Book Review: The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles

Publish Date: January 31, 2017
368 pages [Kindle edition]
#1 in Untitled Series
Bloombury USA Childrens

Synopsis:  
It's been a shattering year for seventeen-year-old Zoe, who's still reeling from her father's shockingly sudden death in a caving accident and her neighbors' mysterious disappearance from their own home. Then on a terrifying sub-zero, blizzardy night in Montana, she and her brother are brutally attacked in a cabin in the woods--only to be rescued by a mysterious bounty hunter they call X.

X is no ordinary bounty hunter. He is from a hell called the Lowlands, sent to claim the soul of Zoe's evil attacker and others like him. Forbidden to reveal himself to anyone other than his victims, X casts aside the Lowlands' rules for Zoe. As X and Zoe learn more about their different worlds, they begin to question the past, their fate, and their future. But escaping the Lowlands and the ties that bind X might mean the ultimate sacrifice for both of them.

My Thoughts:
I was gifted this book via Netgalley.
When I saw this book on Netgalley, it caught my eye because of the cover...because I am 100% a shameless cover judger. I read the synopsis and it sounded pretty interesting and I added it to my wishlist - not knowing when or if I would be approved to read it. Then I was. I randomly chose it from my queue because the title made me think it was a contemporary romance. So I was a little surprised when the fantasy/supernatural aspect started.

This story follows 17 year old Zoe who is "watching" her little brother when he disappears from her sight. She eventually finds him in the woods with their two dogs, but he is very cold and she is too, so she decides to go to their neighbors' house because it is closer than theirs. Their neighbors were an elderly couple that went missing in a very suspicious manner, so there is no one home. A hostile man shows up and tries to attack the dogs, Zoe, and her little brother before a mystery younger man shows up. He is a bounty hunter and is going to take the man's soul to the Lowlands (pretty much Hell) until Zoe asks him to spare his life. The nameless younger man, dubbed X by Zoe, has broken many Lowlands' laws by revealing himself and speaking of the Lowlands.

The rest of the novel basically follows the aftermath of X's decision to not bring back his bounty and him falling in love with Zoe. It was a very good read. I really enjoyed all of the story from X's perspective. Zoe was harder to read from because she was making a lot of really poor and selfish decisions - out of grief from losing her father and the various issues in her family that loss has caused for each person. I really really loved Banger and Ripper, X's two nearby cellmates in the Lowlands. They were both very rich characters. I am finding that when I read stories with characters around 8 or 9 that they are being written in a younger voice, in my opinion, and should be closer to 5 or 6. My two oldest kids are currently 8 and 9. Just a little BEC :) 

Find on Goodreads

2017 Series Challenge: Starting Line

This year, I have decided to not have that big ole list in each post. If you would like to see what series I'm currently in the middle of, you can check out this page. I'm currently in the middle of 63 series - ouch. I ended up finishing/deciding not to finish and starting the same amount of series in 2016, so my number did not change.

My goal for this year is to finish 10 series. I think that is pretty manageable. If I can finish more, I would love that. I have some that I am only one book away from completing and I may work on those first.

Some series I will be reading in the first part of the year include: Southern Vampire Mystery series, Series of Unfortunate Events series, and possibly working on Anna duology, Project Paper Doll, Hex Hall, and After Eden. I will be back in the beginning of April to update my progress. I will, of course, update my progress at the beginning of each month in my TBR post!

Bout of Books 18 [Day 7 Progress]

[GOALS]
**Read a little every day
**Finish two books
**Find new bloggers to follow
**Find new Booktubers to subscribe to

[DAY 7 PROGRESS]
TOTAL PAGES READ: 302 | BOOKS FINISHED:1

CURRENTLY READING:


I have no clue how today is going to be for reading. I hope to be calm enough to read and finish out BOB on a high note! // I didn't end up reading any more...sometimes this happens. I don't know if I have a sinus infection or a cold, but I've been sleeping a ton since last Friday. I haven't been able to concentrate to read and while that's annoying, I'm still pretty proud of my pages read and books finished. I cannot wait for BOB 19 in May!

Bout of Books 18 [Day 6 Progress]

[GOALS]
**Read a little every day
**Finish two books
**Find new bloggers to follow
**Find new Booktubers to subscribe to

[DAY 6 PROGRESS]
TOTAL PAGES READ: 302 | BOOKS FINISHED:1

CURRENTLY READING:
 

Hoping to make a dent in Dead in the Family today. I didn't read at all yesterday :/ I feel very clogged up today sinus-wise, so that's fun :S // Anxiety has been through the roof and I haven't been able to concentrate on reading today. I read 13 pages.

Bout of Books 18 [Day 5 Progress]

[GOALS]
**Read a little every day
**Finish two books
**Find new bloggers to follow
**Find new Booktubers to subscribe to

[DAY 5 PROGRESS]
TOTAL PAGES READ: 289 | BOOKS FINISHED:1

CURRENTLY READING:
 

I ended up going to the ER last night having a panic attack. I guess everything before that was an anxiety attack because it was 100% different. I am fairly certain it was due to the Lexapro my doctor prescribed. I took the first pill last night and about 3 hours later, out of no where, I freaked out like I was having a bad trip or something. I am really annoyed about it because I was really optimistic about it hopefully helping me. I have slept most of today because I was at the ER by myself until 6:30 this morning.  I almost feel like I am getting over the flu..ugh. I hope to read a couple chapters tonight.

Bout of Books 18 [Day 4 Progress]

[GOALS]
**Read a little every day
**Finish two books
**Find new bloggers to follow
**Find new Booktubers to subscribe to

[DAY 4 PROGRESS]
TOTAL PAGES READ: 289 | BOOKS FINISHED:1

CURRENTLY READING:


I had an incident last night while prepping my husband's lunch for today and ended up cutting myself (for the first time ever). I don't think it's too bad, but I definitely will have at least half my fingernail fall off :/ Also a first. So I didn't read in bed like I had planned and finish The Edge of Everything. So today my starting point is 83%. // And an hour later and I have read the last 62 pages! 1 book down! Starting on pg 4 of Dead in the Family.

My review of The Edge of Everything: here

Books I Read in December

Life in a Fishbowl by Len Vlahos - 5 stars (finished 12/4)
I was gifted this book via Netgalley. 
I loved this story. I loved it so much. There were many rich, well thought out, well developed characters. The story follows the Stone family who is dealing with the news that Jared, the father, has a terminal brain tumor. In order to still provide for his family when he passes away, Jared decides to list his life on eBay to the highest bidder. While you do get a glimpse into the minds of each family member and bidder, my favorite (as morbid as it sounds) parts of the book are when the brain tumor is narrating. It's such a unique narrative that adds a layer of intense emotion to the story. There are many characters to despise in this story, but many to love too because they really come to support the Stone family and the tragic twist that Jared's life has taken.
 
We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun and Susan Mullen - 2.5 stars (finished 12/11)
I was gifted this book via Netgalley.
This novel is set in 1982-83 and follows the story of Catherine (Cath) and Scott who are neighbors and best friends who have just graduated high school (Go, Tornadoes!). Cath has moved on and begun college while Scott has decided to stay back home, assist his dad in the family clothing business, and perhaps achieve a little fame with his band. This novel is written as letters back and forth between Cath and Scott.

It was quite the interesting read, in that you aren't getting a full scope of what's going on and, at times, the letters get crossed and can be a little confusing. There were times I would forget who was writing the letter and have to flip back to see the "Dear" part. I have to say that I really did not like Cath or Scott very much. They both drove me nuts. But the book was very readable, so it was super conflicting for me. The plot itself was just too predictable. Despite what happened throughout the book, I knew exactly where it was going from the get-go. It was just that the ride to get to that point was sloppy and it just happened --BOOM-- like that.

The Unforgettables by GL Tomas - 3.5 stars (finished 12/25)

I was gifted this book via Netgalley.
The Unforgettables follows the story of Paul and Felicia. Paul has moved from Chicago to Portland, Maine with his Buddhist-practicing family. It's definitely a huge change for him. Felicia resides in Portland with her family. They are of Haitian heritage and Felicia struggles with wanting to please her parents, so she can do things she enjoys (like softball) and her fellow classmates read that as her being a snob who thinks she is better than everyone else. Felicia and Paul first meet each other while reaching for the same issue of their mutually shared favorite comic. Then they find out they are neighbors.

What I love about this book is that it is so easy to enjoy and there is a lot of diversity in the characters and a lot of characters that are understanding/accepting of other people's life choices that were different than their own. I really loved Felicia and Paul...and their families. I feel that the book was also fairly dang honest/accurate/realistic. I did knock off half a star due to the last little part where the time passed very quickly and the narrative got a little choppy. I wasn't a fan of the ending either. I wouldn't call it an open-ended ending, but it kind of was at the same time.

