Really didn’t get on with the writing style and the whole extreme weather/almost apocalyptic setting - just want for me!

There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

I ended up DNFing this book around 50%. I tried really hard to push through but I was struggling to enjoy it. I wasn't sure what the direction of the story was. it was trying hard to have these surprising elements, whether to catch you off guard or misdirect you but it just ends up confusing you more. I really didn't relate to the characters and felt like I was just reading but not absorbing or enjoying any of it. Sadly, this book wasn't for me.

It was a fine book. I didn't mind the writing style or the plot. Unfortunately, it wasn't a book that would stick with me. The characters seemed two-dimensional and it wasn't as gripping as I would have liked. It's not a book I would remember or one that I would reach for again.

It was just okay.

Will no longer be reading or reviewing this book due to lack of interest in the title, and the fact that the title has been archived.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get into this book at all. I couldn’t connect with Zoe, Found some characters actions to be careless, and was very much put off by the animal abuse present in this book.

Already reviewed and feedback sent ages ago. Not sure why these are duplicating. But please find review content at my archived blog www.behindonbooks.wordpress.com

- Thanks! Sorry this is a little haphazard. Just trying to clear my Shelf here. :)

The Edge of Everything is a strange story. I enjoyed parts of it a lot, and other parts just didn't make much sense to me at all. I was also left feeling a bit unsatisfied with the ending - as the plot was unresolved.
The characters were attaching, and I enjoyed getting to know them.
I am curious to see if the next book will be a direct continuation of this one, and will definitely pick it up.

I’ve tried to read this a number of times and I’m about 15% if the way through. Right now it’s just not my cup of tea and I don’t see myself continuing with the book. Despite this, I may pick it up one day again but I wanted to be honest. Thank you for accepting my request.

I couldn't get into this, the beginning didn't grip me enough to keep reading. Disappointing as the premise was so interesting.

Did Not Finish
Slow, boring and I found the writing to be a little jerky.

I received a copy from Netgalley.

I think this was something I requested on a whim. It was quite some time ago, I remember only glancing at the synopsis on Netgalley. Admittedly I went into this one remembering nothing on what it was about. I had it in my mind for some reason it was a dystopian.

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. Starts off with teen Zoe at home at the start of a snow storm looking for her younger brother who’s gone out to play with their two dogs. But he doesn’t appear to be answering her calls to come inside before the storm really gets going. The storm is getting worse by the minute so Zoe goes out looking for him. During her search Zoe stumbles into the path of nasty piece of work Stan who is robbing their neighbour’s house. The neighbours having died recently. The confrontation is bad. Warning – Stan really hurts the two dogs. It’s brutal and unpleasant.

Zoe and her brother are rescued by a mysterious figure who arrives and kicks the crap out of Stan. The mysterious benefactor is hell bent on destroying Stan for his evil deeds and seems to have some sort of superpowers. But of course nothing goes quite so smoothly. Not once he starts actually interacting with Zoe.

The figure, who later becomes known as X has come from a sort of hell dimension known as The Lowlands and is a bounty hunter sent to reap souls of evil doers. Stan is his target. Though Zoe’s interaction with him is brief, he learns something of mercy. Which sets in motion a big ass chain of events.

X has very little concept of how to interact with Zoe. Not completing his mission has left him in dire-straights and great pain until the job is done. He collapses in a nearby house –which just happens to be Zoe’s. With the help of Zoe, her mom and her younger brother they help X pull himself together.
X’s dialogue is quite stilted and almost boarding on cheesy, but there’s something quite fascinating about how he copes with Zoe. He’s grown up in this hell dimension with only other damaged souls to guide him, so has very little sense of morality or anything.

While Zoe is your average teenager – she lives with her mom and younger brother and is struggling to cope with the recent death of her father. Zoe’s mom is one of the more likeable, believable adults of YA fiction. She’s involved without being over the top involved, and seems to know when to back off. The mom has some secrets which come out later on in the novel, while it’s not of the pleasant nature, it’s doesn’t actually make her any less likeable as a character, I thought the twists added dimension and believability to the mom character.

