Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
On the Edge is the first installment of Ilona Andrews’s The Edge series. It introduces us to a unique kind of world building. There are two worlds that are mirror images of each other. One of them is the non-magical world where we live that unbeknownst to us is called the Broken and the other is the magical world known as the Weird. In between the two worlds is a small sliver of land known as the Edge… this is where lower level magical users reside and it’s where the lead character of our story, Rose Drayton lives.
Rose has been abandoned by both parents so she is the primary caregiver of her two brothers, changeling,Jake, and necromancer, Georgie. Their grandmother that lives nearby is the only other family the trio has.
When Rose was younger she practiced with her magic and it became more powerful than most residents of the Edge and it even resembled that of the bluebloods from the Weird, with her white flash. And, when she displayed it for all to see she started being hunted for her power. Some wanted her for breeding purposes, others wanting to sell her to the highest bidder, and the ones that didn’t want her envied her and made her life hell. She learned quickly that nobody could be trusted, especially men.
Having so many people trying to acquire her throughout her life it didn’t really surprise her when she found the blueblood, Declan, hanging outside her house. She tried to get him to leave knowing he only wanted her for what her magic could bring him, but he refused to go. Instead, he forced her to challenge him. She has to create three tasks for him to complete and if he succeeds she has to marry him. But Rose never expected all of this to be a product of coincidence and that he has other reasons for showing up at her house when he did.
“I mean to have you, Rose, you and all of your thorns. I’m a disagreeable and stubborn bastard, but I’m not a fool. You didn’t really expect me to pass you up, did you?”
And, when evil beasts start taking over the Edge killing everyone for their magic Rose and Declan must work together to save themselves and the world that Rose and her brothers call home.
I’ve heard great things about this author, but I’m ashamed to admit that this is the first of her novels that I’ve read. I thought it was an interesting read and the world-building was superb! It’s hard to fault a fictional world that describes your own existence so well that it could be considered feasible. The people living in the Broken are completely unaware of the other realms or even what their own world is called. I thought it was imaginative and a whole lot of fun.
The parts of this book that I loved, I really loved. I enjoyed Delcan and his quest to win Rose. I knew that he wouldn’t fail in his tasks, and that somehow they would get past his arrogance, but it was fun watching it unfold and seeing what would happen next.
“We need a barn or one of those storage areas for the Broken vehicles.”
“A garage?”
He gave her a short nod. “A private, relatively remote location, with thick walls to dampen the sound and preferably a sturdy door I could bolt from the inside, keeping your grandmother, your brothers, and all other painfully annoying spectators out…”
Rose began to laugh. A make-out bunker…
“I’m glad you find our dilemma hilarious,”
I also found Rose’s brothers to be interesting. You have to wonder what kind of gene pool could create a child that can raise the dead, a kid that can turn into a cat, and a powerful magic user like Rose all with the same two parents.
Unfortunately, there were also parts of this story that I found to be a bit dull. I found this book got off to a slow start, but I understand it was necessary in order for the reader to comprehend the three realms and to see some of Rose’s past so we can understand what she’s been through and to also know why she’s raising her young brothers.
I also found the entire time at Wood House and the planning stage to eradicate the hounds and their creatator to be incredibly boring.
But overall I found the story to be a fun one and look forward to continuing the series.
