Title: Steel's Edge Series: The Edge #4
Author: Ilona Andrews
Published: November 27, 2012
Genre(s): Romance: Paranormal
Page Count: 388
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people 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…
Charlotte de Ney is as noble as they come, a blueblood straight out of the Weird. But even though she possesses rare magical healing abilities, her life has brought her nothing but pain. After her marriage crumbles, she flees to the Edge to build a new home for herself. Until Richard Mar is brought to her for treatment, and Charlotte’s life is turned upside down once again.
Richard is a swordsman without peer, future head of his large and rambunctious Edger clan—and he’s on a clandestine quest to wipe out slavers trafficking humans in the Weird. So when his presence leads his very dangerous enemies to Charlotte, she vows to help Richard destroy them. The slavers’ operation, however, goes deeper than Richard knows, and even working together, Charlotte and Richard may not survive...
While I’ve mostly enjoyed Ilona Andrew’s The Edge series, I think Steel’s Edge is the only installment of the series that really showcases the author’s talent. The previous books were readable, but I think this book goes beyond that to quality work.
Firstly, the writing in Steel’s Edge was far more mature and even-toned; much of the choppiness or amateurish tendencies I noted before were present. I think because of the dual-author situation, it was hard to create one narrative voice; however, this book proves it can be done.
I also very much enjoyed the story this time around. I think that, particularly in Fate’s Edge, the plot was way too extravagant and just pushed the limits of believability, even considering a magical universe. What happened here was easier to swallow, but not lacking in magic or otherworldliness. It felt like Andrews was finally able to ground the story in realism while still exploring the fantasy genre.
Additionally, I thought the two protagonists in Steel’s Edge were rounded and interesting. The combination of Charlotte, a wildly talented but hurting healer, and Richard, a vengeance-driven outcast, was well-done throughout. Their “love” did border on insta, but it did seem more or less plausible, given their personalities. On their own, I liked Charlotte and Richard a lot too; it’s important that members of a romantic pairing are interesting without their counterpart, which Andrews achieved.
With a smoother writing style, interesting plot, and developed characters, Steel’s Edge is the best I’ve read from Ilona Andrews. This is a magic-infused urban fantasy that’s easy to read and entertaining.
