On the Edge–Ilona Andrews

Book: On the Edge (Book 1: The Edge)
Author: Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
309 pages / Paperback
My Rating:



Rose Drayton is a resident of the The Edge, the area between the non-magical Broken and the aristocratic magical Weird. The people of the Edge don’t quite fit into either world, but they are usually able to cross over into either realm. Rose works an under the table job in the Broken where magic doesn’t exist, but her astonishing abilities make her attractive to those in the Edge and the Weird. Between working hard for pennies and having people pursuing her for her magic, Rose’s plate is further filled with caring for her two brothers. When a blueblood noble named Declan shows up at her doorstep, Rose believes that he is only after her magical abilities. Little does she know that his appearance is about to turn her life upside down.

After reading the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews I was really excited to read On the Edge. However, because I'm not a huge fan of romance Chachic from Chachic’s Book Nook warned me that it is a little more on the romance side than Kate Daniels was. I’ve promised myself to be more open to different genres (including romance) so I picked it up and read it. The book is in fact more heavy on the romance, but it still features a woman that can take care of herself and doesn’t feel she has to identify herself by a man. I think Ilona Andrews definitely writes some of the better female characters when it comes to romance because there isn’t as much angst or misplaced anger in them. They are quite simply, strong women. Rose is no exception. Although she does spend a good portion of the book attracted to Declan, I never felt like her character was overtaken by the need to be loved by a man. She felt a strong duty to herself and her family and had her own identity throughout.

However, this book fell short to some extent for me. It just wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be. There was definitely good world building and good action, but for some reason I felt a little disconnected with the characters of Rose and Declan. I actually enjoyed the supporting players in the book more than the the main characters. This isn’t a bad thing since I love a good supporting cast, but I wish that I liked Rose and Declan a little more than I did. I am not sure that I felt the real connection between them as a couple and their relationship was definitely a big part of the book. The romantic tension just wasn’t quite up to my expectations. Don’t let this turn you off the book though because the story was actually good and the world was interesting. I also say this because the first books of series oftentimes just set up what is to come in the world its building, and I’m wondering if that is the case in this series.

The world itself was interesting. There is a dark character that is bent on having his way (no spoiler here because that’s just a plot point in pretty much all fantasy books) and the way peoples’ magic is used in the story kept me guessing as to how things would turn out. I like the idea that the magical world and the non-magical worlds couldn’t mix except for this select group of people from The Edge. I also enjoyed the rural Georgia setting which I wasn’t expecting to like. I ended up thinking it was the perfect setting for a story like this.

I am definitely looking forward to reading book two of the series, Bayou Moon because it is about Declan's friend William who was my favorite character in On the Edge. I recommend this book to people who like enjoy urban fantasy and paranormal romance that is fast but with decent world building, strong characters, and a little bit of romance.

Link of Interest
Chachic’s Book Nook’s review of On the Edge (she loved it and her review will give you a different perspective)


*Notice of Disclosure: I received On the Edge for review from Penguin Books.

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