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.

I'm a bit fan of fantasy and always have my eye out for something that's slightly different than what I'm used to. The premise of this story is incredibly unique compared to other books I've read in the same genre which made it refreshing. Both the character and world building were amazing.

In terms of characters, I was thrilled. Zoe is truly a strong female character who is determined to get what she wants and feels is right. Her close family is amazing as well. I fell in love with the parenting style of her mom even if it didn't always work out for the best. Even though I love Zoe, I adore her brother. He's been through so much at such a young age that my heart couldn't help but break for him. Zoe's friends are equally fleshed out characters that felt real and solid rather than blurry cutouts in the background of a story. X introduces a whole host of other characters along with himself. In a

X introduces a whole host of other characters along with himself. In a way, X is the character we get to know the least but only because of the fact that he's not had the chance to form himself. The characteristics you think of describing a person with he lacks because he hasn't been given the opportunity to build hobbies, interests, or passions. Banger, Ripper, Regent, and Dervish are the main characters we get to meet from the lowlands and I appreciated each of them in different ways. I'm very excited to meet more personalities in future books.

World building was also impressive because we weren't just getting to know one place but two. First, Zoe's small town area in the middle of winter felt very real. It's almost as if I can picture this tiny rural place along with it's people. The lowlands were equally portrayed and real when imagined from the description.

Overall, as you can tell, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the continuing series. I recommend it if you are a fantasy fan and wanting something a little different than usual. Fans of paranormal romance will be thrilled with this book, but even if you aren't it's worth a shot.

with novels where the male love interest repeatedly “saves” the girl from harm. In this book, even though Zoe is strong and capable, she’s still saved by X multiple times. It’s such a common trope now, and it’s another one that really bothers me.

The story is extremely fast-paced and exciting, and the concept is really unique. The whole backstory of X and his friends from the Lowlands is something I’ve never seen done in a book before, and that’s truly the best part of this book.

The characterization and relationships in this novel (apart from the insta-love) were also spot on. Zoe’s relationship with her brother and mother was such a rewarding interaction because you could see they deeply cared for each other and were close to each other. In a lot of young adult books, the parents are absent for a lot of the time, but that wasn’t the case here. Zoe’s relationship with her family and friends is extremely important. Her relationship with her best friend was also really perfect.

I enjoyed the writing for the most part. Jeff Giles made the decision to include recent social media trends in his novel (Tumblr, Snapchat, Instagram), and that’s not something I’d ever do if I wrote a book because it dates a novel, but I understand why he chose to do it and it didn’t bother me a lot. The writing is simple, but some of the descriptions were lovely.

Overall, this is a really solid start to a series. I think it will do well, but I will most likely not be continuing with the series because I never felt any strong connection to the characters or the story. However, if you’re a fan of young adult fantasy/romances and the premise sounds interesting, I definitely recommend you read it.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has affected my review in no way.

This cover is highly misleading because I didn't pay attention to the synopsis and just started reading I figured I had stumbled on a YA Contemporary novel. Newp. NEWP!

This is not a YA-Contemporary, it's a fantasy. A fantasy that I'm having a hard time rating, but I think a 3 will do it justice.

Zoe lives with her mom and little brother, Jonah and they're still recovering after their father died suddenly from a caving incident. Strange things begin to happen when her neighbors go missing and on a particularly bad snow storm a creepy man shows up, but much to Zoe and Jonah's surprise is a heroic guy, who is mysterious and well...he glows. He also saves Zoe and Jonah from being killed.

This book is so strange, I felt like I was reading two different books that had common factors. When I read Zoe's half I felt like I was reading a true YA Contemporary - a girl who lost her dad and she's being raised by a single mom. I wasn't keen on Zoe, she was whiny, superficial and just outright mean to her little brother at times.

X is the mysterious glowing guy who shows up, turns out he's a bounty hunter from the Lowlands of Hell. He becomes infected with the sins and transgressions of his bounty which compels him to retrieve their souls. His half of the story was great - I enjoyed him, there was a story and a whole new world behind him, but I also felt like there were times I didn't have enough questions answered.

Romance? Yes, there is romance in here and it made me facepalm with how fast they were suddenly, like, totally, in love with one another. I think it was two or three days and it wasn't an "I think I love you," it was an "I will come back to you, NO MATTER WHAT MY LOVE!" kind of love. I would have liked to see more developed by way of chemistry, their relationship and what actually drove X to do what he did, not just because he was head over heels for a girl he just met.

