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...To buy, click here
Steel's Edge (The Edge, Book 4)
So why do I have mixed feelings. Well to be honest, I'm sad because it was the last book in the series. Ilona Andrews decided that this would be their final Edge book although there is way more stories to tell. Personally I think they had had enough of The Edge. While they were writing this book, they kept talking on their site about how difficult this book was to write and I think at times it showed.
The book totally had some pacing issues and towards the end it seemed to squeeze in the last major moments, which probably should have taken an additional 100 pages and squeezed them into quick jump-cut scenes. The beginning of the book, parts were drawn out to set the stage and sometimes I found it hard to get through but as the book picked up, it almost raced to the end, to where I kept checking the pages and thinking to myself there is no way this can be wrapped up in what remains but then they did.
I did love the story though and I loved the hero and heroine (see blurb). To be forewarned unlike the other Edge tales, this one is based in politics, definitely has some very graphic scenes and deals with some sensitive matter. This story is based around our hero being asked to go undercover and take down a slave trade ring at any cost, which he does gleefully. Knowing full well that he probably won't make it out alive but knows that he can't stand by and do nothing. As his mission continues and he makes a major impact on the slavers, he ends up getting injured and is taken to a healer in The Edge, enter our heroine. She is hiding out in The Edge and makes a living off her magic, which is the gift of healing. Although I've read many books where someone is considered a "healer", Ilona Andrews puts a new twist on the healing and offers up the flip side of the healer by also giving the character the ability to bring about death and disease. As I said our little healer is hiding out in the Edge and there's definitely a reason she's there but I won't spoil it for you. After our hero is healed, a tragedy befalls them and aligns their paths together to bring down the slavers once and for all.
If you're a fan of the series like I am, there are some wonderful cameo scenes from some of your favorite characters as well as some of your favs having major parts like Lark, Jack and George. I do truly hope that Ilona Andrews comes out with some short stories to bring HEA's for those 3 characters but so far nothing has been said.
So to wrap it up, I loved the story, loved seeing some of my favorite characters again, am totally sad it has ended and yes, there were pacing issues and major plot jumps/holes. If you're a fan of the series, you have to read it. If you're not a fan but want to be, start with the first book and work your way into this one.
3 out of 5 books
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