The Edge of Everything – Jeff Giles – Bloomsbury Children’s – Published 31 January 2017 (9 February 2017 UK, AUS and NZ)
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Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Zoe is still reeling from her father’s sudden death and her neighbors’ mysterious disappearance. Then on a terrifying sub-zero night, 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’s from a hell called the Lowlands, sent to claim the soul of Zoe’s evil attacker and others like him. Forbidden to reveal himself to anyone besides his victims, X casts aside the rules for Zoe. As X and Zoe learn more about their different worlds, they begin to question the past and their fate. But escaping the ties that bind X might mean the ultimate sacrifice for both of them.
My thoughts
What was that? That cannot be the end? I can’t even. It’s resolved and yet totally unresolved. It’s not quite a cliffhanger but it left me just as desperate for the next book. And there has to be a next book. Got that Jeff Giles? Because I want more X, more Zoe, more Jonah, more of their tough mother, more Ripper and I would really like to see certain heads roll. Edge of Everything is part love story, part supernatural adventure survival story and part heartwarming tale of family. Once I started reading I didn’t want to stop.
This is a good old paranormal, reaper story. A boy locked in the bowls of the Lowlands and forced to reap souls. He has never questioned his role until he meets Zoe. The girl who wasn’t supposed to see him. The girl who fights to save herself, save her brother and even, maybe save him. Zoe knows she and her brother wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for the guy who mysteriously appeared and saved them from their attacker. She takes him home, makes room for him in her grieving little family, shares her hurt, listens to his story without judgement and, unknowingly, brings all the terror of the Lowlands down on them.
The romance in this story is pretty good but it was the characters, that incredible sense of family that really drew me in. Jonah, Zoe’s younger brother, was my favourite character. But then I also loved Zoe’s colourful friends, Zoe’s mother, vegan, believer in all faiths and fiercely protective, X’s Lowland cell mates, and, of course, X and Zoe themselves.
Edge of Everything is a great mash of storylines. The paranormal aspects really only add extra drama and action because the true story lies in Zoe and X’s relationship and the process of grief Zoe’s family are travelling through in the aftermath of Zoe’s father’s death. Yes, X and Zoe’s love story happens over a pretty short period of time – but admitably it’s a very traumatic and action-packed period of time. And it’s less about their quickly deepening feelings and more about how they change each other – change their worlds. And I happen to like a bit of passionate, life-altering, fight-for-it-over-everything love story.
“Oooh, said Banger. “Got a crush, much?”Zoe blushed, but recovered quickly. “Do not even make fun of my star-crossed supernatural love,” she said.
There is plenty more to be told in this story and I can’t wait to return to these heartwarming characters (and find out what happens next!!)
The publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
More information
Category: Young adult fiction.
Genre: Fantasy.
Themes: Adventure, romance, reapers, Montana,
Reading age guide: Ages 14 and up.
Advisory: Descriptions of violence, murder, death and self harm. Coarse language, sh**, sl**, bi***, dou***, bulls***.
Published: 31 January 2017 by Bloomsbury Children’s, 9 February 2017 by Bloomsbury Children’s UK, AUS, and NZ.
Format: Hardcover, paperback, ebook. 368 pages.
ISBN: 9781619637535, 9781408869079
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