Fate's Edge

The Edge, Book 3

By: Ilona Andrews

Narrated by: Renée Raudman

Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the latest entry in Ilona Andrews's Edge series, Audrey Callahan is determined to stay on the straight and narrow - but when her brother gets into trouble, she takes on one last heist and finds herself matching wits with lawyer, gambler, thief, and spy Kaldar Mar.

Spend some more time on The Edge.

©2011 Andrew Gordon and Ilona Gordon (P)2011 Tantor

This one is WONDERFUL!

I am a huge Ilona Andrews fan. This husband and wife writing team only get better and better. Even allowing for that, this book is something special. The characters just couldn't be more fun and entertaining. The leads, Kalder Mar, who we first met in bk2, Bayou Moon, and Audrey Callahan are two people who have been shaped into con people basically by the needs of their family. In Kaldar's case it was for his loyalty and love to meet the needs of his family. In Audrey's case, she was used and abused by her family. So, how will these two con's ever get over their natural mistrust to work together? Let the action fly.

Secondary characters shine. Jack and George have grown up a lot since we first met them in On the Edge, we also see Declan, Rose, William and Cerise. The characters are smartly written, funny, snarky and edgey. It's always a treat to watch how family will interact in this series.

Each Edge book can be read as a stand alone. The needed info-dump from previous books is handled as gracefully as I've ever seen so as to clue in new readers without irking readers familiar with the series. I do think having read the previous books makes the experience richer and this series has the ability to be very rich in magic worldbuilding and characterization without being overly complicated or bogging the storyline down.

Renee Raudman does an excellent job reading. She is very good at getting across sarcasm. She also handles the duel spoken dialog with the internal commentary well, which is always important element in an Ilona Andrews book. My only issue with Renee's performance is her voice during the smexy scenes, her voice goes a bit high, strained and breathy. Other than that, she seems to be having a great deal of fun reading these books.

Another winning audiobook in THE EDGE series

Audrey and Kaldar were my least favourite couple to date in this series—that being said—FATE’S EDGE was still a solid 4-star read thanks to George and Jack. When I finished book 1 my first thought was I hope the Drayton boys will make another appearance, so I was pumped to see them pop-up again in this installment. On top of stunning characters, Ilona Andrews also brings her mad world-building and storytelling skills to the table which makes this novel exactly what I’ve come to expect from this author. Add to that Renée Raudman’s flawless narration, and you’re left with another winning audiobook in THE EDGE series.

I didn’t dislike the leading duo, but they lacked a certain je ne sais quoi if you know what I mean. Audrey is not Andrews’ typical heroine; she’s strong, savvy, and a skilled lock pick, but she’s no fighter. Callahan wages her battles with words instead of a sword which made the romance between her and Kaldar somewhat of a slow burn; lots of flirting, but very little substance. However, I think my main problem was with her male counterpart; he’s more of an anti-hero in my opinion. Kaldar spends a good chunk of this book trying to get into Audrey’s pants, only to later change his tune to one of love. Admittedly, they are well-suited for each other and I enjoyed their bantering, but the hero’s transition from player to soul mate didn’t feel authentic.

George and Jack definitely stole the show, and I was more than ok with that. They both play a pretty significant role in this novel including their own mission in Audrey and Kaldar’s scheme to retrieve the magical device. More is revealed about their respective powers, and I especially enjoyed the extra Changeling tidbits. One of my favourite scenes was from Jack’s POV where he’s chasing a butterfly. Now, as a general rule I’m not a cat person, but even I could appreciate the author’s attention to detail when it came to our lynx-y friend. A number of secondary characters as also introduced in this installment, the most memorable of course being Ling the Merciless, Audrey’s raccoon sidekick.

Renée Raudman’s performance is once again beyond reproach; she achieves the perfect balance between action and humour in her tone, and just makes the overall listening experience a lot more fun. At one point George and Jack are practicing their Broken speak for their upcoming mission, and as a result the narrator had to say “dude” repeatedly in a variety of ways and it was hilarious! The only fault I found with Raudman’s narration was her sexy scenes, her voice became a little too breathy at times, but otherwise this was another fab audiobook from this artist.

FATE’S EDGE is an excellent listen, and on par with what I have come to expect from Ilona Andrews’ THE EDGE series.

Stories from the Edge continues!

I thought this would be like "Bayou Moon" where the story was mostly centered around the main couple. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong. It is not only about Kaldar Mar the cousin of Cerise in "Bayou Moon" and Audrey a women from the edge, but also about Jack and George the Edge grown brothers of Rose from the "On the Edge".

Even though in the first book "On the Edge" sort of did have a storybook ending, the lives of the boys did not end there. Their lives as far as homelife is a lot better, however, they are not truly accepted by the Weird's upperclass people. I thought the part where Jack and George decide to runaway was a bit weak, I mean I don't think Declan would be so cruel. But I can understand from a confused teenagers' point of view sometimes everything could look bleak. I loved the fact that Jack and George can have serious sibling fights and still be best friends, just like my brother and I when we were young.

