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Carole (Carole's Random Life)'s Reviews > On the Edge
On the Edge (The Edge, #1)
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by
Carole (Carole's Random Life)'s review
bookshelves: 2015, buddy-read, paranormal, reviewed, romance, series
Jan 12, 2015
bookshelves: 2015, buddy-read, paranormal, reviewed, romance, series
Read 3 times. Last read January 12, 2015 to January 15, 2015.
Buddy Read with the fabulous Ilona Andrews Addicts Group!
Discussion Thread
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.
4 Stars!
When a group of friends on Goodreads decided to read this book together, I knew that I had to join in on the fun. I am a huge fan of Ilona Andrews. I read this book a couple of years ago and enjoyed but but for some reason never picked up the rest of the books in the series. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to refresh my memory of this book and jump into the rest of the series.
As I read this book, I could not help but think about the things that the writing team of Gordon and Ilona Andrews do consistently well so I thought I would touch on these things in this review:
Excellent world building
The Edge is something completely different than I have ever read. In this world, there are three main divisions: the Broken, the Weird, and the Edge. The Broken would be our world-full of WalMarts, Burger Kings, and people who don't know about the existence of any other world. The Weird is a magical world with fewer people and less technology. The Edge is the point between the two worlds-magic and few people who self govern themselves.
Tough main characters
Rose is no damsel in distress. She doesn't expect anyone to take care of her or her brothers. She does what needs to be done without complaint. She helps out whenever she can despite the fact that others have tried to use her. I love the fact that Rose thinks fast under pressure and is incredibly tough. She doesn't look for a fight but she is not one to back away from one when necessary.
Swoon worthy male leads
First things first-Declan is no Curran and he is no Mad Rogan. He is still a very good male lead. He doesn't hesitate to put himself in danger to protect Rose and her family and friends. Declan became more and more likable for me as the story progress and by the end of the story I was sold. Something about Declan early in the book seemed almost a bit cartoonish but the more I learned about him the more real he became.
Excellent banter
What would a Ilona Andrews book be without the trademark banter? The interactions between the two main characters is extraordinary. I love how they are able to work some humor into every story usually through the character dialog.
Just the right amount of action
This book has no shortage of action. The last part of the book is almost non-stop. There are also the quieter times where we get to really know the characters. By the end of the book, I knew how much the fight meant to everyone involved. The pacing of the book was excellent.
I liked lots of other things in this book. Rose's brothers, Jack and Georgie, were amazing. These two kids were truly unique and amazing characters and ended up being one of the main strengths of the book. I loved that the characters in this book spent time doing such normal things. They went to Burger King and made several trips to WalMart. These are things that most people can relate to although most of us don't start riots because of our attractiveness at any of these locations.
I would highly recommend this book to others. I do think that this book would appeal to fans of paranormal romance. The romance aspect seemed to be a much larger focus than in other Ilona Andrews works. I enjoy romance so that wasn't an issue for me but it may be for other readers. I can't wait to start on the next book in this series.
Discussion Thread
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.
4 Stars!
When a group of friends on Goodreads decided to read this book together, I knew that I had to join in on the fun. I am a huge fan of Ilona Andrews. I read this book a couple of years ago and enjoyed but but for some reason never picked up the rest of the books in the series. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to refresh my memory of this book and jump into the rest of the series.
As I read this book, I could not help but think about the things that the writing team of Gordon and Ilona Andrews do consistently well so I thought I would touch on these things in this review:
Excellent world building
The Edge is something completely different than I have ever read. In this world, there are three main divisions: the Broken, the Weird, and the Edge. The Broken would be our world-full of WalMarts, Burger Kings, and people who don't know about the existence of any other world. The Weird is a magical world with fewer people and less technology. The Edge is the point between the two worlds-magic and few people who self govern themselves.
Tough main characters
Rose is no damsel in distress. She doesn't expect anyone to take care of her or her brothers. She does what needs to be done without complaint. She helps out whenever she can despite the fact that others have tried to use her. I love the fact that Rose thinks fast under pressure and is incredibly tough. She doesn't look for a fight but she is not one to back away from one when necessary.
