I was excited to continue on with these books, but I found it very underwhelming and forgettable. The first was much better in my opinion.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

The Brink of Darkness by Jeff Giles was interesting enough while I was reading but ultimately mostly forgettable and I skim read most of it. I do want to give this book another try when I'm not in a reading slump though.

I have thoroughly enjoyed previous titles of this author.
Unfortunately my Amazon account got hacked numerous times and I closed my account. When closing the account, I lost all of my electronic kindle ARCs from netgalley under that email including this title which I am unable to review. Although, I will be creating a new kindle email account for future titles. Thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles.
I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

This continuing story of The Edge of Everything was everything I was looking for. This paranormal story was one adventure that I am so glad I got the chance to read. From the setting of the lowlands to the characters this one filled my days with an epic story. Zoe and X are such great characters and the best couple I have read in a while. This is one series that I would love to see on the big screen!! If you haven't checked this out you should!

The Brink of Darkness is the second book in The Edge of Everything duology by Jeff Giles. Let me start off by saying that this book has been very hard for me to rate and review. I started reading it almost 9 months ago and finally picked it back up to finish it. Noting that I read the first book and the first half of this one last year, I feel like I didnt forget anything. I really held onto this story. The series as a whole is about two characters, Zoe who is a 17 year old high school student that had recently lost her father to a spelunking accident. She currently lives with her artistic vegan mother and little brother. Over all there is nothing all that remarkable about her life, besides the tragic loss of her father, until X comes into her life. X is a bounty hunter from Hell. His job is to come to our world and capture the souls of all the worst criminals after showing them all their crimes, and then taking them to Hell.

I get a little confused about where one book ends and the second book starts so i am going to be a little vague so that i dont spoil this second book. Zoe and X meet when a crazy man murders Zoe's elderly neighbors and X comes to take his soul. We then find out pretty early on that X, unlike the rest of the souls in Hell, doesnt belong there. X was born in Hell and not taking there. He is 20 years old and the product of a Lord and humans love affair. Zoe doesnt believe that X belongs in Hell and is going to do everything that she can to get him out.

There is quite a bit off action in these book, but at the same time nothing really happens. I was with a friend while i was reading the bulk of both books and every time she asked me what they were about i really couldnt tell her. This book was very much a character driven book and even though it has a plot, the plot really didnt matter. I dont know if i am doing this book justice at all, but if you want to really care about two characters and the journey that they go through for love and redemption then please read these. If you need a book with a defined plot and lots of action, this may not be the best book for you.

I personally enjoyed the book, but I was able to lay it down for the better part of a year and only pick it back up because i was tired of it being in my currently reading pile. I decided to pick it up again to either finish it or officially DNF it... but i ended up remembering why i loved it so much in the first place and finished the last 32% in just a couple of hours. I am really glad that i finally finished it, but i wish it hadnt been so easy to put down. It was just missing that draw to come back.

I couldn't finish this one! I thought the first novel was alright, but this one was harder for me to get through. The characters spoke unnaturally, in my opinion, which made it hard for me to connect with them. I also was tired of the romance aspect, which might be my personal fault. 2.5/5 stars.

*RECEIVED FROM NETGALLEY

Do I know that there might be a third, IDK?? I have pushed this one off for so long and on my flight to and from Orlando, I managed to finish this. I also forgot how dark this series/duology is. I have missed this world so much. I kind of forgot who each of the characters were, other than the main characters, were, mainly the people from the Lowlands. It was not as good as the first one was but I still enjoyed it nonetheless.

OMG, what an amazing and unbelievable adventure this second book was. Zoe and X were just as amazing and swoon worthy as they ever were. I loved their chemistry and their humor. I loved all the secondary characters too: Ripper, Plum, The Ukranian, Jonah, Rufus, Val, Regent and I could go on and on and on. Jeff Giles wrote secondary characters that were just as funny and lovable as the main characters and everyone had their own voice.

In terms of the pacing, yes the book did start out a little on the slow side. But I was still completely enthralled and there was so much to love about this book. We saw more of X's life in the Lowlands and it was so bleak and heartbreaking. We also found out more about both of his parents. I won't give anything away though. About halfway through the book, it finally started picking up and it felt like the action didn't quit. I did not want to put the book down at all. The ending was so satisfying to me and I was so happy with how Zoe and X ended up. Great series finale!

I loved this book so much! Jeff Giles is a master of the craft of writing. This sequel definitely did justice to The Edge of Everything!

I'd been meaning to read the first book in this series, so when I got the chance to review this one, it was the perfect excuse to finally pick up this series. So glad I did!

I enjoy these characters very much - all of them, not just Zoe and X. They're well written and fun and funny. There are also a lot of depressing and difficult things but it's well balanced with humor and romance. I liked the first book, I loved this one. Great for people who love obsessive passion YA romance (Twilight, for example). Definitely recommended more for the teenage spectrum, maybe 15-20.

4/5 Stars

As I thoroughly enjoyed The Edge of Everything I was excited to see how Jeff Giles pursued X and Zoe's story in The Brink of Darkness. Thanks to an advanced copy I can definitely say the author provided a compelling and exciting second installment with lots of new environments and the same endearing characters. I mean, who doesn't enjoy a trip to the Underworld every once in a while?

The Lowlands which were so intriguing the first time around are revealed more fully in this sequel. Giles crafts incredibly detailed realms that offer up plenty of vivid horrors as well as visually stunning scenes. It is otherworldly yet grounded in humanity just like the story the author tells. Honestly the range of emotion this book manages to take on and pull from the reader is astounding.

That all comes down to the characters though. Zoe hasn't lost her stubborn reckless spirit, it's just more focused, while X is now driven to change his fate and yet still concerned with protecting those around him. Even when apart their relationship brings strength to the story and their friends and family deliver wonderful support as well as  push back when needed.

