Series Read: The Edge Series by Ilona Andrews

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

I'm up to Chapter 12

And I am sorry to say that I'm getting a bit over the banter between William and Cerise (view spoiler)[ Just go and have sex already! (hide spoiler)]
I'm also finding the audio a bit irritating. I'm not sure why as it is the same narrator as the last book. Maybe I'm just not in the mood. So I've switched to the kindle version and gone back to a Stephen Fry Harry Potter audiobook

[Audrey Jane]

I'm currently reading . I'm about to begin with chapter 8:

(view spoiler)[ I feel like I'm going to like this one more than On the Edge. Cerise makes me think of my fictional bff Kate Daniels :p I mean give me a book about a woman who kicks ass with a sword and I'm good. Also I love the banter between Cerise and William.
I was a bit lost at the beginning with all the names the Mirror/Spider/Hand. If I understood correctly the Spider works for the Hand and opposes the Mirror. I'm off to read some more! (hide spoiler)]

Steven wrote: "Hahaha, a deep south American accent mixed with an Australian one would be rather difficult. :)

I like to think that as the books progress, the female characters all seem to be accepted as strong,..."

(view spoiler)[It's one of the reason I like Ilona Andrews so much! They can write strong characters. One of my favourite character was Aunt B but now, after reading the last book Magic Breaks, Desandra just stole my heart. She made the book in my opinion. Well she and Ascanio. (hide spoiler)]

[Audrey Jane]

Karen wrote: "

I'm up to Chapter 12

And I am sorry to say that I'm getting a bit over the banter between William and Cerise [spoilers removed]
I'm also finding the audio a bit irr..."

I'm currently still enjoying their banter but I wonder if I will feel the same by chapter 12 :) lol I usually like slow built romance, it's fun to see who will give in first. What a bummer for the audiobook.

[Steven]

If I understood correctly the Spider works for the Hand and opposes the Mirror.

yes, you are correct :)

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

@Audrey Jane
I agree about Kate Daniels and the strong female characters they create. It is a nice change from many books in similar genres.
I think Cerise is great but the voice the narrator has given her is just jarring on me so time to put the audio away ;)

[Cynthia]

I'm starting Chapter 4.
I wasn't hooked on this one right away, despite the fact that it's featuring some of my favorite minor characters from the previous books: Kaldar, George, Jack, Gaston. (view spoiler)[
I put this book down before I even got to chapter one. Audrey giving in to her father like that? Can't understand it, although I've seen it over and over IRL. I won't be able to see Audrey in a positive light because of that, and I have a feeling she's going to be Kaldar's love interest. (hide spoiler)]

[Cynthia]

Halfway through the book (Chapter 9, I think) and I have to admit (view spoiler)[
I have come to like Audrey. I still disagree with her giving in to her dad and going on the heist, but I can't imagine any other way that she and Kaldar would have hooked up and the story progress naturally.

And who is the evil blonde woman leading The Hand group? Am I supposed to recognize who she is and just don't?
(hide spoiler)]

[Lauren]

Re your spoiler, Cynthia - (view spoiler)[the blond woman is a new character although she is related to a character from the previous book (hide spoiler)]

[Rose]

Finished On the Edge. I have to say Ilona Andrew's books are some of my favorite absolute pop corn reads. You may have no idea why you are investigated in the characters, and can tell plot "twists" from the beginning, but it will always be an amazingly fun ride.

I think I like the Kate Daniel's books better, but I'm intrigued by the three world's in one of this series. I think it's, because On the Edge at least, was a bit heavier in the romance aspect then the action/world building. I really found my self not carrying about them getting together at all. I just wanted to see what the other side looked like, and explore a bit of the society. I hope that comes up in the other books.

[Audrey Jane]

@ Rose: I like Kate Daniels better too. I agree that the Edge books focus more on the romance, but I'm currently reading book 2, Bayou Moon (I'm 51% in) and I find myself enjoying it more than On the Edge. The romance is pretty 'low key' and we get to know more about the characters. Also a lot more action! And I love the new characters.

(view spoiler)[I just met Cerises' family and they sure are an interesting bunch of characters! And Spider is so evil, I hope Clara & Urow, and the children are allright. (hide spoiler)]

I like the alternating point of views and the 3rd person narrative (which I have a slight preference for) since we have the privilege to see events from different angles and sometimes as the omniscient reader we know what's going to happen before the characters do. I think it has its appeal.

[Rose]

Audrey Jane wrote: "@ Rose: I like Kate Daniels better too. I agree that the Edge books focus more on the romance, but I'm currently reading book 2, Bayou Moon (I'm 51% in) and I find myself enjoying it..."

That's good to know. I'm planning on starting the Bayou Moon as soon as it comes in from the library. Yay vacation.

[Audrey Jane]

I finished . I took some notes while reading, here are some random thoughts about the second half of the book:

(view spoiler)[
- Lark is an interesting character, I'm looking forward to read more about her. I really hope we get to see her in the next book.

- I really like Kaldar, I can't wait to find out more about his power. But he has extremely bad timing. We were already 70% in the book, it was definitely time for some smexy interaction.

- Lol at "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" comment.

- Erian was predictable but grandpa Verard and Cerise being 'subject D' wasn't, I liked that.

- Spider is still alive, I wonder if we will see him again in the next book.

- A lot of fighting, going from one battle scene to the next. This made me think of the last KD book. I don't really understand why Spider felt the need to 'fuse' Genevieve, I really hoped she would live since I could feel Cerise connection with her mother. I didn't feel Gustave though, he played a minor role.

- I could have done without the angst at the end, he loves me he loves me not. The last couple of chapters dragged the story too long (the same feeling I had with the first book), I'm not too fond of flashforwards but it helped.

I definitely enjoyed this one better than On the Edge, four stars from me.

(hide spoiler)]

Now I need to see where I can squeeze in the next book Fate's Edge, with all the ongoing buddy reads at the moment I have a difficult time prioritizing.

[Steven]

Yeah, there are sooooo many going on at once. I can't keep up. LOL

[Audrey Jane]

Steven wrote: "Yeah, there are sooooo many going on at once. I can't keep up. LOL"

Me neither! I think my BR reading schedule is a month behind. Worse, I spontaneously start books that do not fit any BR & BOM. Help!

[ilovebakedgoods (Teresa)]

Peeking in here to comment on the state of BRs! I am behind, too, Audrey Jane, and I also have a habit of spontaneously starting books that don't fit into BR or BoM, lol. Glad to know I am not alone, hehe!

[Audrey Jane]

Welcome to the club Teresa! :) I'm actually counting on other late participants so I can do the BRs with them, you see it's all carefully planned ;)

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Rose wrote: "Finished On the Edge. I have to say Ilona Andrew's books are some of my favorite absolute pop corn reads. You may have no idea why you are investigated in the characters, and can tel..."

I agree with Audrey Jane's comments. I find book 2 quite different from book 1.
I do prefer Kate Daniels, but I'm finding a special place for The Edge books

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

@Audrey Jane - re: Cerises' family ; I couldn't agree more. I've actually found the book really picking up about now...

Chapter 16
Bayou Moon
(view spoiler)[ Oh this chapter ended so badly. This book feels much "darker" than the last.
After having a break for a few days, I'm finding I'm able to get back into this and enjoy the audio again. I'm so curious as to what is going to happen as there still feels like quite a bit of book left to go (hide spoiler)]

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Chapter 23

(view spoiler)[
Oh finally! We have some romance happening even if they didn't quite get to finish what they started.
This book has really grown on me with all the different components to the world (new creatures and trees and old magic that has been introduced). Such tough living though. Maybe I do prefer to live in the Broken ;)
(hide spoiler)]

[Steven]

Glad you're enjoying it, Karen. It's a great series, but it definitely takes longer to fall in love with than Kate Daniels did.

[Audrey Jane]

@Karen: (view spoiler)[Cerises' family is really big and some of them very peculiar, but I feel for Cerise when every time they set out for battle they never know who's going to be next.
Yes, it has a bit of a 'darker' feeling, which reminded me of KD a bit. But the last chapter got a bit too paranormal romance-y for me :p

Kaldar has bad timing right ;) (hide spoiler)]

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Steven wrote: "Glad you're enjoying it, Karen. It's a great series, but it definitely takes longer to fall in love with than Kate Daniels did."

