The Darkest Edge of Dawn by Kelly Gay
Paperback, 384 Pages
2010, Pocket
ISBN: 1439110042
Series: Book 2 of Charlie Madigan
Synopsis
It takes a strong woman to keep the peace in a city of endless night. . . .
Deep beneath Underground, a cunning bid for power and revenge has begun—one that threatens to make Atlanta the new battleground in the ultimate confrontation between good and evil. The powers of hellish Charbydon have the upper hand after plunging the city into primordial night. And under the cover of darkness, a serial killer targets the most powerful Elysians in the city, the angelic Adonai. For Detective Charlie Madigan and her siren partner Hank, tracking deadly predators is all in a day’s work . . . but this case will test the limits of their strength and friendship as it draws them into a deadly world of power plays, ancient myths, explosive secrets, and a race against time that risks all that Charlie holds dear.
Review
The Darkest Edge of Dawn continues soon after The Better Part of Darkness. Atlanta is still experiencing the 24 hour darkness and officials have begun to worry what will happen to the city if it continues much longer.
Adonai are being killed. When the killer has trouble accessing more, they focus on killing high-level mages. These are not just random murders and it's up to Charlie and Hank to find the killer before the Druid King attempts to exact his own vengeance.
Charlie continues to be one of my favorite urban fantasy heroines. She's juggling work and single motherhood and she's lonely for love. The revenant inhabiting her ex-husband's body isn't a option, so where's a girl to turn? There's a lot of sexual tension brewing between Charlie and Hank, her siren partner. And it looks like Hank's single again since Zara couldn't handle his being stuck with the permanent voice mod.
The biggest question in The Darkest Edge of Dawn is what is Charlie turning into? The repercussions of saving her daughter's life in the last book go well beyond the darkness. Her very DNA appears to be changing and with it, she's gaining extraordinary powers. Seeing her attempt to learn to wield those powers is very interesting, as is the hypothesizing about what's happening. Charlie isn't the only one changing though. Emma's growing up and it's bringing about a lot of unexpected changes. And Bryn's addiction to ash is woven into the story nicely, bring a lot of change about for her as well.
The Darkest Edge of Dawn is very good. I didn't love it quite as much as I loved The Better Part of Darkness, but that would have been a very difficult feat seeing that I loved the first one immensely. My usual complaint of wanting more action in a book is not applicable here. There may actually be too much action in this book. Or maybe I just love Charlie's take-no-crap attitude so much that I wish there had been more talking and thinking on her part and a little less kicking, punching and mystery solving. Either way, The Darkest Edge of Dawn is a major thrill ride with a heroine you can't help but love.
Rating
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