Member Reviews
(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
A confession: when I asked for the ARC of Night’s Edge, I only read part of the description. This part, to be exact: ‘Liz Kerin's Night's Edge is a sun-drenched novel about the darkest secrets we hide and how monstrous we can be to the ones we love most.’
Honestly, I did not need any more to click “request”, so imagine my surprise when I found myself reading about literal monsters. Do not worry, though: it was a very welcomed surprise, because mother-daughter relationship can sometimes feel like this, like a burden but also a longing for love, a sacrifice and a necessity. The author says it is a twisty mother-daughter story, but I think there are a lot of moments when one can feel depicted in what is happening.
I loved how fleshed out most of the characters were and how close we could feel to Mia’s every action and every doubt. The flashbacks really helped with understanding everything that happened until that moment and to see the evolution of Izzy as well. I felt Jade was the more one-dimensional character and could not bring myself to like her. And Devon… I prefer not to talk about him, but I have heard stories about other Devons, I’ve met other Devons, and the depiction was so right that it kind of felt… wrong. Wasn’t I supposed to be reading about literal monsters, not human-like ones?
I highly recommend this book to anyone who want a dark coming-of-age story, but also to anyone who is willing to look deeper than the surface and who is not only going to see a monster story, but a monstrous one. I am really looking forward to reading more stuff by Liz Kerin.
(By the way, if you are afraid of triggers -and there are several in the novel)- you should check what the author herself has to say in the book’s Goodreads page.)
I found myself more attached to ten year old Mia rather than her as an adult which was unfortunate. But the take on vampirism was intriguing and the dynamic between Mia and her mother was phenomenal. The increasing, grasping need Mia’s mother had and the manipulative and the narcissistic tendencies from her mother as she continued to grow older were tragically beautiful. And the way you can easily become trapped in an abusers web was so well depicted.
I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.
Night's Edge follows Mia, a 23-year-old woman who has been taking care of her Sara (vampire) mother for thirteen years. While the novel focuses on Mia's relationship with her mother and her budding romance with a rocker chick, at its center it is about toxic family and the potential freedom from such bonds.
I enjoyed Kerin's writing style and loved the 2010 sections. They were full of emotion, action, and intriguing exposition. Unfortunately, the Now chapters weren't as strong and the ending left much to be desired. It could have done with another thirty pages to tie up all the loose ends.
Overall, I liked the book and would read Kerin's future works, but it was difficult not to compare Night's Edge to Sunyi Dean's gorgeous debut, The Book Eaters.
Despite its flaws, I'd recommend Night's Edge to anyone looking for a contemporary vampire novel with a queer subplot.
This book was DISTURBING, in a way that had me skimming sections to get through them as quickly as possible. For some reason, I didn't realize the focus of this novel would be on the toxic, abusive mother/daughter relationship (or at least I thought it would be more...complex than it was). It was hard to get through, but I think many will appreciate the vampire take on codependent familial abuse.
3.5 stars. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and never once lost my interest. I always like a story that features a mother/daughter relationship that isn't picture perfect because most aren't. That being said, I feel like it didn't add much to the vampire myth and the addiction metaphor was a little too on the nose for me. I respect what it was trying to convey, but I feel like it was very heavy handed.
This was really hard to read and it had nothing to do with the vampirism. I couldn't get past the abuse. If that's something that bothers you, I suggest you skip this one. Shame because I was excited for a new vampire book.
A mother and daughter’s relationship is put to the test after an irreversible change occurs and other people begin to test how far they are willing to go for one another. In a world where a virus has happened that can turn people into “Saras” or essentially vampires where they have to stay out of sunlight and live on a diet of blood, one girl is going to have to change her entire life after her mom brings home a man who then turns her into a Sara. Mia is forced to become her mother’s keeper at the age of 10, she drops out of school. has to feed her mother her own blood, and is in charge of keeping everything in order. Mia is forced to isolate herself from everyone except her mother, their codependent relationship is raised to toxic levels. Mia only has her mom and her job at the bookstore, but years later now she meets a cute rebellious musician who finds a way to worm herself into Mia’s heart but Mia’s mother demands all her attention... and with the return of a certain man in Mia’s mom’s life, things are about to get worse. Now Mia has to decide if she can finally leave her mother before it’s too late and she becomes the next victim of her mother or if she is strong enough to break out of the cycle and find her own freedom. This was just a really sad story about a toxic relationship between a mother and a daughter, but thrown in the universe where vampires essentially exist. Overall, it really does well in portraying toxic family relationships but it just wasn’t for me at all.
*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group, Tor Nightfire for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*
I devoured this book. It is rare to find such a poignant story of difficult mother/daughter relationships while at the same time fully immersing you in the created world. Kerin’s writing is powerful and finds the places where it hurts, but it is a good hurt. The pacing is incredible, and at the same time you truly feel as if you know the characters.
Highly recommend for those who are looking for a twist on the average fantasy, and get ready to feel some feelings.
I wanted to enjoy this but overall found the story, characters, and plot to be something not what I was longing for or one that I would pick back up.