Fate's Edge

The Edge #3

by Ilona Andrews

In The Broken, people shop at Walmart, and magic only lives in fairy tales; in The Weird, aristocrats still rule and the strength of your magic controls your fate; and The Edge is the borderland where anything can happen...

Audrey Callahan has a unique talent: no door is closed to her; and – thanks to her Edge family, a motley crew of grifters and layabouts – she's a consummate conwoman. But she's severed all ties with her past, finally gotten a legitimate job in The Broken, and Audrey couldn’t be happier. But now her dad has swindled her into one last job...

What do you get when you take the best thief, grifter and gambler make him into a secret agent? You get Kaldar Mar. Judge Dobe probably put it best, “I guess you’re familiar with the law. You hit it over the head, set its house on fire, and got its sister pregnant.” Deeply scarred by his aunt’s death, Kaldar has some scores to settle – and his new assignment might let him do just that. A priceless object has been stolen and Kaldar must retrieve it at any cost. Piece of cake…until Audrey shows up after the same item.

So what happens when a former thief finds herself matching wits with a jack of all trades? One thing is certain: Neither one will ever be the same.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Magic, Audiobook

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 29, 2011

About the author

Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)

Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Oregon with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.

Reviews

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

We really had fun working on this one, Ilona got to put in her Ocean's Eleven and Leverage elements and I got to put in my disdain of Prosperity Preachers, plus there is romance and fighting. Bayou Moon is still my favorite but this is a very close second. Oh, crap, am I damning my own book with faint praise? Probably, they should put that on there as a blurb, "not as good as the last one but not completely terrible either."

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

➽ And the moral of this rererereread is: violent psychotic swamp people, gangs of idiots and Chief Morons FTW!



👋 Until next time and stuff.



[May 2020]

🔫 Of Guns and Walmarts Buddy Rererereread (OGaWBR™) with the IA Addicts 🔫

➽ And the moral of this rerereread is: MY Kaldar Mar, I bet you my subaquatic yet super comfy Mariana Trench abode that I will not not rererererereread your scrumpalicious adventures in less time than it takes to say “unleash the crustaceans, Fleet Admiral DaShrimp!”





[October 2018]

💊 Ilona Andrews is the Only Antidepressant We’ll Ever Need Buddy Rererereread (IAitOAWENBR™) with the IA Addicts 💊

➽ And the moral of this rerereread is: what some puny humans have to say about the wickedest rogue the world has ever known Mr. Kaldar Mar's upcoming nuptials to a certain former breeder of murderous crustaceans who would rather remain anonymous (to protect her privacy and stuff):


Goes to show that no matter how puny some puny humans are, they can be NOT completely entirely totally clueless. Sometimes.

P.S.





[October 2016]

· Buddy reread with the Awesome IA Army Of Utter Awesomeness (aka the eye candy IA Addicts) ·

Previous rating: 4
New rating: 10

4 stars?! 4 FREAKING STARS??!! What the bloody fish was I thinking when I first read this book??!! I must have been very high or very drunk at the time. Or both. Damn, I wonder what I was taking back then, it must have been seriously powerful stuff for me to give 4 pathetic little stars to this Awesome Piece of IA Awesomenessss!

Conmen and congirls and bloodshed, oh my! Magic and magpies and rogues, oh my! Mayhem and raccoons and lynxes, oh my! Betting and grinning and cutting, oh my!

✉ Personal and very private message to Kaldar Mar: forget about silly Audrey, it's me you want to have babies with.



Get it? Good.



[Original review: February 2015]

Were you expecting an actual review for this book? So sorry about that. Not gonna happen. "Why," you ask? Because BOOM! "What's that sound," you ask? That's the sound of Kaldar Mar hitting me like a brick.

☆☆☆ The Edge Productions proudly present ☆☆☆
A day in the life of Kaldar Mar



►8.00 a.m.: wake up. The Mirror needs your services. No wonder. You're a roguishly irresistible conman and you're as slick as they come. Or so you think.
► 8.30 a.m.: have a lovely chat with your boss, Ruthless Nancy. Try and convince her that your being a scoundrel doesn't mean you ever copulated with animals. She doesn't buy it.
► 9.00 a.m.: get briefed by Inconspicuous Erwin. Reminisce about the good old days: Hand operative, pieuvre class. Six to ten tentacles, amphibious, weighs in close to five hundred pounds. Fun times.
► 9.30 a.m.: you. California. The two wards of the fucking Marshal of the fucking Southern Provinces in a stolen car. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Who's the Chief Moron now?
► 10.00 a.m.: meet a little magpie. Bring on the charm: dashing smile✓ Wicked humour ✓ Devil Eyes ✓ Doesn't work. Man she's slick. Consider clapping.



► 10.30 a.m.: Tasered. Tied to a chair. Shot. Cut. Punched. You really like this girl.
► 11.00 a.m.: visit a house in the woods. Meet a temperamental raccoon. Talk dalliances with two teenagers. Drink some sweet iced tea. Get that stupid grin off your ugly, hideous mug.
► 11.30 a.m.: Try to bet. Doesn't work. Enjoy the shapely view. You're busted. Not coming. No. Breathing hard. “Oh, my God!”
► 12.00 a.m.: visit a hoarding Gnome. Wag your eyebrows. Enjoy the shapely view. You're busted. Do I see a pattern there?
► 12.30 a.m.: get all Harry-Pottery with a magic Mirror coin. Get trigger-happy. Spray blood and chunks of bones around. Kill a few freaks. Bet a little.
► 1.00 p.m.: the little magpie isn't feeling so good. Try paramedic kissing to solve the problem. “Arrogant jackass,” the magpie says.
► 1.30 p.m.: visit a Mother Theresa-like cobra in a white skirt. Bring on the charm. It doesn't work. Today's not a good day for sexy rogues.
► 2.00 p.m.: try to get the magpie to say your name and hope for the best. Her lips part. Here it comes. “Dumb-ass.” Ouch.



