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On the Edge
On the Edge
On the Edge
Audiobook12 hours

On the Edge

Written by Ilona Andrews

Narrated by Renee Raudman

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

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...
LanguageEnglish
Release dateDec 21, 2009
ISBN9781400182909
On the Edge
Author

Ilona Andrews

Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team, Gordon and Ilona. They currently reside in Texas with their two children and numerous dogs and cats. The couple are the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors of the Kate Daniels and Kate Daniels World novels as well as The Edge and Hidden Legacy series. They also write the Innkeeper Chronicles series, which they post as a free weekly serial. For a complete list of their books, fun extras, and Innkeeper installments, please visit their website at http://www.ilona-andrews.com/.

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Reviews for On the Edge

Rating: 4.018072302409639 out of 5 stars
4/5

830 ratings67 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Yeah think I might be a little in love with Declan
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The first time I read this, I really didn't care for it -- somehow the worldbuilding does not delight me, and it felt a little strangely simplistic in the nightmare bad-guy department. However, my partner pointed out that this is the same world as the sweep series, which made me interested to re-read it in context. It's still not my favorite series, but I am very much enjoying George and Jack's back story and putting all the world building together in my mind, and I enjoyed it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An intriguing new series.

    A unique world, or worlds; the Weird, the Edge, and the Broken. Magical, some magic, and no magic. Most people in the Broken or the Weird have no clue the other world exists.

    Rose lives in the Edge and works in the Broken. She is tough, beautiful, and stubborn. She is raising her two younger brothers and would walk through fire for them.

    Declan is a powerful aristo from the Weird. He is handsome, powerful, and protective. He also wants Rose.

    The chemistry between these two is explosive. They sizzle, yet they also blend into a strong satisfying team. I love seeing the two together.

    The world-building is outstanding, and the writing smooth, and the story full of action, community, attraction, discovery, and love.

    I highly recommend this story. I'm off to listen too the next nook in the series.


  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A great story line. Good character development, plot development, and story line. I'm a fan of the Andrews team!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The beginning was sort of jumbled and confusing in a way that almost made me stop listening, especially at the mention of dog brains, but I'm glad I stuck with it as the story wasn't at all like what the opening chapter led me to believe it would be like.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The cheesy cover really turned me off, but a friend swore I'd enjoy it, so I got a book cover and dove in. I liked it less than she thought, but there were a lot of small things I did like, and a few big things I really did not like.The Good Stuff: First of all, I loved that Andrews weaved in the voices of the two young brothers, making them so vivid and distinct from each other and giving them their own unique problems and stories. I found myself wondering what a book of their own might be like. I really enjoyed the Edge world that these characters lived in, with some interesting rules and a culture all its own. The story has some quirk and spunk, but I also liked how easily Andrews could wipe off my smile with some sombre and dark moments. The pacing was rather too quick to allow any true dread and horror to build up - if less had happened in the story they might have truly frightened me and had me biting my nails. I blame this not on a lack of ability of the authors but on the male protagonist, Declan, who is, incidentally, my biggest problem with the book.The Bad Stuff: Declan. He belongs in a bodice ripper. He's cookie cutter fluff, too perfect predictable and sadly un-endearing. He fits the schmaltzy romance the awful cover promises - but I found this to be an excellent Urban Fantasy in Romance clothes and trying too hard to fit into them. I think the book would have been amazing without him and was only "okay" with him. He also kind of cheapens the story by wrapping things up in a very neat as a bow ending that left a bad taste in my mouth (like eating chocolate right after brushing your teeth). Without SPOILING anything too much, there was a much better alternative to Declan which makes his existence that much more baffling to me. Knights in shining armour have their place, but I don't think he belonged in this particular story.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Why did I wait this long to read this?!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Apart from the fact that I’m from a group who call Ilona Andrews the Author lords, the narration was FANTASTIC. Highly recommend.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Not the best of the genre but a nice story with some very good moments
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I prefer fantasy to work within a world where the parameters are set, not one where every turn of the plot 'reveals' a new way the magic can work to get the characters out of trouble.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    To start off I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. I do not like the narrator of this authors book. At all. So much so that I end up buying the book instead of listening to the audio (which I have free). Maybe that’s the tactic, who knows. This new created world is really fun. I enjoyed it a lot. Right off the bat I was a little confused and I’m not sure if that’s bc I was working and listening to the audio or if it is a little confusing in the wording. Either way I ended up really enjoying the storyline. I also really like ALL of the characters. I have to say I was almost disappointed with how quickly the book ended after the conflict. It almost felt unfinished with Declan, his family and Rose. It will be fun to see William again in the next book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    4.5 stars, very very fun.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The first book in Andrews' Edge series introduces a land caught between the Broken with Walmart and technology and the Weird with magic. Rose Drayton is also caught between worlds. She works on off-the-books job in the Broken so that she can feed and clothe her two young brothers. Her mother is dead and her father has abandoned the family. Rose has magic. In fact, she has such powerful magic that she has become a target for those who want to exploit her. She's been betrayed by the boyfriend who wanted to sell her to the highest bidder and a man from the Weird who courted her but was outed as a slaver who also just wanted to use her. Her trust in men is nonexistent.When Declan Camarine comes to her from the Weird, her first comment is that she has no intention of marrying her. This intrigues Declan who has come to the Edge for a far different reason. A man from the Weird has goals of conquering the Edge and eating all the magic. Rose and her brothers George and Jack are brimming with magic. Declan decides that he'll find his target if he keeps close to Rose and her family.Neither is expecting to fall in love with the other. But, as they work together to find and defeat the villain, their emotions get involved. I enjoyed the worldbuilding in this story. The characters were also interesting and well-rounded people. I liked that Rose was a strong woman with a deep love for her family and the determination needed to keep them safe. I liked that Declan was an honorable man who had a chance to convince Rose that all men weren't scum. This was an entertaining, fast-paced story with lots of action and just enough romance.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    At first i wanted to kick the main male character, but then he became awesome instead of chivalrous control freak. So yeah. <3 this book and this author.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I remember trying this book out on audiobook a few years ago, and never finished it. I couldn't remember why until I got a fair way into the e-book.

