Edge of Dawn : All About Romance

Edge of Dawn

Grade : C

Everyone is writing paranormals these days. Patti O’Shea, according to her backlist, has written nothing but and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wish she would stop and turn to straight contemporaries.

The world delineated in Edge of Dawn, one of magic and secret parallel worlds and dragons mages in present-day Seattle, is so generic I couldn’t describe it to you without turning generic, but you’ve probably read this one before: Magic council masquerading as multi-national corporation, magic hero ordered to bodyguard magically dormant human heroine, other evil magical beings after heroine for a trinket she picked up in thrift store, yadda yadda yadda. Been there, done that. To be honest, the paranormal parts read like the novelized equivalent of really terrible fantasy movies. (You know, the ones that unexpectedly have Peter O’Toole or Jeremy Irons in them and you wonder, What the hell were they thinking?) Ms. O’Shea’s invented fantasy vocabulary feels contrived and her action sequences are clunky and lame, with fire bolts whizzing around faster than her prose.

Where this novel succeeds to some degree is in the central couple, and my experience with a previous book by Ms. O’Shea leads me to think this is her true strength. Logan and Shona are nice, practical people who do nice, non-stupid things. I appreciated that they talk things over and respect each other, avoiding the dumbo misunderstandings that litter our genre. I also appreciated that Shona, an artist, is struggling to get over her artistic block and that even by the end still hasn’t succeeded – newly gained magic doesn’t and shouldn’t cure all. And I especially appreciated that, unlike many other couples who share minds, bodies, hobbies, and everything else except underwear, Logan and Shona have interests that totally bore the living daylights out of the other (cars and glass sculptures, respectively).

But the course of love for these two runs too smoothly for this reader’s interest. And although I like the idea of mutually exclusive activities, I think Ms. O’Shea emphasizes their disinterest to such an extent that I doubt the longevity of their relationship; but then again, they’ve only been together eleven days, and more page time and character development could have easily convinced me. Nonetheless, their relationship shows refreshing shots of reality (much-needed in a fantasy-infused genre, in more respects than one) that, while not profound, is logically developed and sincere, while also showing piquant moments of humor. I think Logan and Shona deserve a book of their own, without the distraction of lame-o magic talismans and the Loch Ness Monster (which was both a piquant moment and distraction).

I’ve only read Ms. O’Shea once, and while I am not unwilling to give her another try, neither am I jumping on her bandwagon. I think she can do better, but if Edge of Dawn is any indication I might have to wait a while.

Reviewed by Enya Young

Grade : C

Book type : Paranormal Romance

Sensuality : Hot

Review Date : June 30, 2009

Published On : 2009/07

Enya Young

I'm a teacher who's been fortunate to live in a few places; currently I'm in England. And if you give me a choice between savoury and sweet, I'll go for savoury every time.

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