► 2.30 p.m.: get worldly advice from a half-Thoas, a lynx and a teenage necromancer. What did you ever do to anybody?
► 3.00 p.m.: lovely cleavage. Hard to concentrate. Time to buy a potato sack.
► 3.30 p.m.: play ninja for a bit. Enjoy the shapely view. Crack a safe. Tada! You're $187,000 richer. Where has this girl been all your life?
► 4.00 p.m.: impersonate a slum lord with a brain-dead trophy wife. Talk immunization vs. emancipation. Cup a nice piece of ass.
► 4.30 p.m.: Attend church with a mind-raped congregation. Meet a Blessed Maiden . Wreck havoc during service. Get punched in the jaw. Get bitten by a Raccoon Vigilante. Slice a few people up. Things are looking up.
► 5.00 p.m.: fall in love with a magpie. Wait. What?
► 5.30 p.m.: dance for a bit. Try to refrain from doing the Cajun stomp. Get a taste of wine, apples and spice. Boom. The universe just exploded.



► 6.00 p.m.: rock this party. Night suit ✓ Climbing claws ✓ Spy spider ✓ Dead bird ✓ Always have a plan that ends with great sex ✓
► 6.30 p.m.: best date ever. Crack a vault. Talk family: poisonous knitters, deadly sword masters, everyone you see can kill you. Lovable bunch.
► 7.00 p.m.: attend an auction. Oh look! The Claws of Bast. Fucking shit.
► 7.30 p.m.: time for a family party. Havoc. Mayhem. Blood. Swords. Necromancy. Crazy lynx. Big cat. Magic lock picking. Insane grinning. Rapiers. Wings. Jump!
► 8.00 p.m.: tied to a chair again. Talk arachnoids, boxes, vile tea and harvesting. Fuck you Helena.
► 8.30 p.m.: lose a little blood. Pass out a little. Hallucinate. Fun times.
► 9.00 p.m.: Oh look! A damsel in distress kick-butt mode. Wanna bet?



Because no matter how aggravatingly, irresistibly roguish the hero is, the badass girl in residence always saves the day. And that, ladies and gentlemen is the moral of this story.

Want to read an actual review for this book? Try Kristen's (hilarious that one!), Alexa's, Robin's or Cathy's. Off you go!



· Book 1: On The Edge ★★★★
· Book 2: Bayou Moon ★★★★
· Book 4: Steel's Edge ★★★★★

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG. Bad boys, right?



I loved Kaldar when I met him in Bayou Moon, so I was excited to read his story.
And he didn't disappoint! Neither did Audrey, for that matter. I loved the snarky back-and-forth between those two, because arguing is the spice of every good relationship.
Ah, ah, ah! You know I'm right, ladies...



Now, I don't mean the are you fucking my sister?! arguments. I mean the kind of everyday battles you fight over the small stuff.
Remotes, covers, thermostats, driving skills, and who gets the good side of the bed.
These are the sorts of squabbles that keep things exciting!



If you enjoy reading about couples who can quarrel like pros, then you'll love this installment in the Edge series. I'd give this 5 stars if I was basing it solely on how much chemistry the couple in question had! Audrey was awesome, funny, and spunky, but (more importantly) Kaldar was the type of book boyfriend that melted my panties...



So why didn't this one get all 5 stars from me?
Two reasons:
One, it took me several chapters to get into this one. Not that they were awful or unreadable by any means, but the story simple didn't suck me in at first.
And the second reason? The conclusion felt rushed, and the actual ending was unbelievably abrupt. Yes, everything turned out the way I wanted, but...
I don't know. All that buildup, and then...?
Poof it's over!
*farts*



Still.
I have yet to read anything by these authors that wasn't good. And this was no exception. Definitely recommended for fans of Ilona Andrews!

Oh, and did anyone else think Kaldar was The Edge's version of Roman from the Kate Daniels series?

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read a long with Books of My Heart

I have missed young George and Jack. This is a well needed reread of a favorite and it stood up. Not all rereads are the same but I enjoy Ilona Andrews rereads so much. Kalder and Audrey remain adorable.

Re-reading with all my fellow addicts at Ilona Andrews Addicts (IAA) again....yes that makes it 3x but I don't care I love this series.

+++ After Morning Star and Calamity I need something I know I'm going to love or risk falling into a severe book funk.

This was just perfect....Kaldar can pull anyone out a book funk. Plus George and Jack helped a ton.

The blond boy called out. “I’m terribly sorry, but is there any way we could grab that cage off the porch? We won’t disturb your dalliance.”
Dalliance? Another boy emerged carrying a fuzzy gray creature by the scruff of its neck.
“You can keep making out,” he called out. “We just want the cage. This raccoon is really hard to hold, and she doesn’t like me.”

The word Dalliance will now forever hold a special place in my heart.

2nd Read:

Reasons why I’m so happy I reread this with my ever awesome girls at Ilona Andrews Addicts (IAA):

☑Watching oOSarahOo try to steal Kaldar away from almost everyone else in the IAA group. She gets a little territorial about her book boyfriends, and doesn’t like to share. It got a little intense and I thought someone might get Bitchslapped, good thing we are all friends.


☑Figuring out custody and visitation rights to both Jack and George. I’m pretty sure that the IAA group collectively adopted them. There is a very complicated google spreadsheet on who has them when.

☑ Cutest Animal sidekick Ling the Merciless. Do not expect mercy from Ling the Merciless.


☑The sexy banter between Kaldar and Audrey. What happens when two conmen fall in love? They steal each other’s hearts of course

“At the door, Audrey called, "Are you coming?"
"No, just breathing hard, love." He glanced at her and was rewarded by an outraged glare, followed by, "Oh, my God!”

☑George’s new very dark sense of humor to match his necromancy.

”Kaldar, if you kill her, please don’t shoot her in the head,” George said, his face cold, as if carved from a glacier. “Raising a body with a shattered brain requires more magic, and I think we can use her corpse to make sure her relatives will get run out of town.”

☑Seeing Lord Leatherpants and the Hobo Queen in action a few years later.

“Just stay close to us. If we get in trouble, we'll kill everything.”

☑And finally that moment when everything comes together the story is complete and you realized it was even better the second time though.


Original Review April 2014
4.5 Stars

This was my favorite of the series so far. I was skeptical that Kalder could carry the romantic interest lead of the book….and boy I was so wrong. Not only did he carry it, he gave it a smoldering look, hit it over the head with a club and carried it off into a cave to have his way with it. He was fun, charming and said some of the wildest things. I loved every moment of it.

“Oh, I don't know. I might grow on you."
She furrowed her pretty eyebrows. "Like a cancer?"
"Like a favorite vice.”

Kalder was the fun talkative less than law abiding favorite uncle in Bayou Moon. After the loss of many of his kin he has joined forces with the Mirror against the Hand. He needs to find a woman who stole a artifact valuable to the hand and convince her to help him get it back. With his charming ways he thought it would be easy to con her into helping. But she grew up in a con man family and is a little resistant to his charms. Audrey was hilarious, I loved that she is a redeemed bad girls just trying to play it normal. Kalder has definitely met his match and while they are working together there just isn’t anyway sparks couldn’t fly between them.

“He hit her with his best smile. Her eyes widened. She took a deep breath. 'Oh no, not that seductive face. I'm overcome with the need to take off these awful clothes. What is happening? I do not understand. Oooh. Ahhh.' She touched her wrist to her forehead. 'Somebody help me. I'm being drenched with my own fluids.'
Evil woman.
'See now, you shouldn't have done that,' Kaldar said.
She gave him an innocent look.
'You've made yourself into a challenge. Now I'll have to seduce you out of principle.'
'You can try. Not that you'll get anywhere. If you were in love, that would be one thing, but we both know this is pride talking.' Audrey patted his forearm. 'It's all right. I won't tell anybody about your shameful failure. I'll keep it completely confidential.' She pretended to lock her lips and throw away the key.

The story is full of action between funny banter as Kalder and Audrey have to pull off a few jobs along the way to get closer to their target. There are multiple altercations with the Hand and a few other dangerous types along the way.

But one of the best parts to the story is that Jack and George have stowed away on this adventure. Each gets to play a part and they have really come into some of their powers. I love the two brothers together as they work their way into all the schemes and plots Kalder is working up. Both are proving to be a very large asset and not the burden Kalder once thought they might present when first discovered stowed away. I really can’t wait to see what those boys think of next.

Ilona Andrews does know how to pack in a lot of action, adventure, laughs and some tender moments along the way. Again a great read from the authors and a series that has really picked up steam in this book. The Edge is quickly becoming one of my favorite worlds and it will be very interesting to see how it all plays out in the final book.

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third installment in Ilona Andrews' THE EDGE series may be the best one I've read yet! The Edge is a semi-magical border land that lies between two dimensions: a magical version of our world (the "Weird") and our normal world (what the Weird and Edgers call the "Broken" because their magical powers don't work here). Only a few people can cross over the magical borders in either direction, and Audrey Callahan is one of them.

Audrey is one of an Edge family of gifted and dedicated con artists, but she's trying to leave that life behind her and go straight, living in the Broken and working as a private investigator. Her magical talent: opening any lock, no matter how complex. When her grifter father begs her to do one last job with him and her no-good brother (NGB) so they can, once again, get NGB into rehab, she caves. Too bad the item she helps them steal has a lot of extremely dangerous killers after it ... as well as Kaldar Mar, a gifted con man himself, not to mention a thief and spy.

It's great fun to see Audrey and Kaldar clash with each other and burn for each other at the same time, while they're running elaborate cons in an effort to re-steal the item whose theft got Audrey's family into trouble in the first place. And I was delighted to see the young brothers George and Jack from the first book get some major on-the-page time here. The plot was gripping, and made excellent use of everyone's magical talents.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wrote this short review long ago but forgot to post it, till now, this is my least fav IA book. so here we are:

actual rating 3 stars, 1 star removed for reasons I'll state later. But now that I think of it, this book is closer to 2.5 counting the problem that made me lower my rating. It was so meh.

I avoided reading this book for months and now that I finally read it, I’m relieved. One book left before I start the innkeeper chronicles. I enjoyed the first 2 two books quite a lot so you might wonder, why didn’t I want to read this book? Truth is, I don’t like series in which each book tells the story of someone introduced in the former books. I liked William so it wasn’t a challenge to read Bayou Moon. However, I’m not the biggest fan of Kaldar, he just never interested me. Was I disappointed? Not really, I expected the worst.

Brief summary: if helping her father in this heist means he’ll stay away from her forever, she’ll happily accept. When Kaldar is assigned to retrieve the stolen item, he’ll cross paths with Audrey eventually. Together, they’ll try to find it after her father sold it to God knows who, knowing that the Hand will do anything to have it.

If I wanted to rate this book based on George and Jack alone, I would’ve given it 5 stars. I love those two more than anything in this series. They’re so funny, cute, adorable, lovely, and cute again. I just adore them. However, even though they played an important role in this book, I can’t help but judge it based on Kaldar and Audrey. No, I still don’t like him much. Audrey is cool. I don’t think Ilona can write an annoying heroine and not even a not so badass one even if she can’t fight. It’s one of those cases where the secondary characters though were better than the MCs

This book had all your Ilona Andrews usual stuff, cool heroine, humor, badass scenes, fights, not too much romance.... except for a likable hero. If you liked Kaldar in Bayou Moon, you’ll like him here as well. Even if you didn’t, he might grow on you. However, for me, I ended up disliking him more. The romance even though it was a slow burn as it took them the whole book to get together, it still felt rushed. She agrees to marry Kaldar after meeting him for 9 days. Kaldar is your big bad boy and he suddenly, in one moment of enlightenment, he realizes that Audrey is the one, after 8 days? HOW!!!!!! Even for a paranormal romance, it’s unacceptable.

Anyway, if you’re looking for something light, Ilona Andrews will never disappoint in delivering an entertaining story with likable characters. However, if you want something memorable that will blow your mind, I don’t recommend this book.

Another thing that annoyed was that the events sometimes were too explained and other times completely rushed. Inconsistency. Especially the last rescue mission. Like what the heck happened? Moreover, Cerise would leave Kaldar?! For real? Oh yeah right.

It was still enjoyable enough for 3 stars. Until I came across something shocking. I was surprised. I hope it’s not the same in the physical copy and it’s corrected but to say that the 4 who wrote the first 4 books in the new testament are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and James is simply unacceptable. How did 2 authors, 1 agent, and their editor miss this? How did they even get it wrong? What surprises you more is that IA has always relied on mythology from all over the world only to make such intolerable mistake? That and misinterpreting what Jesus Christ said for the sake of the content? Oh no, sorry. I’m so disappointed. Therefore, I removed 1 star from my rating even though it should’ve been more. But now, after posting this review, I don't think it was worth the 3 stars in the first place that aside. It'll be a while before I read the last book.

[Jilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread with the IAA group. The old review stands, and I still cracked up at the last quote in my review when I read it. But, really, when isn't a severed head funny?

Original review:

This has got to be one of my favorite Edge books. I loved William the Wolf's wolfy brain in the last book, but I also fell for Kaldar Mars. He is one of those charming characters of questionable, but funny, morals. A pickpocket, conman, and manipulator who is now working for the Mirror, Kaldar is sent on a mission to retrieve a potentially dangerous weapon that other thieves took and placed in the hands of the bad guys. It takes a thief to catch a thief.


smart doggy...

But, he meets his match in Audrey, the woman who he "catches." She's been a grifter all of her life and has him tased and tied to a chair within minutes of meeting him. She can also see right through his manipulations and fake charm.

He was probably conning his mother out of her milk the moment he could grin. He'd charm the clothes off a virgin in twenty minutes. And if the poor fool took him home, he'd drink her dad under the table and beguile her mother...In the morning her dad would be sick with alcohol poisoning, the good silver would be missing together with the family car, and in a month, both the former virgin and her mother would be expecting...

Audrey is not buying what Kaldar is selling. At all.

How could he not fall in love with her?

no, she stole your heart, not your carp...

But, at the same time, Audrey is responsible for a national threat now, so she has to help Kaldar and work with him to secure the stolen item. They make a great team.


don't worry, Pretty Boy, she's got ya covered...

We also get to see the characters from the past books, in all their hilarious glory.

"That's all right," Cerise said. "Just stay close to us. If we get in trouble, we'll kill everything."
Audrey closed her eyes. "You are all insane."
"They are," Gaston said. "I'm good."
"You are holding a decapitated head in your lap!"

This book is so much fun. There is a lot of action, humor, and fun cons being run. I really like the world of the Edge!

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, this and the next were my least favorite Edge books. Although technically each book has a new couple as the star of the story, it's worth noting for those who like to go out of order that the couples from the preceding stories often appear, along with guest appearances by the incorrigible George and William, who age with each story.

This one centers on a rouge-like man, Kaldar Mars, who has a long history of questionable ethics but is now working for The Mirror. Audrey is a grifter from a family full of them, complete with a spoiled baby brother now doing time in rehab. The light, tongue-in-cheek tone fits with the rogue plotting:

"It is seeded with traps, puzzles, impossible doors, and other delightful things designed to separate intruders from the burden of their lives."

“You gave an addict in rehab drugs, and you want credit for it?”
“Of course it sounds bad when you put it that way.”

But ultimately, it didn't seem like a book about two people coming together as it was largely about some political machinations of the Weird and two people working with three youngsters to prevent it. Some of the plot points seemed strangely elaborate and contrived. Nonetheless, as I recently discovered from trying to recall an Ann Leckie book, it's an Ilona Andrews book, which means it's fun and may even stick in your brain a half a year after reading it.


"You’ve done over a decade’s worth of healing, and your magic is starved and tired of doing the same thing over and over. It doesn’t take much to upset this apple cart. That’s why I remained here.” Lady Augustine indicated the garden with an elegant sweep of her hand. “Serenity, beauty, and a low likelihood of psychological or physical trauma. That’s why after a bloody war, some veterans become monks.”

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of this book was that Jack and George unexpectedly played such a large part in it. They made the book. The rest of it I could have done without. It was a recovery/heist that required another heist first which required yet another heist/burglary to pull off that heist. It was a bit convoluted. Also, the love story goes from zero to sixty out of nowhere. Luckily the writing is still engaging, and if this was any other author I probably would have rated this one lower. Oh well.

[Melindam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would write a review, but it would be
- 33,33333 % gushing
- 33,33333% swooning
- 33,33333 swearing fealty and undying love to Ilona & Gordon,

so I will spare you.

I will only use some keywords like awesome, fun, conmen/women, spies, politics, crazy family, adorable racoons & cool wyverns. It offers thrill, chase, excitement, laughter, heartache & happiness in abundance.

Go and find out the rest for yourselves, if you haven't read this book/series. It's sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo worth it.

[Jo ★The Book Sloth★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 Stars

BR with the awesome IAA gang.


Hook is my Kaldar. It fits perfectly!

I wanted to love this book. I did want to, badly. It didn't work that way though. Although IA's usual charm is still there, in the badass characters, in the great dialogs, in the bickering couple, in the freaking awesome side characters, this book was just a tiny bit too slow for me to love.



Kaldar and Audrey were great. I loved how Kaldar could charm the pants off a nun and how Audrey could con her way into anything. Still, Kaldar proved a bit more mushy than I believed. He fell for the heroine and started spewing "sunshine" comparisons ten minutes after he met her. Not exactly ideal for me.I would have prefered a bit more resistance on his part. I did like Audrey's stance though. At least she didn't see him and fell face first.



But for me the show was stolen by Jack and George. I love these kids. I abso-frekin'-lutely love them. You can just see what a heartbreaker George will be in a few years. I loved how he could play anyone, how he protected Jack and how mature he was at times. Jack was a bit of a whiner but he is young. He'll grow out of it, and he is too cute to hold it against him.

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why did this sit on my Kindle for so long unread? Because I'm a dumbass. This book was SOOO fun. I've said it before about this series, and I'll say it again. This author knows how to write kids in urban fantasy that I don't want to get shipped off to military school and never see again. I LOVE these kids' characters. And honestly, i think I wasn't crazy about the love interest from the last installment and that's why I was slow to read this, but the book really matched the leads up well. Top UF author for surezies!

[Alp · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Meh.
I didn't like Kaldar.
I didn't enjoy Audrey's character.

The suspense: OK, but it could have been better.
The romance: Nope. I mean, seriously? No chemistry between the couple at all.

Overall: Not as good as I expected.

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m loving this series! While this book was immersive based on Kaldar (H) and Audrey (h) alone, 14-year-old George and 12-year-old Jack (Rose‘s brothers from book 1) made this book even better. What can I say - I just love the authors’ creations of shapechanger characters. That’s why I was also thrilled to see my favorite hero, William (book 2), the best shapechanger there is (yes, I’m factoring in Curran), make an appearance. While William and magic-sword-wielding Cerise and book 2 will remain my favorite of the series for now, this is a close second. I can’t believe this series only got on my radar because of the Innkeeper Chronicles! It really deserves recognition on its own merit. On to book 4 and Richard, Kaldar‘s brother!

Though each of the four books of this series has different viewpoint characters with separate relationship arcs, I would not recommend reading them out of order/as stand-alones; there is an overarching plot that won’t make much sense otherwise and the characters are interconnected:

Book 1: Declan and Rose
Book 2: William (Declan‘s best friend) and Cerise
Book 3: Kaldar (Cerise‘s cousin) and Audrey
Book 4: Robert (Cerise‘s cousin and Kaldar‘s brother) and Charlotte

The Ilona Andrews duo is truly becoming a fantasy favorite! My only "complaint" is that I could not find an audiobook to enjoy these books again.

[Jen Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Edge series has turned a corner for me with this book. Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed the first two. But in each installment, I felt like I had to work for it. Now, for the first time with this series, I was able to jump into the story with both feet from the beginning. Maybe it's because I am already familiar with the world building and many of the characters, but I don't think so. I think it's more of a change in focus. This book felt much more honed in on our main couple and their adventure, while the introduction of new characters and POVs were more of a gradual trickle than an overpowering flood.

This is Kaldar's book. He was introduced in Bayou Moon as Ceri's rouge, conman cousin. He is gorgeous; he is glib; he's charming; and he is nursing a serious desire for revenge against the Hand. It's been two years since the Spider and his agents killed off half the Mar family, but Kaldar can't let go of what happened. He is working for the Mirror now and as the story begins, he is granted a mission with the potential to give him the vengeance he covets.

Audrey grew up in a family of grifters. She possesses magical lockpicking skills but she wants to lead a legitimate life now. Her dad pulls her in for one last heist, but this is no small-time job. Unbeknownst to her, they are stealing a magical device that both the Hand and the Mirror would kill for. Retrieving the item, is Kaldar's mission. But by the time he tracks the theft to Audrey, she no longer has it. The two of them have to work together to find the device before it falls into the wrong hands.

Audrey is perfect for Kaldar. In many ways, she is a female version of him: smart, slick, and changeable. She calls him on all of his b.s. They were an easy couple to root for. But it took for-ever for them to get together. I understood the internal conflict and the reticence, but I would have liked even just a few more crumbs along the way... maybe a little bit more fooling around would have helped me soldier on until they accepted their feelings.

But while the relationship was a slow burn, the action was anything-but. The story really moved from the beginning here and it had a lot of heart (in no small part, thanks to the large roles Jack and George played.) The kids were a big, big win for me. Even though he is only 14, I can easily see George carrying off the lead in his own book someday. Jack too. And Lark's going to figure in somehow. It will be epic. But I digress...

We've got a great new villain, with ties to the Spider. And while our big bad from the last book is down, he's not out yet. And though Kaldar isn't my favorite hero (that would be William) and Audrey isn't my favorite heroine (that would be Rose)... I still think this may be the best book in the series yet. It's a great blend of the new and the familiar. It's got heart. It's got action. And it's got a raccoon called Ling the Merciless. How could it not be a winner? 4 1/2 stars.


*ARC Provided by Ace

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

1.) On the Edge ★★★★
2.) Bayou Moon ★★★★

Buddy Read with Ilona Andrews Addicts (IAA)!

[Zero · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the world and a lot of the characters in this series, but this book suffers from middle book syndrome.

My favorite parts of the book were George, Jack, and Gaston.

The romance was rushed and unbelievable. I didn't love the mmc or the fmc. The mmc didn't have much personality and the fmc was a know-it-all. The entire main conflict of the book wasn't exciting enough and the villain was an afterthought.

[TJ ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

idk why i was dying at them telling jack that lark ate a human and he's just like ok? i prob would too 😂

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is dedicated to all my IA loves :*

The tangent:

I have been reading The Edge series with a bunch of wonderful IA lovers. I did not review the first two books because real life was smacking me in the face. I decided to review the 3rd book for three main reasons:

A) It has been my favorite of the series.
B) oOSarahOo is being her normal annoying self (AKA amazing)
C) Life stopped bitch slapping me in the face. (Thanks life!)

By Sarah being her normal annoying self, I mean that she won’t get off my back about reviewing this. For the purpose of the following picture I am playing myself, and Sarah is playing the role of the frog.


Oh, and Sarah…

JK. You can have him. But, don’t touch William.


The crappy review:

There are several reasons why this book has been my favorite.

1) I feel more comfortable with the world of The Edge, The Weird, and The Broken. The first book took some adjusting time, and by the second book I was getting the hang of it. Now I feel like I’m a goddamn weird/broken/edge expert (that doesn’t sound good does it? I SWEAR I’m mentally stable).

2) I felt like this story had a more developed feel to it. It really seemed as if IA were in the zone with this one. I felt that the story line was complete, and that the tie-in of past characters was virtually seamless. Which, btw I really appreciate; I love revisiting the old characters, especially George and Jack.

3) The funny moments in the book were seriously funny!!!


“How’s it hanging?” Jack asked.
“How am I supposed to answer that?” George looked at him.
“ I don’t think Kaldar said anything about that. I guess ‘good’? I don’t get it. What’s hanging anyway?”
George shook his head. “Your stuff, you nimwit.”
His stuff…Oh. Ha! “In that case, it’s hanging long!”


4) And the romance was both sweet and HOT.

“I stole it because I am obsessed with you.” Emotion vibrated in his voice. “I wanted something of yours because that is all I could get.”

When two people marry, they surrender a small part of themselves.”

5) I’m sure there is some reason I liked this book that I’m forgetting, so that should go in this spot.

She flicked her fingers, hitting him lightly on the nose. “You’re so easy.”
“No, just smitten.”

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of the series so far :D

Our new leading lady, Audrey, is just as awesome as any other IA female character. But I liked her better because she was different! Most IA females are snarky and wouldn't worry about kicking some behind if needed. Audrey is smart, great at what she does... but she's not snarky. Sarcastic yes, funny too! But she was a bit.. softer? I liked the change.

Kaldar was also amazing. He was funny and direct, so refreshing!

I loved the interactions between then and I was 100% sold on the romance. This is a couple I could see together 50 years down the road bickering while they rock their chairs in the porch. This is a SLOW romance by the way, and there's little of it (lots of flirting, little romance) until the last 25% of the book.

But the best part is without a doubt the kids. We get Jack and George back for this one and they made me laugh through the entire book.

“How’s it hanging?” Jack asked.
“How am I supposed to answer that?” George looked at him.
“I don’t think Kaldar said anything about that. I guess ‘good’? I don’t get it. What’s hanging anyway?”
George shook his head. “Your stuff, you nimwit.”
His stuff . . . Oh. Ha! “In that case, it’s hanging long!” Jack dissolved into giggles. “Long, get it?”

"Jack didn't fully get Jesus. Audrey tried to explain it ... The Best he could gather was that Jesus lived long ago, told people to be nice, and they killed him for it. At the end, he asked who was Jesus' necromancer and if he was in the Bible, then Kaldar couldn't stop laughing"

The kids are the best and it's awesome to see them grow. It makes me wish I could have seen all the other characters during their teenage years too.

Awesome read! Fully recommended :D

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would be such an easy mark for Kaldar Mar, he would just smile his seductive smile and I would hand him over all my worldly goods. Granted, he may be disappointed as he will mostly come away with more books then he can carry and Xavier the Xbox but it is all there ripe for plucking. Luckily Audrey Callahan isn't as gullible as I am, so she would probably manage to keep her Xbox (if she had one) and most her books (I reckon Kaldar would take a few, just because he can) but, will she keep her heart? I mean this both literally and figuaratvely; literally as the Hand are after her and Kaldar and will use any means to get them as they both pursue the same goal, and figuratively because, well... did I mention the seductive smile?

This was by favourite book in the series so far, I have liked the previous two for different reasons, the first one On the Edge for a great introduction in to a brand new world as well as a cute romance, Bayou Moon because of William and an action packed story. But this one seemed to have the balance perfectly, it had exciting action and adventure that kept the pacing of the book fairly fast; I found myself half way through before I knew it! It had humour and built on relationships that have grown since the first book; I really loved seeing George and Jack especially as some of it was told from there POV. And then of course there is that romance; Kaldar and Audrey complimented eachother perfectly and the banter between them was fantastic.

I don't really have anything bad to say about this book, I felt it ended a little abruptly, nothing was left unresolved, I just felt like it was a hard bumpy landing, rather then a slow smooth glide to the end, but it didn't stop me enjoying the book, and left me hoping for more. This book also didn't really give a clue to who will be next in the Edge series. I was thinking Richard Mar, Kaldar's older brother but I am not sure, and I will be waiting impatiently to find out!

[Monty Cupcake ☠ Queen of Bloodshed ☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listen, I see the appeal of Kaldar, I really do, but this book initially took forever to get into. I found the pace at the beginning to be slow and I became so irritated at the plot device of including Jack & George, that I stopped reading. I probably wouldn't have read this due to the aforementioned abhorrent plot device, but I did it for the IA BR.

