A wonderfully original magical adventure and I am loving this mismatched band of travelers that gave me a laugh here and there as Noon Onyx and her band of angels battle to save The Shallows, fighting fabulous demons with their magic. I love how Noon Onyx grows and develops while on their mission and there are plenty of surprises and second chances along the way that kept me reading til the early hours of the morning. I won this book and now I wonder why it took me so long to read it.

I won this book and have not read the first Noon Onyx story, Dark Light of Day, by Jill Archer. Even though this is the second book in the series, I felt it filled in enough blanks, that my reading enjoyment did not suffer because of it. The result of their mission is wrapped up, but there is more to come and, if you are like me, you will want to know what happens on their next adventure and to know…what about Ari?

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“Fiery Edge of Steel” is a moving and fun story about choices and consequences and love. The story starts off after Noon’s break between her first year and second learning to be a Magistrates. Basically she is a member of the Host, and as such she has magic. Nothing unusual with the Host but in New Babylon thousands of years after the Apocalypse. There are Demons, Angels, The Host and Humans. Many demons are under the guidance and law of the Magistrates. The world build is a bit complex and the story is highly political, as are most fantasy novels. So pay attention and you will quickly go “oooohhh!

(Book one has AWESOME info-dumping and world-building before it starts and though it isn’t necessary to read this book, you will have a different experience if you don’t)

Noon is training to be a magistrate and is in a unique position. She is a woman and no woman in the history of the new world holds waning magic, the magic of death and destruction. Instead of the magic of healing as her mother has. Her twin brother Night is the one who ended up being the only male in the healing side of magic. This just explains some of what is going on. For those that are into world-building you will really want to read book one. This book could have been read as a standalone. If I had done it that way, I think I would not be pissy about how I felt about Noon in the beginning. She has a hard time accepting who she is even in the second book but the first book due to how she was raised and shielded or forced to hide who she is, she is hobbled facing her advanced schooling to become who she was born to be.

(When we left off with book one, I wanted to smack her! Of course it is a book about a girl growing up, new adult not YA – see below- and this one is no longer a new adult read.)

I had some interesting takes on a few of the things which I feel are very important to mention. First, this book is listed as urban fantasy and I think when you are trade published they have to box you into a genre. It is a genre bender and I would list it as a post apocalyptic, urban fantasy, mystery and thriller. The first book could easily be labeled as new adult because of of a first love and sex scenes. The second was not a new adult but she is growing up and though she still has not been able to completely control her magic and form that fiery edge of steel.

She still is being pressured by the two men in her life, Ari and Peter. Ari is new and works (ed) for her father as a demon hunter and is strong in the force of waning magic (insert Star Wars voice here). Peter is part of the host and has been working on learning how to find the spell to reverse her magic.

Ultimately it comes down to acceptance versus encouragement (I would LIKE to say something different but I do not want to taint your feelings towards Peter). If she chooses not to do one thing or do the other is she really following her dream? Or is she not facing reality… you decide

She never wanted her magic, she does not want to kill. Yet when the book opens she is suppose to do the magical equivalent of a stoning and she cannot.

What would you do?
I recommend this book if you like all of the genres mentioned. If you like your fantasy with a twist, blended with some evil, an incredible mystery, questions of femininity, light sexuality. A story which addresses accepting yourself for what you are, for growing into that acceptance instead facing things with the fight against change. If you want to read a strong female character who is not strong because she has kick ass magic skills (which she does) but is strong because she can show weakness and she has moral character which cause her to really BE. If you like seeing evil stomped on and have some epicly awesome fantasy swirls of fun! Oh grab this series and get ready for book three (see cover here).

A few interesting aspects from the two men in her life from both sides of the host…

to wane or not to wane…
Ari: “I love you for who you are while [Peter] wants to turn you into something you’re not.”
Peter: “I want to give you your life’s dream, Noon. And then I want to live that life with you.”
Ohhh and there is this awesome MacGuffin, the BLACK ONION, basically the magical equivalent to a Magic 8 ball.. OK a bit more than that, but it is coveted and ends up being more important to the continuation and certain familial relationships than you would expect it to be! I love when random objects are used as plot devices! ( )

I don't use star ratings, so please read my review!

(Description nicked from B&N.com.)

“Noon Onyx is the first female Host in memory to wield the destructive waning magic that is used to maintain order among the demons. Her unique abilities, along with a lack of control and a reluctance to kill, have branded her as an outsider among her peers. Only her powerful lover, Ari Carmine, and a roguish and mysterious Angel, Rafe Sinclair, support her unconventional ways.

When Noon is shipped off to a remote outpost to investigate several unusual disappearances, a task that will most likely involve trying and killing the patron demon of that area, it seems Luck is not on her side. But when the outpost settlers claim that an ancient and evil foe has stepped out of legend to commit the crimes, Noon realizes that she could be facing something much worse than she ever imagined.”

This is the second book in the Noon Onyx series, and I was able to read both this book and its predecessor one right after the other. I found both books to be enjoyable, with interesting mysteries and a compelling setting. I also noticed some similar writing tactics that contributed to making the stories feel somewhat identical.

For one thing, even though the first novel dealt with the burgeoning love triangle of Noon and two men, this second book starts the same thing all over again. Noon’s boyfriend Ari is still around, but the Angel in question has changed to the aforementioned Rafe Sinclair. He, like Peter in the original story, is in a position of power over Noon: where Peter had the power to change her magic from waning to waxing, Rafe is Noon’s protector in dangerous situations. Both books also have a long buildup to a problem that solves itself rapidly and explosively, and both involve Noon finding answers to questions that have endured for thousands of years.

None of these things are really bad in and of themselves. The details of the individual plots are interesting enough to hold your attention, and the worldbuilding is still one of the most intriguing aspects of this series. Once the plot really got going, Fiery Edge of Steel kept me focused on it until the last page.

But that phrase “once the plot really got going” is the catch here. What you see in the book description is accurate, but it doesn’t happen until the last third of the book. Up to that point, what you get is a lot of preparation, and a whole lot of travelling. Granted, there are bits of info scattered throughout these pages, and there are some adventurous things that happen, but the meat of the plot is slow to arrive. I kind of wish that Archer had made the first two novels into one book and really cut out the fat from the narrative. There are some great ideas and images in this series, and although you’ll certainly notice them, I think they may have shone even brighter with less padding around them.

Despite a few complaints from me, and despite a slow start, I did end up enjoying Fiery Edge of Steel. I’ll probably only recommend this to the urban fantasy readers who like heavy romance aspects or don’t mind a more leisurely pace in their fiction. For the right reader, this series might strike a chord and be very entertaining.

This review originally appeared on Owlcat Mountain on June 27, 2013.
http://www.owlcatmountain.com/fiery-edge-of-steel/

I hate to have to admit it, I enjoyed book 1 more than FIERY EDGE OF STEEL. Although a lot happened it just didn't catch my attention as much as DARK LIGHT OF DAY did. I missed Noon's friends and her school life. She did learn new things on her journey but I had a hard time staying in the zone. It started off really slow and didn't really pick up as the book moved on. I found myself hoping that scenes would end but they just kept going sometimes. I am a tad bit confused about some ending events but I can not mention what confuses me without giving away spoilers. The magic was nice to witness and there was growth. I'm pretty bummed about what happened towards the end, I am sure you will be too.

I'm at a loss for what more to say without giving away things you probably want to read for yourself. Hopefully book 3 will be more like book 1. I am willing to keep reading to find out. ( )