There is a lot happening in this book. We start with a rescue and then move on to trying to save the last of a species that is being hunted by anotherThere is a lot happening in this book. We start with a rescue and then move on to trying to save the last of a species that is being hunted by another species. And, the hunters are aggressive in their desire to kill off these suckers. They will kill anything or anyone in their way. Which leads to the question that is continually being asked in this book? Why? Why do you want to kill them so badly? Did they pull some sort of heist on you?
[image] maybe involving a cumberbun? (ok, off topic (again)... I just looked up the correct spelling for cumberbun and it's cummerbund. W-The actual-F??)
So, these guys that Dina is trying to protect from like thousands of assassins are kind of gross and smelly. Plus, they are sort of Debbie Downers. So, I'm just wondering if that's the problem. I mean, I've thought about killing DD's. Who hasn't? You know the kind of person who is constantly wallowing in their problems and regularly seeks you out to wallow to? Haven't you thought of stabbing them? Or is that just me?
[image] You know corn dogs aren't good unless they are hot enough to cauterize a wound. The army medics used them in the great war. Of course they get the medical grade corn dogs, but still, a fresh-from-the-microwave one will do in a pinch. Anyway, maybe I need to work on my compassion skills.
I really liked that Ilona Andrews was asking that question of "why". It is a question that I have a lot when I read but rarely gets addressed by authors. The Andrew's always have backgrounds, histories, and mythological reasons behind the things they write. I appreciate that. Recently I read a book where the author put the wrong name for who was talking and later had the person wearing a different outfit out of thin air. That kind of sloppiness never happens in an IA book, and it's awesome because you never get dragged out of a story by something that your mind snags on as wrong.
[image] See? Sloppy writing. Her breasts weren't even a little on edge before. Now suddenly they're startled? That doesn't make sense. At least have them a little anxious beforehand, then the startled thing will feel completely believable.
So, with the good writing here, I am feeling pretty happy with this series. My breasts are super relaxed and comfortable and stuff. I'm off to read the next one. Oh wait. This is a buddy-read and I suck because I read too fast and then my buddies get irritated with me. I might need to wait so I don't have to read it alone. Oh shit, breast-anxiety rising!!
*Just reread this with the IAA group and I liked it a lot more. I think I must have been visited by the Ghost of Bitchiness Past right before I read i*Just reread this with the IAA group and I liked it a lot more. I think I must have been visited by the Ghost of Bitchiness Past right before I read it the first time. Or, maybe I'm getting nicer in my old age. More tolerant. More loving and kind. Like a sweet grandma who makes gingerbread and cocoa...
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Original review:
There was a series that Ilona Andrews wrote called The Edge series.On the Edge It had two young brothers, George and Jack, that were sweet, adorable, and each troubled in their own way. We watched them grow-up during this series, and we all wished there would be more books that showed us what became of them - especially since another child, Sophie, was added into the mix. She was also a work in progress. Well, those characters show up in this book. Yay! Right?.. uh, no. Not yay.
[image] some stones shouldn't be turned over. Just leave it alone.
Why do I feel this way? Well, from what we see of them now, life hasn't treated them kindly, and they are pretty hardened and messed-up. The good thing about them from the Edge series was that they were on the road to healing. But, something must have went wrong because George is manipulative and cynical, Jack is just a lethal killer, and Sophie has been unhappy in a self-imposed prison for years. And, apparently they took off, simply leaving a note telling their sister and family that they would be gone for the next 20 years. What the hell happened?
[image] We turn our backs for a few years and everything falls apart!
Now, let's talk about our main character, Dina. In my last review, I compared her personality to a rock. I also wondered why both a werewolf and a vampire were interested in this rock-girl. I guess it's called the Bella Swan Phenomenon. Or, maybe it should be classified as a sickness or disease. Well, anyway, Dina has sunken deeper into her role in the Bella Swan Phenomenon (maybe it's a virus? The Bella Virus. Yes! I like it!) and is displaying more Bellalike behavior. You see, in the last book, Sean decides he needs to go and see this world that he didn't know existed and travel in space. That was 6 months ago. And, Bella Dina is still thinking about him and pining over him. Really? After 6 months? They knew each other for less than a week 6 months ago. He should have been a blip on the radar at that point.
