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vlafreek's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
magikspells's review
3.0
Pretty good. I don't know that it's my favorite of their series, but still good. And I really like William, better than I liked Declan in the last book. So yeah.
katieinca's review
3.0
So in the first book you have two main characters, and then some side characters that are more or less interesting. Then in the second book you take one of those characters, say you redeemed scary shapeshifter, and make them the lead. Repeat. It works really well. You don't have to escalate your stakes the way you do with your usual urban fantasy series, you get a new couple for your romance plot, and you don't have to meet all new people.
There's some creepy [b:Annihilation|17934530|Annihilation (Southern Reach, #1)|Jeff VanderMeer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403941587l/17934530._SX50_.jpg|24946895] type creature stuff happening in here. And I don't love the cast as well. But it was still really fun.
There's some creepy [b:Annihilation|17934530|Annihilation (Southern Reach, #1)|Jeff VanderMeer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403941587l/17934530._SX50_.jpg|24946895] type creature stuff happening in here. And I don't love the cast as well. But it was still really fun.
caitybell's review
5.0
Following On the Edge, Bayou Moon surpassed all of my expectations for the second book in this Urban Fantasy series. I absolutely love Ilona Andrews and while their Kate Daniels series remains my favorite, this Edge series is nothing short of fantastic.
While each book in this four-book series are standalones, in a sense, there is an overreaching plot threaded throughout and connected in all the books via the amazing spectrum of characters. Bayou Moon is a book full of action, colorful characters, chaos, heartbreak, and hope. William and Cerise are two people thrust together by circumstance, forced to fight a villain capable of horrendous violence and hate. Both William and Cerise have their own causes to fight for and I found myself desperately rooting for them, not only as a couple but as individuals, too. Both are searching for their own kind of safety and peace.
Simply put, I loved this book. I got hardcore Kate Daniels vibes from this one, even more so than the first in this series. There were also some pretty shocking moments, this Edge world is brutal!
On to book three . . .
EDIT: Months and months later, and many rereads later, I have concluded that Bayou Moon is my favorite Ilona Andrews book. While Kate Daniels remains my favorite series, this book is perfect in every way to me, even its few flaws add to a phenomenal reading experience. Truly amazing.
While each book in this four-book series are standalones, in a sense, there is an overreaching plot threaded throughout and connected in all the books via the amazing spectrum of characters. Bayou Moon is a book full of action, colorful characters, chaos, heartbreak, and hope. William and Cerise are two people thrust together by circumstance, forced to fight a villain capable of horrendous violence and hate. Both William and Cerise have their own causes to fight for and I found myself desperately rooting for them, not only as a couple but as individuals, too. Both are searching for their own kind of safety and peace.
Simply put, I loved this book. I got hardcore Kate Daniels vibes from this one, even more so than the first in this series. There were also some pretty shocking moments, this Edge world is brutal!
On to book three . . .
EDIT: Months and months later, and many rereads later, I have concluded that Bayou Moon is my favorite Ilona Andrews book. While Kate Daniels remains my favorite series, this book is perfect in every way to me, even its few flaws add to a phenomenal reading experience. Truly amazing.
katyanaish's review
5.0
***4.5***
This one was a lot of fun! I was kind of griping about not getting more of Declan, Rose, George and Jack (the central characters from [b:On the Edge|6329547|On the Edge (The Edge, #1)|Ilona Andrews|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275914567s/6329547.jpg|6515186]), but I really enjoyed this book a lot. I had forgotten how much I liked William in the first book. It was fun getting to see him find the happiness that he so deserved.
Cerise was a great character. She walked that really fine line of giving her all for her family without being a martyr. She was resourceful, and through every obstacle, she maintained hope that she could find a way to get the family through it. And I liked watching her struggle with having to be responsible for this burden. She's the 24 year old daughter of the head of the family. When her parents disappear, she is suddenly making wartime decisions, and having to be responsible for sending her beloved family into battle. She manages the strain with a lot of heart.
