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Monday, November 09, 2009:
"On The Edge" by Ilona Andrews (2009) - review
 Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, 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). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.
Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn’t turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, 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 her (and her power).
But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them—or they’ll devour the Edge and everyone in it . . .
When I first read the back cover blurb, I admit, I was not all that impressed. It sounded like some post-Apocalyptic "Terminator: Salvation" nightmare (I thought the movie pretty much sucked) and I was hesitant to buy it. But I had loved the "Magic" books so much, and a lot of cool people had raved about "On the Edge", so I let go of my inhibitions and before I could change my mind, I bought it. Let's just say that sometimes it's really a good thing to be proven wrong :)
Much like the "other" series, this book is about magic. But other than that, the similarities end. Here, you've got the Weird, that is all magic, all the time. Then there's the Broken, where there is no magic, and anyone thought to have magic would be pretty much considered out of their ever-lovin' minds. Next up is the Edge, which is where Rose and her family lives. The Edge is a strange mixture of magic and non-magic, and those of the Edge can travel between the other realms, in a way, though not without discomfort on some level, and it all depends on their level of magic. Not everyone can cross over.
Now the things about Rose is that she has a lot of magic. And people want it, or they want to benefit from others who will pay for her powerful magic. They are not so nice about how they go about getting it, either. Rose has 2 younger brothers to look after, George and Jack, who each have their own abilities, and she would walk to hell and back to protect them. To make matters even more complicated, living on the Edge and working in the Broken barely keeps their heads about water. Rose and her family are barely getting by, but she is stubborn and hard-working and refuses to give in. She fights to keep her brothers safe.
Declan, much like everyone else, wants her magic for himself. He's willing to be noble and make her his bride, but to Rose, a trap is a trap, no matter how pretty you make it look. However Declan is the one that helps protect her brothers and fights side by side with her when an evil of great strength tries to take her magic through violent and horrifying means, so while she doesn't trust him, she agrees to have him challenge her for her hand. Only she has no intention of giving in and letting him win, no matter how masculine and attractive he is. But sometimes the heart refuses to listen to logic, and you end up falling in love, no matter how hard you try not to...
My thoughts:
Despite my initial reservations, I was completely blown away by this book. LOVED it. Ilona Andrews manages to make a bleak and oppressive world come alive, and peppers it with colorful, unique characters that have you wanting to get to know them better. Despite her magic, Rose is a young woman faced with raising her two younger brothers on her own, and at times she's so afraid that the only way to get past it is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I could completely understand where she was coming from, and it made me respect Rose, despite her hardness at times. Rose didn't have a lot of options, and sometimes she had to be tough to survive. It's a bleak, lonely existence she leads, and it's heartbreaking to watch her live this way.
Despite Declan's various reasons for coming to the Edge, I found much to like about him. He was demanding and arrogant, but also protective of Rose and her family, and whether it was for his own benefit didn't make much of a difference to me. He could be compassionate and understanding, and still managed to push Rose's buttons. One of my favorite things is that while he would put himself into the role of protector, he didn't discount Rose's abilities completely, even if it bothered him on a very basic level to let her be right in the thick of the danger alongside him. He recognized that she was a survivor, and wasn't someone who backed away from difficult situations. In fact most times, she didn't have a choice. I loved Rose and Declan together. They worked well as a team, and after a time earned the other's respect, if grudgingly, which forged a stronger attraction between them. I liked that neither of them fell all over each other once they fell in love. Rose was just as stubborn as she was from day one about not caving into Declan's demands. She stayed true to herself, and I think that's exactly how it should have been. So despite the bleakness of these worlds, and the constant dangers, there is much to adore in "On The Edge". I'm excited to see there's a 2nd book coming out. In my opinion, Ilona Andrews just keeps getting better and better. Despite my reluctance, I was sucked right into the pages and didn't want to put it down. Now that's talent for you. The story is rich and colorful and compelling, and I cannot wait to visit the Edge again, because I'm not quite ready to leave yet.
Rating: ***** out of *****
Labels: Ilona Andrews, review
posted by Stacy~ at 11/09/2009 07:08:00 AM
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009:
The Magic of Ilona Andrews
 Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren't for magic....
One moment magic dominates, and cars stall and guns fail. The next, technology takes over and the defensive spells no longer protect your house from monsters. Here skyscrapers topple under onslaught of magic; werebears and werehyenas prowl through the ruined streets; and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers driven by their thirst of knowledge and wealth, pilot blood-crazed vampires with their minds.
