NIGHT’S EDGE by Liz Kerin – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

NIGHT’S EDGE by Liz Kerin – ReviewNight's Edge by Liz Kerin
Series: Night's Edge #1
Published by Tor Nightfire on June 20 2023
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 288
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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four-stars

The nitty-gritty: A dark and gritty look at a codependent relationship, with vampires.

“At six o’clock, I break a teacup from the kitchenette against the wall and use a shard of porcelain to cut a second hole in my arm. I let it pool into a paper Dixie cup and tell Mom to come drink when it’s half full. Afterward, Mom helps me disinfect both sites in the shower, pouring hydrogen peroxide down my arm. She tells me to bite down on a towel so the people in the next room don’t hear me scream.”

Night’s Edge is an interesting take on the vampire/pandemic trope, a dark and oftentimes depressing story about a young woman and her mother and their codependent relationship. There aren’t very many light moments in this book, so do proceed with caution if these themes bother you.

The story follows twenty-three year old Mia and her mother Izzy, and alternates between the past (“2010”) and the present (“Now”). In this world, a virus called Saratov’s syndrome has taken over the world. Those infected become like vampires, needing blood to survive and never aging, but exposure to sunlight or being struck through the heart with a rusty bullet can kill them. “Saras,” as they are called, have strict rules and barely any freedom. If someone is identified as a Sara, they are taken to a “recovery” center where they are monitored closely. In truth, there is no recovery, and once a Sara is caught, they never get out.

When Mia was ten, Izzy contracted the disease from her boyfriend Devon. In order to keep her mother from being taken away from her, the two decide to go on the run and hide Izzy’s condition from others. Now twenty-three, Mia and Izzy have been laying low in Tucson Arizona for the past thirteen years. Mia decided early on to draw her own blood for Izzy to drink, mostly as a way of keeping her mother from harming others, but this has led to the two having a very fraught, emotional relationship.

Now, according to the Sara Facebook page, there are rumors that Devon is in town, and Mia is terrified that Izzy will be drawn back into his dangerous world.

Liz Kerin’s story focuses heavily on the relationships between the characters, and the Sara pandemic is almost a side plot. And that worked for me, because the relationships were so well done, especially the one between Mia and Izzy. It broke my heart to see the way Izzy treated her daughter, especially in the early years when Mia was only a young girl. To keep her condition secret, Izzy didn’t allow Mia to invite friends over or become too close to anyone, so Mia’s life revolved around Izzy’s secret and her commitment to feeding her mother with her own blood. The chapters in the past were especially difficult to read. Devon comes and goes in their lives, and even after Izzy kicks him out for hurting Mia, like a drug addict she’s never able to completely sever ties with him.

In the present storyline, the two have finally settled into a somewhat normal life in Tucson. Izzy even owns a restaurant, and Mia has a job in a bookstore. But Devon’s presence is always a threatening undercurrent, and eventually he shows up with a nefarious plan to unite all the Saras he’s infected, and the mother-daughter bond between the two women begins to crack even more. Mia can barely imagine a life without her mother in it, as painful as it is, and it takes some outside influences to finally show her a different path.

There’s also a burgeoning love story between Mia and a girl named Jade, a musician who pulls Mia into the music festival scene and opens her eyes to so many other possibilities. But like the other relationships in this story, the one between Mia and Jade made me very uncomfortable. Mia is extremely naïve and just beginning to explore her sexuality, and although Jade isn’t a bad person, you can tell she’s much more worldly than Mia, and her attitude toward Mia comes off as mocking and sarcastic.

Which leads me to an element that didn’t quite work for me. In many ways this is a coming of age story, but I thought Mia was too old for that trope to work. It’s true she’s led a sheltered life in many ways, but the relationship between Mia and Jade felt immature, more like a high school romance than one between two grown women. If the author had made her younger, maybe high school age, I think the romance would have been much more believable.

I also wanted more focus on the Saras, especially Devon—the villain of the story—and what he’s trying to accomplish. Devon is more or less a cult leader, deliberately infecting others to create a family of Saras, and although we get some horrific glimpses into what he’s capable of, I’m eager to learn more about him. For such a short novella, there is a lot going on in Night’s Edge, but luckily there is a sequel on the way.

The finale was fantastic, though! Kerin gives readers a shocker of an ending that sets up the next book, First Light, and I cannot wait to read it. Readers who like their vampire stories on the dark side and don’t mind immersing themselves in uncomfortable themes will feel right at home.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Posted June 12, 2023 by Tammy in 4 stars, Reviews / 23 Comments

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23 responses to “NIGHT’S EDGE by Liz Kerin – Review”

    • Tammy

      I love novellas as long as the pacing is good. Sometimes they are just too short for what the author is trying to do:-)

      Reply
  8. Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight

    So I really liked this one! I do see what you mean about her being a little older for a coming of age story, but I actually think it worked well this way? Like- imagine being so isolated, and being SO scared to lose your mom, and I think Mia is just kind of a late bloomer in general? I too was/am one heh, so I felt like I kind of related to her on that level, at kind of trying to figure out what SHE wants, albeit a bit later than average? I do agree about Jade though, she was very dismissive, especially knowing that this was new to Mia. I also kind of felt that Jade had a certain immaturity about her as well? Even with all her attempts to pretend to be “worldly”, she may just be trying to fool herself. But that is just my take on it of course, and I appreciate yours! Glad you liked it too, wonderful review!
    Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight recently posted…Reviews in a Minute: First Half of JuneMy Profile

    Reply
    • Tammy

      I think for me the whole story felt very YA, the present tense writing style (which I always associate with YA for some reason, lol) and the immaturity of Mia and Jade. But yeah, I get that she’s a late bloomer, and honestly, that was my only issue. I’m so curious to read the next book!

      Reply
    • Tammy

      It definitely feels more new adult than adult. The relationship between the two girls felt very immature.

      Reply
  11. todd

    I like the sound of this one, and it’s pretty short so it would be easier to fit it in. The setting pulls me in, too, having lived in Arizona and been through Tucson many times. Not sure if I’ll ever get to this one but if it showed up in front of me one day I might very well pick up a copy.

    Reply
  12. sjhigbee

    Oh my goodness! It sounds as if this one is a really intense read, Tammy – thank you for an excellent review that sets out the themes. The mother/daughter relationship is often a fraught one – and that isn’t often acknowledged, so hinging a vampire element around that dynamic sounds like a brilliant premise. I’m glad you enjoyed this one so much!

    Reply

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