Yes, I'm finding that as the book goes on I'm really getting into it which makes me sad because the next book will be new characters!

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

@Audrey Jane
That is very true, and I agree that it is a bit darker. I just listened to the part where William (view spoiler)[ finds her mother. Eeek! (hide spoiler)]

[Steven]

Karen, the next book is only one new character :) the rest are familiar! :)))

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

hooray! Thanks Steven!

I just finished and it was nice that (view spoiler)[ at the end Declan, Rose and Jack are introduced back into the story. I'm surprised it took them so long to work out the monster was her grandfather, but it was still aninteresting story line and I quite enjoyed it! (hide spoiler)]

[Audrey Jane]

@ Karen: (view spoiler)[ Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, shivers at 'the mother in the plant' part, it's sad she didn't survive. I wonder if we will see Spider in the next book.
I liked those chapters when Cerise read about her grandfather and 'the Box', it had a spooky vibe to it. It's also only then that I put two and two together :p (hide spoiler)]

[Mary X]

Anyone on book 4? I had planned to get to it last week but didn't manage that. Maybe I should wait now until some others are up to book 4.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Not yet. Will prob be another month until I get to #4

[Lauren]

#4 is up next for me but I might not get to it until the end of December.

[Cynthia]

I'm on #4, but I'm also waiting until at least the end of December. Too much going on.

[Rose]

I just finished the series. I was on vacation and then sick for the week (and work was nuts) so I'll just post my thoughts on each one now.

Bayou Moon

This is actually my favorite of the series. Admittedly, I am not really a "romance reader". I like romances in books, but the whole possessive "we just met, but I must own/make babies with you/can't think about anything but having you even when people are getting their heads chopped off" mind frame kind of throws me out of the plot in some books. In this one I think didn't jar me as much, because William is supposed to be a bit out of it (violent, broody) as part of his core personality. Also, I thought this one was really well developed, and the Mar's family was pretty fascinating.

p.s. that dead snake bill was hilarious.

[Rose]

I really like this one too. This book has more of a heist/super secret spy feel, and it's a lot of fun to read. I loved Ling the Merciless, and it was cool to see some of the characters we were introduced to in the first book after they matured a bit (even if they were written as sometimes annoying teenagers who succeeded in annoying me. lol).

One thing I really didn't like though. Throughout the book we get how the male lead (not saying his name for spoilers sake) is a playboy/rake/charmer, mostly from the perspective of the female lead. The thing that bothers me is there is nowhere in the book where this is addressed. Instead she just realizes she loves him and he loves her, and BAM- serious relationship. I fell like they should at least have a discussion/realization (especially since some of the other males in his family were not the best examples of people to marry) about how he isn't those things, and would make a good person to settle down with. This is just me being too rational, and pedantic, but it really was irritating.

[Rose]

Okay. I gave this two stars. I just didn't like the main female character. She was just not very fleshed out.

(view spoiler)[I get that she has all this noble training, but some of the scenes were just strange and out of place. She would kill a bunch of people, then decide something was too much the next second, and I could never tell what part of her made that the line in the sand. Also, one minute she is naive in love after being cloistered, the next she is manipulating people with ridiculously complicated court relationships. I can't believe she had that much growth in seeing/manipulation personal relationships when everyone in the edge seems to be pretty isolated. (hide spoiler)]

Also, this is mostly the book I am referring to when I say the romance scenes can get a bit jarring. One chapter we have a plot full of slavery, murder, and rape-the next we have a pretty forceful romance scene. It just threw me.

(view spoiler)[As did one character going from chasing slavers off from his daughter (granted-while winning terrible father of the year awards) to somehow becoming a raping slaver himself. I was so confused (hide spoiler)]

[Cynthia]

Rose wrote: "

I really like this one too. This book has more of a heist/super secret spy feel, and it's a lot of fun to read. I loved Ling the Merciless, and it was cool to see ..."

I agree with your thoughts. I loved the heist feel of it, but I definitely wasn't a fan of the romance. I think it could have been handled differently, because both of the characters involved are interesting and strong. Didn't have to be so 7th grade.

I haven't read the 4th one yet, but I have it on my list.