Altogether it was a quick read, was it fun? I enjoyed X's story, but sadly I couldn't get into Zoe's and I cannot help but feel it was due to her personality. As I said before, it was like reading two separate stories and at one point I felt an entire disconnect from the Bountyhunter aspect, too.

I will say this, if you are a YA-Contemporary reader then I think this would be the perfect book to transition yourself into the fantasy genre because it does kind of bridge the gap between them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book but also had a couple problems that aren't really big issues but just little things that bothered me. First the concept of the lowlands was so incredibly interesting to me. It is so dark and twisted. I loved learning more about how it worked. I also really loved X as a character and can't wait to see how his story continues in this series. He was adorable and you really see him become a new person through this story. This was a really fast read. I easily flew through it and wanted to keep reading to see what happened next. The only issues I really had was, one, I was left with a lot of questions that while I know some will be answered in future books there were some that I think could've at least been brought up in this first book. Two, while I loved Zoe, the way she talked through out the beginning of the story was very "teen talk" it just seemed to be trying to hard to make her seem like a teen. Again though I have those issues I still can't wait to see what happens next and enjoyed the plot of this book.

The Edge of Everything is a good mix of adventure, survival, and a bit of the supernatural.

Zoe's life has been tough lately. Her father was recently killed in a caving accident. A blizzard is coming, and when her mom leaves her with her very energetic little brother, she lets him go outside with their two dogs. He gets lost in the blizzard, and Zoe must go find him. She's near death herself when she finds him and carries him to a neighbor's house that has been empty since their deaths. But they aren't alone, and when she is attacked by a brutal stranger, a mysterious man saves her and attempts to kill the attacker.

The mysterious man is a bounty hunter from the Lowlands. He's been sent to kill the man who attacked Zoe, and since Zoe asked him to let the man go, there's going to be "hell" to pay. You see, the Lowlands is a place where evil people are taken when they die to become bounty hunters and bring other deserving souls to the Lowlands. But "X," as Zoe names the mysterious man, is different than most souls in the Lowlands. And that's pretty much all I'm going to tell you.

Let's just get this issue out of the way: The instalove is brutal. I mean they fall for each other so fast it is mind boggling. Now, let's move on. Since X didn't fulfill his assignment, he must go back to the Lowlands, and he's sure to be punished. He promises Zoe that he will someday come back to her...if he can.

In the meantime, Zoe is determined to make the authorities find her father's body deep inside a very dangerous cave, or else she's going to do it herself.

There is much more to the story and several more interesting characters. The Edge of Everything really kept me entertained. The danger mounts (several different times) and there are some big surprises. I also had an issue with how reckless Zoe is when exploring the cave--she takes risks that I don't think were realistic, but I guess they were necessary to the story.

The big issues are unresolved at the end, but there is some closure for certain elements of the story. The Edge of Everything is an interesting mix of genres that I haven't seen much before, and I'm excited to read the sequel. I think my teens will enjoy it too.

This is a unique YA fantasy with a sweet romance. Zoe's father recently died in a caving accident and under her care, her baby brother, Jonah goes missing in a blizzard. She sets off after him and doesn't realize that this will place her and Jonah in the path of evil. They are saved by the mysterious X. He speaks strangely and claims to be from the Lowlands. This book raises questions of good and evil and whether exacting revenge for the sake of good is the right answer.

Let's start out by saying I am not typically a fantasy fan. Not that it's not good. More so that it's not really my thing. However, the plot sounded interesting and I love stepping outside my comfort zone to experience new types of literature. The Edge of Everything follows Zoe as she meets X, who happens to be a member of the Lowlands, and their tumultuous relationship.

The idea behind the story was interesting, but I feel that the beginning didn't get the point across very well. The beginning was choppy, not flowing well at all, and confusing. There was very little explanation about X, and maybe that was author Jeff Giles' idea to keep the reader in the dark much like the characters, but I found it frustrating when trying to understand where this book was going. Zoe was a typical teenager girl and her character was done well. She was emotional, attached, and trying to figure out what exactly she wanted in life. I think many readers can relate to that. Even though the beginning and most of the middle of the book was confusing, choppy, and moved slowly, the end of the book kept me intrigued. I read the last 20 percent of the book quickly and found myself really wanting to know what happen. Had the rest of the book been like that I would have been much happier. I was a little disappointed in the ending because it left things hanging a little, but not quite a full-on cliffhanger. I would have liked more of a closing unless a confirmed book two was already ready to come out in the next year. If a second book comes out I would be willing to check it out in hopes that the next book flows a lot like the end of The Edge of Everything.