What's right in this book:
- Kaldar. He's a sly & charismatic fox. I imagine him kind of Zorro - piratey. He's a crazy Mar and can kill with his awesome sword flash.
- Audrey. Despite her lack of a killing nature, she didn't annoy me. I like how resourceful and clever she was.
- Lots of bloody violence
- Cons/schemes
- The setting. IA excels at creating worlds.
- Interest objects from the Weird
- Good plot

What's wrong in this book:
- Jack & George. You know what you did wrong to incur my ire. I hate the plot of having them on the mission. It's annoying that they join, endanger their lives, their families', they endanger the Mirror's mission.
- Jack. I'm really tired of his whiny spoiled brat act of no one loves me because I'm different. Blah, blah, blah.
- Audrey isn't a fighter. As in, she doesn't have any training like the previous heroines in this series. I really missed the female lead being a cold blooded killer. Maybe the next book.
- The arching plot with the Hand. I am still mad at the Mar family for their lack of foresight, from book 2. Why did no one make sure Spider was dead? Really now, if you've finally slain your greatest enemy, you just leave the body? Completely incorrect etiquette. You cut up the body, burn the heart & head, scatter the leftovers to the four corners. And throw some acid on it for good measure. Did they do any of this? Nope. Now I've gotta continue to hear about Spider. I am not happy.

Once I had read about 80 pages, the book began to pick up speed and was no longer a tedious read. I would've rated this book less, if not for Kaldar & Audrey. They upped the rating.

February 2016 BR with the IA Addicts

[Woman Reading (is away exploring) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ☆

When I was little, my grandmother gave me this advice. She said, "Audrey, if you meet a man who is smooth, who says all the right things and knows all the tricks to make a woman happy, you’ve got to ask yourself how he got that way.”

To many people from The Edge, the laws of The Broken were flexible guidelines rather than implacable laws. The Callahans certainly abided by this outlook, but Audrey Callahan wants to be a reformed con-[wo]man. She landed a legitimate job with a private investigator agency in The Broken's Pacific Northwest and still resided within The Edge.

Kaldar Mar, who had been introduced in the preceding installment Bayou Moon with the rest of the Mar clan, has kept his nose clean instead of playing fast and loose as is his wont. He has a goal. He wants to work his way up in the intelligence agency of the Mar clan's adopted country. This desire puts him on a collision course with Audrey Callahan.

This man was a rogue, not because circumstances forced him to be a criminal but because he was born that way. He was probably conning his mother out of her milk the moment he could grin.

Kaldar is on assignment. For backup, he has young Gaston with him. If he had known what Gaston was willing to let slide, Kaldar may have reassessed his choice of backup.

F*ck. F*ck, f*ck, f*ck, f*ck. He had the two wards of the f*cking Marshal of the f*cking Southern Provinces in a stolen car. An entire continent away from where the two of them were supposed to be. In the Broken. Where they had beat up some Broken children. Well, if those children weren’t broken before, they were surely broken now. Fate, that broody, vicious, fickle bitch.

Technically, this series falls within the urban fantasy genre. But the opening of Fate's Edge felt like a caper thriller from the crime fiction genre. I liked it. It would be helpful to at least read Bayou Moon, the second novel in this series, before picking up Fate's Edge because of the recurring characters but it's not absolutely necessary. The main protagonists are a bunch of hooligans. Let the hijinks commence!

Before this was all over, either they would be lovers or they'd kill each other. Right now, he had no idea which it would be.

[Deborah Obida · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is slightly different from the first two books, this book is more of a heist book and the addition was awesome. Another good surprise in this book is George and Jack, Jack even has a POV which I adore. The events in this happened two years after Bayou Moon.The world building is great, the writing is comprehensible and is written in third person multiple POV.

Kaldar is exactly how I imagined he'll be, he's hilarious, friendly, charming etc. He is such a con man, apparently the only time he is himself is at home. Kaldar now works for the Mirror for selfish reasons, he wants to go after the hand. Apart from flashing Kaldar has a weird magic, when he bets on something within reason he always wins, no wonder he gambles.

Jack didn’t fully get Jesus. Audrey tried to explain it, and he could repeat it back to her, word for word, but he still didn’t comprehend most of it. The best he could gather was that Jesus lived long ago, told people to be nice, and they killed him for it. At the end, he asked who was Jesus’ necromancer and if he was in the Bible, then Kaldar couldn’t stop laughing and had to sit down.

Audrey the love interest is a cool character with major daddy issues, I seriously don't blame her, she had a terrible childhood. She has a very unique magic, she can open any lock. She and Kaldar are alike, they are both thieves.

Jack is now 12 years and he is finding it hard to adjust which isn't surprising, I actually feel bad for him sometimes. Jack is also a bit spoilt, he stopped trying to reign in his emotions. I loved the improvement in his character at the end of the book.

George caught him looking. “What?”
“You look ridiculous,” Jack told him.
“This from a guy who strips naked and runs around in the woods.”
“I’m not ashamed of my human or my lynx form. I wear clothes because people force me to. I don’t need to put on a costume every morning to feel better about myself.”
“That’s right. You’re a simple creature, aren’t you?”
“Simple” in the human world usually meant “stupid.” Jack grinned. “Why don’t you lean closer, so I can explain to you exactly how simple I am.”

George who is now 14 years adjusted better to Weird life but it's a bit hard for him. He is so much stronger now, he's necromancer skills is top notch.

“Kaldar, if you kill her, please don’t shoot her in the head,” George said, his face cold, as if carved from a glacier. “Raising a body with a shattered brain requires more magic, and I think we can use her corpse to make sure her relatives will get run out of town.”