    So a big (BIG) portion is Declan being an alphahole. Super pushy, even though he says he's listening to Rose - but that's because he's already gotten what he wants by forcing her to make the challenges. Everything else is just humoring her.

    The other portion is everybody purposefully keeping information from one another. Some of it is Rose and Declan riling each other up, but then there's the grandma being super cagey with Rose, and a little bit of Rose not listening to her brothers. These people are all basically living with each other or they're together for several hours; the excuses for not communicating wore thin pretty quick.

    And I'm also not really into the white trash-type setting. It's kinda cool and I can understand how hard Rose's life is, but it keeps putting Declan into more and more power over her. He pissed me off so much.

    The setting also like...felt too much fleshed out for a romance and not enough fleshed out for a standard fantasy novel.

    Romance: still not for me.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I don't think I like this world as much as I do the Kate Daniels series. Maybe it'll grow on me.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    My second Ilona Andrews book and my favourite so far. I loved the world setting and chuckled at the interaction between Rose and her brothers and Rose and Declan. The ending where Rose meets Declan's family might have been a little too much, but it did show that Rose's expectations of the Weird and its society was not at all reality. I had tears at points and laughed out loud at others, and that is all I can ask of an author and their story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed the strength of Rose and how she took care of everyone. I also liked the other POV we got from other characters
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Not super angsty, but I shelved it as such because it has a good bit of it. This book made me consider making a poor-heroine shelf, a trope I apparently love. This is excellent. Off to the next!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    On The Edge
    4 Stars

    Readers expecting a Kate Daniels type Urban Fantasy are bound to be disappointed as On the Edge is more paranormal romance than UF even though the writing style, world building, humor and characterization are all trademark Andrews.

    Although set in modern times, the book has an almost historical romance vibe to it perhaps due to the construction of parallel dimensions and the conflict established between the main characters.

    The setting consists of three co-existing realms: The Broken, a technological world like our own, the Weird, a feudal like society with nobles and retainers where magic abounds, and the Edge, a ribbon of land in between whose rustic inhabitants possess magic to varying degrees and are able to move between worlds with ease.

    The heroine, Rose, is an Edger struggling to support her younger brothers in a society that views her as a commodity due to her powerful magic. In contrast, the hero, Declan, is a peer or "blueblood" from the Weird whose sense of entitlement and superiority immediately set Rose on edge. Their relationship gets off to a rocky start but the sparks are definitely there and he becomes more likable once his actions, motivations and personality are fleshed out.

