends with Sarah. Sarah Ogletree and Kenny Jo a bully and a loudmouth, is her and Beau's oldest son. Other inhabitants include Lee Stearns; Jeremiah Lovedahl; Adele Meddler Moore; Amy Haire is Adele's daughter while Mindy is Amy's daughter; Elsie Moore, Adele's crazy aunt, has tea parties with her teddy bears — Mr Pitt, Mr Brosnan, Mr Clooney, Mr Bean, and Mr Bana; Emily Paw is Elsie's niece; Ruby is Adele's great-grandchild; the vindictive Rob Simeon, Frank's son, wants to marry Rose for her power; Maggie Brewster has the foresight; the McCalls could use the money; Brad Dillon is a jerk who led Rose on; Olie is too stupid to know when he was being mean; Paula is expecting twins; Seth Hines escaped to the Broken with his family; Tina Watty was another mean girl; George Farrel, the local preacher, is borderline insane; the Ronns run a meth lab; Tom Buckwell looks like a bear and is Fred Simeon's uncle; Nicki and Holly are Tom's daughters; Thad; and, Jennifer and Ru didn't make it.
The Wood House is a heavily warded shelter in the Wood.
The Weird . . .
. . . survives on magic and its citizens abound with it. A mirror image of the Broken, it consists of Adrianglia, the United Kingdom of Gaul (of the Old World) of which the Dukedom of Louisiana is a part. The Republic of Texas and the Democracy of California are west of Louisiana. Mexico is still part of Castilla, Spain. Yanice is a trader. Grandma's family had provided retainers to Count d'Artois of the Kingdom of Gaul. The Red Legion is the Adrianglian weapon of last resort. Declan must report to the Duke of the Southern Provinces; his duchess is a former Edger.
The deteriorating Lord Casshorn Eratres Sandine is the vapor man and the brother of the Duke of the Southern Provinces. Casshorn has some ambitious plans. He adopted William.
Pine Barren is . . .
. . . the city just on the other side, in the Broken where magic dies, breaks you, and yet provides the exotic merchandise desired by Edgers and the jobs they need to survive. Peter Padrake, a.k.a. Commodore Peter Padrake, owns the Parallel Universe, a comics shop. Emerson, Eric's uncle, owns Clean-n-Brite, a janitorial service that employs Rose. Latoya, a.k.a. Mophead, and Teresa work with Rose. Eric Kaplan owns Kaplan Insurance. Max Taylor runs Taylor's Metal Detectors and charges a draconian fee to change money. The Broemmer Hotel had fired Clean-n-Brite. Juniper Kozlowski is the manager at the Burger King.
Agatha is Girl Genius and Lord Sesshomaru is a demon brother from the comics. Connor had been Cletus' friend and the Esmeralda had been their corvette.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a busy orange sky with the Wood in orange behind the long-haired Rose leaning against a red truck, dressed in jeans and a turquoise top with a rifle propped on her shoulder and spirals of white mist rising from her hands. The huge, blond-haired Declan is behind the truck and Rose, his naked chest blending into the black at the bottom of the cover. Just under his hyoid is a testimonial and an info blurb in white. Below Rose is the title in a pale lime green with the author's name in a pale blue beneath it. At the very bottom is another info blurb, also in white.
The title covers so many concepts, for Rose is and lives, even as Declan keeps her, On the Edge.
illusie's review against another edition
4.0
Rose and her two brothers live in a world between worlds called the Edge. Live is not easy. But things can turn worse and the town is threatened. This writer duo loves writing about the same type of characters. A strong female who falls in love with an arrogant muscular drop dead gorgeous guy. Despite many similarities between the different series I still like it. The writing just draws me in and I like the humor. I liked Rose from the start. Reading about the magic abilities of her and her brothers was interesting. Declan annoyed me slight at first, but he grew on to me because his actions showed he was kind. I love the world building. The edge is an interesting place. I thought the plot was good and am looking forward to see what happens next.
nsfinch's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is my kind of romance, by which I mean it had monsters and a lot of fight scenes. Maybe it’s lowbrow; I don’t care. This fucking rocked and I want to read the next ones in the series.
beccaand's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death
knittingwild's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
clairedrinkstea's review against another edition
5.0
Good start to a new series and a very interesting take on magic and how it effects the earth, people and history.
Very interesting characters and I love Jack and Georgie and hope the series progresses with them in it so I can see them grow.
I love the idea of the Weird, the Broken and the Edge. It's simple concept but the diverse stories that can out of it really do define this as an Ilona Andrews book. The action sequences are well done and easy to follow whilst not being condescending to the reader. The character sit-ups are simple yet effective. Another key indicator of the writing genius of Ilona and Gordon Andrews is that the female characters are strong especially Rose and even when vulnerable they aren't whiny or pitiable. Each character no matter how little has an great inner strength. Declan isn't the domineering Blue-Blood he purports to be and as the reader you know this and are willing Rose to see. Rather than bandying about the bush they relationship moves cleanly (of a sort) each recognising the strengths or the other.
A wonderful series that I believe will really excel!
Very interesting characters and I love Jack and Georgie and hope the series progresses with them in it so I can see them grow.
I love the idea of the Weird, the Broken and the Edge. It's simple concept but the diverse stories that can out of it really do define this as an Ilona Andrews book. The action sequences are well done and easy to follow whilst not being condescending to the reader. The character sit-ups are simple yet effective. Another key indicator of the writing genius of Ilona and Gordon Andrews is that the female characters are strong especially Rose and even when vulnerable they aren't whiny or pitiable. Each character no matter how little has an great inner strength. Declan isn't the domineering Blue-Blood he purports to be and as the reader you know this and are willing Rose to see. Rather than bandying about the bush they relationship moves cleanly (of a sort) each recognising the strengths or the other.
A wonderful series that I believe will really excel!
jenhurst's review against another edition
3.0
2.5.
This takes place in an alternative Atlanta, where the edge is the area between the normal world and the fantasy world. There’s certain powers (the flash) or the ability to raise the dead that people have. Audrey and Declan don’t get along but are forced to rely on each other. I think this is an uneven start and suffered from an issue that a lot of paranormal romances suffer from. The first book is basic a setup novel for characters, world building and since it’s an early Ilona Andrews book it’s just not one of their strongest.
This takes place in an alternative Atlanta, where the edge is the area between the normal world and the fantasy world. There’s certain powers (the flash) or the ability to raise the dead that people have. Audrey and Declan don’t get along but are forced to rely on each other. I think this is an uneven start and suffered from an issue that a lot of paranormal romances suffer from. The first book is basic a setup novel for characters, world building and since it’s an early Ilona Andrews book it’s just not one of their strongest.