Andrews, Ilona: On the Edge
On the Edge (2009)
Written by: Ilona Andrews
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 326 (Mass Market Paperback)
Series: Book One (The Edge)
Why I Read It: I've started this book several times. Which is misleading. I should say I've sampled the book many times. First time was in Ace's Sampler from back in 2009, then the second time I sampled it was on my Kindle, by which time I'd finally started the Kate Daniels series and was willing to give this a shot. But the thing with Kindle is that you can get the book NOW or just wait until you're ready, and I was waiting until I was ready. Until I saw this book and its sequel sitting in Dreams & Speculation's "gotta-go" pile, so I paid for the shipping and finally got my hands on the real copy. Maybe the third time's the charm?
The premise: ganked from publisher's website: The Broken is a place where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is nothing more than a fairy tale.
The Weird is a realm where blueblood aristocrats rule and the strength of your magic can change your destiny.
Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, the place between both worlds. A perilous existence indeed, made even more so by a flood of magic-hungry creatures bent on absolute destruction.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. I don't want to spoil what surprises there are, so you can read on safely. However, if you just happen to be super-duper paranoid, skip to "My Rating" and you'll be fine. Everyone else, onward!
I have to admit, I was a little nervous about reading this. I've not been doing well with books that are primarily paranormal romance, and if I knew anything about this new series, I knew that it was paranormal romance. Added to the fact that I didn't care for Andrews' completely unrelated ebook novella Silent Blade at all (I make the comparison because it, too, was romance centric) and I was definitely nervous. I'd heard worrisome things about the hero being TOO ALPHA, so it's a wonder I ever got around to this book.
But get around to it I did, and in the end, I was very, very pleased. Sure, Declan is rather unbelievable at first given his attitude, and I kept having trouble accepting Edge culture that would allow certain men to treat women so horribly, but I got over my discomfort. With Declan, once we learn more about his character and his motivations, his attitude from the start makes far more sense; with Edge culture, well, once certain characters get what they deserve, I'm fine with it. :)
The world-building was really rather fascinating, and I was very charmed by Rosie's two brothers, especially Jack. I mean, come on: the kid turns into a cat for goodness sakes. How can I not adore him? Especially when Andrews imbues his character with so many little cat actions! But I also liked how Rosie was a pretty normal girl, from a rather poor side of town, and how utterly devoted she was to making sure her brothers had it better than she did. I also loved the Southern flair to it all, and I seriously think urban fantasy needs more rustic, rural settings like this, because I'm almost always charmed. The Weird was also interesting, what little we learn of it, how it's a kind of parallel world with magic, but how there are very, very different things, like Texas being a separate republic. Sue me, I'm a sucker for parallel worlds!
I also appreciated how Andrews didn't fall into the standard triangle trope. You think that's what you're going to get at first, but Rosie knows herself and she knows what she does and doesn't want, so she doesn't fall into that trap. Nor do the two men competing for her affection hate each other for it. They have their own issues, and she's got nothing to do with them, and that's pretty awesome.
There's humor too, like on page 175 where I had to stop myself from laughing out loud:
She handed him a glass of water and two Aleve gelcaps. "They're anti-inflammatories. They will dull the pain a little bit and keep down swelling and redness. Swallow the pills, don't chew."
"Well, I thought I'd stick them into my nose and impersonate a walrus, but if you insist, I'll swallow them."
Or here, on page 228, which made me laugh because I know someone who's big enough to go around doing this:
Tom Buckwell sounded like an ornery bear and looked like one, too. Big, almost seven feet tall and three hundred pounds heavy, he sat hunching his thick shoulders. He was also the hairiest man she had ever seen. His reddish beard was always tangled, his hair long, and the hair on his muscular forearms resembled fur. Rumors said that if he got drunk enough, he sometimes got his jollies by stripping naked and scaring hikers out in the Broken into thinking he was Bigfoot.
My Rating: Good Read
On the Edge ended up being quite the enjoyable little romp that, while it's a paranormal romance, had a solid mystery to it too. I was very engaged by the world-building and the normalcy of the heroine's life, despite what her magic had cost her. Still, there's a lot to be charmed by in this book, and even the romance is well done once you get to know the hero and his motivations (which is really important, because in the beginning he's not cast in a very good light). I feel this is worth the read even if you're gun-shy when it comes to paranormal romances but still enjoy them. I say that because I enjoy paranormal romance, but I'm very, very picky. This worked great for me, and if you're a fan of the Kate Daniels series, then you already know what to expect in terms of writing style and interesting magic.
Cover Commentary: Hate it. Wait, if you take out the looming man's face from the corner, I don't mind it at all. Nice coloring, and you gotta love a girl with a shotgun leaning against a truck. But put the guy's face on the cover and it suddenly looks way too paranormal romance-y for my taste, and the cover's the primary reason I waited so long to finally read this.
Next up: Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress