On the Edge: Lots of fun

urban fantasy book reviews Ilona Andrews The Edge 1. On the Edge On the Edge

I’m a big fan of Ilona Andrews‘ Kate Daniels series. In fact, Andrews is one of my favorite urban fantasy authors, so my expectations were high when I picked up On the Edge, and I was not disappointed.

On the Edge is set in a world like ours where magic and our reality are separated by a mixed area called the Edge. Magic works there, but so does technology, so it’s an interesting blend and a real no-man’s land. (I felt like I was looking into some really rural area where people knew about the outside world, but were not very interested in it.) The Edge is threatened by a force that seeks to steal all the magic, and kill everyone who has magic in the process.

On the Edge features a lot of the usual urban fantasy themes and characters. The main character, Rose Drayton, is super-talented, very pretty, selfless, but twisted by life’s misfortunes and her family situation. In this regard I was a little disappointed because Rose was really nothing new. But she was likable and entertaining, and I enjoyed how Andrews directed her. Declan, the uber-male who falls for Rose is magical, handsome, and super cliché, but again, Andrews used him well. One thing I love about Ilona Andrews is that she writes great urban fantasy without crossing into paranormal romance. It’s a fine line and she walks it well.

Ilona Andrews is a wonderful author who I have enjoyed for quite a while and The Edge series looks to be a nice addition to her work — the dialogue is good, there’s plenty of action, and it’s a lot of fun.

January 24th, 2010. John Hulet´s rating: 4.5 | Ilona Andrews | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
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JOHN HULET is a member of the Utah Army National Guard. John’s experiences have often left a great void that has been filled by countless hours spent between the pages of a book lost in the words and images of the authors he admires. During a 12 month tour of Iraq, he spent well over $1000 on books and found sanity in the process. John lives in Utah and works slavishly to prepare soldiers to serve their country with the honor and distinction that Sturm Brightblade or Arithon s’Ffalenn would be proud of.

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3 comments

jacabur / January 24, 2010

:-)) :-)) :-)) This new series is going to be a keeper for a long time for me, cannot wait for the 2nd installment to see what happens to the gang of characters created by Ilona. The fact that can relate to the modern aspects and get lost in the fantastical gives me great pleasure when reading this book. I also loved all the Kate Daniel books so far and this is indeed a nice addition to the world of fantasy reading! :-)) :-)) :-))

jackie b central texas

Amanda Robbins / January 24, 2010

I actually thought this one was much better than the Kate Daniels’ series, better portrayal, the characters just seemed more real to me. That being said, I think I could recommend this book to a romance reader, it has fantasy elements but I think it would be equally popular with romance readers; I gave it to my mother who usually reads bodice-rippers and she enjoyed it.

Stephen / January 25, 2010

Which is better? Hard to say. I thought it worked really well as a stand-alone novel. But the world setting in the Kate Daniels series is pretty creative. I think we should encourage them to keep writing more books in both series until we can make a final decision here. :drink: