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Book Title: Edge of Ester

Book Genre: Fantasy

Date of Review: March 2, 2016

Chapter(s) Reviewed: Parts 1 & 2

Approximate Chapter Length: 1900 & 1700

Content Flags: Sexual References (not explicit)

Summary (copied from book description)

Zelda Fisher and her family will not survive the Long Winter. The ongoing war against the south have depleted the grain supplies. The poor go hungry and die in the rat-infested alleys of Tamryk, her hometown.

All seems lost until a Seer foretells of a land of bounty in the deep of the Esterwoods. No one dare tread those bleak, twisted woods for fear of the White-Fanged Ones. But Zelda is desperate, and with the aid of her childhood ally, Ravka Stone, she braves the unknown.

Review

Edge of Ester's Zelda Fisher has a lot on her plate, taking care of a young sister and an addiction-wasted mother while working a job that is little better than slave labor. The Long Winter is coming, and something needs to change if they're to survive.

The story opens with Zelda preparing her little sister for school (against Grisha's complaints that she doesn't want to go) and then checking on her mother before leaving for the hunt. On the way to the woods to do her work as a bestiar, though, she's verbally—and then physically—assailed by a lascivious farmer who taunts her as a whore.

Zelda is far from defenseless. She puts the farmer on his back and keeps him down with her weapon to his cheek. Then, playing on the favor of the crowd like a challenging instrument, she dismantles the farmer's pride and even manages to wrangle a goat from him. The goat doesn't sell for much, certainly not enough to get her family through the Long Winter, but it's something. More than her day of hunting will bring.

Edge of Ester introduces a fantasy world with a great deal of depth and a narrative voice with an antiquated flair that helps immerse the reader in the setting. The writing has a very professional feel with very few errors. Zelda and the world are fascinating.

The beginning is a bit slow, layering in quite a bit of description between the bits of dialogue between Zelda and Grisha. Though I do love the author's descriptions, I could stand to see them pulled back a little here to get the story moving more quickly. Once Zelda leaves home, however, the story picks up. There is still description, but it flows well with the story advancement: Zelda is leaving home to go on her hunt, and we are seeing the sights along the way. This leads to some deft worldbuilding.

There is action, to be sure, but after the first two parts I was left wanting to know a bit more of the overall plot. Finding a way to survive the coming Long Winter, yes—but how? What twist is coming? However, assuming that will be introduced in the next part, the pace of the story is still good.

Overall, I'm pleased to find that this is another story that I can happily recommend. Edge of Ester may challenge less experienced readers with its language, but in a good way. The wit in the story and the writing style are quite refreshing. It's a bit of a slow starter, but by the end of the first chapter it hits its stride and starts to shine.