Ledge: The Glacian Trilogy, Book I
Ledge is the heart-stopping beginning to The Glacian Trilogy from TikTok sensation Stacey McEwan
After being randomly selected as a human sacrifice, instead of death, Dawsyn finds herself on a quest to save her people from their icy prison...
In a place known as the Ledge, a civilization is trapped by a vast chasm and sheer mountain face. There is no way for anyone to escape the frozen wasteland without befalling a deathly drop. They know nothing of the outside world except that it is where the Glacians reside – mystical and vicious winged creatures who bring meagre rations in exchange for a periodic human sacrifice.
Dawsyn, ax wielder and only remaining member of her family, has so far avoided the annual culling, but her luck has run out. She is chosen and ripped from her icy home, the only world she knows. No one knows what will happen to her on the other side, least of all Dawsyn. Murdered? Enslaved? Worse?
Fortunately, a half-Glacian called Ryon offers to help them both escape, but how can she trust one of the very creatures that plagued her life? Dawsyn is a survivor, and she is not afraid to cut anyone down to live.
With a slow-burning romance, high stakes and even higher rewards, this richly created new fantasy series by popular TikToker Stacey McEwan will keep you gripped to the very end.
File Under: Fantasy [ Ax-ing For It | The Cold Is Not Alive | Finding Freedom | Ledge-hanger ]
*Content warnings* gratuitous violence & death; death of a minor; suicide; attempted sexual assault
After being randomly selected as a human sacrifice, instead of death, Dawsyn finds herself on a quest to save her people from their icy prison...
In a place known as the Ledge, a civilization is trapped by a vast chasm and sheer mountain face. There is no way for anyone to escape the frozen wasteland without befalling a deathly drop. They know nothing of the outside world except that it is where the Glacians reside – mystical and vicious winged creatures who bring meagre rations in exchange for a periodic human sacrifice.
Dawsyn, ax wielder and only remaining member of her family, has so far avoided the annual culling, but her luck has run out. She is chosen and ripped from her icy home, the only world she knows. No one knows what will happen to her on the other side, least of all Dawsyn. Murdered? Enslaved? Worse?
Fortunately, a half-Glacian called Ryon offers to help them both escape, but how can she trust one of the very creatures that plagued her life? Dawsyn is a survivor, and she is not afraid to cut anyone down to live.
With a slow-burning romance, high stakes and even higher rewards, this richly created new fantasy series by popular TikToker Stacey McEwan will keep you gripped to the very end.
File Under: Fantasy [ Ax-ing For It | The Cold Is Not Alive | Finding Freedom | Ledge-hanger ]
*Content warnings* gratuitous violence & death; death of a minor; suicide; attempted sexual assault
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Community Reviews
Stacy McEwan's first book in the Glacian Trilogy, Ledge had me all excited because the premise sounds delightful. We've got ourselves what sounds like a strong, independent female lead, who seemingly through sheer determination and no-nonsense attitude must overcome an adversity that has led to many a death before. No one has scaled the Ledge, and now Dawsyn, with the help of Ryon, decides that she will not, in fact, die as she gets to the other side of the cliff.
While it seemed extremely appealing at first, the plot fizzles out as the narrative progresses - and this is mainly because the lack of depth plagues the storyline, the characters, the villainy - all of it! It desperately needs more thought put into it to not read like a pitch to what could be a good story. The world-building too could use some work - especially in building the mythos of the story's universe - how does the magic system work, what is the primary religion and how does it align with the magic etc etc. And the dialogue too, could use a bit more complexity than characters simply saying, 'Damn' or 'Fucking hell'
Dawsyn, although I did like her in the beginning, loses her likability because later on, she just comes across as a 2 dimensional mean girl that can wield an ax.
Overall, as far as a YA fantasy is concerned, this one is strictly okay and giving it a miss wouldn't cause any regrets. I give it a 2.5 stars rounded down because it just doesn't warrant 3 stars.
While it seemed extremely appealing at first, the plot fizzles out as the narrative progresses - and this is mainly because the lack of depth plagues the storyline, the characters, the villainy - all of it! It desperately needs more thought put into it to not read like a pitch to what could be a good story. The world-building too could use some work - especially in building the mythos of the story's universe - how does the magic system work, what is the primary religion and how does it align with the magic etc etc. And the dialogue too, could use a bit more complexity than characters simply saying, 'Damn' or 'Fucking hell'
Dawsyn, although I did like her in the beginning, loses her likability because later on, she just comes across as a 2 dimensional mean girl that can wield an ax.
Overall, as far as a YA fantasy is concerned, this one is strictly okay and giving it a miss wouldn't cause any regrets. I give it a 2.5 stars rounded down because it just doesn't warrant 3 stars.
Characters, plot, writing, banter, this story was absolutely FANTASTIC!! Why aren't more people talking about this?!?
As someone who normally doesn't care about the romance in a book, the dynamic between the love interests was perfect! We don't have a damsel in distress and we don't have a perfect hero, and the twists had me running out of annotation tabs.
My favorite moments involved the once secluded individual discovering the world for the first time, observing her environment through such confused eyes. Fun attention to detail!
That ending was gut wrenching so I'm jumping straight into book 2 now!
When you delve into the details, a lot of this book just seemed super implausible. The ending was wild though, like I feel like the betrayal from Ryon was expected low key but there's no way he's dead right???
Stay the frost.
The Cold is not alive.
Watch the Chasm.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I did receive a physical ARC from the wonderful folks over at Angry Robot Books to read and review. (I should perhaps mention that I begged for it, lol) Also, above are quotes I took from the uncorrected ARC, so they may be altered or not included in the final published copy, but they do represent the feeling of the mantra, so I've included them.
