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tessisreading2's review against another edition
3.0
if you thought Riley was stupid in the first book, well, she outdoes herself pretty quickly here, multiple times and in multiple ways, and every single time she realizes she’s been dumb she’s astonished. “I’d been criminally stupid,” she wails to herself on page 267, after she’s already been criminally stupid multiple times in multiple different ways. (Please note, the page 267 criminal stupidity is something that the reader will have characterized as criminally stupid by about page 12. Like I said, stupid.) Everyone else, including supposed criminal masterminds, is also ridiculously stupid.
The romance once again is shoehorned in and doesn’t make sense in context. (Riley goes from.) They have sex at a totally inappropriate time after Riley’s been through significant physical and mental trauma. I’ll also mention that Riley gets tortured a lot on-page, and a bunch of people suffer/die, including children, while .
I’m just going to mention this because honestly I think it’s worthy of mention: we meet a black woman early in the book - a cop - and learn that her brother is a crappy father who abandoned his son, and the cop herself is struggling to single-parent her troubled teenage nephew. This is the only black character we’ve met in the series thus far and I don’t love this background for her. (Ditto her southern accent and use of phrases like “Praise the Lord” and “Good Lord willing.” No one else we’ve met in the series thus far is religious or uses explicitly religious language.) A Hispanic character is identifiable as Hispanic because she sprinkles in random Spanish-language words and phrases that the author has clearly Googled (querida, chica, los muertos, buena suerte, etc.). The author also introduces the term “neuters” for people without magic, which I don’t love. Basically, someone involved in this series should have given some thought to some of this stuff, but did not.
Spoiler
Riley has been followed around by a crew of bodyguards for weeks and somehow neither her ex-boyfriend nor his crime lord brother - who has been busy accumulating an astonishing amount of information about Riley - knew about these guys. Five people following her around all the time while heavily armed!The romance once again is shoehorned in and doesn’t make sense in context. (Riley goes from
Spoiler
not speaking to Price at all or having any involvement with him to offering to have him move in with her - in the house whose address she has only just given him after spending their actual relationship refusing to tell him where she livesSpoiler
everyone Riley cares about, even if they suffer, is saved in time to recoverI’m just going to mention this because honestly I think it’s worthy of mention: we meet a black woman early in the book - a cop - and learn that her brother is a crappy father who abandoned his son, and the cop herself is struggling to single-parent her troubled teenage nephew. This is the only black character we’ve met in the series thus far and I don’t love this background for her. (Ditto her southern accent and use of phrases like “Praise the Lord” and “Good Lord willing.” No one else we’ve met in the series thus far is religious or uses explicitly religious language.) A Hispanic character is identifiable as Hispanic because she sprinkles in random Spanish-language words and phrases that the author has clearly Googled (querida, chica, los muertos, buena suerte, etc.). The author also introduces the term “neuters” for people without magic, which I don’t love. Basically, someone involved in this series should have given some thought to some of this stuff, but did not.
waclements7's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this sequel all right—the story was good, but the testosterone level got so high at times in terms of overprotective revenge desires that I nearly stopped reading a few times. When you end up with three über-Alphas in one room all focused on one person—it’s just a bit much. I’m not sure how I feel about Riley and Price’s relationship. I am generally not sure about this book at the moment, but I liked the magic.
nelljustice's review
4.0
for full review see: www.onebooktwo.com
This was a pretty good story. Riley is wounded so many times that it becomes standard operating procedure. She has special skills that are especially useful to whomever can control her and there are a lot of bad people that want to control her. Gregg Tourey is included, but he has the moral problem keeping his brother happy. Clay, Gregg's brother, is in love with Riley and will do anything to keep her safe, so Gregg has to decide between his brother and business. That is a small issue for this story. The bigger issue is the "Sparkle Dust" trade and Percy's new procedure for creating it. Riley wants to stop production and rescue all the people being held hostage and/or addicted to the junk.
This was a pretty good story. Riley is wounded so many times that it becomes standard operating procedure. She has special skills that are especially useful to whomever can control her and there are a lot of bad people that want to control her. Gregg Tourey is included, but he has the moral problem keeping his brother happy. Clay, Gregg's brother, is in love with Riley and will do anything to keep her safe, so Gregg has to decide between his brother and business. That is a small issue for this story. The bigger issue is the "Sparkle Dust" trade and Percy's new procedure for creating it. Riley wants to stop production and rescue all the people being held hostage and/or addicted to the junk.
chllybrd's review against another edition
4.0
*Warning: Includes Spoilers for Book One, TRACE OF MAGIC*
One of the things I really disliked in TRACE OF MAGIC was that it ended with Riley and Clay apart. I didn't like it, it didn't feel right, so I am really glad that they were back together again not long after EDGE OF DREAMS started.
I loved all the answers we got about not only Riley, but her past. She learned a lot about herself, was able to really open up to Clay and her other allies and heard some truths that weren't easy to hear. The ending? WOW, cliffhanger, but it sure makes me want to get my hands on book three!
* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
One of the things I really disliked in TRACE OF MAGIC was that it ended with Riley and Clay apart. I didn't like it, it didn't feel right, so I am really glad that they were back together again not long after EDGE OF DREAMS started.
I loved all the answers we got about not only Riley, but her past. She learned a lot about herself, was able to really open up to Clay and her other allies and heard some truths that weren't easy to hear. The ending? WOW, cliffhanger, but it sure makes me want to get my hands on book three!
* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
mdlaclair's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know what happen, I loved the first book so much. This one just didn't seem to live up to it. It really hard to say specifical that it was anyone thing we get to meet some more fun side characters but I just felt like the leading woman and man seemed to be sided line a little. I hope book 3 is better
ptaradactyl's review against another edition
2.0
I was really looking forward to this book after reading Trace of Magic, but now I'm looking forward to complaining about it more.
Riley... Get it together, girl.
And then the testosterone-laden "no one touches you" that escalates into broken furniture? All i could think is that it's going to get really old if he freaks out every time she bumps someone in a crowd.
Riley... Get it together, girl.
Spoiler
when every third chapter seems to start with her being revived from some near-death experience, we're solidly entering "too stupid to live" territory. And the convenient failure to check out body guard you may not want? And diving into the nearest cave with no idea if things are really safe? eesh. This doesn't sound street smart and paranoid.And then the testosterone-laden "no one touches you" that escalates into broken furniture? All i could think is that it's going to get really old if he freaks out every time she bumps someone in a crowd.
lucy_rain_and_cupcakes's review
2.0
As powerful as Riley supposed to be, Riley gets hurt a lot, which seem to be the common theme so far in the series. Yes Riley had many interesting, unique abilities, but at the same time she seem to always relay on other people to save her.
As always Riley somehow gotten herself into a very difficult situations, but the fact that she was kidnapped while she was with a bunch of powerful people, I just couldn't rationalize the situation. In Edge of Dreams, Riley demonstrated just how easily she trusts people, it was odd because she used to hid who she was and questions everyone's motive. But not once did she questioned about her new "bodyguards", and it would seem that Riley doesn't question about lot of things too.
I had the same issue as the first book, the romance was simply not believable to me. In the first book Riley and Clay confessed they loved each other, then Riley decided to leave him. This book picked up about 6 weeks later, where Riley pretty much cut off all contacts with Clay, but then as soon as Riley asked for help, Clay dropped everything to come to rescued Riley out of trouble. Just like that, their relationship escalated quickly that they would confessed their love again, and decided to move in together. I was hoping Riley and Clay would actually spend some quality time together, but they seem to only spend time under extreme and dangerous situation.
Overall, I though this book felt a little flat for me, I was disappointed by the predictable plot. At this point I probably won't read the next book.
Happy Reading!! XO
bananatricky's review against another edition
4.0
The plot(s) thicken.
At the end of the first book Riley Hollis walked away from Price, she has now become infamous and can charge exorbitant (for her) sums for her services. Yet when a police officer approaches her to find five teenagers who have disappeared in the mines (after trying to undercut the Tyet) she doesn't hesitate to assist.
Although she and Riley are apart she has a team of bodyguards, led by the silver-eyed (literally) Dalton and together with her brother Leo they plan a rescue.
What amazed me about this book was that the story of the rescue, betrayal etc only actually took up half the novel. In most other novels that would have been the whole thing.
Whilst I enjoyed this as much, if not more, than the first book I have noticed (having actually finished all three books) that Riley gets hurt an awful lot. I know they have Heal Alls and healers like Maya but even so, she is constantly being beaten up, stabbed, shot, blown up etc. Also, and again this may be more relevant to the third book, Riley has had her talents her entire life and yet suddenly she is finding new and unusual ways to use it?
Anyway, a small niggle. We meet a villain that makes the Tyet seem like pussycats and encounter a level of inconceivable evil.
I also (so sue me, I like a romance) shipped very hard for Dalton and Leo, Riley's brother.
At the end of the first book Riley Hollis walked away from Price, she has now become infamous and can charge exorbitant (for her) sums for her services. Yet when a police officer approaches her to find five teenagers who have disappeared in the mines (after trying to undercut the Tyet) she doesn't hesitate to assist.
Although she and Riley are apart she has a team of bodyguards, led by the silver-eyed (literally) Dalton and together with her brother Leo they plan a rescue.
What amazed me about this book was that the story of the rescue, betrayal etc only actually took up half the novel. In most other novels that would have been the whole thing.
Whilst I enjoyed this as much, if not more, than the first book I have noticed (having actually finished all three books) that Riley gets hurt an awful lot. I know they have Heal Alls and healers like Maya but even so, she is constantly being beaten up, stabbed, shot, blown up etc. Also, and again this may be more relevant to the third book, Riley has had her talents her entire life and yet suddenly she is finding new and unusual ways to use it?
Anyway, a small niggle. We meet a villain that makes the Tyet seem like pussycats and encounter a level of inconceivable evil.
I also (so sue me, I like a romance) shipped very hard for Dalton and Leo, Riley's brother.
hazel_reads's review
4.0
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I really like this series. I love the different kinds of magic, I love Riley, and all the trouble she manages to get into. This series has just the right amount of humor, romance, and did I mention, lots of magic! I look forward to the next book in the series.
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