Title: Bayou Moon
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: The Edge #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: A tiny light flared in her eyes.

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Walmart and magic is a fairytale–and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…

Cerise Mar and her unruly clan are cash poor but land rich, claiming a large swathe of the Mire, the Edge swamplands between the state of Louisiana and the Weird. When her parents vanish, her clan’s long-time rivals are suspect number one.

But all is not as it seems. Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war fought by feint and espionage, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge—and Cerise’s life . William, a changeling soldier who left behind the politics of the Weird, has been forced back into service to track down a rival nation’s spymaster.

When William’s and Cerise’s missions lead them to cross paths, sparks fly—but they’ll have to work together if they want to succeed…and survive.

I loved the love story of Rose and Declan in On the Edge. It was sweet, and like all of Andrews’ lead females, filled with someone who wasn’t willing to just give herself away to a man and love. And Bayou Moon wasn’t any different. Cerise is competent, capable and incredibly independent. She is the matriarch of her family and completely driven to find a way to rescue and restore them. Plus, Cerise’s family is kind of insane and mental. Everything that you both want and don’t want in a family – large, loud and filled with love. The perfect place for William to finally find his own family.

Although On the Edge was about Rose and Declan, William really plucked at my heartstrings throughout their story. He was so obviously alone and an outcast. It was nice that he gets his happy ending in Bayou Moon. Plus, it was a great way to not only discover more about his past, but also to understand his loneliness and drive. His quest for revenge may start out a little dark, but, Andrews manages to weave in the humour and wit that makes her work so enjoyable.

The Edge is an interesting dichotomy between worlds. There are the laws that we all recognise, but they are overlayed by a lawlessness and savagery that goes beyond my understanding. It was overwhelming enough in On the Edge, but Cerise’s home in the Mire is much worse and more cut throat. It’s a fantastic method through which to deliver the idea of what could happen in a lawless world. The Broken is about the rules and guidelines that govern us in this life, the Weird is a throw back to ancient understandings of honour, mages and knighthood (with a modern twist). But the Edge? It’s an intimidating and cutthroat world that raises the stakes of any story.

<- On the Edge

Fate’s Edge ->

Image source: Ilona Andrews