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kzimm2024's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-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
Re-read April 2024, original read was 2018 and 5 stars with no review.
Man, I really liked this story this time around. I have the privilege to see the story arc into the Innkeeper series as well as see George, Jack and Gaston as young troublemaking punks. It bends my brain a little, since Innkeeper is more alien with other worlds and Edge is more magic on 1 planet, but somehow they made it work!
Kaldar was terrific, 38 highlights! The whole story was well balanced with adventure, romance, blood & gore and the snappy dialogue we have come to know and love from IA.
Spoilers & highlights ahead:
Audrey wanted a legit life, no more scams and cons.
Her family was a problem:
But she was Seamus’s daughter, and twenty-three years of grifting made her voice calm and light.
“How did you find me?”
“I have my ways.” Seamus opened the bag and poured some flour into the batter. “I’m making my patented silver-dollar pancakes. You remember those, don’t you?”
“Sure, Dad. I remember.”
He was in her kitchen, touching her things. She would bleach it all after he was gone.
She gets roped into 1 last heist and boy it is a doozy. It leads to all kinds of trouble.
George- this is where he learns his scheming ways!
George shook his head again. “They will send you to Hawk’s after that for sure. No, we need an actual plan.”
“Well, I don’t have one,” Jack growled.
--------------
Jack looked at the wyvern. It was a large cabin. Large enough to hide in, especially if it was packed with crates and bags.
“Let me talk to Gaston. We can’t pull it off without him. If it goes well, we pack tonight,” George said. “We’ll tell Declan and Rose we have an overnight camp for school. By the time they realize we’re gone, we’ll be in California.”
“Gaston won’t help,” Jack said.
“Let me worry about that.”
--------------
George sank a fist into Jack’s ear. Pain exploded in his head. Ow.
Jack punched him in the ribs.
A huge fist landed on his head. The world got fuzzy for a second, and Jack went down.
Half a second later, George sprawled next to him, clutching the back of his head.
“Nothing, just some crates shifting,” Gaston called out.
Jack pointed to the front of the cabin and put his fist into his palm. George nodded. When they got out of here, Gaston would be in for a treat.
--------------
“THIS wasn’t one of my better ideas,” George murmured.
“Yes, but it’s fun.” Jack strode down the street.
The sun shone bright, and he squinted at it. Kaldar’s scent floated on the breeze, spiced with the deep, resin-saturated aroma of eucalyptus. “When was the last time you’ve had fun, George?”
He stretched “George” out the way Adrianglian blueblood girls did.
George looked sour. “I’m too busy making sure that you don’t kill anybody or get killed to have fun.”
“Blah-blah-blah.”
Kaldar discovers the stowaways and they all beat a hasty retreat:
Kaldar adjusted the rearview mirror until Jack’s face swung into view. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“They were torturing the cat,” Jack said. That explained volumes and nothing at all.
“Who else knows you’re here?”
“Why are you asking?” George asked.
“So I would know if I could kill you and dispose of the bodies.”
Kaldar reluctantly includes the boys in his plans to meet Audrey and they hit up a thrift store for clothes:
In the backseat, George wore a gray hoodie with a pocket in front and ripped jeans that needed to be thrown away. Kaldar had also bought him a used skateboard, a plank of wood on four wheels. George caught him looking. “What?”
“You look ridiculous,” Jack told him.
“This from a guy who strips naked and runs around in the woods.”
and on it goes! Its so good. Basically Kaldar has to find these magic bracelets but its a crumb trail to follow and along it he meets Audrey who is more than a match for him.
Audrey slapped a piece of duct tape over his lips.
He growled and lunged at her, but his arms didn’t move. She’d zip-tied him to his chair. He’d been had. She’d tricked him like he was a sucker. Like he was a child.
The moment he got free, she would regret it. He would make her deeply regret it.
-------------
The way she sat now, leaning forward frowning, biting her pink bottom lip, her shirt dipping to reveal a hint of her cleavage . . .
He wondered idly if he could get her to bend over a little farther . . .
“Just what are you staring at, exactly?”
Kaldar snapped back to reality. “You. You’ve been thinking hard for the last five minutes. It’s not good for you to strain your pretty little head like that. I’m waiting for the steam to shoot out of your ears to relieve the pressure on your brain.”
“Aha.” Audrey glanced at Jack and George. “What you have here is a man who was caught gaping at my breasts, and now he’s trying to cover it up with rudeness.”
Kaldar lost it and laughed.
Gaston was great in this story too:
Kaldar kicked some bushes, forcing them to rustle.
“Hurry up, Gaston!”
His nephew pushed to his feet, swiped the buckets off the ground, and croaked in a choked-up voice. “Yes, master.”
Kaldar rolled his eyes and carried the buckets to the wyvern’s mouth to feed him.
------------------
Audrey tapped Gaston’s shoulder with her finger.
“Think you can get into that barn?”
Gaston shrugged his muscular shoulders. “Sure.”
“I need you to get down there, open the stalls inside, and panic the horses.”
“ ‘Panic’?” Gaston asked.
“Smile at them or something.”
He gave her an insane grin. “I can do that.”
“What about me?” Kaldar whispered.
“You lie here and look pretty. I’ll be back.”
Kaldar and Audrey are perfect together as they plan a con on a preacher:
“How long will you need at the mall?” Kaldar asked.
“At least four hours.”
He blinked.
“Manicure, pedicure, wax, hair, makeup, clothes, jewelry. You’ll be lucky if I’m out of there by three in the afternoon.”
“I’ll count my blessings,” he said. “Don’t buy anything tasteful.”
“Shut up. Do you think this is my first time?”
and so many more good highlights- stopping here. I really liked how Audrey was able to swindle her way into getting Kaldar rescued there at the end!
Question though...
Did William find out that Spider survived? Would have loved to peek in on THAT conversation between Kaldar and William.
Man, I really liked this story this time around. I have the privilege to see the story arc into the Innkeeper series as well as see George, Jack and Gaston as young troublemaking punks. It bends my brain a little, since Innkeeper is more alien with other worlds and Edge is more magic on 1 planet, but somehow they made it work!
Kaldar was terrific, 38 highlights! The whole story was well balanced with adventure, romance, blood & gore and the snappy dialogue we have come to know and love from IA.
Spoilers & highlights ahead:
Audrey wanted a legit life, no more scams and cons.
Her family was a problem:
But she was Seamus’s daughter, and twenty-three years of grifting made her voice calm and light.
“How did you find me?”
“I have my ways.” Seamus opened the bag and poured some flour into the batter. “I’m making my patented silver-dollar pancakes. You remember those, don’t you?”
“Sure, Dad. I remember.”
He was in her kitchen, touching her things. She would bleach it all after he was gone.
She gets roped into 1 last heist and boy it is a doozy. It leads to all kinds of trouble.
George- this is where he learns his scheming ways!
George shook his head again. “They will send you to Hawk’s after that for sure. No, we need an actual plan.”
“Well, I don’t have one,” Jack growled.
--------------
Jack looked at the wyvern. It was a large cabin. Large enough to hide in, especially if it was packed with crates and bags.
“Let me talk to Gaston. We can’t pull it off without him. If it goes well, we pack tonight,” George said. “We’ll tell Declan and Rose we have an overnight camp for school. By the time they realize we’re gone, we’ll be in California.”
“Gaston won’t help,” Jack said.
“Let me worry about that.”
--------------
George sank a fist into Jack’s ear. Pain exploded in his head. Ow.
Jack punched him in the ribs.
A huge fist landed on his head. The world got fuzzy for a second, and Jack went down.
Half a second later, George sprawled next to him, clutching the back of his head.
“Nothing, just some crates shifting,” Gaston called out.
Jack pointed to the front of the cabin and put his fist into his palm. George nodded. When they got out of here, Gaston would be in for a treat.
--------------
“THIS wasn’t one of my better ideas,” George murmured.
“Yes, but it’s fun.” Jack strode down the street.
