On the Edge (Edge, #1)

by Ilona Andrews

Step into a whole new world in the first Novel of the Edge from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Kate Daniels series.

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale—and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny...

Rose Drayton thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn’t turn out the way she’d planned, and now she works an off-the-books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have Rose (and her power).
 
But when a flood of creatures hungry for magic invade the Edge, Declan and Rose must overcome their differences and work together to destroy them—or the beasts will devour the Edge and everyone in it...

• ISBN10: 0441017800
• ISBN13: 9780441017805
• Publish Date: 29 September 2009
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780441017805

Reviews

[mitabird]

3.5 stars

[booksandcats]

Hm I'm not quite sure about this one. I love the world Ilona Andrews (the husband-wife writing pair) built. I love the interactions of Rose and her brothers. I love Rose as a characters. She is strongwilled, powerful, stands her ground and she is smart. She isn't perfect or overpowered, she has limits and she is human, she makes mistakes based on her past experiences, but she is also quite aware of herself I think. I am still not quite sure about Declan. I liked him a lot in his interactions with George and Jack, I enjoyed his romantic scenes with Rose and the last scene with his family was in my opinion the best we have seen him in the whole book.

I kind of didn't like Rose and Declan together. I stand by my thought midway through the book that Rose could do better. He is so often arrogant, he doesn't seem to see what her life was like, he is cocky, always so sure that he will win her (except a few scenes that made me like him a lot more) and seems to think that he can waltz into her life, take over, "rescue" her (against her will) and she should be thankful for it and fall for him. And just to be clear, I get that in many Fantasy-Romance novels the male lead is this powerful, arrogant Alpha-Male kind of figure. And Ilona Andrews have nailed it so many times, with Rogan, Curran etc. I just don't think I like Declan as much.

Maybe my expectations were just too high. I know this is one of the earlier books and I can see how much the two authors have grown since writing this. I think if they took this idea (a brilliant idea btw) today, and wrote more or less the same story again, I would love it a lot more. The basic ingredients for an amazing story are all there, it just didn't fit right together for me to really love it. Still a good read and entertaining.

[jamiereadthis]

1. Love Georgie.
2. Really not into abs and possessiveness.
3. I’m just not big on the Prince Charming/Cinderella/fairy tale trope no matter the guise.
4. It felt like Bon Temps, but different, but I like Bon Temps better?
5. I’m glad the rest of the series isn’t about Declan and Rose. The characters surrounding them (Georgie! Jack, William…) are already more interesting so that makes me more interested to see where the series goes.

[Linda]

The Edge series is the last Ilona Andrews series I haven't read yet. And my, oh my am I happy I waited! The world building and the magic are astounding, and the character development out of this world!
The overall plot and the story also appealed to me on every level. I'm so happy I get to binge now!

[Rowena]

Another great book by Ilona Andrews. I was hardcore invested in this book because of Georgie and Jack though Rose and Declan were pretty awesome themselves. This was a great introduction into this world and I'm anxious for more.

Full review to come.

[Melanie]

Relistening to this book because I'm not in the mood for any of my review books or new-to-me books.

[EBookObsessed]

I enjoyed this story as much as all of the other Ilona Andrews series that I have read. The stories have enough character development, excitement and creativity to hold your interest from start to finish. This series only has a slight resemblance to Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series and the references to the Weird actually reminds me a little of Thea Harrison’s Elder Races series and her otherlands. In the Weird, there is more a feudal system of life. There is no electricity, nothing mechanical or running on engines. They ride horses and use magic.

Rose is an Edger. The only magic Rose has is called flashing. She can make a whip of magic like lightning. The more powerful your flash, the lighter the color. Rose practiced and practiced and thought everyone would be excited when she proved she could flash bright white. She was surprised when her family took her, ran home and barricaded the family in the house behind the magical wards. Rose never realized her impressive power painted a target on her forehead. Once word got out about Rose, the bluebloods from the Weird flocked for a chance to use the Edger girl as a brood-mare for their family lines. A few resorted to trying to kidnap her and even slavers tried to grab her to sell to the highest bidder.

After flashing and killing a few of the more dangerous attackers, Rose was finally let alone to go about her life in the Edge. Rose has spirit and works hard at a lousy job in the Broken in order to take care of her two younger brothers. Twelve-year-old Georgie is a necromancer and ten-year-old Jack is a changeling. The family is living an average Edger life until Lord Declan Camarine comes calling.

Rose tries to shoo him off but ends up making a bargain instead. Dangerous creatures have started showing up in the woods around Rose’s home and Declan will protect her brothers, if Rose will give him three tasks to complete. If he completes the tasks, Declan wins Rose and she will go with him to the Weird.