The other characters from the previous books also made some appearances in this. Gaston also has a good page space.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

This book started a bit slow for me. There was quite a bit in the beginning in Jack and George's POV, which was interesting, but I was really looking forward to getting to the story.

Once Kaldar - what a great character, full of life, charm, and loyalty - and Audrey met the story really picked up and I couldn't stop turning pages, staying up far into the night to continue reading.

If you've read Bayou Moon you know Kaldar of the Mar family. He's taken a job with the Mirror in order to gain his vengeance on the Hand. The Hand had dwindled the numbers of his family, killing a favored aunt, in their last meeting. Kaldar is determined to make every last one of them pay. He's the same charming, smooth-talking grifter that he always was, and watching him work his own particular brand of magic was a pure delight.

While Kaldar treasures family and would do anything for them, Audrey comes from the opposite side of that coin. She only wants to be left alone by her family. She'll do anything to get them to forget she exists, including one last job, where her picklock experience is needed. When the job is over and she goes home she has no idea that her life as she knew it is all but over. Regret, duty, and just a little bit of thrill compel her back into the field to right the wrongs she unknowingly spurred.

Seeing the ultimate conman meet his match in another of his kind was brilliant. They knew each other so well because they were so like one another. They fit together perfectly. With hills and valleys to fill the other. Watching them go from mild flirting, to desperate wanting, to true desire and finally love was like a pot of water slowly brought to boil. The heat built and my anticipation with it.

The world continues to be first rate, switching between the Broken, the Edge, and the Weird smoothly. New characters pop up to make things interesting, and known characters continue to make themselves a part of the story.

Fate's Edge was a thrilling roller-coaster ride of intrigue, locks, spells, battles and love to the end. I can't wait to see what Ilona Andrews has in store for us next in The Edge.

[Antonella · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5⭐

these two could have their own series!!!
and I would read it...
my favorite so far..
but I still have book four to read..

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really behind on writing reviews lately. I want to get this one out there since I've already finished the last book of the series, so I'm going for the random bullet point method.

Things I liked:

- The humor and fun of having a conman and conwoman as protagonists.
- I really enjoyed the heists.
- Kaldar is such a loveable rogue. There's plenty of witty dialog in the middle of serious jobs.
- Jack and George have large roles to play. I like how this series has romance, but also has side characters to help balance things out.

Reasons why Bayou Moon is still my favorite:

- I missed the Edge. This one takes place more in the Broken with just pockets of the Edge. I found the setting was much less rich as a result. I never thought I'd miss a swamp, but I did!
- I also missed the larger clans, the wider world of characters.
- Religious fanatics are not my favorite topic in the world.
- I still prefer William, the brooding changeling, to Kaldar the rogue.
- Cerise is way more dangerous with a sword than Audrey. Audrey is a talented thief, but she doesn't kick butt quite as well.

I've really enjoyed this series! It's such an interesting world. I'm sad that there are only four books. Maybe one day they'll change their minds and come back to it.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars for Fate’s Edge: Edge Series, Book 3 (audiobook) by Ilona Andrews read by Renée Raudman.

This was packed full action with a hate to love romance thrown in for fun. The characters were great and the narration was wonderful too.

[Erica Ravenclaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆☆☆☆


No spoilers and colorful language abound!

On the Edge (Book 1)

Bayou Moon (Book 2)


Ah! This, again, took me awhile to sink into. I'm not sure why I find the beginning of all of these books so tedious, but somehow I plow through, because I know how worth it, it is to finish. They are so good. I think I had forgotten how negatively I felt throughout most of the entire first book, yet I gave it a descent rating, they won me over with that ending. That seems to be the theme of me and these books.

Can I just say how happy I am about this world? Also, how equally sad I am that it's ending? I feel really comfortable now with the rules and landscapes of The Weird and The Broken and The Edge. I am deeply invested in the political environment between the various territories. With the switch in MCs each book, we are given a deeper attachment to these fascinating dual realities, I am excited yet sad to be starting the last book.

Fate's Edge I think was my favorite. Kaldar was everything I expected and then some. Sigh. His humor had me cackling in the dark, in the wee hours of the morning.



Overall the humor in this book was on point. Jack and George are a wealth of endearing charm, I am so pleased we've gotten bits of their story since the beginning and we seem to be following it through. I wonder if they would ever pick up the story again when the boys are grown up! YEAH. That should happen.



Anyway, time to read on.

[Orient · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fate's Edge has action (though, I think this book was a little bit slower than the other books. ), romance, magic, love and danger, just a great mix ;))). I know I will repeat it, but it needs to be said once more - Andrews team has a wonderful skill to write! I liked Kaldar in the second book so I was excited to find out more about him in this, third, book. He's such an enjoyable guy to make a great read and I was so eager to know more about his adventure. I like his humour, audacity, rebellion against rules and loyalty to his family. Kaldar is a thief, cheater and a great swordsman but if you earn his friendship he will be a true friend. A fellow like Kaldar needs a special woman and he gets his tough princess. Audrey is a thief too, she has a sharp tongue and of course she is beautiful and clever. They make a perfect match.
But to me, they weren't the most interesting characters. I just loved the boys and a really awesome Ling, The Merciless.

I was so happy that Andrews gave boys the major roles in this book along with Kaldar's cousin Gaston.
Jack is so cute, dangerous and he changed a lot. I just love him.

George was just a weak and shy kid when I first read about him. But now despite he is young, he is a very powerful Necromancer and the youngest espionage agent.

I was laughing from their jokes, I was sad when they had problems and they just touched my heart. So I just hope that I'll have a chance to read about them in further books (Please, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews !)
Romance, humour and drama make just an awesome blend. The women in the story are tough and know how to kick some badasses. I'm eager to dive into the world of Steel's Edge though It's a little bit sad at the same time, 'cause it's the last book.