On the Edge

The Edge, Book 1

By: Ilona Andrews

Narrated by: Renée Raudman

Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Spend some more time on The Edge.

©2009 Andrew Gordon and Ilona Gordon (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[E]ngaging urban fantasy....Andrews has created a complex plot and convincing characters that will keep the pages turning." ( Publishers Weekly)

Meh. Nothing to write home about.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Maybe it was too "young adult" fantasy for my likes, or maybe the romance component was entirely too predictable, but I found myself listening to On The Edge just to complete it. The underlying fantasy principle, particularly the 'three world' scenario (the Broken, the Edge and the Weird) was interesting and some of the magical components were innovative but I couldn't help but feel that, at the end of the day, this was a cheesy romance novel (geared towards a younger audience) with fantasy being a secondary element. I haven't read any other Ilona Andrews books but this one left me wanting more...more depth of characters, less predictable story lines and more true fantasy. It was an "ok" read - but coming of of other, much more (in my opinion) developed and complex story lines (i.e., Deborah Harkness All Souls series), I couldn't help but feel that this was just a 'junior' read. Again, this was my first time reading this author - so perhaps she writes towards a younger audience and perhaps she intends to write more romance than anything else, but it just wasn't up to par with other things I've been reading lately.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I thought the ending was entirely too fast and not very well developed. I had hoped that this was due to the other two books in the series taking off where they left off, but I later learned that the other two books are entirely different stories with just some minor character overlaps. I thought the book had a solid chance of (finally) meeting my fantasy expectations for the book once the Weird was a central focus but I was very much disappointed.

What three words best describe Renée Raudman’s performance?

No offense, AT ALL to Ms. Raudman, but her performance was what I least liked about this entire novel. Her voice was too gritty, to 'disinterested' for Rose and ended up making Rose (in my head) MUCH OLDER than she was in the story, which didn't help considering the fact that she was only a few years out of high school. Her phrasing of some key exchanges failed, in my opinion, to capture the essence of the dialogue. As stated before, I think the entire book was geared to a 'younger' audience - but if the narration had been better, particularly at some key moments, it could have lent sorely needed depth to a series of characters that were lacking in major substance.To her defense, Ms. Raudman did an excellent job of narrating the voices of Jack and Georgie and I enjoyed her performance as to the grandmother. I do think that her Declan role could have been much better (but then again, she was limited by the 'script' which I think could have been much better too), and that Rose could have been much more compelling had she been performed differently.

Do you think On the Edge needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes only because it was just at the point where some serious fantasy could be developed (after what seemed like 90% romance 10% fantasy).

Any additional comments?

I didn't hate this book but I don't think I'll read it again anytime soon. I also don't think that I am interested in reading the other two books in the series based on what I read here.

Enjoyable!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

What a fun listen! I was a little leary about this series at first. I love the rest of ILlona Andrews' other books but the official summary just didn't sound all that good. I was very pleasently surprised! It is much better than the publishers review! Interesting characters, unique story line and a wonderfully twisted romance plot line.

Have you listened to any of Renée Raudman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narrator had a very nice range of characterization. She also has agreat grasp of the characters emotions.

Any additional comments?

All in all just a very interestingly fun listen! I am looking forward to book two.

Need to think about it

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It is engrossing, every now and then I pause and just think about it, during the action and pretty good story I feel a bit of harlequin romance sneaking out. It ended well and I bought the next in the series so I can decide.

Love the Edge series

Love the characters and the story. It’s original and an amazing read. I’ve read it a few times and listened to it a couple. It doesn’t get old.

Interesting Wørld ßuilding

I really enjoyed the wørld ßuilding, kinda parallel magic world, with the people living on the edge between the worlds adapting to go between. The magic system cool, I enjoyed the necromancer boy, learning to control the dead ravens, and learning that death is part of living, and although sad, death is not bad or evil, but is necessary for the circle of life.
I'm no longer a romantic, now that I'm an Øld färt, but I could do without the descriptive dry humping, throat tongue wagging & raw-dogging.

Great alternative for PNR fans wanting more action

In a lot of ways this book felt like the Fantasy equivalent of Paranormal Romance; it’s less action-y than Ilona Andrews’ KATE DANIELS series, but the sex scenes are not left to the imagination (unlike in Urban Fantasy) and the strong world-building continues to be at the forefront of their writing. The romance is as far from insta-love as you can get which is a definite plus, and the ending was satisfying, although I was hoping for a second installment before jumping to another couple because I felt the HEA was somewhat incomplete.

Many of my fellow readers struggled with the backwoods aspect of this story, but personally, I found Rose very relatable. Being a bit of a hick myself, I appreciated the country bumpkin humour and the Edgers “different” way of doing things. I liked the well thought out explanations for Drayton’s mistrust of men, and the courtship challenges made for one of the more interesting wooing pursuits that I have ever read. Rose’s dedication to her brothers, her mad flash skills, and snark made her the perfect heroine for this tale. Her strong personality helped dull the aristocratic high-handedness of the story, and the women-are-possessions mentality became almost comical when applied to Drayton.

THE EDGE universe was amazing, as expected. I enjoyed learning all of the ins and outs of the Broken, the Edge, and the Weird. The magical rules are as complex as in the KATE DANIELS novels, but this is in no way a spin-off of the latter which means there’s a whole new set of intricacies to grasp—all the better in my opinion, because Andrews’ world-building is the reason why I keep coming back for more. I loved learning about the bizarre creatures, the inner workings of blueblood society, and the various supernatural abilities of the characters. Georgie and Jack were adorable, and I’d be interested in learning more about William who, as it turns out, is the male lead of book 2. The plot wasn’t overly complicated, but still detailed enough to hold my interest.

Renée Raudman continues to be one of my favourite narrators; her passion and intensity really shine through in this audiobook, and I had no problem with equating her to Rose Drayton even though she’s been the voice of KATE DANIELS inside my head for six installments now. Her character voices are distinct and she mirrors the pacing of the writing well. Raudman definitely has a knack for portraying strong female protagonists!

ON THE EDGE demonstrates Ilona Andrews’ versatility as an author(s), and is a great alternative for Paranormal Romance lovers looking for a bit more action in their reads.

Wow...wow...what?

Brilliant start. Really, brilliantly engaging and hooky. Loved the narrator's grasp of the characters' voices with the exception of the villain. Huh? Really? The husband/wife team did a great job with everything except the villain. His motivation was sketchy and underdeveloped. I didn't understand the "why" of it all. Loved Declan but got tired of his "broad shoulders" and "green eyes". Found his elven description with long gold hair at the beginning of the book much more engaging - and more interesting. The villain's motivation was never clear. WHY did he feel the need to come to the Edge? Surely he could have found more magic to consume in the Wierd, no? I listened to the book twice and could never understand his motivation. Besides, the narrator made him sound like a complete puss. "I just want a taste of the boy...hmmm...?"
Please!
Love the world,love the unique concept,and love most of the characters. Just make the villain a true villain and you've got a movie deal!

Entertaining and different.

A little bit of a different take on the regular Urban Fantasy. Loved the characters, especially the little brothers. Wonderfull narration by Renee Raudman.

great flight, well narrated

not your typical sci-fi romance. Lots of twists. And overall enjoyable read read by a wonderful narrator

On the Edge 3 Stars

What did you like best about On the Edge? What did you like least?

The story was good and the idea was there- but the different worlds names seemed flat and simple to me.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The way the girl really became a woman throughout the book.

Do you think On the Edge needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I would most likely check it out.