The captivating sequel to the award-winning The Day the Angels FellBefore the Tree of Life, everything in Abra Miller’s life had been predictable. But after the Tree and the lightning and the angels, everything felt tenuous, like holding a soap bubble in the palm of her hand. She spent years looking for signs of that other world, waiting for it to break through. When it didn’t, her friendship … through. When it didn’t, her friendship with Sam Chambers grew cold and distant, and they both wondered how any of it could actually have happened.
Four years later, 16-year-old Abra’s long-delayed quest to find the next manifestation of the Tree of Life is renewed when she sees a woman walking up the road–a woman who looks exactly like Sam’s dead mother. The woman directs her to New Orleans where she will find the grave of Marie Laveau, one of seven gateways between this world and Over There. As Abra enters The Edge of Over There and begins her pursuit of the Tree once more, she doesn’t know whom to fear or whom to trust. But she’s starting to think that some doorways should never be opened.
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This books follows perfectly out of the first book in the series, The Day The Angels Feel, and continues to contend with the idea that “there are things worse than death.” Trips to the underworld. Houses that are ours but aren’t. People who die but don’t. A great trip of magical realism.
If you are looking for a YA book filled with descriptive text and a look at what might be heaven or hell, then check out this series. The first book is The Day the Angels Fell and it is probably best to start with this book. I have not read the first book and while the author does a great job of filling in gaps, I think any reader would have a better grasp on the characters and setting reading that book first.
The book starts with a brief recap of what I can assume was part of the first book. I appreciated that set up because it made a little more sense as I read the book. There is an interesting cast of characters with several story lines. There is Leo, Ruby, and Amos. Ruby is deathly ill and her father, Amos, will do anything to save her, including taking her to “Over There”. Leo, her brother, is left behind but he doesn’t forget about Ruby and 8 years later is able to try and find her. Samuel and Abra are neighbors and grew up together from the time they were born, their mothers were best friends. There is an even bigger twist about this whole situation at the end that was very intriguing and wasn’t anything I expected to read. There are some evil characters that throw kinks into everyone’s plans.
The main story is that Abra has a task to fulfill as the keeper of the keys (or the sword that acts as a key). Her story is being told to Samuel because he has inherited them from Abra’s husband after her passing but doesn’t know what to do with either the sword or the atlas. Only in the telling of this story by Mr.Henry to Samuel, do we learn the truth of what happened to Abra over the course of her life. The story does end abruptly but in a good way because it left me wanting another hundred pages or so to know what happens next.
One of my favorite lines was – “Fear always comes with a door, a door that leads straight through.” This could be interpreted so many different ways and I think each reader will take it mean something different.
The author weaves this tale and you do need to pay attention because the various story lines intersect multiple times and while dark at times, there is light and hope you just have to grab hold at various points in the book.
The Edge of Over There is a Christian supernatural fantasy set in historical New Orleans. It can be read as a stand-alone, but would be better appreciated if read as book two in the series.
The main character is a girl named Abra. In the previous book, Abra received a mission from God to protect any future Trees of Life from the enemy. In this book, she finds herself following mysterious clues in New Orleans and trying to stop the supernatural enemies of God.
This book is difficult to describe because there aren’t many books to compare it to. It is just too bizarre and dark. There are weird supernatural beings that Abra must defeat and portals to another world that is stuffed into the pathway to the afterlife, catching souls who should have gone all the way through. I admire the author’s imagination because this isn’t a story I could have ever thought up on my own.
The most interesting part of the story was the symbolism and the message. One of the messages, which continues on from the previous book, is that death isn’t entirely a bad thing. Eternal life in this sin-filled world would be more like a living hell than a life, and so it is better to believe in God and follow Him into the afterlife. But not all the characters understand that and they accept the offer of eternal life and eternal pleasure, only to be herded along like sheep in a miserable existence in a world between life and death.
Yes, the symbolism was very well-done and made it a fascinating, thought-provoking, and entertaining book.
Content warnings: this book is a little dark and there is some violence.
I received a complementary copy of this book from NetGalley. Everything written is my honest opinion, and I didn’t received compensation for writing them.
The first thing about this book that really stood out to me was the writing. OH MY GOODNESS, it was like poetry.
Smucker amazed me with, first of all, his ability to write such lyrical stories, and secondly, his ability to transport you into the characters. As I read along, I felt like I was that 12 year old girl or the 80 year old man. No matter the view point, I felt like I was in the characters heads and I began to react just as they did.
The story itself was very well done. Yes, you could tell this is geared for a bit of a younger audience, but I still enjoyed the read immensely. As I said above, the characters voice was amazingly well done, but I also felt that the characters were very realistic as well. They faced failures and setbacks and moments of weakness, just like all of us, and I really appreciated that he included their humanness in it.
I already said this, yes, but the writing was amazing. Smucker used some very colorful and vivid descriptions that really helped to give the story its unique feel. I did, however, feel that some of the descriptions went a little overboard and bordered on unrealistic. I mean, who takes notice of someone else’s tongue size and color??
All in all, this was a very good book and I would definitely recommend it to someone who’s read the first. It did seem a little prolonged toward the ending, but I also wasn’t exactly in the mood to read it when I picked it up, so I know that had something to do with it.
**I received a copy of this book from Revell in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts in this review are my own. I promise I didn’t copy anyone else’s thoughts!**
The Edge Of Over There is a fantastic journey. A journey through 0 well 0 that is for you to read for yourself to find out exactly what their whole journey entails – I don’t want to ruin it all for you. It is a sequel to “The Day The Angels Fell”, but it can be read as a stand alone book. Some of the characters no longer exist but have left things behind for other characters to help them along with their journey. It has Voodoo, cemeteries, a bunch of things along that ling as well as The Tree Of Life – from Genesis in the Bible – How can you miss out on that. GOD is all throughout and you can’t beat that can you? I received a copy of this book from the Publisher and Netgalley; all of the opinions expressed in this review are all my own.
if you would like to read more of my Christian book reviews go to christianlybookreviewers.blogspot.com
This book is packed with action, emotion, creativity, and inspiration. Abra has to protect the gift of death by killing the Tree of Life at the Edge of Over There. But it isn’t that easy. She discovers secrets and friends nd enemies along the way.
“If you don’t know where to go or what to do, here is what I would recommend: go as far as you’re able and do what you can. The rest will happen. I promise. The rest will always happen.”
Abra has passed on after a life worthy of a hero. Samuel was gifted with the “keys” when her husband settled her estate. The thing is, for him, they don’t seem to “work” for Sam because he really doesn’t know everything…and he’s afraid he can’t do anything because he’s so old
Enter Mr. Henry who relays the story of Abra and Leo and a second Tree planted on The Edge Over There. Through a fascinating tale that builds an amazing world rooted in the myths of many peoples, Smucker relays what might happen if the balance of time and understanding gets skewed one way…or the other.
“Fear always comes with a door, a door that leads straight through.“
This book is the follow up to last year’s “The Day the Angels Fell”:a compelling look at what might happen when good and evil confront each other over the course of lifetimes in a rural family. Called a YA, I actually saw it as a NA-new adult- genre book that might feel like a type of paranormal fable. And proves to me the old adage that there really are only a few stories that keep getting reworked. That’s not a bad thing when it’s done well. Smucker’s breadth of eclectic knowledge shines through and makes “ The Edge Over There” a riveting worthy sequel. Highly recommended. 5/5
[disclaimer: I received this early copy from NetGalley. I am solely responsible for the views presented here]