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So, Dina gets the opportunity to host a summit of peace talks to help stop a war on a distant planet. There are three groups represented, along with George & Jack who are the mediators. Of course the vampire group includes the guy that was supposedly interested in Dina in the last book. But, seriously, for a guy who says he's interested, he doesn't show her any interest at all. I'm not sure what vampire courting looks like, but if he's any indication it involves not talking to her, not hanging around her, and leaving as soon as possible. If disinterest is their way of flirting, he's in love.
There are a lot of good things in this book as well. Mainly, the new chef that Dina hires to feed all of her new guests. He is described as a giant hedgehog, and he is glorious.
[image] Squeeeee! How freaking cute is that? I want one!
Orro is a drama queen. He freaks out and throws things, he cries, and he wallows in depression. He's my new favorite character. Like I said, Ilona Andrews writes amazing side-characters. I will continue this series for the side characters alone....more
This is based in a very unique world where there are supernatural creatures - but they are actually aliens, and "Inns" (planetary rest-stops) that areThis is based in a very unique world where there are supernatural creatures - but they are actually aliens, and "Inns" (planetary rest-stops) that are sentient. A hotel for the creatures that your average human has no idea exists.
[image] Pretty much..
Dina is our hero. She is in her 20's and is an Innkeeper. This means she runs the bed & breakfast for intergalactic monsters and takes care of their needs. She has only one guest, Caldenia, who is some sort of alien royalty who kills and eats her victims. And Funyuns. Gotta have the Funyuns. I can relate.
[image] I know what I'm going to be singing all night. And, now I want Funyuns.
We start our story with a dead dog. There have been several dead dogs in the neighborhood and Dina is tired of it. She knows that a werewolf recently moved in and that this is another creature threatening his territory and taunting him. She lets the werewolf, Sean, know that she is tired of waiting for him to take care of the problem and that she's stepping in. Also that she knows he is spending his nights peeing all over the neighborhood to mark his territory. I'd say it's a werewolf thing, but as a woman who lives with three grown men - it's just a man thing. They pee everywhere. You, unfortunately, get used to it.
[image] It still won't work. Nice try, though.
Sean completely disregards her - a small human woman - and learns very quickly that things are not what they appear to be. They decide to work together, and then some vampires get involved, so they end up a threesome. In crime-stopping. This book has no smut. Not even the slightest hint of an inkling of smut.
The story was pretty good, but the world-building was great. Really original stuff! The whole thing with the sentient inn was very imaginative and entertaining.
Instead of Urban Fantasy, it is Rural Rustic Fantasy - and I have loved every minute of it!
In this last book we get Richard Mar's story. He is Kaldar's brother whose wife had left him years before because she hated living in the Mire. He is also the one who saved Lark/Sophie from the slavers and has devoted his life to bringing down the slaving industry. He has killed so many of them that he has been dubbed "The Hunter" and is hated and feared by the slavers.
We also have Charlotte, a blueblood royal healer, whose husband left her because she is barren and his family name is more important to him than her. She leaves the Weird to get away from her old life and ends up renting Rose's old house in the Edge. She works as a healer for the local Edgers and has been "adopted" by Rose's grandmother.
Richard is almost killed by the slavers and is brought to Charlotte to be healed. This starts a chain of events in which Charlotte decides to help him bring the slavers down.
Because, although Charlotte can heal people with her magic, she can also reverse that magic and kill anyone at anytime. It's awesome!
He needed a blade to kill, but she could kill dozens at once empty-handed. She was Death, and she had just asked to be his ally.
