Mini Reviews: On the Edge & Darklight

Why are tiny things always so darn cute?!

  Mini Reviews are short reviews of books I have read for my own enjoyment and wanted to share with you. I will describe in a couple of sentences (often fragmented) my thoughts on the book.  I may or may not ever post full reviews of any of these books.  The mini-reviews might not be as cute as the mini car, but they are mini! Enjoy!

On the Edge by Ilona Andrews 

Genre: Adult - Urban Fantasy
Published: September 29th 2009 by Ace
 

"Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, shop at Wal-Mart, and magic is a fairy tale) and the Weird (where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.

Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn’t turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power).

But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them—or they’ll devour the Edge and everyone in it."

My thoughts:

Loved it!  There is something about books about siblings raising their siblings that just suck me in.  Orphaned siblings banding together = perfect. The story is filled with adventure, magic, romance, angst ... what more could you want? This is a great start to a wonderful series with strong characters and world building. This is a great urban fantasy; basically if it says Ilona Andrews anywhere on the cover - I am there. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

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Darklight by Lesley Livingston

Genre: Young Adult - Urban Fantasy
Published: December 22nd 2009 by HarperTeen
 

"Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was a Faerie princess, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved the mortal realm from the ravages of the Wild Hunt.

Now Kelley is stuck in New York City, rehearsing Romeo and Juliet and missing Sonny more with every stage kiss, while Sonny has been forced back to the Otherworld and into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the remaining Hunters and Queen Mabh herself.

When a terrifying encounter sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful but destined to be cut short. An ancient, hidden magick is stirring, and a dangerous new enemy is willing to risk everything to claim that power.
Caught in a web of Faerie deception and shifting allegiances, Kelley and Sonny must tread carefully, for each next step could topple a kingdom . . . or tear them apart.

With breathtakingly high stakes, the talented Lesley Livingston delivers soaring romance and vividly magical characters in Darklight, the second novel in the trilogy that began with Wondrous Strange."  

My Thoughts:

Second novels in a trilogy often make me angry because they take the happy world created in the first novel, mess everything up and then make you wait ages for the third book for closure.   To some extent this pattern does occur in Darklight, but the first book was already bittersweet - so it wasn’t quite so rough on me.  Sonny and Kelley are forced apart and the long-distance/doubt is a strain on their relationship.  The novel still had plenty of fast paced magic and adventure. I love Livingston’s writing style and characterization.  It had a shocking and heartbreaking conclusion... looking forward to reading the last novel!

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