[Rose]

Cynthia wrote: "Rose wrote: "

I really like this one too. This book has more of a heist/super secret spy feel, and it's a lot of fun to read. I loved Ling the Merciless, and it was..."

Yeah. That was the most frustrating thing about it. I liked both the characters, but they had zero thoughts towards each other other than puppy love/lust. Actually, made me think this is how all the unwise parings in this series (e.g.Rose's Father and Mother) must have have wound up together. Not exactly a comforting thought.

[Cynthia]

I read the first 2 back to back, then when I got to the 3rd I had trouble getting into it, mainly because of that issue.

I've had trouble working up much interest for Steel's Edge. I don't hold out hope for the series, at least for me. I'd much rather spend time reading fantasy with powerful, independent women or at least fantasy that doesn't portray them as hostages to their ovaries.

[Lauren]

fits into a couple of my challenges this week, so I'm starting today.

[Lauren]

currently on chapter 5:

Really enjoying it so far. Took me a while to remember the characters from the first book. It is sad that (view spoiler)[Rose's grandmother is dead. I really liked her :0(

The Andrews' always manage to surprise me with their writing. (hide spoiler)]

[Lauren]

currently on chapter 8:

well! (view spoiler)[John Drayton works for the slavers. (hide spoiler)] I sure wasn't expecting that!

[Rose]

That one was definitely a shocker. I kind of had gotten him mixed up with the Grandfather, so I was doubly surprised.



Lauren wrote: "

currently on chapter 8:

well! [spoilers removed] I sure wasn't expecting that!"

[Lauren]

@Rose - that is completely understandable. I've had to re-read bits of the first book to refresh my memory.

[Lauren]

Currently on chapter 12:

There are quite a few secondary characters that could get their own books - George and Jack, Lark, Jason Parris. I know that George and Jack appear in one of the Andrews' other series (can't remember right now which one). I wonder if the others will make an appearance as well.

So Richard's plan (view spoiler)[is to impersonate Cardisse. I had flashes in my head of the Face/Off movie with Nicholas Cage while reading the surgery part (hide spoiler)]

[Lauren]

Finished - An enjoyable story and a charming romance but there are too many unanswered questions at the end, which is disappointing as this is the last installment.

[Steven]

I agree that the end left unanswered questions. I felt like the story was tied up for the BOOK's plot before that little section at the end, and it felt like that section at the end was tacked on after they decided to end the series rather than continue with it.

[Lauren]

Steven wrote: " it felt like that section at the end was tacked on after they decided to end the series rather than continue with it. ."

Exactly. The addition of the Spider subplot did not feel natural to the slavery story. We also don't get any closer on (view spoiler)[his niece (hide spoiler)]

[Shannon]

I'm somehow just seeing this thread. I read Bayou Moon last week. It'd been a really long time since I had read the first one, and frankly didn't remember anything about it, so I was really coming at it fresh and without any thoughts, expectations, etc. Which is strange for me, because I love Ilona Andrews so I can't fathom why I didn't jump into the whole series when I read the first one. But then again, I didn't immediately start book 3 after finishing Bayou Moon either.

Reading y'all's comments though makes me rethink that, so I'll probably try it out.

I did really enjoy the parts with the whole family at the house. I also liked the main characters, although I'll agree with an earlier statement about the end -- the whole does he love me, he doesn't -- not a fan.

[Lauren]

Shannon wrote: "I did really enjoy the parts with the whole family at the house.."

Agreed. The Mar family are one of my favorite elements in the series. They really make the stories come alive.

[Shannon]

Lauren wrote: "Shannon wrote: "I did really enjoy the parts with the whole family at the house.."

Agreed. The Mar family are one of my favorite elements in the series. They really make the stories come alive."

That's what decided me on trying the next one out. It seems like, from everyone's comments, its going to continue with some Mar characters and I did really enjoy them.

[Lauren]

Shannon wrote: "That's what decided me on trying the next one out. It seems like, from everyone's comments, its going to continue with some Mar characters and I did really enjoy them.."

Yes. The heroes in books #2 and #3 are both Mars.

[Steven]

Lauren wrote: "Shannon wrote: "That's what decided me on trying the next one out. It seems like, from everyone's comments, its going to continue with some Mar characters and I did really enjoy them.."

Yes. The h..."

And book #4... :P