Bout of Books 18 [Day 3 Progress]

[GOALS]
**Read a little every day
**Finish two books
**Find new bloggers to follow
**Find new Booktubers to subscribe to

[DAY 3 PROGRESS]
TOTAL PAGES READ: 227 | BOOKS FINISHED: 0

CURRENTLY READING:
 

I ended up visiting a ton of blogs and tweets yesterday and that was awesome! I found one new Booktuber via a FB book club: Thoughts on Tomes. Starting at 37% today on The Edge of Everything. Really hoping to make a dent in it today. Finished at 83% today! 176 pages read.

2016 Series Challenge: Finish Line

It is time to wrap up my series challenge for 2016. Last update in October, I was at 21 books read, 3 series finished and 4 new series started. My stats for the end of 2016:

• 24 books in a series read
• 5 series finished (because I DNF'd two books and decided to no longer continue them)
• 5 new series started

I also removed one series off of my TBR because it is supposed to be a trilogy, however, the author has not stated when the third book will be out and there has literally been no word for like 5 years now. I've been much more liberal about removing books from my TBR lately because I have entirely too many books to read and I would like closure on series and not to be hanging on bated breath for decades for a book that will never come.  I am looking forward in 2017 to finishing more series because it looks like I basically broke even here in 2016 - finished 5, started 5. :)

I highlighted all the to-be-released books in purple.

Bout of Books 18 [Day 2 Progress]

[GOALS]
**Read a little every day
**Finish two books
**Find new bloggers to follow
**Find new Booktubers to subscribe to

[DAY 2 PROGRESS]
TOTAL PAGES READ: 51 | BOOKS FINISHED: 0

CURRENTLY READING:


I got a little overwhelmed yesterday because I was bad and didn't prep any of my blog stuff for the day. I run two blogs and I was like OHNOOOOO. So I didn't read until I crawled into bed. Today I will do better. I'm hoping to visit between 10 and 15 blogs and leave a little love :)
---
I read 44 pages today. Not too shabby.

Bout of Books 18 [Goals + Day 1]

It's BOB time once again! I am looking forward to starting the year off on the right foot. My reading goal for the year is to read 52 books, which is 1 a week. I am not making a monthly TBR, but rather flying by the seat of my pants and reading what I want when I want. So I have no true books set aside to reading during BOB.

I signed up to be an Expert (it's at least my 2nd if not 3rd time doing it) because I have participated since Bout of Books 4. That makes this my 15th BOB readathon. How crazy is that? It literally is my favorite readathon ever and I'm so excited every time it rolls around!

I finally got around to finding some Booktubers even though I know that has been around for years. I am now obsessed with Emmmabooks, MichaelBookLion, Peruse Project, and Hailey in Bookland. I am, however, looking for more Booktubers to follow, so please leave me a comment, tweet me, etc. with your favorite Booktubers. It is one of my goals this BOB to find more to subscribe to :)

I may update occasionally on Twitter and will definitely be updating frequently on my Goodreads. 

[GOALS]
**Read a little every day
**Finish two books
**Find new bloggers to follow
**Find new Booktubers to subscribe to

[DAY 1 PROGRESS]
TOTAL PAGES READ: 7 | BOOKS FINISHED: 0

CURRENTLY READING:


I have only read a teensy bit because I totally forgot BOB started today and then I was also super behind on all my blogging stuff for today :S I did join in with the Twitter chat which also included the introduce yourself in 6 words challenge: Married Mom, Bookworm, Planner, Anxiety Prone. That's me :)

January TBR List + Upcoming Releases

This year I have decided to not carry on the list that I have had for the last few years. I am going to basically just read as I go and read books I really want to read when I want to read them. My goal for 2017 is 52 books. One book for each week. Here are a few books that I am thinking about reading in January:

1. Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst: I received this in my December OwlCrate box and it was already on my to-read shelf on Goodreads!
2. The remaining books of the Southern Vampire Mystery series by Charlaine Harris. I started book 10 (reread) and then I want to reread 11 and FINALLY read 12 and 13. If I don't do it soon, I will forget everything and have to reread the entire series again LOL
3. The entire Series of Unfortunate Events series...again. Because I am so so so excited about the show and I am wanting to reread these books to remember all the ins and outs!