Zoe herself is an immensely likeable character, there was something delightful about the way she was written that made me as a reader connect with her immediately. I liked her tone of voice and her dialogue.

She handled the increasingly weird situation very well. Her relationship with X grows, and as they became equality fascinated and enamoured with each other can be described as instalovey, although the novel is so well written and both characters are so interesting – it’s instalove but instalove that actually works.

And they’re both smart enough to know there will be consequences for their actions. X has to deal with the Lowlands and the consequences of revealing his secrets and not completing his mission. There appears to be a hierarchy of demons or “Lords” who are the rulers and X has royally pissed off one of the worst who is determined to make an example of him. This particular Lord is a real asshole and his actions and dialogue is so over the top in the vain of I’m so evil and you’re so crap and you must suffer because I say so. It’s almost like a cartoon villain and kind of ridiculous but at the same time kind of amusing in a weird way.

Zoe learns some uncomfortable truths about her father’s past and certain things she was never meant to know. It’s quite emotional. Her dad was a caver and taught her how, and there’s an incredibly moving scene where she goes caving with a friend as a result of some of the secrets she learns. Exceptinonally moving and very tense in parts.

A wonderful mix of action and romance, a very unique plot and not at all what I was expecting. I really loved this one. I loved this one so much I bought a finished hardback.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ).

Started off with a lot of ableist language and really bad ways of talking about ADHD then there was some really horrible animal abuse so I had to stop. There really needs to be a warning on this for animal abuse.

Thank you to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for sending me a copy.

Seventeen year old Zoe Bissell lives in Montana with her mum and her eight year old brother, Jonah. She used to love caving with her father, a man who was often absent from their lives for months at a time, but he died in a caving accident and his body was never recovered. During a snowstorm she meets a boy with no name. Zoe names him X and finds out he's a special sort of bounty hunter, he comes from hell.

Overall The Edge of Everything was unique and very imaginative. I spent a lot of the book thinking "how on earth did the author come up with this?!" because there were elements that were different and strange. But, there were a lot of typical YA fantasy elements too.

X is, of course, unimaginably hot. Zoe is overwhelmed with the state of his body, face, and hair. As the female lead Zoe is a bit of a loner, though she does have two friends. While Zoe immediately thinks X is hot and falls for him, X in turn feels a connection to Zoe, she even influences the way his body feels - perhaps this will be explained in the sequel.

I liked that Zoe's family remained a large part of the story instead of fading into the background or being kept in the dark. I also thought Zoe and Jonah's relationship was well developed and authentic. Jonah has ADHD, and while Zoe is not always as understanding or sensitive as she could be, she loves her brother fiercely.

The pacing was a little uneven. The beginning was intriguing, the middle dragged with all the info on caving and Zoe's dangerous escapades, and then the end picked up again. I also noticed some mistakes and things that seemed to have no explanation, but I was reading an ARC, so perhaps these were corrected in the final edition. My one main issue, and I'll have to be vague to avoid spoiling readers, is that I didn't believe Zoe's choice when it came to the big decision she had to make.

There was also some serious animal cruelty, described in detail. The two dogs in question only seemed to be in the story when they were needed as a plot point, otherwise they tended to disappear or be forgotten about. Again, I read an ARC, so perhaps this was noticed before the book went to print.

Ableist language: SO MUCH. Spaz, insane, maniac, crazy, lame, psycho, freak, dumb, idiot, nuts, lunatic, demented, psychopath, looney, mental. Most of these words were used in the first 12 pages alone, but were also used frequently throughout the rest of the book.

The Edge of Everything is an intriguing and unique take on YA fantasy with some elements that allow it to stand out, combined with the typical elements that will appeal to a wide range of readers.

Thank you to Bloomsbury for the ARC.

I'm really disappointed because I was really looking forward to this! It was on my list of most anticipated 2017 debuts and everything! But, this book really wasn't my cup of tea. The premise is great, but I just didn't enjoy it. The whole story felt a bit rushed and I didn't particularly like Zoe as a main character - she just felt a bit flat. I found it really hard to connect to her character and really invest in the story.

