Publisher’s Summary:
“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.”
I stepped into Charlie Madigan’s world almost two years ago, and after that first encounter, this is what I said: “I enjoyed The Better Part of Darkness quite a bit and will definitely read The Darkest Edge of Dawn when it’s released.” For this purpose, the key part of that sentence is when it’s released, notably because it didn’t happen. If I’m being honest, it – meaning my reading this book – may not have happened at all if not for a couple of reviews of the third book, The Hour of Dust and Ashes, cutting across my radar. Continuing down the road o’ honesty, it may not have happened even then except for said reviews noting a change in relations between two characters. My interest piqued, I requested both this second book and the third from the library, and, wouldn’t you know it, I didn’t look back.
A considerable amount of time may have passed, but slipping back into Charlie’s life required only a slight nudge to my memory, which was aided by Gay’s ability to include relevant backstory from the first book while steering clear of excessive exposition. The Darkest Edge of Dawn finds the city of Atlanta still smarting from the cataclysmic events that unfolded shortly before, and Charlie, dead set on cleaning up the mess, is struggling to harness the newfound, unstable powers that insist on playing tug of war with her mental and physical well-being.
Charlie remains a likable heroine, certainly a sympathetic one. She’s willing to sacrifice anything for those she loves, she’s determined to fix problems that arise, however unintentionally, as a result of her actions, and her insecurities are realistic enough to firmly plant you on her side. What she is not is perfect: Charlie is easy to rile, tends to act on spurts of irritation without considering the consequences, which becomes unfortunately frustrating, and has the grating habit of constantly referring to her daughter as “my kid” (it gets old fast). If you like your UF heroines strong, but vulnerable, tough but not infallible, you’ll likely find Charlie’s company most palatable.
As for character dynamics, there are several relationships/friendships/partnerships/ally-ties to keep things interesting. In the first book, I was intrigued and more than a little confused by the relationship between Charlie and her siren partner, Hank. And if you guessed that the change in relations I mentioned above applies to them, you’d be correct. I won’t go into detail, but, yes, I’m enjoying the ever-lovin’ out of their developing relationship (while at the same time hoping like heck it doesn’t get dragged out beyond reason). A new character (with perhaps one of the best entrances in a UF novel) quickly became a favorite: Pendaran, Pen for short and, perhaps, if you have a death wish, Druid King. I want more. Much, much more.
This series blurs the line between urban fantasy and police procedural; considering my love for both UF and the mystery genre, that was one of the most appealing aspects of the first book. Charlie, human, mostly, relies on observation, logic, and slow but steady reasoning and ruling out to work her job as a 5th Floor agent (basically: someone who is given carte blanche to execute the law with deadly force, no clearance required, no questions asked). A note about that, though: The very thing that I enjoy, that chipping away at a crime to reveal the criminal, so to speak, can and does slow down the plot some. Not so much as to make you want to close the book and (gently) smack your forehead against it in a silent enough already, get moving plea. But enough to say that it’s an equal balance to the action.
I was pleased to be able to move directly to the third book after finishing this one, starting it late last night, not putting it down until I could absolutely not keep my eyes open any longer. I have a feeling it will finish too quickly and leave me wanting more, wanting what’s next. And isn’t that a good commendation? I cannot say that this series is a favorite, but it is certainly enjoyable and engaging, and this time I really will read the fourth book when it’s released. Honest.
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