Stacey McEwan takes center stage in the fantasy romance arena with her debut novel, LEDGE - the start of The Glacian Trilogy. I have really been missing out on this subgenre because I thought fantasy romance would be all smut and light on the fantasy. It's quite the opposite, actually - which opens up a whole new world of book options for this little bookworm.
What's it about? Our main character, Dawsyn, was born and raised on The Ledge, which is described in the quote above. Cold, isolated, and trapped, this civilization struggles to survive each day...only to possibly be "Selected" on the day of culling that arrives each season. In fact, Dawsyn and the other inhabitants would not survive at all if not for the Glacians, great winged creatures, who bring them rations sporadically. Of course, the Glacians are the ones responsible to herding and therefore trapping these people on this frigid wasteland in the first place.
The day comes that Dawsyn, the last remaining member of her family, is Selected by a Glacian. The people of The Ledge always assumed being Selected meant certain death, but Dawsyn is astounded to find out that's not the case - well, not always. Dawsyn is able to escape the Glacians with the help of a half-Glacian named Ryon and so our adventure begins.
I absolutely *lived* for the interactions between Dawsyn and Ryon. Yes, you can probably guess this is our featured romance plotline, but it's such an enjoyable one. These two are so full of snark and sass. I love that Dawsyn was not a damsel in distress, nor was Ryon brooding 98% of the novel - both were strong characters who did what needed doing. It's so nice to have a story every now and again where there's no second guessing and insecurity - these characters just acted.
This first book is light on magic, but what magic is introduced is intriguing and...well, as much as I'd like to discuss predictions, they would be spoilers. I have a feeling this will get expanded on in the subsequent novels in the series and I'm looking forward to learning more about it. Honestly, the plotlines for Dawsyn and Ryon were what held my interest the most. (Other than when they interacted with each other, lol) Again, I won't mention what those specific plotlines are so readers can delight in learning of them as they read the novel.
I loved the distinction of the settings between The Ledge and where Dawsyn escapes to, Terrsaw. Stacey McEwan wrote descriptions that made you feel the biting cold of The Ledge and the warmth of the sunshine in Terrsaw. World building was kept pretty small here, but the area is blocked in between the mountainous area by The Ledge and an ocean, so the people are currently unable to move from this area of the world.
I'm looking forward to the next book in this series to see what comes next in this tale. There were some very interesting bits of information revealed that should provide for some excellent reading enjoyment plot-wise and I am eager to see where we go from here.
"...because sometimes, when the cold tells her to jump into the fire, to submerge in boiling water, to bury herself in the bodies of the dead, she wants to listen."
The Cold is not alive.
"The Ledge is nothing more than a precipice, a flat cropping upon the mountainside. The hostages who live there never leave, for the Ledge is perched against the edge of a great Chasm, dividing the mountain in two. A Chasm so deep, the bottom cannot be seen. Its edges as deadly as its fall.
Watch the Chasm.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I did receive a physical ARC from the wonderful folks over at Angry Robot Books to read and review. (I should perhaps mention that I begged for it, lol) Also, above are quotes I took from the uncorrected ARC, so they may be altered or not included in the final published copy, but they do represent the feeling of the mantra, so I've included them.
Stacey McEwan takes center stage in the fantasy romance arena with her debut novel, LEDGE - the start of The Glacian Trilogy. I have really been missing out on this subgenre because I thought fantasy romance would be all smut and light on the fantasy. It's quite the opposite, actually - which opens up a whole new world of book options for this little bookworm.
What's it about? Our main character, Dawsyn, was born and raised on The Ledge, which is described in the quote above. Cold, isolated, and trapped, this civilization struggles to survive each day...only to possibly be "Selected" on the day of culling that arrives each season. In fact, Dawsyn and the other inhabitants would not survive at all if not for the Glacians, great winged creatures, who bring them rations sporadically. Of course, the Glacians are the ones responsible to herding and therefore trapping these people on this frigid wasteland in the first place.
The day comes that Dawsyn, the last remaining member of her family, is Selected by a Glacian. The people of The Ledge always assumed being Selected meant certain death, but Dawsyn is astounded to find out that's not the case - well, not always. Dawsyn is able to escape the Glacians with the help of a half-Glacian named Ryon and so our adventure begins.
I absolutely *lived* for the interactions between Dawsyn and Ryon. Yes, you can probably guess this is our featured romance plotline, but it's such an enjoyable one. These two are so full of snark and sass. I love that Dawsyn was not a damsel in distress, nor was Ryon brooding 98% of the novel - both were strong characters who did what needed doing. It's so nice to have a story every now and again where there's no second guessing and insecurity - these characters just acted.
This first book is light on magic, but what magic is introduced is intriguing and...well, as much as I'd like to discuss predictions, they would be spoilers. I have a feeling this will get expanded on in the subsequent novels in the series and I'm looking forward to learning more about it. Honestly, the plotlines for Dawsyn and Ryon were what held my interest the most. (Other than when they interacted with each other, lol) Again, I won't mention what those specific plotlines are so readers can delight in learning of them as they read the novel.
I loved the distinction of the settings between The Ledge and where Dawsyn escapes to, Terrsaw. Stacey McEwan wrote descriptions that made you feel the biting cold of The Ledge and the warmth of the sunshine in Terrsaw. World building was kept pretty small here, but the area is blocked in between the mountainous area by The Ledge and an ocean, so the people are currently unable to move from this area of the world.
I'm looking forward to the next book in this series to see what comes next in this tale. There were some very interesting bits of information revealed that should provide for some excellent reading enjoyment plot-wise and I am eager to see where we go from here.
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