The romance feels really rushed. I think the beginning part of the story is supposed to take place over a much longer period of time than it feels like it does, but the way Zoe and X are suddenly promising all sorts of things to each other is a bit much. It's a bit too insta-love for my taste.

THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING might be a good read for some people, but to me it just felt much too rushed.

I'll admit, I expected more. The story is a mix up of fantasy and contemporary and flips between the two. I couldn't tell whether the author was trying too hard at writing one part or another but I just felt they didn't gel together.

Firstly, The EoE is written in parts, this is where you get the splits. The first part is the introduction to Zoe and her family, followed by her encounter with X. The second part carries on with X and his fantasy world of the Lowlands run by it's diabolical Lords. This was my favourite, and I'd have preferred to keep reading. It's followed by a very long-winded and contemporary piece where Zoe and her friends spew pop culture and speak in really stupid accents, obliterating any seriousness I ever had in her. When a boy keeps calling his girl friend (not girlfriend) - 'Dawg' it really grates. In England, to call a girl a 'dawg' no matter how slangy or gangster you make it sound, you're still calling her a 'dog.' Which is very insulting.
The side story is about the relationship between Zoe and her father. Finally we get caught up with X again and his magical powers.

There were two stories in this book and they did not mix well. I can only say if the story had stuck more with Zoe and X and continued on an adventure together I might have been a little more interested. The bland side story about the families upheavals with the father was really only filler to expand the book into the required number of pages.

It's clear the author has a great deal of knowledge about caving, and also ADHD. There were extensive pages on these subjects.

I'm afraid I ended up skimming to reach the end and it wasn't the ending I was hoping for.

I did not expect this. Almost every review I have read of this book says the same thing. So I sort of knew that it was going to be a fantasy novel, not a contemporary one and yet I repeat again, I did not expect this. The whole premise of this book, Bounty Hunters and Lords and this hellish place called 'Lowland', the main character with his superpowers clearly shows you that this is fantasy. But the underlying theme, with Zoe dealing with her father's death, Jonah and Zoe's relationship, her problems with her mother, the wish to find her father's body, even her star-crossed romance. It makes this book a contemporary. Yeah, this is a mixture of them both. And you know what? I love it.
I am a careful reader so I avoid most hyped books because they end up being disappointing and when I started reading it, I thought it was going to be one of those books. Fortunately, it was not. Yes people! The hype is right. it is an incredible book.
I like all the characters. X is swoon-worthy, so charming and yet innocent (well as innocent as a bounty hunter born in hell could be).
Zoe is strong, brave and adventurous.
Jonah is my little happy pill. He is Zoe's little brother who has ADHD. He can be adorably clingy sometimes and the way Zoe calls him 'Bug', it just made my heart melt.
I even liked Banger and Ripper.
The thing I did not like was the insta-love. Maybe if it had time to build up, this would be a perfect book. The relationship between Zoe and X at no point seemed fake or too cheesy but I like BUILD-UP. The love at first sight is just too stupid or cliche for me to digest. I enjoyed the writing of Jeff Guiles.
The part where both Zoe and X individually are pondering over what they would say if X showed up on her doorstep, it was just so cute. It made me smile, and so did the letter and also X's tattoo. These little things, little moments was what made this book so good. I would suggest this book to other who want to read some unique genre mixup.

Part contemporary teen romance and part urban fantasy, I would have preferred less romance and a little more action. I found the beginning intriguing, then got bored and didn't think I'd finish it but finally picked it back up on holiday and enjoyed the rest of it more than I thought I would. Jury's still out on whether I'd read the next one...

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

1.5/5

Once again, I have found myself in a position where I strongly dislike a book that most other people seem to love. I’m not too sure why this keeps happening, and I was really looking forward to reading The Edge of Everything because of the amazing things I had heard. In the end, I just had too many issues with the book to enjoy it. Of course, this is just my opinion, and you may enjoy this book much more than I did (like the majority of people!), so it is up to you to read a range of reviews and decide if you want to pick it up or not.