The sun shone bright, and he squinted at it. Kaldar’s scent floated on the breeze, spiced with the deep, resin-saturated aroma of eucalyptus. “When was the last time you’ve had fun, George?”
He stretched “George” out the way Adrianglian blueblood girls did.
George looked sour. “I’m too busy making sure that you don’t kill anybody or get killed to have fun.”
“Blah-blah-blah.”
Kaldar discovers the stowaways and they all beat a hasty retreat:
Kaldar adjusted the rearview mirror until Jack’s face swung into view. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“They were torturing the cat,” Jack said. That explained volumes and nothing at all.
“Who else knows you’re here?”
“Why are you asking?” George asked.
“So I would know if I could kill you and dispose of the bodies.”
Kaldar reluctantly includes the boys in his plans to meet Audrey and they hit up a thrift store for clothes:
In the backseat, George wore a gray hoodie with a pocket in front and ripped jeans that needed to be thrown away. Kaldar had also bought him a used skateboard, a plank of wood on four wheels. George caught him looking. “What?”
“You look ridiculous,” Jack told him.
“This from a guy who strips naked and runs around in the woods.”
and on it goes! Its so good. Basically Kaldar has to find these magic bracelets but its a crumb trail to follow and along it he meets Audrey who is more than a match for him.
Audrey slapped a piece of duct tape over his lips.
He growled and lunged at her, but his arms didn’t move. She’d zip-tied him to his chair. He’d been had. She’d tricked him like he was a sucker. Like he was a child.
The moment he got free, she would regret it. He would make her deeply regret it.
-------------
The way she sat now, leaning forward frowning, biting her pink bottom lip, her shirt dipping to reveal a hint of her cleavage . . .
He wondered idly if he could get her to bend over a little farther . . .
“Just what are you staring at, exactly?”
Kaldar snapped back to reality. “You. You’ve been thinking hard for the last five minutes. It’s not good for you to strain your pretty little head like that. I’m waiting for the steam to shoot out of your ears to relieve the pressure on your brain.”
“Aha.” Audrey glanced at Jack and George. “What you have here is a man who was caught gaping at my breasts, and now he’s trying to cover it up with rudeness.”
Kaldar lost it and laughed.
Gaston was great in this story too:
Kaldar kicked some bushes, forcing them to rustle.
“Hurry up, Gaston!”
His nephew pushed to his feet, swiped the buckets off the ground, and croaked in a choked-up voice. “Yes, master.”
Kaldar rolled his eyes and carried the buckets to the wyvern’s mouth to feed him.
------------------
Audrey tapped Gaston’s shoulder with her finger.
“Think you can get into that barn?”
Gaston shrugged his muscular shoulders. “Sure.”
“I need you to get down there, open the stalls inside, and panic the horses.”
“ ‘Panic’?” Gaston asked.
“Smile at them or something.”
He gave her an insane grin. “I can do that.”
“What about me?” Kaldar whispered.
“You lie here and look pretty. I’ll be back.”
Kaldar and Audrey are perfect together as they plan a con on a preacher:
“How long will you need at the mall?” Kaldar asked.
“At least four hours.”
He blinked.
“Manicure, pedicure, wax, hair, makeup, clothes, jewelry. You’ll be lucky if I’m out of there by three in the afternoon.”
“I’ll count my blessings,” he said. “Don’t buy anything tasteful.”
“Shut up. Do you think this is my first time?”
and so many more good highlights- stopping here. I really liked how Audrey was able to swindle her way into getting Kaldar rescued there at the end!
Question though...
Did William find out that Spider survived? Would have loved to peek in on THAT conversation between Kaldar and William.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Gore
librarymouse's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While this was a fun addition to the Edge universe, I'm not the biggest fan of how Kaldar is characterized. His lack of respect for clearly stated physical boundaries was not something that I necessarily enjoyed reading. I understand there is an appeal for some people, and it did fit his character in terms of aligning with his own self-interest outside of issues affecting his family, but the repeated violation of boundaries and Kaldar's falling into insta-love while doing so made this not my favorite book of the series. Which is sad, because I enjoyed his character when he was first introduced. I really enjoyed Jack and George in this book! The parts they played in the cult side quest was one of the highlights of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Drug abuse, Death, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Gore, Child abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, and Vomit
Minor: Xenophobia, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, and War
booksthatburn's review
adventurous
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Kaldar leaves with Gaston on a job for the Mirror, but things get complicated when Jack and George stow away on the wyvern. They track down Audrey, a thief who's trying to leave her conning family behind and go legit, but got tangled up in one last job that ended up involving the Hand.
