The Brink of Darkness

The Brink of Darkness (The Edge of Everything #2) by Jeff Giles (2018)
-eARC Review-

the brink of darkness

YA Fiction | Paranormal
Blurb:

“Things have changed for seventeen-year-old Zoe ever since the otherworldly events that brought her together with the mysterious bounty hunter she calls X. In order to save Zoe and her family, X has done the unthinkable – he’s given up his freedom and returned to captivity in the Lowlands.

X is determined to break the lords’ hold on him once and for all, but being stripped of his power pushes him toward a darkness he’s never experienced and a past he’s never known. The secrets that surface could be the key to reuniting X and Zoe… or they could mean the destruction of everything they have been fighting for.”
–Goodreads

Expected Publication Date: July 10, 2018

Book One: THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING

pooled ink Review:

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy to review!

When I read the first book I fell in love. It didn’t sweep or haul me away like some grand stories that I’ve read, instead it simply captured my soul. I still cannot explain why it called to me so. But I fell in love with X, with the world, with the story…everything. And this sequel was just as wonderful, dark, and alluring.

The moment I met X I was on his team and his old-fashioned speech paired beside Zoe’s 21st Century humor created a golden duo that had me committed for the ride; it had me charmed and swooning from page one. Although we watch X and Zoe fall in love in book one, they battle forces of hell for each other and yet despite everything X must return to the Lowlands leaving Zoe heartbroken behind. In this sequel we find out what has become of Zoe and her family after surviving the devastation of Dervish and painful truths come to light. We are also reunited with X as we accompany him on his quest for freedom.

The Lowlands is such a horrific place and yet it never felt preposterous, only tragic. We get glimpses of its terrain in the first book but in this one we get to explore corners even X did not know existed. The character work for those imprisoned in the Lowlands is riveting. Nothing about the Lowlands is simple and yet at the core it rather is. Those damned there have received such fate for horrors they committed in their life and as such it is due punishment, and yet Giles does not simplify the Lowlands nor humanity to such black and white edicts. He allows them to maintain a freedom of self, an ability to change if they can. I won’t spoil it for you but you will meet quite a few intriguing characters during these chapters and their stories will make you think.

A lot of this book has X and Zoe forced apart and yet their thoughts and motives remain bound to one another. Although they don’t spend much time together on the page their distance felt short-lived as they both fought through demons to reach one another. I really don’t want to spoil things but I will reassure you, dear reader, that there is a happily ever after.

Something else I love about this series is how important family is to the story. The plot doesn’t sweep these people aside for the sake of some romance, instead it brings them in and hugs them tighter. Zoe’s mom and Jonah are always a factor for both Zoe and X, their safety, their needs, and their well-being. In this book we travel beside X as he finally gets to reach out and discover his own parentage, embrace his own family cobbled together with souls dead and living. It’s beautiful and another reason why I fell for these books so swiftly.

In some ways this series is not what I would typically pick up to read, but it tumbled into my hands and I’ve held on tightly since. This sequel did not disappoint! I am not certain if this is the last book (making it a duology) or if Zoe and X’s story will continue. I’d be thrilled to read more of what the future holds for them but at the same time as this book ends with victory I’d be nervous to have it disturbed for the sake of another book. It does wrap things up quite nicely really. Perhaps this is where the official story should end and fluffy fan fiction should take it up. Ya know, just to be safe. (I love these characters too much haha).

If you haven’t read the first book or perhaps this is the first you’ve heard of the series then I urge you to give it a go. I know for many people it either clicked or they felt no interest but it surprised me and I hope it surprises you!

The Brink of Darkness takes a nightmarish hell that nevertheless manages to warm the heart and thrill the soul. A fantastic sequel, this book brings X’s tale to new heights that will have you riveted to your seat, biting your nails in anticipation, and hugging the book tightly to your chest with a sweet sigh when finished. Beautifully shared, humor, charm, and horror bleed through these pages as an innocent bounty hunter fights for his freedom and for a love thought impossible.

Cheers.

Purchase here: The Brink of Darkness