The Edge of Over There

The Edge of Over There reminds me why a good fantasy story is so much fun to read!

Although this story is marketed to the young adult crowd, I considered it very enjoyable.  One of the things I most enjoyed was the analogy of the mirror.  When we look in a mirror, we see a reflection of ourself.  As a reflection, our right hand is now on our left side, and our left arm is now on our right side.  If we were to look at good in the mirror, would we also see its reflection – its opposite: evil?  After all, good could never exist without evil also existing.

Given that analogy, it’s no wonder that many things in this story are not as they initially seem.  I particularly enjoyed that with characters.  When a character is introduced, it is not immediately apparent whether the character is a good guy or a bad guy.  But then again – not everything is at it seems.

The Setting of The Edge of Over There

In New Orleans, there exists Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1.  Within this cemetery is a grave for Marie Laveau.  This grave is one of seven worldwide portals into Over There.  Personally, I just love that concept.  Having the North American portal not just in a cemetery, but in a New Orleans cemetery, seems to advance the imagery of the book tenfold.

Speaking of imagery, the author did a very good job of providing description.    For example, when in the presence of the tree of life, I could actually picture it in my mind.  Reading a fantasy story without good description is like looking at the stars through a telescope with a dirty lens!  The author keeps this lens pretty clean.

Technically Speaking

I typically comment on SPAG – spelling, punctuation and grammar.  However, the version I read was not the final version, so any SPAG errors are generally moot.  With that being said, any SPAG errors were still minimal.  In the final version, these errors will likely be nonexistent.

The pacing was edge-of-your-seat good, and the character arcs were also good.  Like I said, this is a very good story and fun to read.

If I were to have any complaint about this story, it would be the concept that the story could stand on its own.  This is the second book of a series, and according to the publisher, it can stand on its own.  In other words, the reader does not have to read the first book in the series to find this book enjoyable.  I guess that’s true – I did enjoy the story after all.  BUT, I think I would have enjoyed it much, much more if I read the first book first.

In my case, I’ll be reading the first book second, and then re-reading the second book third.

I know you have a birthday coming up over the next twelve months.  Give yourself an awesome gift and read both of these stories!