You know how you were just wishing for a dark, thrilling bounty hunter romance set in Hell? Well, here you go. The Brink of Darkness is a dark, twisted thrill ride that is also a funny, warm-hearted romance . . . and a beautiful tribute to friendship and family. I adore it.” —Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of STRANGE THE DREAMER and MUSE OF NIGHTMARES
“Prepare to be obsessed . . . A wild, gripping fantasy about how only love can lead you out of the dark. Zoe and X will break your heart ten times before it's over, but their story glitters with humor and hope.” —Danielle Paige, New York Times bestselling author of STEALING SNOW and the Dorothy Must Die series
“Made me laugh, cry and kept me turning pages way past my bedtime. This series is a must-read for fantasy fans everywhere.” —Susan Dennard, New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlands series
“A thrilling edge-of-your-seat fantasy—Jeff Giles gives readers an unforgettable finale to his brilliant series.” —Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of BEAUTIFUL CREATURES and author of BROKEN BEAUTIFUL HEARTS
“Some lovely meditative thoughts on the nature of parenting and friendship, and a heartwarming and thoroughly romantic happy ending.” —Booklist
“This heartrending love story fits right in the paranormal fiction and romance genres that center on the devotion and sacrifice of true love.” —School Library Journal
“Praise for The Edge of Everything” —.
“A sharp fantasy thriller, and a dark one at that.” —People
“An intriguing start to a new series.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Thrilling.” —Buzzfeed
“A lot of fun.” —The New York Times Book Review
“With imagination and verve, Giles delivers the goods required by the genre.” —Time
“[An] amazingly crafted novel.” —USA Today
“Smartly written fantasy with depth.” —New York Magazine
“A gorgeous, unearthly ride.” —starred review, Shelf Awareness
“Sharp, dark, thoughtful and romantic.” —Cassandra Clare, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Mortal Instruments series
“Gripping. Utterly original. Beautifully written.” —Peter Jackson, Oscar-winning director of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies
“A fresh and addictive read.” —Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of BEAUTIFUL CREATURES and author of THE LOVELY RECKLESS
“A dark and suspenseful supernatural thriller that kept me up all night.” —Melissa de la Cruz, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE ISLE OF THE LOST
“A rich and satisfying read on multiple levels.” —Booklist
“Reads like a blend of J.R.R. Tolkien's “The Lord of the Rings” and modern-day horror, such as Stranger Things.” —School Library Journal
“An intriguing story that leaves the door open for future books.” —Publishers Weekly
“Readers are advised to dive in now and revel in the star-crossed-lovers glory of it all.” —BCCB
“Fantastical in nature, this story will keep readers interested until the very end.” —School Library Connection
“A wholly-engrossing page-turner.” —VOYA
05/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—X and Zoe's love story continues but not without further pain and heartbreak. X tries to find a way out of the dreaded lowlands, a task that will put him in search of his true mother. The lord, Dervish, will do anything in his power to keep X right where he is. Giles's focus is on X this time, his story, who he really is, and how he will make his was back to Zoe. Zoe still has her own demons to reckon with and will never stop fighting for X. The pacing starts off slow as the opening chapters wrap up some of the events from the first book. This heartrending love story fits right in the paranormal fiction and romance genres that center on the devotion and sarcifice of true love. VERDICT Purchase where books by Meg Cabot, Maureen Johnson, and A.G. Howard are popular.—Kayla Casiello, Woods Memorial Library, Barre, MA
2018-04-03
Love-struck teens go to hell and back in this sequel.After some cursory interactions with her clichéd friends (an angry lesbian and goofy white rapper) and remaining family (her unnamed, weary, now-single mother and oddly toddlerlike 8-year-old brother), Zoe Bissell eagerly trades her humdrum small-town Montana life for more whirlwind romance with 20-year-old brooding, soul-stealing bounty hunter X. Adorkable white teen Zoe undertakes some research then literally plunges into the underworld in pursuit of X. Meanwhile, X—the only living and innocent person in the purgatorial Lowlands—seeks his long-missing mother. X's MacGuffin-laden quest drags readers across a repulsively and randomly violent Dante's Inferno rip-off world with all the internal (il)logic and randomly shirtless men of an Old Spice commercial. Secondary characters present as homicidal trading card stats, stereotypes spouting cringeworthy dialogue: the fat, placid, Asian Buddhist; the Cold-War-cartoon "Russian" (who is actually Ukrainian); and the antagonist whose villainy is indicated by inappropriate use of all-caps. Even inexplicably infatuated lovers X and Zoe suffer from cliché, with X's oddly formal speech and Zoe's babbling and klutziness. Serious issues like mental illness, domestic violence, and abuse are raised, ham-handedly used to humanize the damned Lowlanders, and then roughly dismissed. The story crams together clichéd YA trends without appreciation for craft, substance, or sympathetic characters.Fervent fans may be satisfied, but newcomers should be steered to better options (or wait for the inevitable movie). (Fantasy. 14-18)