With everything said, I give The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles a three out of five stars, with the end redeeming it a bit.

A strong premise and an even more promising idea of star-crossed lovers, I just couldn't find anything to draw me in.

The writing style didn't fit, for me, and I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I'm sure this book will be popular among all my friends, and on Goodreads, it just didn't resonate with me.

I began reading this book with no expectations or ideas and yet it quickly consumed me. I quickly became utterly intrigued and could only hope that it wouldn’t dissipate into disappointment. It didn’t. Somehow this has become one of my favorite books I’ve read this year.
Full of grief and love, of sin and mercy, THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING tears apart the wall between worlds and unfurls a most remarkable love story.
-pooled ink Reviews

I received this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so the first thing that drew me was the cover. The simplistic artwork, yet the powerful and minuscule illustrations, really came at me as if begging me to request this book.

This book was not easy to get in my hands before publication.

I e-mailed so many times, requested on NetGalley, etc. Finally, as if by some power of the Godly readers above, I was granted access to an e-ARC.

THANK YOU!

I’m going to say now. If you think this is some contemporary, lovey-dovey, high school drama novel, think again. READ THE SUMMARY. Just from the cover, that’s what I thought this was going to be.

Uh, no. The summary through me off and I was thinking, “This is fantasy? Otherworldy? Both?”

This summary does not do the book justice…in a good way.

Let’s talk about Zoe. She is a fiery heroine that starts off kind of annoying, but not in the annoying sense that you want her to shut up. I guess that’s not the right word to describe her AT FIRST. You get to know her more and the way she handles herself and you automatically label her as a bad-ass. Like, why weren’t we bad-ass at seventeen?

Then, we have X. Yes, that’s his name. Though, I believe Jeff could give us something more in the second book. Anyway, he is a bounty hunter, basically in Hell. He is summoned to retrieve dirty souls and that’s pretty much it. He doesn’t really get a gold medal. He just gets returned to his cage and the day is done until he is needed again. Kind of crappy. However, we are introduce to this sexy beast…yes, really…IMMEDIATELY as a GLOWING and LITERALLY HOT sexy beast. It’s Instagram worthy, thanks to Zoe. Can we say new book boyfriend?

So, their interaction automatically has them no longer going back to normal lives. Well, THEIR normal lives. They are instantly attracted to each other and, before you go bashing and saying that instant love in books is so stupid, let me say this.

It’s not officially said, but I think X and Zoe’s love is the kind of love you read about in books where the two are supposed to be together, like soul mates. Like, there’s no denying it. They have been waiting for each other for a long time.

I’ll use a bad example: Remember how Edward Cullen told Bella Swan how he has been waiting for her for, like, a century? She doesn’t know how long he has waited for her? Blah blah.

Okay, back to this.

So, the lords down in Lowlands, aka Hell, are not happy that he has fallen in love with Zoe. Oh yeah, and he didn’t capture that soul he was meant to catch. So, they tell him that he is forbidden from seeing her again.

Yeah right, dudes.

This book is NOT CONTEMPORARY! This is a HIGH FANTASY, BAD-ASS, OTHERWORLDY genre entirely of it’s own. It has a hint of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s “Lux” series. But, I wouldn’t call X an alien, you know, since he basically lives in Hell. I wouldn’t call him a demon, either. Let’s just call him the hot bounty hunter that is going to be your new book boyfriend saving your heart while also crushing it like all book boyfriends do.

The Edge of Everything is dark, deadly, and dangerous. Monsters and bounty hunters, souls and blizzards. An intriguing story, yes, but the romance fell flat for me.

Zoe is a sad girl who's just existing after the sudden death of her father. I kept looking for something that set Zoe apart, but I struggled to find it. She seems so bland, a stereotypical teenage girl who sees an inhuman bounty hunter and his bounty on a frozen lake and immediately takes a picture to post to Instagram. Later on she shows her personality, her spirit, but at the beginning I found her rather boring. X is an unknown, a bounty hunter from the Lowlands, sent to hunt down evil human beings in order to claim their souls. He's clueless about the human world, he talks like he's from Victorian era England, and he's very powerful. He was interesting, somehow a stand out among all the others in the Lowlands. There are secrets in his past he doesn't know, secrets he wants to know, but knowing could change things for those who rule the Lowlands.