But, Richard is deadly with his sword. He, like all of the Mar family, can wrap his magic around it and cut through people like butter. It comes in handy, but can be a little messy.
"It's good that you're a human Cuisinart," she said. "I'm sorry?" "A Cuisinart. It's an appliance from the Broken. you put vegetables into it, push a button, and it chops them into tiny pieces." Richard frowned. "Wouldn't it be easier to chop them with a knife?" "It's meant to save time," she explained. "Does it?" "Well, cleaning it usually eats up most of the time you save on chopping." "So, you're telling me I'm useless." "It's a neat gadget!" "And I'm hard to clean, apparently."
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this is easier than cleaning the kitchen after the hubby decides to use the Cuisinart...
So, they are both lethal killers - a match made in heaven!
We also get George, Jack, and Sophie in this book, and it is fun to see how they are growing up. I wish that the series would continue so that we could have their individual stories.
The action in this book is great, the fight scenes are bloody and awesome, and the romance is cute. My only drawback is that I thought the ending was a little bummerish. But, totally worth it!...more
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 seveReread 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.
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?
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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.
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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!...more
Reread with the IAA group. Huh, I liked the first book a little better with the reread, but this one I liked a little less the second reading. I still Reread with the IAA group. Huh, I liked the first book a little better with the reread, but this one I liked a little less the second reading. I still liked it, but I think I remembered it a little too fondly for it to hold up.
I'm a moody complicated reader.
Original review:
If someone had asked him yesterday morning what hell looked like, he would've said he didn't know. He'd spent 24 hours in the swamp, and now he had an answer. Hell looked like the Mire.
This urban (more like rural) fantasy is set in a swamp. If you've ever been to southern Louisiana, you can feel the descriptions of the Mire. It's wet. Always wet. Don't bother trying to wear make-up, if you can get it to stick to your wet face in the first place, it will just come off. Don't bother trying to do your hair- the humidity will re-do it for you within minutes. It gets like this where I live too sometimes - like now. It literally feels like a sauna outside and it's almost midnight. The frogs are so loud that they must be having a rave or something out in the woods behind my house.
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their drug of choice is to lick their toad friends... it's kind of creepy....
So, the world building in this book is great. You will feel the need for a mint julip and some fried gator while reading it.
We get William the Wolf's story in this book. He is a handsome guy with very wolf-like thoughts. I love how he is constantly having to remind himself to think more like a human. He has immediate, doggyish reactions to things and then tries to see it from the human's point-of-view. He decides he wants Cerise, but has no idea on how to achieve getting her to like him. He comes up with a half human/half wolf idea:
He'd have to stalk her, he decided. Carefully and patiently. He would bring her flowers, swords, and whatever else she liked, until he was sure when he pounced, she wouldn't want to run away.
Cerise is a tough kickass girl who was raised in the Mire. She has a huge, crazy family that she is responsible for and will do anything to protect. She has a heart of gold, but is also a stone cold killer and William loves that.
They swarmed her. She whirled, cutting through them, slicing limbs in half, severing muscle and bone. Blood sprayed, she paused again and the fighters around her fell without a single moan. Four seconds and the deck was empty. Nothing moved. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
The best thing about this book, though, is Cerise's family. They are numerous and crazy. Awesome!!
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Grandma, did you catch Gramps in the moonshine again?
Her family has to go to court to try and get back their land, and her cousin, Kaldar, is well known by the local judge.
"I guess you're familiar with the law. You hit it over the head, set its house on fire, and got its sister pregnant." A huge grin sparked on Kaldar's face. "Thank you, Your Honor."
I'm not sure that was a compliment...
Cerise's family is like the Beverly Hillbillies with scary magic. Tons of fun! It is so worth it to read this book just to experience the Mar family hoedown.
There is a lot of fighting and action in the book, but not so much that it gets tedious. The family scenes are hilarious, and so are William and Cerise's interactions. I liked everything about this book....more
Reread with the IAA group. So much better the second time around!