Overall The Brink of Darkness by Jeff Giles provided an enjoyable reading experience with interesting locales, gripping storytelling, and emotional character dynamics. Zoe, X, and the rest of cast provided plenty of humor and heart while the narrative delved into topics of grief, regret, and of course, hope. If you enjoyed the first book, this one definitely needs to be on your TBR.

A big swing-and-a-miss after the oddly adorably The Edge of Everything. It was a mess from start to finish and I gave it 2 stars.

This sequel picks up right where The Edge of Everything ends. X is being punished in the Lowlands for refusing to take the soul of Zoe’s father, and Zoe is moping and missing him and assuming the world revolves around her and her sadness.

My main issues with the book:

1) The bizarre, gross scenes in the Lowlands. X is imprisoned in a new part of the Lowlands and that whole section of the book is full of lurid descriptions of torture and suffering. The evil characters are cartoonishly one dimensional and have laughable, clownish dialogue. The Lowlands could have been such an interesting-yet-creepy landscape, but that world was woefully underdeveloped and rushed and felt like a circus tent freak show.

2) Zoe is the absolute worst..Terrible daughter, sister, friend. Perilously self absorbed. Nothing and nobody matters but X, and screw anyone who tries to get in her way. Could not stand her and threw my kindle down and walked away more than once.

3) It felt really out of touch with YA and teenagers in general. Lots of cliches. Lots of awkward dialogue. Wanted to be YA but was too discordant to succeed. I read that this series was the author’s first foray into the genre, and while The Edge of Everything was just weirdly cute enough to be likable, this fell flat.

I’m really bummed that I didn’t like this, because I really enjoyed the first book. It had great characters like Ripper, X, and Regent, but they weren’t enough to salvage this.

THE BRINK OF DARKNESS by Jeff Giles is the sequel to his The Edge of Everything; enough backstory is provided to read this new novel on its own, but readers will enjoy both and benefit from the more complete story. There is a compelling blend of dystopia, fantasy, romance, humor, and adventure with a strong female protagonist, Zoe Bissell. Themes of friendship and loyalty plus good and evil combine with often violent action to make for an exciting tale – I finished it in about a day. The main story focuses on Montana high school student Zoe who loves X. He is a mortal/bounty hunter with certain special powers who was born in The Lowlands, a hellish place where some truly evil people are kept as punishment. Zoe and various other quirky characters (e.g., Ripper, The Ukraine, Regent) are trying to help X escape. Pick up THE BRINK OF DARKNESS for an entertaining read and watch for a likely movie!

Zoe's life changed that fateful night when she met the supernatural bounty hunter that she has named X. X gave up his chance at freedom in order to save Zoe and her family; now X wants to remove the hold that the lords have over him. In order to have a future, he must understand his past. What secrets will X uncover about his parents? Will X and Zoe be able to reunite or will their fight be in vain?



The Brink of Darkness is the second book in The Edge of Everything series. Giles does include some snippets at the beginning of the story to remind readers of the events that occurred in the first book, yet it wasn't overbearing or redundant. Readers will come to learn hidden depths about these varied characters and the story flows quickly which makes the book seem short. The ending is satisfactory, especially since it appears to be a duo series. The Brink of Darkness is a good read, but it is not a drop everything to finish the book read.

I didn’t love The Edge of Everything, but I enjoyed it enough to want to read the sequel and find out how Zoe and X’s story would end. Unfortunately, I felt about the same about The Brink of Darkness as I did about The Edge of Everything, which is to say I thought it was so-so.

This sequel picks up a little after where the first book ended. Zoe and X have been separated because X had to return to the Lowlands and be punished for breaking the rules to be with Zoe. However, because of his time with Zoe and her family, X was more determined than ever to find his mother and find a way out of the Lowlands. Thus, began an epic adventure of self-discovery for X.

Meanwhile, Zoe was coming to terms with the fact that the love of her (teenage) life was living in literal hell, and there was pretty much nothing she could do about it. That was until Zoe was given a task to help X, one he couldn’t complete himself while in the Lowlands. Thus, both X and Zoe began to learn more about X and how he came to be born in hell.

As with the first book, I really loved the humor in this story. All the characters had their own quirks, which really added to the story. I loved seeing Dallas and Val learn more about what Zoe went through in The Edge of Everything. It was also nice that though Zoe and X still had trials to face in this novel, to me the stakes were actually lower in The Brink of Darkness. In The Edge of Everything, I felt so bad for Zoe and her family, whereas here, I was so happy to see them living a relatively normal life in Montana.

I think the biggest issue for me was I did get bored at times with this story. There were definitely times I started skim, and just wanted the story to just get to the point. I wanted to see action or romance or something exciting, and there was just a lot of walking around the Lowlands or backstories I personally didn’t need. Thus, this was just an okay read for me. I wish I enjoyed it more, but I didn’t.

I was really anticipating this sequel and thankfully, Giles delivered!

It's good to see all the old faces and I really enjoyed some of the new faces, too. They are as fantastic as the originals.

This book moved in a different direction than I had been expecting. I think the build was slow and then it all ended. (Possibly my only complaint.) I love the love story in the midst of Hell. It's very unique and Giles doesn't shy away from violence and disturbing scenes. I completely love that!

This has been a wonderful series and I think this is the end and part of me is sad about that. I would totally read another installment if the author had more to tell!

The Brink of Darkness by Jeff Giles was a dark, sensual, riveting sequel to The Edge of Everything. The story begins with X and Zoe and if matters could get any worse.... the are living a nightmare. Fueled with action and intrigue, Jeff Giles builds a world that is both empowering and demeaning.