Warning: This review will contain spoilers regarding the previous book in the series Life on the Edge
At First Sight: Pairs figure skater Emily is happily planning her wedding to her coach Sergei while training for the Grand Prix Finals and World Championships. She knows the timing is a little less than ideal but she and her partner Chris have won ever competition they have entered so far; and it has taken her and Sergei a lot of work to get people - like Em's mom - to accept their relationship.
When the Grand Prix Final takes them all to Russia, Emily is excited about finally meeting Sergei's parents and seeing the place where he grew up, even if going to Russia makes her wonder and worry about Elena, the woman Sergei once loved and with whom he skated for many years before her father ended their career.
Em tries to tell herself that it's all going to be okay, that the ghosts will stay in the past and her future with Sergei will be golden. But there is nothing to prepare her for the shock of actually meeting Elena and realizing what happened to the baby she and Sergei were forced to give away as teenagers.
Suddenly, Em's relationship with Sergei - which used to be a source of comfort and strength - is more shaky than ever.
Second Glance: So, last year I read Life on the Edge and I loved it, even though I had a few issues with it as well. And something very similar happened with Edge of the Past.
I enjoy the writing, I like Emily and Sergei and Chris and a number of other characters populating this book - even if Emily was a bit too dramatic this time around, and Sergei often acted without considering all the repercussions of his actions - and I certainly love the world of figure skating. But there were little things that kept jumping at me now and then.
It took me a little while to get into the story because the beginning is a little slow - at least it felt that way compared to the previous book - and then this big thing happened and for a great chunk that followed the story kept going round and round about this thing.
While I was reading it didn't bother me (at least at first), but when I think about it, it was kind of the same situation repeating itself: Sergei did something rashly (but with good intentions), Emily was shaken and unsure about it, Sergei was largely unaware of the effect of his actions on Em.
And that was probably my biggest issue with the book: I didn't like Sergei very much for most of this book, he came off as thoughtless (though well meaning), and having loved him on Life on the Edge, it was kind of hard.
I did like that I could see Em growing up a bit more, and that she didn't treat lightly the situations she was going through.
I enjoy the writing, I like Emily and Sergei and Chris and a number of other characters populating this book - even if Emily was a bit too dramatic this time around, and Sergei often acted without considering all the repercussions of his actions - and I certainly love the world of figure skating. But there were little things that kept jumping at me now and then.
It took me a little while to get into the story because the beginning is a little slow - at least it felt that way compared to the previous book - and then this big thing happened and for a great chunk that followed the story kept going round and round about this thing.
While I was reading it didn't bother me (at least at first), but when I think about it, it was kind of the same situation repeating itself: Sergei did something rashly (but with good intentions), Emily was shaken and unsure about it, Sergei was largely unaware of the effect of his actions on Em.
And that was probably my biggest issue with the book: I didn't like Sergei very much for most of this book, he came off as thoughtless (though well meaning), and having loved him on Life on the Edge, it was kind of hard.
I did like that I could see Em growing up a bit more, and that she didn't treat lightly the situations she was going through.
Bottom Line: Maybe there was a lot of drama in this book and I wasn't expecting it, but I didn't enjoy this Edge of the Past as much as I thought I would. I still enjoy the series very much, and I'm happy to hear there might be a third book because I like the characters, the world and the writing. It's just that maybe I was expecting too much of this one.
2/3
This review is part of a blog tour hosted by I'm a Reader Not a Writer, and there is a Tour Giveaway, just scroll down to see it.
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Nineteen-year-old Emily is new to pairs skating, but she and her partner Chris have a big dream–to be the first American team to win Olympic gold. Their young coach Sergei, who left Russia after a mysterious end to his skating career, believes they can break through and make history.
Emily and Chris are on track to be top contenders at the 2002 Winter Games. But when forbidden feelings spark between Emily and Sergei, broken trust and an unexpected enemy threaten to derail Emily’s dreams of gold.
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Emily's skating career and personal life have never been more golden. She and her partner Chris have won every competition they've entered this season, and she's found the man of her dreams in her coach Sergei. But when one of the biggest competitions of the year takes Emily and Sergei to Russia, Sergei's past explodes into the present and makes Emily doubt everything in their future.
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