4.5 stars (rating it a 5 on GR)
I love this book!
What a journey! I finished the book and my first thought was to go back and read it all again. Yes, it was that good!
The only reason why I removed a half-star is only because of the audiobook which was great, but sounded a little different than expected. It took some time to get used to but I still like it. I still can’t get over the plot twist!
Overall a well crafted book and I really recommend it.

The cold is not alive. Stay the frost. Watch the Chasm

This was a really fun and the top 60% was a fire sale read for me. I was IMMERSED in the top half of this book. The characters, the situations and circumstances. Wow it had me in a chokehold. I had a little pacing lul in the latter half and then it picked right up for me again.

I have some questions that I believe the answers to will be "suspend disbelief" if I want to feel harmony with this book. One of these things is that our main character, Dawsyn, is an incredible fighter but she grew up impoverished and malnourished. I can totally jive with her being a provider and a hard worker but axe wielding tree feller does not a warrior make. I have decided to suspend disbelief and choose to believe that she was born with the gift of unaliving because it helps.

I like the MMC enough. Hes hot, forbidden, enemies to lovers baddie that is obviously loves him a little ankle biter human with an axe however I need more. I need to understand him more, get him a little more fleshed out. I am expecting more from the next book. I am interested in the cliffhanger and the circumstances leading up to it.

I am unsure where book two will be heading. My bloodhound reading abilities are telling me that we have to overthrow yet another kingdom and band together our gang of weary misfits to stitch together a new kingdom. There will be trials and tribulations, hopefully more Rayson (ship name?) spice. All in all I am pretty here for what comes next.

Some fun quotes:


Ryon spits out a mouthful of snow. “Fucking hell,” he says darkly, eyes drinking her in. He stands cautiously, body now tense. Dawsyn recognizes the stance of a fighter – she holds the same one. “That wasn’t very nice.”

“You wagered that I’d beg you to take me into those skies,” she counters. “In this moment, Ryon Mesrich, which of us seems more likely to start begging?”

“I intend to do whatever the fuck I want with it.” And she is gone.

“You weren’t born for the Ledge, Dawsyn Sabar,” she says, curiously eyeing her hand. “You will decide what you were born for.”

A dark, atmospheric start to The Glacian Trilogy, plunging readers into a brutal, icy world where survival is a relentless fight. Following the fierce heroine Dawsyn, whose strength and determination make her unforgettable, the story combines harsh landscapes, suspenseful twists, and complex alliances in a tale as chilling as it is captivating. McEwan’s raw world-building and gripping plot set the stage for an epic trilogy, making Ledge a must-read for fans of gritty, character-driven fantasy.

The way that Stacey McEwan set up the world building in just the first two chapters was incredible. It felt like I was there viewing the world through our main character's eyes. I am not the biggest fantasy / sci fi fan, but this book definitely sucked me in and left me wanting more. Definitely adding this book to my immediate TBR to see what happens next!

I really liked the idea of this book, but I feel like the characters were hard for me to connect with and the story felt a little slow for me.

Ledge
By Stacey McEwan

The only downside of this read was that it was a sample. I was completely riveted by the world building and plot of this story. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the full book and then follow on to the next in the series!

Thank you Netgalley and Stacey McEwan for this sample!

A pretty good intro to the book. A good way to get people to want more of Darwyn’s story. The sampler is a good way for people to get a glimpse into the book to see if it is something they would be interested in reading more of.

fantasy fall is here and is staying for winter!

umm first i need a sec to find the words this may be a chaotic review. I was drawn into this world, honestly the beginning is very nordic/war vibes and it just sucks you in. I would advise to read trigger warnings but overall a great start to the series. The world building was epic and did kind of go south as the story moved on.

Ryon is ahh so sexy hehe if your a fan of bat-winged mmc this for youuuu spice level is like 2/5 and Dawsyn is this stealthy badass of an FMC also theres a scene where she sees the sea/water for the first time and OMGG the writing was beautiful just so many little things I loved abt the world Ledge brings

the ending crushedddd me and i will be picking up book 2

I am absolutely hooked by this sample of Ledge by Stacey McEwan and can't wait to read the full book! Thank you!

Well, that was very sneaky, allowing me to read a sampler that ends just when things are getting really interesting so I have to go buy the book even though I promised my partner I would stick to library books this month!