    The underlying plot revolves around a dangerous threat from the Weird which forces Rose and Declan to work together to save the people of the Edge. As is the norm for Andrews, the villain is a seriously nasty piece of work, the action scenes are exciting and the secondary cast is well written from Rose's obnoxious ex-boyfriend to her adorable brothers as well as Declan's troubled friend and the people of the village with their unique quirks and mannerisms.

    All in all, On The Edge is an entertaining read with excellent world building, great characters and an engaging storyline. Looking forward to continuing with the series.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This paranormal romance story was fine, but I'd hoped for something I'd love as much as I love the Kate Daniels series. Nope! Good points: The perspectives of the brothers, the semi-inversions of various fantasy tropes ... the villain's grossness. The alternate universe with an edge is somewhat interesting and has some potential. The Edge seems to be much more folk magic, though not necessarily weak, and the Weird seems to be more high magic. Interesting possibilities for interplay.Things that didn't work for me: * The main characters -- felt too designed, and not real. I also didn't love the power dynamic - yes, she has mad skills with something, but the overall poor / less magic / not a soldier dynamic / not a noble is just so boring. * The dialog - many reviewers found it snappy and funny, but I wasn't seeing it. Too much telling -- grandma telling the hero that Rose is so damaged, lots of telling of how hot the hero is. * The whole concept of nobility, in a fantasy magic world -- boring! Yes, the author(s) attempted to redeem it by having it be a bureaucratic test, and acknowledging that there is some power to being raised to the position ... but that felt like a gimmick, like "electing a princess" in Star Wars.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It’s just like all the rest. Potato chips. Good potato chips. Dangerou==Sexy, VD==Irresistibly Sexy. Women and men both. Hick vs Prince.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This review first appeared on A Weebish Book Blog.As an Ilona Andrews addict, I gobble up all her books I come across. ON THE EDGE is my most recent foray into Andrew’s novels. I have to say it wasn’t the most exciting novel she’s ever written, but it gave me a peak into a wonderfully weird and addictive world that I must explore further.“In the Edge there is no police, no marshals, sheriffs, or any kind of protection. There is no impartial third-party. Instead, the entire community of East Laporte sits there and watches to see what will happen. Because there is so few of us, everyone knows everybody else and everything we do has consequences.”4 REASONS ON THE EDGE IS WORTH A READThe dark, creepy, captivating world of The Edge.Rose and her family live in The Edge, a lawless boundary world between the Broken human world and the Weird, where magical strength is worshiped and snobby aristocrats rule. Edgers are the only beings who can easily travel between the worlds. They are a mixture of the magically gifted and the not-very powerful.It is a harsh world full of darkness, the supernatural, and strange customs. I admire Andrews’s talent in not only creating worlds unique to the Urban Fantasy genre, but also unique to her other series as well. The Edge was a fascinating place, and after the peak ON THE EDGE offered of The Weird, I am dying to investigate the realm further as well.2. RoseOur cynical heroine trusts no one but her own flesh and blood, especially outsiders. Her past has taught her the mysterious ex-military aristocrat asking for her help is no exception to the rule. But she’ll do anything—even make a deal with the devil—to keep her brothers safe from the dangerous creatures ravaging the Edge.I couldn’t help but love Rose. She’s experienced a of heartbreak and betrayal over the years. Though it’s understandably hardened her, she’s determined to raise her brothers with love and support, to give them the happy childhood she lacked growing up. I admired her strength and sacrifice and I hope ON THE EDGE isn’t the last we see of her.3. Declan“I mean to have you, Rose, you and all your thorns. I’m a disagreeable and stubborn bastard, but I’m not a fool. You didn’t really expect me to pass you up, did you?”No one creates a yummy tortured hero quite like Andrews does and Declan is no exception. Declan is, arrogant, overprotective in the way only an alpha male can be, but the respect he shows our down-on-her-luck heroine had me completely in love with the loyal yet manipulative warrior.4. Jack and GeorgieGeorgie and Jack are mischievous, adorable little stinkers. They love their big sister something fierce, but like most young boys, they can and will find trouble anywhere. They quickly had Declan wrapped around their fingers. It was fun and heartwarming watching him interact with the boys.ON THE EDGE was a strange, yet thrilling tale. From what I can gather, The Edge follows doesn’t follow the same characters in each book like the Kate Daniels and Hidden Legacy series. I can only hope The Edge continues to offer such fascinating characters as Rose and Declan.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really liked this. Very original. Characters, especially the heroine Rose, were very vivid. The world building was thorough and felt very real. I'm now looking forward to reading other books by this author. She has a Edge series and at least one other. Sometimes, because quite a few characters were mentioned, I had to go back and verify that I knew who it was, but that was a minor shortcoming.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A great story line. Good character development, plot development, and story line. I'm a fan of the Andrews team!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I love the Kate Daniels series and the synopsis for this one sounded pretty good; a place where two worlds overlapped - an in-between space only certain people could live. Intriguing. But... no. The writing is solid, descriptive, evocative. But this is much more a paranormal romance than an urban fantasy and animal cruelty is just treated too casually for me; it's not graphic, but it's prevalent. This is also a book that would lose a lot of readers in the first half, especially those with low tolerance for male posturing and non-consent (no rape, to be clear, just the whole "I will have you! crap). Andrews' here is a bit too clever for their own good (what is the proper pronoun usage for 2 people writing under 1 name?!?): a lot of readers won't have the tolerance to stick around and discover just how wrong perceptions are in the first half of the book. Overall, I'm not sorry I read it, but I won't read it again and I won't read the second book (I think there's a second book...). I'll stick with Kate and Curran.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    There’s the Broken (with big box stores, vehicles, and the IRS), there’s the Weird (with nobility, magic, and a strict hierarchy), and then there’s the Edge where those that are a bit of both reside. Rose Drayton and her young brothers live in the Edge: Rose works as a cleaner in the Broken while the boys go to school. Then Declan Carmine shows up from the Weird putting Rose to a challenge even while they deal with strange creatures turning up in the Edge. All sorts of sparks fly as Rose is pushed to her max magical abilities, Declan’s patience is tested half a dozen ways, and the Edge residents will either stand together or fall prey to these creatures.This was a very fun book. I really liked the world building, even though it was pretty straight forward once laid out. The Edge is a place without a law presence, so family ties and alliances usually work as the backbone for solving grievances. I especially like how guns are treated as a necessity in the Edge and not toys nor for sport. Rose has trained her brothers to respect guns at all times which I really appreciated. Some few folks in the Broken know about Edgers and they know they can exploit them, such as Rose’s boss paying her under the table and demanding crazy work hours. We learn some little about the Weird through Declan later in the book and I hope the Weird is explored much more in later books in this series.Much of the story is told through Rose’s eyes and she’s only experienced the Edge and the Broken. Her parents aren’t in the picture so she has had to work extra hard to keep the boys clothed, fed, happy, and in school. Her grandmother lives nearby but Rose has her pride and will only accept so much help. Her strong magic has made her a target in the Edge, where the only law is that which the residents apply through might. We learn in little snippets throughout the story why she is so distrusting of nearly everyone. Being hunted, kidnapped, tricked, and trapped for your magic tends to make one a little skittish.Declan also has his secrets and traumas. He was interesting to begin with – from the Weird, of noble birth, and what brings him to the Edge is a bit of an unknown. At first, Rose is very concerned about her brothers’s safety around him, but once he saves them once or twice, she starts to wonder if it is possible for him to be of noble character as well as birth. Declan has quite the history, some of which comes into play in this story, but I did find that his Supper Commando background was a little over kill and really wasn’t necessary to keep me interested in his story arc. Through him, we learn some interesting things about the Weird – such as how differently shape shifters are treated there versus the Edge. At times I felt that poor Declan as suffering from culture shock, which made him more human and endearing.Jack and George, Rose’s two brothers, are my second favorite characters. OK, maybe they come before Declan. They were very well written as each has their own challenge in life, and at a young age! At first, we aren’t too sure what’s going on with either of them. Jack is always distracted by shiny or flittery things. Meanwhile, George seems to have such a big heart that any little deceased critter nearly makes him cry. As the story unfolds, we learn more about each and their challenges seem scary, cool, and a little sad all at the same time. Rose is doing the best with the knowledge she has, but luckily Declan has forced himself into their lives. He has some insights that might prove key to lightening the load for each of the boys. There’s several side characters that shine out as well: William, a stranger new to town that also has an interest in comic books; a neighbor’s daft granma and her teddy bear collection; the resident pretty boy/bully; Rose’s coworker in the Broken. All together, it’s a very interesting cast.The plot was riveting. We have this intriguing world, these fascinating characters, and now the author gives them all a potentially devastating foe! Of course, our heroes Rose and Declan don’t know at first this is truly what they are up against. There’s some random monsters lurking about the forests of the Edge, and at first folks are able to deal with them on their own. But when the bodies start showing up, and Rose gets a direct threat from the person behind it, that’s when the Edgers start to consider coming together to defeat this intruder. The story builds and builds until we get a big fight at the end that takes more than just Rose or Declan to win. It was impressive!Sadly, there is only one sex scene in this book. Now it is a hot sex scene, even if it is short lived. It was fueled by the possibility that their little part of the world would end, so it was firey and desperate.All together, this was a fun urban fantasy romance and I look forward to enjoying more Ilona Andrews novels. I hear the Kate Daniels series is especially good.Narration: I liked Renée Raudman’s performance for this book. She was great with Rose’s voice and I really liked her kid voices for Jack and Georgie, though I did sometimes get them confused. She had a hard edge of masculinity for Declan, especially when he was being a bit of a stuffed shirt.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Even better the second time
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    3¾ stars. This was read-until-done book that I did enjoy. The Rose character caught me up right away as did the story and uneven but fairly original worldbuilding. Actually, the not putting it down until finished gained it a star. Like I said, I liked Rose right away with the twist of how paranoid she was and how determined to not react a certain way because of what was expected or what someone was trying to get her to do.
    "But they wouldn’t force her to do something she didn’t want to do either. That would be equally weak."
    Will read more by this author and further in the series. It was a very good, well written story for the most part. But, with next book not following the same characters to make up for the disappointingly blah ending -- not in any hurry to move it to top of to-read pile.