At the beginning I became very very worried about Jack and George. I am so glad to know that they get to find what they are good at in this book.

As for the main couple, they are one of the easiest couple to read in the series. They are very much alike in their way of thinking. I enjoyed their banter and their mission impossibe operations. It was a nice love story but it did sort of took second place to the object finding mission and boys' story. That was fine. I rather have the "love story" become secondary than having the story itself being sacrificed for steamy scenes and wonderings of "does he or does he not."

You can enjoy the book on it's own but I'd highly recommend reading the series from the beginning. And if you read the first two books and wondered about what happened to everyone? This book will surely satisfy that curiosity.

I am looking forward to reading more!

Both the plot and the romance feels forced

It is the weakest of the three books so far in the series. The romantic angst is weak, and, well, forced at the best of times. Actually, the whole book felt a bit forced. It starts with Rose's brothers tagging along on an adult mission - and while the characters constantly repeat how young they are, and how dangerous it is for them, they ultimately are treated like, and act like, full adults. Either make them adults, or don't... don't talk-talk how young they are, then have them behave like minature adults.

And the angst between Kaldar and Audrey was non-existant. There were some words spent trying to build up tension and excitement in the romance boat, but it just sank. And the consumation of their romance was sudden, fast, and inappropriately played out. It felt like the romance was just there because it was expected, but it wasn't believable, and, frankly, we don't care. And when and how it happens is a let down.

If this had been the first in the series, I would not have continued reading them. It isn't bad enough that I would skip Andrews' books in the future, but it is bad enough that I wouldn't pay full price for them.

The narration is fine. It is not gory or graphic. There is a relatively tame/short sex scene and minimal swearing.

Another Great Spin-off

My favorite in the series so far. This was a SUPER fun read! The perfect combination of action, adventure & romance.

Wondrous!

I absolutely loved it! It's funny,entertaining, smart, well written,... Probably my favorite in the edge series. Characters are hilarious. If you like Andrews' book, you will utterly enjoy the edge series.

Excellent addition to the Edge Series

What made the experience of listening to Fate's Edge the most enjoyable?

I loved the narrator and the story itself.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters were so real ... as was the universe they were in.

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

I have and I absolutely LOVE her .. she's one of my favorites. This was as good as any I've heard.

Who was the most memorable character of Fate's Edge and why?

There can never be just one ... the characters of this series are ALL memorable. They are real, they are flawed but they are loveable. You want to get behind them and you feel as invested in the story and the outcome as you do your most favored television shows.

Any additional comments?

I can't WAIT for the next one!!

Write by numbers?

Any additional comments?

I've loved the Edge books, though my love has decreased with each installment to the series. This one tears it though. I think I've seen behind the curtain now, and what's back there is a big, obvious, repetitive formula.
Don't get me wrong, the author is madly creative with her world building and all of her books are strongly built and entertaining. It's her character creation that drops the ball.
I think every Andrews book I have read (the first four Edge books and Clean Sweep) is based around the same exact type of romance.
The man is drop dead gorgeous and incredibly strong, but he has a very arrogant and highly chauvinist approach to the main protagonist, who is always the hard luck woman. He insults her and very rudely hits on her and assumes that she is weak, but soon finds that she is also powerful. As the book goes on her totally justified hate for him turns into lust, then love when they both realize that they just happen to be perfect for each other.
Along the way, there are many opportunities for them to exhibit their awesome powers and fall in love.

What I like about these books is the depth and depravity of the more evil characters, and the more adult subject matter pertaining to the hardship of the characters lives and the ugliness of their worlds. That, and the extensive plotting and twisting that these stories manage to go through even with their somewhat one dimensional character roles.

The stories were cool because they offered up so much imagination aside from the base romantic formulas in the first few books. I didn't feel like this particular installment offered a whole lot of substance in that area though, and I've felt like that creativity has waned increasingly since the first book, rendering this one a bit tedious and transparent.

Great blending of imagination and narration

I sometimes think that I could absorb all the characters better if I read this series, however I would miss Renee Raudman's wonderful narration. She has these books down to a T, bringing everyone to life. The story is so full of characters and different realms that I do have trouble keeping up with the story at times, but I'm not complaining as I really have enjoyed all the books so far. With all the adults getting hooked up in the end, my favorites are still Jack and George, Rose's brothers from the first book. They have endured and grown throughout the series. Again Renee brings these two to life, making them totally adorable little boys, with their own special talents and problems.
Treat yourself to this unique series, you won't be disappointed.

Kaldar's story shines, but isn't as bright

I have loved this series from the beginning and was very interested to see how the colorful Kaldar story would pan-out.

While hilarious, daring, imaginative and fun, it wasn't quite what I hoped it would be. The story is great, but doesn't quite pack the punch the other books in this series have accomplished thus far. I did enjoy the narrators reading and feel for the book - I wasn't annoyed and really could envision the characters.

This felt like a bridge book to the next part of the series - which I hope continues.