Daily Archives: January 27, 2017

The Edge of Everything ~ By Jeff Giles – 4.5 Stars

27 Friday Jan 2017

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Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Childrens for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: January 31st, 2017

368 Pages

Synopsis: It’s been a shattering year for seventeen-year-old Zoe, who’s still reeling from her father’s shockingly sudden death in a caving accident and her neighbors’ mysterious disappearance from their own home. Then, on a terrifying sub-zero, blizzardy night in Montana, she and her brother are brutally attacked in a cabin in the woods–only to be rescued by a mysterious bounty hunter they call X.

X is no ordinary bounty hunter. He is from a hell called the Lowlands, sent to claim the soul of Zoe’s attacker and others like him. Forbidden to reveal himself to anyone other than his victims, X casts aside the Lowlands’ rules for Zoe. As X and Zoe learn more about their different worlds, they begin to question the past, their fate, and their future. But escaping the Lowlands and the ties that bind X might mean the ultimate sacrifice for both of them.

The Edge of Everything has been a much buzzed about book for the past several months and I’m happy to say that for the most part the hype is entirely deserved. I’m going to get the one negative issue out of the way: the dreaded insta-love. Yep. It’s here in all its tarnished glory. It’s basically love at first sight for Zoe and X, which had me groaning as I read the scene where they fist meet. In my humble opinion, the love at first sight trope almost always comes across as unbelievable and annoying, and it’s no different here. Thankfully, other than this, I really loved both Zoe and X, flaws and all, so I was able to push aside my annoyance fairly quickly. They’re both courageous and determined, yet they’re also impulsive and so wrapped up in their feelings for each other that they’re not always mindful of the possibility of collateral damage. There’s a Romeo and Juliet aspect to their story, so this adds to the danger that faces them and and anyone that is close to them.  That said, they’re extremely loyal and protective toward their family (in Zoe’s case) and friends and most of the time try to protect them as best they can. Zoe’s prickly yet touching relationship with her younger brother, Jonah, was one of my favorite parts of the book. The secondary characters are equally interesting and further flesh out the story. The world-building is fantastic, especially in regards to X’s hellish home in the Lowlands and its inhabitants. There are some cringe-worthy scenes including things that are done to X, but they’re entirely in keeping with the storyline. The action begins on the very first page and it keeps going right up until the very end which is a bit of a cliffhanger, so there’s clearly going to be a sequel. I highly recommend The Edge of Everything to both older teens as well as adults who are looking for something imaginative and completely unique. It’s successful combination of fantasy, suspense, mystery and humor makes it a sure win for readers looking for something different. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book!