In this world lives Kate Daniels. Kate likes her sword a little too much and has a hard time controlling her mouth. The magic in her blood makes her a target, and she spent most of her life hiding in plain sight. But when Kate's guardian is murdered, she must choose to do nothing and remain safe or to pursue his preternatural killer. Hiding is easy, but the right choice is rarely easy...
Down in Atlanta, tempers - and temperatures - are about to flare...
As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. Now Kate's going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one.
When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta's paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more at stake. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest - and battle for power. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug-of-war between two gods hoping for rebirth. And if Kate can't stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive...
 Drafted into working for the Order of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems than she knows what to do with these days. And in Atlanta, where magic comes and goes like the tide, that's saying a lot.
But when Kate's werewolf friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, she must confront her greatest challenge yet. As her investigation leads her to the Midnight Games - an invitation only, no holds barred, ultimate preternatural fighting tournament - she and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, uncover a dark plot that may forever alter the face of Atlanta's shapeshifting community...
Because I officially suck at reviews these days, I'm going to give my thoughts on the first 3 books in this series and hopefully convey my strong opinion that these books are definitely worth checking out.
Once again I have to give a shout-out to Smexy (Mandi) and a few other fabulous bloggers who convinced me that the Magic series was the way to go. I definitely had my reservations, and though others raved about the books, when I first saw the bookcovers I was not impressed. But I was in Barnes & Noble last Friday night and perusing the rows of books when I came across all 3 of the Magic books sitting there, just waiting for someone with a giftcard to snatch them off the shelves and rush them to the checkout line before they changed their mind (yes, that would be me).
I started the first book immediately when I got home, and was feeling rather disappointed. It was rather a slow start, and the descriptions of the resident vampires alone made me almost queasy. These were not sexy, muscular hotties who seduced. No, these were mindless creatures one millimeter away from total bloodlust. But I kept at it, turning page after page, squinting my eyes at passages filled with nasty, dripping gore and blood and pain. These stories were not light-hearted fantasy escapes, they were fairly violent and explicitly messy (word to the wise: I would not recommend eating while reading these books).
But then somewhere along the line, probably halfway through "Magic Bites", I began to lose myself in the story, and started rooting for Kate. She was not only strong and able to take care of herself, she was able to withstand pain, and lots of it. Kate was not spared injury here. She was slapped, punched, kicked, stabbed, and pretty much bloodied during many scenes in the book. She wasn't always the strongest, but she fought with all her might. She fought because she cared, even when she knew it was dangerous to do so. Kate had her own code, such as it was, but she lived by it and had a clearer conscience for it.
"Magic Burns" was even better, and we do see a softer side of many of the characters in this story, especially Kate, who fights to protect a young girl. This situation brings out her maternal instincts. We see the attraction between her and Curran, the Beast Lord, grow, much to Kate's chagrin. Kate realizes that despite her best efforts, she has a best friend in Andrea. The Pack, for the most part, respects her and treats her as a friend. And I love Kate's relationship with her dagger, Slayer. Cracks me up that she's so attached to it. It's like a living, breathing object of death that she can't sleep without.
Now "Magic Strikes" is really where it's at though. A lot of stuff happens here, most notably that she and the Pack almost lose Derek. This story really tugged at the heartstrings, for many reasons. When Derek is beaten so brutally yet is unable to heal, it's devastating to everyone. Curran is put in the difficult position of being lied to by someone he trusts, and as the Beast Lord, the consequences must be severe, as he cannot allow anyone to question his strength, his authority. Kate's feelings towards Curran are inevitably stronger here, as witnessed time and time again. Without giving anything away, I think the series really came together very strongly in this book. It's by far my favorite of the three; the most intense, edgy story to date, and secrets about Kate are finally confirmed here, though heavy hints have been sprinkled throughout the first 2 books.
It's a fascinating series, and I'm so glad I stuck with it and didn't let my initial reaction turn me off the stories. They're still a bit over the top with all the fluids and ickiness - and guess what? Curran don't look all that pretty in his warrior form - but once you get back that, you can really enjoy some good drama.
Rating: 4, 4, 4/12 stars - highly recommended
Would you read these books?
Why or why not? Labels: Ilona Andrews
posted by Stacy~ at 10/28/2009 06:53:00 AM
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