I'm torn with this book. The idea behind X and his mission, the Lowlands and the beings there, I was intrigued. It was different enough that I wanted to know more. But things felt flat to me. I think it's Zoe and X's relationship, how their romance seemed shallow to me. He's dangerous and mysterious to her, she's gorgeous and empathetic to him. It felt easy and clichéd, and me finding Zoe rather boring didn't help. I also wasn't a big fan of the third person point of view this was told in. It felt like I was being told a story, but not in a way that worked with what I was expecting from this book.

Woah. Okay, that's about all I have. Woah. I went into this book with such low expectations, but woah. I guess I'll have to give you guys something more than woah, right?

Okay, here goes. The world building and the plot for this story were out of this world amazing. The book started with a prologue, kind of in the middle of the story, but then it worked. And man, I was hooked from the first paragraph and this author did not let up for a single second. Nope, not a second.

First, there is Zoe. Zoe and her brother Jonah are still grieving the death of her father from months earlier. She is your typical teenager that loves her brother, but still gets annoyed by him and calls him a brat. I actually think Jonah was one of my favorite characters. God, he was so cute and he loved his big sister so much. In the beginning of the book, he is sleeping in the same bed with her and he actually tied his skateboard to himself and to Zoe so that she couldn't leave him without knowing about it. And then they talked about a poem he had written after his dad died . . . when it talked about him not knowing what to do with his heart . . . I lost it. So sad. Zoe was kind of a meh character. Even though she was one of the main characters, I didn't ever really feel connected to her or drawn to her. Maybe it was because more of the book was dedicated to X's POV than hers. I did like that she was adventurous and a caver. More attention could have been focused on that just because it is so rare to see a caver in YA (or any fiction at all, for that matter). But I was satisfied with the caving scenes they did have. And I thought that Zoe was a pretty great sister to Jonah. She had her moments where she was annoyed at him, but you could tell that she really loved him.

X was hot and amazing and so sweet and he brought her food! I don't normally buy into the whole insta-love thing, but he did save her dogs and he brought her a mound of French toast and bacon and onion rings and chocolate cake. Plus, he had the whole tortured soul from hell kind of thing going on. So yeah, I would love him too. I loved his backstory and I am glad that there was such a huge amount of the book devoted to him. Jeff Giles did a freaking amazing job on the world building for Lowlands (Hell) and I loved his fellow bounty hunters (prisoners), especially Ripper. Ripper was a woman who was in the Lowlands because she killed a servant in the 1800's and she was so wonderful. She was very protective of X and acted a bit loony, but she had his back when it counted.

This book was almost nonstop action and that ending KILLED me! I saw part of it coming, but there were still some twists along the way. And it looks like this may turn out to be a series. I am sure the publisher is waiting to see how this one does first. So all I can say is: READ THIS BOOK NOW!! I want as many people to read it as possible because I NEED A SEQUEL!!

THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING, with it’s beautiful cover and thrilling synopsis, was a book I knew I just had to read. Bounty hunters, caving, and a load of paranormal activity made this book all the more enjoyable.

Before I picked up THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING, I thought it would be a contemporary romance with a hint of mystery. Of course, I was incredibly wrong because that’s not at all how it went.

THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING is told from two POVs: Zoe’s and our bounty hunter from hell, X. While Zoe does have some interesting friends and a thrilling story, I ended up liking X’s chapters more because of how weird his friends and life was, especially when he was back in the Lowlands (aka, hell).

I loved Zoe and her relationship with her little brother and mom. She was strong and adventurous (she used to go caving) and all around feisty.

THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING reminded me a lot of THE 5TH WAVE and instead of a sci-fi/dystopian theme, it had a paranormal twist, which I found amazingly well-done.

THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING does have it’s faults though, the biggest for me was the insta-love. Especially since the romance was one of the bigger parts of the book, the moment they started making googly-eyes at each other I got annoyed.

The ending was my favorite part because HUMONGOUS things were revealed and I didn’t even see them coming. I love, love, love when a book hits you with something that may have been mentioned previously and you paid little to no attention to it and then BAM, it hits you later.

THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING was a book I really enjoyed from start to finish and I really can’t wait to read the sequel after that intense ending.

Review to be posted Friday, 1/27.

Zoe lives in an isolated cabin in Montana where the winters can be brutally cold. During a blizzard, she finds her little brother almost frozen and they take shelter in an abandoned cabin where an elderly couple was murdered. The murderer returns and it looking bad for them when a mysterious boy appears with the powers to drag the murderer to the Lowlands/Hell. True love interferes and the boy ends up at Zoe's cabin where her mother is rather anxious. Zoe names him X, because he has no name. He is a bounty hunter from the Lowlands for all eternity. X violates rules so the masters of the Lowlands come for him and threaten those he now cares about.