    In a can't-put-down book that kept my interest, hard to put my finger on why was a little dissatisfied. I think it was the way Rose gradually changed and I stopped enjoying as much once she started to just accept everything from the love interest including assorted deceptions, his using her baby brothers as bait and even one as a hound to sniff out the bad guys. Started out with an ambiance of one of the eastern bloc things (like Brothers Grimm and the black forest stories, the snow queen, firebird, etc.) -- which nicely set it apart from a lot of the paranormal series out there. Lost my interest a bit when that faded and stopped being consistent (for example, the poor village can't afford to farm anything or provide food for itself without going into town to the Wal-Mart but can afford to pay school principals and power company; can grow herbs and cherry trees but not vegetable garden; can punish Rose for fighting off attackers too forcefully but cannot punish the attackers for stalking her or selling her off into slavery).

    Declan never got interesting to me because he kept changing too much every time the plot needed a change so sometimes a bully, sometimes a sweetheart, sometimes arrogant, sometimes down to earth ... instead of a cardboard personality this one had too many personalities. But it did take a while for the small town nastiness and inconsistencies of worldbuilding and characters to sneak in (I really starting noticing when more than halfway thru the book). There was a big action, plan against the bad guy thing about 80% thru, then a drawn out and very hokey ending.
    "He’s covert ops, if I ever saw one. They ain’t gonna send a battalion to help us out, because that would mean they’d have to admit that Duke’s psycho brother made off with their supersecret apocalypse machine, which they weren’t supposed to have in the first place.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I got this book a couple years ago and just got around to reading it last week. I read the reviews before I started it and didn't really have high expectations, based on those reviews. Hmmm... I don't know what those others are reading that made them think this book is less than a 4 for its genre. It is an urban fantasy with a female protagonist who is not weak and whiny - that in itself makes this book exceptional. The fact that there was also a story, some character development and some believable romantic angst just bumps it upward. There isn't much sex, but what there is was well-done and believable. The story was reasonable, and, while maybe the bad guy scenes were a bit over-long, they were okay too. The only thing I would note as a drawback to the story was how Michael felt very much like an 'add-on' - and his role in the story as it relates to Rose was way more 'weighty' than it should have been, given how little time passes.But, ultimately, as soon as I finished this book (yesterday), I bought the next in the series and am starting it today.