Original review: I love Kate Daniels. Ilona Andrews knows how to write female characteReread with the IAA group. So much better the second time around!
Original review: I love Kate Daniels. Ilona Andrews knows how to write female characters with strong personalities and snarky humor - a winning combination in my eyes.
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I love sarcastic girls!
This story is about Rose. She lives in a place called the Edge, which is in a land that sits between the two main lands in this world. One is magical, called the Weird, and the other is non-magical and like our modern world, called the Broken. The Edge is in-between and the people have some magic. It's also like the back woods of Kentucky or something because these people are serious redneck hillbillies.
But, Rose has been burned before. She had a boyfriend whom she thought loved her, and he betrayed her by planning on kidnapping her and selling her off to the highest bidder. Worst. boyfriend. ever.
So, this guy from Weird shows up and says he wants to marry her. She's slightly skeptical, and totally not interested. She has built quite a life for herself - raising her two brothers and working as a maid, while living in squalor in hillbillyville and barely able to afford food. Why would she want to leave all of that? So, she tells this guy, Declan, that he has to complete three tests to win her and she will leave with him. She has no plan to go anywhere with this guy, so she plans on making the tests harder than the bar exam. But, she still can appreciate a good-looking a-hole when she sees one.
True, Declan was heartbreakingly beautiful and hypnotic to watch. But, she would have even more fun when she watched that muscled back and that perfect ass recede as he walked down the path away from her house, never to return.
This book is lots of fun and has many chuckle-worthy moments. Declan is definitely a good love-interest, and William is also interesting. I am looking forward to William's book....more
Currently rereading this with the fun chicks over at the Ilona Andrews Addicts group.
Rereading such epicness was a blast. I think this was the book thCurrently rereading this with the fun chicks over at the Ilona Andrews Addicts group.
Rereading such epicness was a blast. I think this was the book that finally got me to fall for Curran. He was too much of an alpha-asshole for me until now. But, the way he turns it around and finally shows some respect for Kate made me love him at last. Good kitty.
Original review from Feb, 2015:
Crazy Aunts - we've all got one. My crazy aunt took me to a gay bar when I was 16 years old (I didn't realize that some of those women weren't men...). Hey, I was just happy to be in a bar at 16, I had no idea... But, Kate's aunt is literally a psychopath:
"You're a psychopath." "What does that mean?" I got up and brought her a dictionary. She read the definition. "That sums it up well, yes...."
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Not exactly Auntie Em.
But, one of the best parts of this book, to me, was the addition of Kate's new dog - the attack poodle. I am a dog person. I have three dogs, two of them are very large labs, and the things Kate says about her attack poodle cracked me up so much because I could, unfortunately, relate.
Apparently "stay" in faithful canine companion language meant "follow with enthusiastic glee." ...I opened the door and saw a huge slimy pile of dog puke cooling in the middle of my hallway carpet. The attack poodle sat nearby, an expression of perfect innocence on his narrow mug. I pointed at the puke. "That was a dick move." The attack poodle wagged his tail. ... The attack poodle trotted around me and proceeded to vomit an inch from my left boot. "Delightful," Saiman reflected as the dog, having puked his guts out, urinated on the nearest wall. "He's a dog of simple pleasures," I told him.
Okay, this ^ stuff really got me laughing out loud, in the middle of the night, while all of my family was trying to sleep. If I'm not careful, they will be calling me a psychopath pretty soon!...more
If you haven't read this series yet, you need to at least read the first three. The first two books were good, but this one is magic! :)
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OriginaIf you haven't read this series yet, you need to at least read the first three. The first two books were good, but this one is magic! :)
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Originally read in February of 2015. Rereading with the Ilona Andrews Addicts group.
Here's my original review:
Best one yet in the series! Have I mentioned how much I love Kate Daniels? Oh yeah, I guess I have, just in every other review of these books. She is so funny and sarcastic. I find myself chuckling while reading.