This plot moves along briskly with plenty of action to spike the scenes. We feel for Zoe's family - dealing with the loss of their father who is presumed dead in a caving accident. Banger and Ripper are two Lowland Bounty Hunters sent to the Lowlands for their own evil, but it seems they have turned a leaf. Can they ever earn their way out of the Lowlands? Probably not. The premise of the story is a bit disconcerting since X is bound to the Lowlands when he has not done anything evil to deserve an eternity there. There is a power above the Lowland masters that must be just as cruel to keep X in the Lowlands to be continually tortured and tested. Still, this is a good read and teens will likely devour.

I didn't know this was going to be a series when I picked it up, but I'm so glad it is! This is my current favorite read so far of 2017. It wraps up this story nicely while setting up for the next book SO WELL.

The characters are all great, complex, and hilarious. The dual POV works really well, each character having a distinct voice. The concept is great, and it was very well executed, and the pacing of the plot is phenomenal. I loved the mystery, and the side characters, and the subplots.

The romance felt a little instal-love for my taste, but its built on so well and its so cute I found I didn't mind. Zoe wasn't whiney or all "I'm just a normal girl, why me" which was great because I hate that.

I really don't want to say too much lest I give something away. But Definitely check it out, its part fantasy, part contemporary and all amazing!

And I'm super excited to see what future books hold for Zoe and X (and for X's past, I'm dying to know!).

I was taken in by this book right from the beginning. Everything about Zoe and this world was captivating and mysterious. I couldn't place this book down. My heart jumped in so many places with this read. At first, I was trying to transport into the pages and knock some sense into Zoe. Who leaves their little brother out there in 10 below weather? But then she proved to be more than just that moment and becomes a character we all want to root for.

And who can forget X? Definitely not me. Reserved and deeply brooding. He makes this read that much more fascinating. Who is X? Why had he allowed himself to be seen? To be remembered? And why is he a bounty hunter for the Lowlands? There are so many interesting facets to his existence and a journey that starts up in finding out how his past and beginnings came to be.

"But X hated telling his story: it only reminded him of the injustices of his life. X had committed no crime. He was an innocent. Unlike ever other soul he'd ever encountered, he did not know why he had been condemned. He did not know what outrage he had supposedly committed- or even how or when he might have committed it."

Then there are those characters, as a reader I can't help but love and enjoy seeing in these pages. Jonah, Zoe's little brother, who is extremely lovable and affectionate. Showing that whether he is small, he can be just as brave as any adult. Zoe, shows just how determined she is to prove the first part of the book was just a fluke. That she is the protector of Jonah and will make sure no harm comes to him.

And let's not forget the connection that is immensely overflowing between Zoe and X. Right from the beginning there are sparks, profound, and mystifying. X has never wavered since being a bounty hunter, following all orders giving by the lords of the Lowlands. Yet, on meeting Zoe, he can't help but leave all the rules behind, knowing he's risking an unimaginable amount of wrath.

"As she turned away, he reached out to touch her arm. Had he not been in a fog and half out of his senses, he'd never have had the nerve. 'Why endanger yourselves?' he said. 'Why do all this for me?' Zoe looked down at where his hand lightly gripped her. She gave him a smile a trace of light in the darkness. 'There's nothing good on TV.' she said."

I was taken in by this read all the way 'til the very end. Everything kept growing and becoming more intense as the end of the line was reached. There was never a dull moment. And X and Zoe never failed to impress.

***I received this copy from Bloomsbury USA Childrens via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

Unfortunately, the story did not hold my interest; DNF.

After all the buzz this title was getting, I decided to pick it up for myself, and was not disappointed! Interesting storyline, new version of hell that I look forward to hearing more about.. The caving descriptions were really amazing, and added a level of depth to the story itself. I am looking forward to the next installment,

This will go live on my blog on Jan. 27. Kellyvision.wordpress.com


Zoe lives with her mom and little brother Jonah. It's a good life but a hard one (her dad died and the family is still healing). But they're trying to keep it together. Until she and Jonah encounter X. He's...well, I guess you could call him a sort of bounty hunter from the Lowlands (best described as hell). He's sent to kill deserving people and bring their souls back with him. He's not supposed to let people see but Zoe does.

And since it's YA, they also fall for each other. (Yes, it's snarky, what I said. But it's also a sweet romance. And also really hard because that's a lot of obstacles to overcome.)

I read a lot but I haven't found a book like this one. I loved it and I liked it. Recommended.