I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
On the Edge
by
Ilona Andrews
paranormal romance in a Kindle edition that was published by Ace Books on September 29, 2009 and has 340 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon, Audibles.
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Must Love Hellhounds, Dark and Stormy Knights, Angels of Darkness, Hexed, Fate's Edge, Hex Appeal, An Apple for the Creature, "Magic Gifts", Gunmetal Magic, Innkeeper Chronicles, Steel's Edge, Magic Bites, Magic Burns, Magic Strikes, Magic Bleeds, Magic Slays, Magic Rises, Magic Bleeds, Burn For Me, Night Shift, Magic Shifts, Magic Binds, White Hot, Wildfire, Iron and Magic, Magic Triumphs, "Gerard Demille and Helen Meet", "Diamond Fire", "Sweep with Me", Clean Sweep, Sweep in Peace, "A Mere Formality", Blood Heir, "The King of Fire", Sapphire Flames, "A Misunderstanding", Emerald Blaze, "The Cool Aunt", One Fell Sweep, Sweep of the Blade, "Silent Blade", Fated Blades, Bayou Moon, "George and Jack in School", Sweep of the Heart , Magic Tides, Small Magics, "The Wilson Building", "Conlan’s Birthday Text", "Dabwaha", "Don't Fight with Fate", “A Bit More of Roman”, “Getting Distracted”, "Sgt Munoz Had to Go", Ruby Fever, "Regina", Magic Tides, "The King of Fire", Magic Claims, "Sandra", "No Heroes", "Purpose", "A Mere Formality", "I Will Explain Everything", "Sanctuary", "Kind Regards"
First in The Edge, a suspenseful paranormal romance series revolving around a section of lawless country inhabited by fiercely independent families. The couple focus is on Rose Drayton and Declan Camarine.
My Take
Wow, the first half of this story was just excellent…well, the whole story was good. It’s this fourth re-reading that has encouraged me to raise my first reading from a “3” to a “4”.
It’s just that the first half was such an amazing bit of writing with Andrews creating an entirely new world…again…and then it descended into romantic cliche for the second half. I was wrong. It is a romance, but nothing clichéd. It’s how Declan goes about seducing Rose, one intellect against another. Then there’s the seduction of Rose’s brothers. Brothers who have their own conflicts to deal with that add such spice to the story.
Andrews paints a good picture of the differences between the Broken, the Edge, and the Weird. She also creates some fascinating characters in Rose, George, Jack, and their grandparents. Declan is also an empowering character who double deals and yet is an honest man.
Neither Declan nor William have a clue about life in the Edge or the Broken, not realizing how social customs differ and how much of an issue money is.
The second and third challenges Rose must come up with are so practical and incredibly helpful to the Drayton family. Jack’s issues are particularly challenging for this kitty cat.
Andrews uses third person global subjective point-of-view with the primary perspectives from Rose, Jack, George, and Declan.
It is a lighthearted ending — that Declan. At least we find out where he gets that sense of humor!
I did enjoy reading it and look forward to exploring Bayou Moon, 2.
The Story
First threatened by poverty, then magic-eating hounds, Rose encounters Declan Camarine, a blueblood hunter, who appears to be hunting Rose for her power.
The Characters
Rose Drayton, girl who flashes white, gave up her dreams to raise her brothers and now works an under-the-table job in the Broken. Georgie is the older brother and a necromancer with a heart of gold. Jack is the younger and a changeling who turns into a lynx. Grandpa Caedon Cletus Drayton has degenerated with a love for dogs’ brains. Grandma, Éléonore, a.k.a. mémére, is old, 107 years old, and powerful. Their mother killed herself; their father ran off.
The sad and protective William Wolf, a changeling who lays floors, was court-martialed from the Adrianglian army and has exiled himself to the Broken. And it is so sad as to why he collects action figures.
Declan Riel Marteo, ade Dominik, ade Logran, ade Rotibor, Earl of Camarine, Lord of Longshire, Svyator, and Veres, threatens, insults, and bargains with Rose. Grunt is his very odd horse.
La Porte is . . .
. . . a huddle of houses in the Edge, a strip of lawless territory between the Weird and the Broken. Sarah Walton is a contemporary of Rose’s and a mean girl who now lives in the Broken. Leanne had been best friends with Sarah. Sarah Ogletree and Kenny Jo a bully and a loudmouth, is her and Beau‘s oldest son. Other inhabitants include Lee Stearns; Jeremiah Lovedahl; Adele Meddler Moore; Amy Haire is Adele’s daughter while Mindy is Amy’s daughter; Elsie Moore, Adele’s crazy aunt, has tea parties with her teddy bears — Mr Pitt, Mr Brosnan, Mr Clooney, Mr Bean, and Mr Bana; Emily Paw is Elsie’s niece; Ruby is Adele’s great-grandchild; the vindictive Rob Simeon, Frank‘s son, wants to marry Rose for her power; Maggie Brewster has the foresight; the McCalls could use the money; Brad Dillon is a jerk who led Rose on; Olie is too stupid to know when he was being mean; Paula is expecting twins; Seth Hines escaped to the Broken with his family; Tina Watty was another mean girl; George Farrel, the local preacher, is borderline insane; the Ronns run a meth lab; Tom Buckwell looks like a bear and is Fred Simeon’s uncle; Nicki and Holly are Tom’s daughters; Thad; and, Jennifer and Ru didn’t make it.
The Wood House is a heavily warded shelter in the Wood.
The Weird . . .
. . . survives on magic and its citizens abound with it. A mirror image of the Broken, it consists of Adrianglia, the United Kingdom of Gaul (of the Old World) of which the Dukedom of Louisiana is a part. The Republic of Texas and the Democracy of California are west of Louisiana. Mexico is still part of Castilla, Spain. Yanice is a trader. Grandma’s family had provided retainers to Count d’Artois of the Kingdom of Gaul. The Red Legion is the Adrianglian weapon of last resort. Declan must report to the Duke of the Southern Provinces; his duchess is a former Edger.
The deteriorating Lord Casshorn Eratres Sandine is the vapor man and the brother of the Duke of the Southern Provinces. Casshorn has some ambitious plans. He adopted William.
Pine Barren is . . .
. . . the city just on the other side, in the Broken where magic dies, breaks you, and yet provides the exotic merchandise desired by Edgers and the jobs they need to survive. Peter Padrake, a.k.a. Commodore Peter Padrake, owns the Parallel Universe, a comics shop. Emerson, Eric’s uncle, owns Clean-n-Brite, a janitorial service that employs Rose. Latoya, a.k.a. Mophead, and Teresa work with Rose. Eric Kaplan owns Kaplan Insurance. Max Taylor runs Taylor’s Metal Detectors and charges a draconian fee to change money. The Broemmer Hotel had fired Clean-n-Brite. Juniper Kozlowski is the manager at the Burger King.
Agatha is Girl Genius and Lord Sesshomaru is a demon brother from the comics. Connor had been Cletus’ friend and the Esmeralda had been their corvette.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a busy orange sky with the Wood in orange behind the long-haired Rose leaning against a red truck, dressed in jeans and a turquoise top with a rifle propped on her shoulder and spirals of white mist rising from her hands. The huge, blond-haired Declan is behind the truck and Rose, his naked chest blending into the black at the bottom of the cover. Just under his hyoid is a testimonial and an info blurb in white. Below Rose is the title in a pale lime green with the author’s name in a pale blue beneath it. At the very bottom is another info blurb, also in white.
The title covers so many concepts, for Rose is and lives, even as Declan keeps her, On the Edge.
