Release-Day Review: Edged Blade by J.C. Daniels (Colbana Files #4)

Edged Blade (Colbana Files #4)
J.C. Daniels
Published: Feb. 3, 2015 (Shiloh Walker)
Purchase: Amazon
Review source: copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Margaret

Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it does make reference to previous books in the series. If you haven’t started yet, check out VBC’s review of Blade Song.

In the previous Colbana Files books, Kit’s friend Justin had started to investigate rumors about “the Hospital,” a covert institution that claims to cure non-humans. He’s discovered that witches are disappearing and asks for Kit’s help to track them down. They learn that vampires and shifters have gone missing as well, and now both groups want to help with their case. But the more they uncover, the less they can tell whom to trust. And someone is eliminating everyone who knows about the disappearances.

I have some mixed feelings about Edged Blade. First of all, I’m reasonably happy with where the story is going and the way that Kit’s character is developing. It’s been almost a year since the traumatic events at the end of Night Blade and Kit is finally starting to get control of her fears. She’s able to be in a room full of vampires without having a panic attack, which is important for her to be able to do her job. More importantly, she wants her relationship with Damon to get back to where it was before her ordeal. Though it turns out he still has some issues to work through.

I like that Kit’s getting involved with Damon and the rest of the cat clan again. I especially enjoyed her scenes with Chang, Damon’s right hand man, who’s always been kind of mysterious. Kit seemed to finally break down his walls a little bit and get to know him better. But I wish she had had some on-the-page bonding time with Doyle as well (because he’s my favorite cat). Though I did really like her new friend Abraham who helps Kit and Justin with their investigation.

I also really enjoyed Kit using her aneira powers again. There’s a great sequence where she infiltrates a building and takes down the guards while she’s invisible. She’s also bonding with her weapons again and talking about them as though they are alive. She’s still not able to hear their songs like she did before, but she’s starting to get her old self back at least in terms of her martial skills, which is exciting.

I did have a few issues with the book though. One of the other people Kit meets in the course of the investigation is Damon’s ex. Given the information that’s revealed about her at the end of the book, not all of her earlier actions made sense to me. (Though it looks like she’ll still be around to explain herself in the next book.)

Because it turns out that the case is much bigger than anyone expected, I kind of feel like nothing is resolved at the end of the book. That’s not really true—some of the plot threads are wrapped up. It’s just that when I got to the end, I wasn’t satisfied. I felt like this book was just a bridge to get the next one where all my questions will be answered.

My biggest complaint, however, is that I often felt like the narrative was choppy. One scene didn’t always flow smoothly into the next. I found it jarring and sometimes disorienting enough that I had to re-read to figure out what happened. I don’t remember having that experience with any of the Colbana Files books before.

I am still really looking forward to the next book. I need to find out what Kit’s surprise visitor in the last scene has in store for her and how her relationships with Damon and the cats progress.

Sexual content: sex