Title: The Edge of Everything
Author: Jeff Giles
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Pub Date: January 31, 2017
Format: Kindle eBook
Pages: 368
Source: NetGalley
Genre(s): YA, Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★
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Synopsis from Goodreads:
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 evil 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.
My review:
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
“If I do not return,” he said, “it is only because but two worlds conspired to stop me.”
First things first: we need to talk about the romance. The insta-love was strong in this one! This love goes to hell (or at least a part of it) and back. Literally.
The Edge of Everything has a very strange but alluring premise. Zoe’s father recently died in a caving accident but his body was never recovered by authorities. Basically, they left his body in the cave. This is very sad and strange. Then some time later, Zoe and her younger brother are attacked by a seemingly random man. This is also very weird and scary. And then this magical “hero” of sorts just shows up to collect a damned soul while saving their lives in the process. It all sounds romantic, right? This book seems like it will be action-packed and intense but it’s really just a very “I-love-you-but-I-can’t-be-with-you” type of love story. There’s not a lot of kissing or anything like that, but there are a lot of proclamations of love. I truly don’t understand how you can love someone after only knowing them for one day, but I digress. This is a YA fantasy novel and I’ve learned to stop questioning these things.
So, yeah, instead of the wraths of hell… we only feel the heat of this forbidden romance. I’m not complaining though. I actually really enjoyed it! It also really helps that our protagonist isn’t annoying and that her love interest has a very interesting backstory. They’re both very earnest in their feelings so it doesn’t feel overly-dramatic.
The setting is interesting enough. We spend a bit of time in the Lowlands, which I honestly just imagine as a moldy prison, so I wish there was a little more worldbuilding in that respect. If there is to be a sequel, I’d really love it if the majority of the novel took play in the underworld. It’d be so much cooler!
In conclusion, this really was a unique story compared to what I typically expect from YA fantasy and I really think others will enjoy it. Also, fingers crossed for a sequel! You can’t end a story like that.
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