Swoon worthy male leads
First things first-Declan is no Curran and he is no Mad Rogan. He is still a very good male lead. He doesn't hesitate to put himself in danger to protect Rose and her family and friends. Declan became more and more likable for me as the story progress and by the end of the story I was sold. Something about Declan early in the book seemed almost a bit cartoonish but the more I learned about him the more real he became.
Excellent banter
What would a Ilona Andrews book be without the trademark banter? The interactions between the two main characters is extraordinary. I love how they are able to work some humor into every story usually through the character dialog.
Just the right amount of action
This book has no shortage of action. The last part of the book is almost non-stop. There are also the quieter times where we get to really know the characters. By the end of the book, I knew how much the fight meant to everyone involved. The pacing of the book was excellent.
I liked lots of other things in this book. Rose's brothers, Jack and Georgie, were amazing. These two kids were truly unique and amazing characters and ended up being one of the main strengths of the book. I loved that the characters in this book spent time doing such normal things. They went to Burger King and made several trips to WalMart. These are things that most people can relate to although most of us don't start riots because of our attractiveness at any of these locations.
I would highly recommend this book to others. I do think that this book would appeal to fans of paranormal romance. The romance aspect seemed to be a much larger focus than in other Ilona Andrews works. I enjoy romance so that wasn't an issue for me but it may be for other readers. I can't wait to start on the next book in this series.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
March 23, 2013
– Shelved
(Mass Market Paperback Edition)
April 6, 2013
–
Started Reading
(Mass Market Paperback Edition)
April 23, 2013
–
Finished Reading
(Mass Market Paperback Edition)
January 12, 2015
–
Started Reading
January 12, 2015
– Shelved
January 12, 2015
–
26.0%
""Amy," Elsie Moore siad in he rcrackling voice, her gaze fixed on Declan. "I want you to get me a new bear. A blond one."
"
"
January 14, 2015
–
51.0%
January 14, 2015
–
64.0%
""You think so? I've never created a riot before. I did cause a brawl at the last formal. A large number of young women there actually arrived with the expectation of seducing me into matrimony, and a couple of the mothers came to blows. I was hilari-I mean, dreadful. Simply dreadful."
Declan can apparently case riots anywhere."
Declan can apparently case riots anywhere."
January 15, 2015
–
Finished Reading
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message 1:
by
Robin
(new)
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rated it 4 stars
Jan 18, 2015 09:20PM
Great review I loved reading this with all of you ;)
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Robin wrote: "Great review I loved reading this with all of you ;)"Thanks, Robin! I am really enjoying all of the buddy reads. I just need to work on stopping to discuss the book more often.
Lol...that happens to me to, especially when it is the first time through a book. I'm much better on a reread.
This was a reread. I just suck at pacing myself.
Lol...me too. Especially with IA. No worries.
Nice review! Now I want to go re-write mine :)
Thanks, Allison! Are you reading book 2 with us on Monday?
Carole's Random Life wrote: "Thanks, Allison! Are you reading book 2 with us on Monday?"Yep, I'm planning on it!
I totally agree with you about Rose being a strong character. She's strong in real ways, too. The first PNR series I read was the Anita Blake series, and while I liked the first couple of books a lot, it kind of bothered me how anti-girly the MC was. It's nice to read about strong women who are also down to earth and aren't afraid or repulsed by expressing their homier side. (Not that there's anything wrong with being tomboyish, but it's nice to mix things up once in a while. :D)
Exactly, Nenia! Rose is a strong character but she is down to earth. She is easy to relate to. I liked her a lot. I have read most of the Anita Blake series. I like Anita but she is not a character that seems like a real person at all. It has been several years since I picked up a Laurell K Hamilton book. I wonder what I would think of them now.
They got totally off the wall later on in the series. Towards the end it was just about orgies and Anita acquiring yet another super power. But yeah, in the beginning I really liked the books. :)
Oh gods, don't remind me of Anita Blake please... I really liked it up until it went off the rails. I tend to be completely respectful of people's love lives, but the whole polyamory business was not what I signed up for with that series. :/
The Anita Blake series definitely took a turn. Some of the books really read more like erotica than anything else. I do like Anita much better with her clothes on. :)