I’ll start with what I did like: I enjoyed the prologue, it got me interested in the rest of the story and made me (initially) want to read on to find out how the characters knew each other. I also loved the dogs, Spock and Uhura, because they were awesome and saved the life of one of the characters by keeping him warm in a blizzard. Another character I liked was Ripper; she was actually funny (a rare thing in this book) and was a no nonsense sort of person who did what she wanted when she wanted to, if that’s what she thought needed to be done.

Unfortunately, I had issues with pretty much everything else. Starting with the main character, Zoe. She just lacked personality. I knew nothing about her, other than she used to go caving with her father. And I couldn’t get over the fact that, while witnessing a crime/weird crazy magical event where her life was very much in danger, she paused to take a photo and then proceeded to actually upload it to Instagram. And then she was somehow surprised when this came back to bite her – I mean, really? Who does this? Is this what the author thinks of teenagers, that they’re so obsessed with social media than even when one is in the presence of a murderer, they would stop to take an Instagram photo?! I mean, maybe I could understand if she were well hidden and were trying to take pictures for evidence, but she took a photo of some tattoos she thought were pretty. I’m not even a teenager, and I found this incredibly insulting.

Next was X. X had a somewhat interesting backstory, and I felt there was real potential to develop his character. Unfortunately, he became victim to insta-love, and most of his point of view was him obsessing over Zoe. He had no other characteristics other than "love Zoe" so yeah, I didn’t like him. He claimed he loved her 33% of the way in. They had met a few days ago, and literally knew nothing about each other. Really. Zoe had no idea who he was, where he came from or what he had done in the past, and all X knew about Zoe was that he liked her “blurting” and her face. He didn’t know anything else about her life at all. I really struggled to believe their “love” for each other, and the actions this led them to take. Especially Zoe; she sided with X after knowing him a week, over <spoiler>her own father? I completely understood her father had abandoned her family and had done terrible things in his youth, and I get her being angry, but she was willing to let him die without even hearing an explanation. She’d rather her own father die than some guy she met five minutes ago</spoiler>. X himself also made some very questionable choices, and despite knowing I was supposed to sympathise with him and his "forbidden love" for Zoe, I never did. It was so strange the way he and Zoe came to all these decisions, and I just couldn’t understand it.

I also couldn’t believe Zoe’s mum, because she just let X into the house despite knowing he was involved in a crime, and then let her daughter frolic around with him when there was some clearly shady stuff going on. And the Q and A session about the Lowlands was laughable, because it answered nothing and would not have eased any of my concerns at all. Jonah was probably the most realistic character, because he did act like a child, though perhaps a child younger than his actual age.

Furthermore, there was zero world-building. Nothing made sense. We were told that X was from the “Lowlands”, and we got to visit there a few times, but nothing else was explained. Zoe and her mother had no idea what the “Lowlands” were, and yet somehow assumed you’d have to do bad things to get “sent” there. Why would they make that assumption? If the regular world didn’t know this place existed, how could they guess that? And I was so confused about what the Lowlands were. They were somehow in the core of the Earth? Where actually? A place in another dimension? Was it hell? Was there a magic system? What was the weird magic/back movie screen thing that X could do (seriously, what was that)? How did people survive there? How did it come to be in the first place? How did the governing system work? We were told about these “Lords” that made up rules and all these strange laws they had, but they didn’t seem at all consistent (the trial of X) and I had no idea why it all happened in the first place. And how did the regular world not know about the Lowlands? Why and how was it kept hidden? I wanted some sort of explanation, and none was given at all.

Plot-wise, it was all over the place. It went back and forth between X and Zoe, randomly focusing on different things each time, some of which were a little bit boring and seemed unnecessary. Everything was also very over the top, and overdramatic, which kept bringing me out of the story, and as a result, it was also easy to predict a lot of what was going to happen – because I knew it would be the most dramatic thing possible. I also struggled to grasp the relevance of the title to the actual story. I know this doesn’t really matter, but even metaphorically, it doesn’t seem to fit at all, and if I’m being honest, that bothered me. I like titles to match the books.

Overall, I really didn’t like this book. There were no redeeming qualities that I could say made it worth reading. I do seem to be in the minority, so would once again advise you to read more reviews, and make your own mind up. However, speaking honestly, I would not recommend this book.