"What kind of shapeshifter has orange fur anyway?" "Weredingo." Now I'd seen everything. Well, at least he didn't steal my baby. ...
I gave him a smile. I was aiming for sweet, but he turned a shade paler and scooted a bit farther from me. Note to self: work more on sweet and less on psycho-killer.
In this book, we get to experience the "Midnight Games", which remind me of some of the video games that my sons play , like League of Legends or TF2. They have gladiator-style fights in an arena one-on-one, but then there is a competition for team fighting for a big prize. Each team has seven members, and each member has to play a certain role. There is the Stone, the Swordsmaster, the Shield, the Shiv, the Spell, the Stratego, and the Sling. There is a lot of fighting and action, but with the usual humor mixed in.
It is also fun to watch Curran and Kate get closer. I like how there is no insta-love in these books at all. As a matter of fact, come on, already!! Sheesh!
Curran looked back at me. "Why is it you always attract creeps?" "You tell me." Ha! Walked right into that one, yes, he did.
Rereading this with the lovelies at the Ilona Andrews Addicts group.
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Here's my original review from a year ago:
*********** "Rambo called, he Rereading this with the lovelies at the Ilona Andrews Addicts group.
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Here's my original review from a year ago:
*********** "Rambo called, he wants his bandana back." "This Rambo, he a friend of yours?" "Who's Rambo?" Julie asked. If a cultural reference flies over a man's head, does it make a sound if nobody else gets it?
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(This is Rambo, for all of you youngsters)
I'm still loving Kate. As a matter of fact, I like her better in this book than the first one. She is more human, but still hilarious and kickass at the same time.
In this book, we get all of these strange creatures from Celtic mythology that I have never heard of before, and that was refreshing. The monsters were strange and scary, and I liked the introduction of Julie and how she affected Kate. I love the "crazy aunt" reference to Kate's relationship to her. Derek is also becoming a great teenage werewolf side-kick.
Of course, the relationship between Kate and Curran is really fun. I especially like reading all of the reviews here and seeing all of the Chris Hemsworth gifs. Not hard on the eyes at all... Keep them coming, girls!
I reread this one with the girls at the Ilona Andrews Addicts group. And, strangely, I was slightly disappointed. Why? Well, I know this world and KatI reread this one with the girls at the Ilona Andrews Addicts group. And, strangely, I was slightly disappointed. Why? Well, I know this world and Kate so well now that I expected a magical wonderland when I read it again. But, there were problems that I didn't remember.
Problem 1: Worldbuilding
There were info-dumps galore. Pages and pages of them. But, we are never actually given a reason why the world changed from what we know now to a magic-infested one. There was no cataclysmic event, war, or virus that changed things. It just was.
Problem 2: The Alpha Asshole
I've known Curran for umpteen books now and think of him as Mr. Awesome. But, I had totally forgotten that he started out as an insufferable asshole in this first book. I truly hated him and now I wish that Kate and him never get together. She deserves better. Like Hugh, for example. lol!
Problem 3: Overly Descriptive Scenes
You know how I feel when an author takes a full page to describe the sunset: Stabby. That's right. I read because I use this thing called my imagination, therefore I can imagine the sunset on my own. Also, I don't care what exact shade the wood is or what flowers are in the vase in a room that is simply a place that they will stand in and talk for a few minutes. It doesn't matter. It doesn't help build the scene. Get to the point, dammit!
Conclusion
All this is to say: maybe you can't go home again. It's never the way you remembered it.
Do I still love Kate Daniels and everything else written by Ilona Andrews? Yes. And, hey, I admit that I'm a critical bitch. That's my best quality. I am just saying that I now realize that the series started off a little rocky. It is still an amazing series and Kate is still my favorite girl. And, I still want everyone to read this series. Just, maybe give it a couple of books, and then the magic will happen....more
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