A review by wardenred
Edin by Lily Mayne

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“Thanks for not letting me do anything stupid.”
Edin grinned at me, gently squeezing the nape of my neck. “I’m getting good at it.”

In some ways, I enjoyed this book more than Soul Eater, in others, a bit less. Regardless, this was a pretty solid read with lots of fun and exciting moments. I really liked how much the setting got expanded here, with all sorts of new monster types introduced and concepts mentioned in the first book growing into bigger things. I also felt that the overall pacing and sense of purpose was much better here, likely because this time, the protagonist/narrator actually had a solid external goal. Speaking of the protagonist, I liked Hunter a lot. Yes, he's grumpy and surly, but I actually really, really like reading about unlikable people still getting to grow and learn and let themselves be happy. His inner conflict was also quite interesting to follow, and I adored how self-aware he was underneath all of his flaws. Also, I felt like his disability was handled pretty well.

Another thing I really liked was getting to see so much of Wyn and Danny. I expected a cameo or two, but they ended up such important participants of the entire plot, being there for most of the story, and it was so fun to observethem through someone else's eyes. I really like that found family vibe the entire gang developed: the long-standing friendship between Wyn and Edin, the tentative growing friendship between Danny and Hunter, the tension between Wyn and Hunter, the way Wyn and Danny continue to be just so good to each other and obviously aren't anywhere out of the honeymoon phase. 

I think all of the above would have been even more enjoyable if most of the scenes were a bit tighter. Even though the overall pacing has improved, there were all those moments of meandering, like the same thing being repeated 2-3 times in random conversations, etc. The kind of thing that happens in real life all the time, sure, but when characters in a book keep talking that way, it stops feeling realistic/authentic and starts getting tiresome. 

I also have to admit that Edin and Hunter just didn't make me ship them as hard as Wyn and Danny did. I enjoyed their dynamic, for sure, but I also found it kind of... bland? Perhaps if Edin opened up more, or let something slip to Hunter about his past run-ins with the military before learning that Hunter was actually military himself, that would have added a bit of spice to the relationship. (In the emotional sense, not sexual sense, obviously; there was plenty of it in the sexual sense :D) Perhaps there could be some other adjustments. Or quite possibly it's not at all about the books or the characters and quite simply a "me" thing. 

Anyway, objectively this was a pretty fun read, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
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