Jack is in the rotation of point-of-view characters this time, and it's nice to see him a littler older and trying to figuring out being a teenage changeling. Kaldar is a rogue, and the way he and Audrey play off of each other during the job is just wonderful. This builds off of the world in the first two books, but mostly takes place on the west coast in an entirely separate zone of the Edge.
By following Kaldar and having Jack, George, and Gaston as central characters, this continues some character development which was left open at the end of the previous books. It also addresses the Hand's next steps after the conflict in BAYOU MOON. The main storyline is entirely new, bringing in the Hounds and various other entities who didn't appear in earlier books. Kaldar and Audrey's relationship is introduced and resolved, as is the particular mission that Kaldar was sent on. As with the previous books, this doesn't specifically leave anything hanging except for the possibility that these characters will have other missions later if there are more books. George in particular might be involved more in the future. The returning characters, like Kaldar, are consistent with their previous appearances (though Jack and George have definitely grown up). It might make sense to start here since what matters is explained enough to be understandable (and the plot is way more straightforward than BAYOU MOON's complicated tangle of a story). Anyone who skips the first two books would enter FATE'S EDGE more in Audrey's position (and hopefully would pick up on what the Edge is quickly enough to not be lost).
The plot revolves around gathering information and then retrieving a stolen object, with a detour to con a prosperity preacher in the middle. I love the focus on heists, cons, and grifting which make this a slightly less bloody story than BAYOU MOON. The dynamic between Kaldar and Audrey steals the show, but Jack does get a chance to develop more on-page now that he's also a main character. He and George do a great job with the con, and Gaston is a steady presence who mostly supports Kaldar's plans since he's there to learn.
Jack is in the rotation of point-of-view characters this time, and it's nice to see him a littler older and trying to figuring out being a teenage changeling. Kaldar is a rogue, and the way he and Audrey play off of each other during the job is just wonderful. This builds off of the world in the first two books, but mostly takes place on the west coast in an entirely separate zone of the Edge.
By following Kaldar and having Jack, George, and Gaston as central characters, this continues some character development which was left open at the end of the previous books. It also addresses the Hand's next steps after the conflict in BAYOU MOON. The main storyline is entirely new, bringing in the Hounds and various other entities who didn't appear in earlier books. Kaldar and Audrey's relationship is introduced and resolved, as is the particular mission that Kaldar was sent on. As with the previous books, this doesn't specifically leave anything hanging except for the possibility that these characters will have other missions later if there are more books. George in particular might be involved more in the future. The returning characters, like Kaldar, are consistent with their previous appearances (though Jack and George have definitely grown up). It might make sense to start here since what matters is explained enough to be understandable (and the plot is way more straightforward than BAYOU MOON's complicated tangle of a story). Anyone who skips the first two books would enter FATE'S EDGE more in Audrey's position (and hopefully would pick up on what the Edge is quickly enough to not be lost).
The plot revolves around gathering information and then retrieving a stolen object, with a detour to con a prosperity preacher in the middle. I love the focus on heists, cons, and grifting which make this a slightly less bloody story than BAYOU MOON. The dynamic between Kaldar and Audrey steals the show, but Jack does get a chance to develop more on-page now that he's also a main character. He and George do a great job with the con, and Gaston is a steady presence who mostly supports Kaldar's plans since he's there to learn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, Blood, Gore, Violence, Gun violence, Body horror, Torture, Murder, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, Sexism, Misogyny, Alcohol, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Child abuse
Minor: Drug abuse, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Slavery, Rape, and Animal cruelty
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