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A review by lynseyisreading
On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
5.0
Oh, I do love Ilona Andrews. I love her (their) Kate Daniels series and now I love these too.
It seems that the concept of a world that has part-time magic is something that has really captured the imagination of the writing duo. Because as in the Kate Daniels series where magic comes and goes in unpredictable waves, here we have another world (or worlds, to be more precise) that's partly magic-filled (The Weird), part magical dud (The Broken, aka our world) and then something else in between called the Edge which has elements of both.
The magic of the people from the Edge is only a trickle compared to that of someone from the Weird. Someone like Declan, for instance. I LOVED his character! He is a blueblood noble from the Weird and he's so very arrogant and pompous, particularly at the beginning of the book, and such a contrast to the hard-working country bumpkin that was Rose's character, that they just sizzled on the pages. They seemed so opposite at first, and Rose has such a difficult time trusting anyone, especially a noble (and with good reason), so their interactions throughout the first part of the story made for some very grin-worthy scenes.
This was one of my favourites, and is a good example of their differences:
Hee hee! She called him Lord Submarine.....*snicker*
What's that saying about simple minds and simple pleasures?...
Moving on. Rose's character was someone you kinda wish you were half as cool as. She has this...neat trick, shall we say? And I love the fact that she developed the neat trick by hard work and not just by being "special" or being "the chosen one" or "right place right time". No, she got it like she gets everything else in her life: by trying her damnedest no matter how impossible it may seem.
She has two younger brothers that she is raising by herself, and they were excellent secondary characters. One is a necromancer that can't seem to get his head around the fact that...you know...people die. And the other one is a cat! Or a changeling cat shapeshifter at any rate, that is very easily distracted by pretty shinies.
The family unit is hard on its luck financially with only Rose's rubbish job to feed and clothe them all, but she would rather starve than let her brothers go without anything. That's how awesome and altruistic she is. Did I mention Rose was cool?
And finally, as anyone that's read any of their other stuff would expect, the writing was superb: witty, humorous, meaningful and thought-provoking. The characters were very enjoyable and the world wonderfully creative. My only slight complaint was the overly descriptive sections whenever anyone went into a new part of the forest. We got descriptions of every flower, plant and vine and what colours they all were until my eyes were glazing. Those were a bit overdone, but that's about all I can think of in terms of negatives. And it's Ilona Andrews so I forgave them and gave it 5 stars anyway!
I highly recommend this book to all Urban Fantasy/ Fantasy Romance/ or heck, even Fairy Tale fans. I don't know why I put off reading it for so long.
5 Stars! ★★★★★
It seems that the concept of a world that has part-time magic is something that has really captured the imagination of the writing duo. Because as in the Kate Daniels series where magic comes and goes in unpredictable waves, here we have another world (or worlds, to be more precise) that's partly magic-filled (The Weird), part magical dud (The Broken, aka our world) and then something else in between called the Edge which has elements of both.
The magic of the people from the Edge is only a trickle compared to that of someone from the Weird. Someone like Declan, for instance. I LOVED his character! He is a blueblood noble from the Weird and he's so very arrogant and pompous, particularly at the beginning of the book, and such a contrast to the hard-working country bumpkin that was Rose's character, that they just sizzled on the pages. They seemed so opposite at first, and Rose has such a difficult time trusting anyone, especially a noble (and with good reason), so their interactions throughout the first part of the story made for some very grin-worthy scenes.
This was one of my favourites, and is a good example of their differences:
"Eat slowly," the blueblood said. "Don't cut your food with the fork. Cut it with the knife, and make the pieces small enough so you can answer a question without having to swallow first."
Why me? "Right. Any other tips?" Her sarcasm whistled right over his head.
"Yes. Look at me and not at your plate. If you have to look at your plate, glance at it occasionally."
Rose put down her fork. "Lord Submarine..."
"Camarine."
"Whatever."
"You can call me Declan." He said it as if granting her a knighthood. The nerve.
"Declan, then. How did you spend your day?"
He frowned.
"It's a simple question: How did you spend your day? What did you do prior to the fight and the pancake making?"
"I rested from my journey," he said with a sudden regal air.
"You took a nap"
"Possibly."
"I spent my day scrubbing, vacuuming and dusting ten offices in the Broken. I got there at seven thirty in the morning and left at six. My back hurts, I can still smell bleach on my fingers, and my feet feel as flat as these pancakes. Tomorrow, I have to go back to work, and I want to eat my food in peace and quiet. I have good table manners. They may not be good enough for you, but they're definitely good enough for the Edge, and they are the height of social graces in this house. So please keep your critique to yourself."
The look on his face was worth having him under her roof. As if he had gotten slapped.
She smiled at him. "Oh and thank you for the pancakes. They are delicious."
Hee hee! She called him Lord Submarine.....*snicker*
What's that saying about simple minds and simple pleasures?...
Moving on. Rose's character was someone you kinda wish you were half as cool as. She has this...neat trick, shall we say? And I love the fact that she developed the neat trick by hard work and not just by being "special" or being "the chosen one" or "right place right time". No, she got it like she gets everything else in her life: by trying her damnedest no matter how impossible it may seem.
She has two younger brothers that she is raising by herself, and they were excellent secondary characters. One is a necromancer that can't seem to get his head around the fact that...you know...people die. And the other one is a cat! Or a changeling cat shapeshifter at any rate, that is very easily distracted by pretty shinies.
The family unit is hard on its luck financially with only Rose's rubbish job to feed and clothe them all, but she would rather starve than let her brothers go without anything. That's how awesome and altruistic she is. Did I mention Rose was cool?
And finally, as anyone that's read any of their other stuff would expect, the writing was superb: witty, humorous, meaningful and thought-provoking. The characters were very enjoyable and the world wonderfully creative. My only slight complaint was the overly descriptive sections whenever anyone went into a new part of the forest. We got descriptions of every flower, plant and vine and what colours they all were until my eyes were glazing. Those were a bit overdone, but that's about all I can think of in terms of negatives. And it's Ilona Andrews so I forgave them and gave it 5 stars anyway!
I highly recommend this book to all Urban Fantasy/ Fantasy Romance/ or heck, even Fairy Tale fans. I don't know why I put off reading it for so long.
5 Stars! ★★★★★