Rose has no love for the bluebloods and has no intention of losing, but she could use the help protecting her brothers. She doesn’t want to be Declan’s possession and doesn’t trust that he will take care of her brothers and not turn them into servants and slaves. As this is a romance, the more time Rose and Declan spend and work together, the closer they grow. Declan drops the haughty blueblood facade and realizes that while Rose might not have the manners and breeding of a blueblood, her strength, her wit and her loyalty to her family more than makes up for that.

Except, just when Rose drops her guard around Declan and believes things might just work out for them, she finds out there is more to Declan’s sudden appearance at her door than going home with an Edger bride. Her trust in him is shattered but they still need to work together to protect her family and the rest of the Edge from a dark menace that wants to absorb all the magic that surrounds the Edgers.

After the initial meeting of Declan, I couldn’t imagine how he could be the hero of this story since he was a pompous jerk, but like, Rose we start to like him once he shows himself to be a brave and caring man. He knows that his omission of the truth has lost him Rose’s trust, but by the end it is no longer about winning a bride but a matter of keeping Rose with him forever.

The magic and world building is different from the Kate Daniels series, and the Innkeeper Chronicles series, but if you like either or both of those, you will definitely enjoy this one as well. The only disappointment is that Rose, Declan, Georgie and Jack were such great characters, but the other three books in the series focuses on different main characters. It would have been interesting to read more of life in the Weird. Of course, the series is called The Edge, but you know what I mean.

Narrator Renee Raudman does a great job it is is a bit distracting that they use for for all the different series. Rose is the same voice as Kate Daniels and Declan was a combination of Curran and Lord Arland (The Innkeeper Chronicles).

[MurderByDeath]

I love the Kate Daniels series and the synopsis for this one sounded pretty good; a place where two worlds overlapped - an in-between space only certain people could live.  Intriguing.   

But... no.  The writing is solid, descriptive, evocative.  But this is much more a paranormal romance than an urban fantasy and animal cruelty is just treated too casually for me; it's not graphic, but it's prevalent.     

This is also a book that would lose a lot of readers in the first half, especially those with low tolerance for male posturing and non-consent (no rape, to be clear, just the whole "I will have you! crap).  Andrews' here is a bit too clever for their own good (what is the proper pronoun usage for 2 people writing under 1 name?!?):  a lot of readers won't have the tolerance to stick around and discover just how wrong perceptions are in the first half of the book.   

Overall, I'm not sorry I read it, but I won't read it again and I won't read the second book (I think there's a second book...).  I'll stick with Kate and Curran.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Five reasons to grab your earbuds and listen to On the Edge

• Rose Drayton our protagonist is a kick-ass, snarky and I loved her. Picture Kate Daniels minus the sword. She lives in the Edge, and has some unique magical powers, which of course cause her problems. For example, her boyfriend tried to sell her! Rose is raising her two younger brothers in what we know as the south. One might define them as rednecks. Food, clothing and other expenses are a struggle, and I had to admire Rose for providing for them all.


• The world building as I have come to expect from Andrews was spectacular. Rose and her family live in the Edge a place between the Broken (our world) and the Weird, a place where magic exists. Edgers have some magic and most are very poor. Rose actually works in the Broken as a cleaner and I loved how Andrews captured the south. As I closed my eyes and listened to Renee Raudman narrate I could see Rose’s home in vivid detail.


• The characters!! I absolutely love the characters Ilona Andrews create. Rose is snarky; her brothers are curious children who made me laugh as I felt for Rose. The connection between the Sweep in Peace and The Edge characters made me cry. Declan, a Blue Nobleman from the Weird was swoony, even if at first I wanted to shoot him. Rose’s grandmother was a hoot and her brothers have some interesting abilities.


• The romance was brilliant. This was slow burning haters to lovers’ romance filled with snark, bickering and a surprising amount of heat. Rose and Declan’s interaction and bickering had me laughing aloud even as the chemistry between them curled my toes. Watching their relationship turn to passion was deliciously wonderful to witness.
  On the Edge was a rich, unique story. I quickly slipping into the world and immediately downloaded the next audiobook. Declan shows up at the edge of Rose’s wards to wed Rose. Things get heated and Rose agrees to go with him if he can complete three challenges. The challenges and a threat from creatures hinting in the Edge forest kept things interesting.

This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Hixxup]

I love the way Ilona Andrews makes their world. It's so creative and constructive. I have never read a book such as this where there are three different realms all on the same plane. Once I really got into this book, it was hard for me to put it down. If I had, had more time I would've been done with this a whole lot sooner than what I am. But such is life. The characters were dynamic, the lead female wasn't a push over, but wasn't a complete hard ass either. The guy of course gorgeous as all get out. The boys loved them. The story line was unique, engrossing, and very entertaining. Ilona Andrews inspires me, that maybe one day I will be as good as them.