I was glad, too, that there wasn't a whole lot of drama around the relationship between Cerise and William. Sometimes the whole "will they / won't they" feels like a very forced dance. In this book, I never felt that "will they / won't they"... instead, I got to enjoy them both learn to set aside their fears and juggle their crushing responsibilities, to decide that they deserve happiness. It made for a touching story.
This one was a lot of fun! I was kind of griping about not getting more of Declan, Rose, George and Jack (the central characters from [b:On the Edge|6329547|On the Edge (The Edge, #1)|Ilona Andrews|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275914567s/6329547.jpg|6515186]), but I really enjoyed this book a lot. I had forgotten how much I liked William in the first book. It was fun getting to see him find the happiness that he so deserved.
Cerise was a great character. She walked that really fine line of giving her all for her family without being a martyr. She was resourceful, and through every obstacle, she maintained hope that she could find a way to get the family through it. And I liked watching her struggle with having to be responsible for this burden. She's the 24 year old daughter of the head of the family. When her parents disappear, she is suddenly making wartime decisions, and having to be responsible for sending her beloved family into battle. She manages the strain with a lot of heart.
I was glad, too, that there wasn't a whole lot of drama around the relationship between Cerise and William. Sometimes the whole "will they / won't they" feels like a very forced dance. In this book, I never felt that "will they / won't they"... instead, I got to enjoy them both learn to set aside their fears and juggle their crushing responsibilities, to decide that they deserve happiness. It made for a touching story.
stephxsu's review
4.0
With On the Edge, I had read it expecting a more Kate Daniels-esque type with the emphasis on world-building and dark forces clashing instead of romance, which made what I got a delightful surprise. Knowing now that the Edge series revolves more around the romance, I was slightly more critical and expectant going into BAYOU MOON. Fortunately, my expectations were well met. Cerise is my favorite kind of independent, sword-wielding female totally capable of taking care of herself and others. William was slightly harder to like, considering his behavior in On the Edge, but in BAYOU MOON we really get to see more of his "puppy" side, which is utterly heart-melting. I don't like it as much as I do On the Edge, for there is less romance and more epic battle-ness, but still, Ilona Andrews doesn't do wrong: she just does *different*.
akhawaja's review
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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? No
4.0
beautifuldissonance's review
3.0
I enjoyed this one a lot more than the first in the series, but I still didn't love it. The relationship aspects of Ilona Andrews books are always much weaker than the rest, so it makes sense that I find the more romancey books weaker.
A lot of the tension seems manufactured, and often a bit ridiculous because of it. I think it's because the characters are always a bit dim when it comes to romance, and it's painful to read their endless agonising, denial, and trust issues. That's a lot more tolerable in the Kate Daniels and Innkeeper books where the over-arching series plot is engaging and takes some (or most in the latter series) of the focus.
But back to this book. William was less arrogant and annoying than Declan, but just as well-muscled, manly, dangerous, and noble. Which is to say, a bit of a walking romance cliche. I'm not really sure what to say about Cerise, except that, like Rose, she was all about family and responsibility. At least they both showed a little self awareness, but it was still painful to read about their budding attraction. Looks like I'm still going to read the next one though.
A lot of the tension seems manufactured, and often a bit ridiculous because of it. I think it's because the characters are always a bit dim when it comes to romance, and it's painful to read their endless agonising, denial, and trust issues. That's a lot more tolerable in the Kate Daniels and Innkeeper books where the over-arching series plot is engaging and takes some (or most in the latter series) of the focus.
But back to this book. William was less arrogant and annoying than Declan, but just as well-muscled, manly, dangerous, and noble. Which is to say, a bit of a walking romance cliche. I'm not really sure what to say about Cerise, except that, like Rose, she was all about family and responsibility. At least they both showed a little self awareness, but it was still painful to read about their budding attraction. Looks like I'm still going to read the next one though.
embereye's review
Entertaining. I liked this one a lot for the introduction of the rather icky bad guys who are a group of people that alter themselves (magically in this case rather than genetically) so much that they are no longer quite human. Although this is chock full of romance tropes, the setting and characters kept me interested.