Eigentlich hatte die Hochstaplerin Audrey Callahan ihrem kriminellen Dasein endgültig abgeschworen. Doch als ihr Bruder mal wieder in die Entzugsklinik muss. Erklärt sie sich bereit, einen allerletzten Diebstahl zu begehen. Dass das keine gute Idee war, zeigt sich, als kurze Zeit später der zwielichtige Kaldar Mar vor ihrer Tür auftaucht. Kaldar ist auf der Suche nach dem Diebesgut..... Eine neue Geschichte aus der Welt Edge. Man trifft alte Bekannte und viele neue Figuren. Ilona Andrews erzählt die neue Geschichte mit viel Humor und Fantasy. Man verlebt ein paar Stunden in einer Welt voller Magie. Audrey und Kaldar geben sich immer wieder sehr witzige Schlagabtausche. Auch ein paar andere Figuren geben der Geschichte das gewisse Extra, wieder ein gelungenes Buch. Ich freu mich schon auf das Abschlussband. This book presented me with a dilemma. How exactly do you rate a book where you don't really care about either the H/h but you adore the secondary characters and appreciate the vivid world building?For me, it was a tough decision.Alright, I admit I, I just might be a tad shallow, because unlike the two other guys, Kaldar has no money, riches or noble titles, not even any magical talents to speak of. He is essentially a charming hustler, ex con-man, and a part time spy. And Audrey, same problem: she is yet another struggling Edger girl, who is trying to make ends meet, and stay away from her no good, thieving family. They were just so spectacularly "meh" to me. Perhaps the theme is simply too repetitive? I feel like I've read variations of the same story twice already.So why the high rating? Well, this IS Ilona Andrews, and the world building that takes place in their books is, as always spectacular. But it was the secondary characters that made all the difference. Who knew two stowaway boys and one, slightly older, ward could make that much of a difference?Jack, the changeling, and his brother George, the necromancer from book # 1 are simply put, brilliant characters. When their sister, Rose, married the nobleman Declan, they essentially went from trailer trash to Edger trash. They're stuck in a world of blue-bloods, and no matter what they do. They'll never measure up. And for Jack it gets even worse. As a changeling, he's afraid he will end up in a school (essentially prison) for shapeshifters, so they decide to hitch a ride with Kaldar's Wyvern (points for the cool dragon, too) when he heads off on a mission, with the help of a Gaston; a boy in his late teens, who knows perfectly well what it feels like to exiled by ones family.This unholy testosterone filled trio of boys made all the difference to me. They are such cool kids, and unlike children's books, where kids save the day, Ilona Andrews makes their contribution work. It even sounds credible that two young teenagers survive a face off against the lethal organization know as the Hand. This is no small writing feat ;-)Still, IMO this is by far the weakest book in the series. 3,5 stars.
What do You think about Schicksalsrad (2013)?
I have to say I enjoyed this book much more than the previous book, especially the kids.
—alexism110
