Title: The Edge of Everything
Author: Jeff Giles
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Date published: January 31, 2017
Format: Digital
Page Count: 368
Source: Distributor

A digital copy of the book was kindly provided by a distributor, in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: 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 really like the idea behind this book, as well as some of the more imaginative contents. There were also a lot of analogies which I found to be quite witty and / or thoughtful. Otherwise, however, this book wasn’t really for me.

While still in the first half of this book, I could not figure out whether I couldn’t get into it because of the narrative style, or because I simply could not get attached to any of the characters. But as I continued reading, I realized that it’s a combination of the two. While, like the story itself, I liked the idea behind the characters, something about the way this book was narrated kept me from immersing myself into the world and caring for any of the personages, even though I really really wanted to.

Another factor was the dialogue (which I suppose is categorized under narrative style anyway), and how characters would take an exaggerated amount of time sometimes to get to the point, or to tell other characters something important.

I also really disliked Zoe, spending the first few chapters growling and shaking my head at her actions. X, on the other hand, I found to the likeable for the most part, and I would not mind reading more about him. The only downside to his character, in fact, was the insta-love he shares with Zoe. I am not a believer of love at first sight, and this will definitely have affected how I experienced this book.

Overall, it was an alright book, and I have noticed that many people loved it to pieces (and many who have yet to read it will likely love it as well). As for me, I left the experience disappointed, and unsure as to whether I will read the sequel when it’s released, or not.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

You can visit Jeff Giles on Goodreads!

PURCHASE LINKS

THANK YOU FOR READING MY REVIEW! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET, DO YOU WANT TO, OR NOT? HOW COME? LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!