I’ve been interested in the Glacian Trilogy since I first heard of it when Angry Robot started hyping up Valley on Instagram, but it’s hard for me to decide to buy the first in a series if I’m not at least pretty sure I’ll be into it. I think a couple chapters is enough to give most people a good idea and it’s far more effective than Amazon samples because those just start at the very beginning and cut off whenever, so you often end up with only a couple pages of the actual story.

I like that Ledge starts off mysteriously. I want to know more about this oppressive world and I want to know who the heck the Glacians are. I want to know what happens to the humans when they are taken! I have to go now, so I can find out.

Whoops, my bad! I didn’t double-check if I was diving into a full book or just a sample😭 well, i read the first 2 chapters and I was kind of hooked by the opening chapters . would've liked to read more tbh😮‍💨

thank you Netgalley for the eARc!

#ExclusiveSamplerofLedge #NetGalley

3.5 stars
Ledge is a solid start to The Glacian Trilogy that offers a unique blend of fantasy and survival elements. The setting is one of the book’s strongest points—it’s harsh, unforgiving, and vividly described, which really pulls you into the world. The plot itself is engaging, full of tension, and has just the right amount of mystery to keep you turning the pages.

The main character is strong and determined, and I appreciated her resilience in such a brutal environment. However, I found some of the secondary characters to be a bit underdeveloped, and there were moments where I wanted to know more about their backstories or motivations. That said, the relationships that form over the course of the book are interesting and add emotional depth to the story.

While the pacing was generally good, there were a few sections where things slowed down a little too much for my liking. However, the action-packed moments and surprising twists definitely made up for it, keeping the story fresh and exciting.

Overall, Ledge delivers an enjoyable and immersive reading experience. It’s a promising start to the trilogy, and I’m curious to see where the next book takes the story. If you’re into survival stories with a touch of fantasy and intrigue, this one’s worth a read!

This feedback is for only the opening passages of the book. Because I have not read the entire thing, I will not be reviewing this on Goodreads at this time. Should I read the book in its entirety, it will be reviewed in full.

This was a good opener for a fantasy. We get to really feel the main character's life and solitude on this ledge as well as the difficulty of her life and the fears she carries with her. I enjoyed the descriptions of the casualness but still tenderness of her companionship.

As far as world building, it's new so it's strange to visualize. The author does describe the situation well, as well as the constant fear and confusion of the people in this village. By keeping the main character mostly in the dark, it makes the world building easy for the reader because we will be able to learn more about it as the main character does rather than an information dump (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).

There are a few odd moments for me - for instance the main character who presumably has never seen a modern day jail cell describes one in a comparison. I also found it discouraging that the main character spends a day chopping wood and then doesn't eat or sleep. I can understand getting distracted or swept up in what you're doing/passionate about, but she is doing hard labor. Her body needs both rest and nourishment.

I have followed the author for a while and have heard her talk about her book before. So reading this snippet was great! The story sounds original and the start of an exciting new series.

From this small excerpt I've read, I will definitely add the book/series to my TBR. It's well-written and I like the world it is set in.

I just devoured this sampler in a matter of minutes. I don’t think I’ve ever been so hooked by a book in a mere TWO chapters. That was insane.

The writing style is quite unique and I’m interested to see if it works for the novel, because as far as a short story goes, it all worked really well. But it might get repetitive or feel too rushed for a bigger piece.

I’m off to buy Ledge asap. Please give this one a read!

I am way behind on this series. I actually put off reading it because i wasn’t ready for another fantasy type series. I listened to the audiobook while driving and at dinner yesterday.
The beginning was a bit slow for me. I know we needed it to see how awful the ledge and life itself on it was. Honestly, I think they could have made this into a duology if a lot of the musings on the ledge and escape to the valley had been edited down. Don’t get me wrong….i still enjoyed the book. I just am really tired of trilogies in fantasy. 👿
I will still be reading the second and third books so I guess it didn’t affect me too badly.

First chapters were great! Can't wait to grab this book now. Thank you the arc NetGalley!

I follow the author on Instagram and am so excited to read this whole series.

I have only read the first couple of pages from the sample I have and I am already hooked and desperately want to purchase the book to find out what happens!

This book is such a refreshing take on a unique storyline.

The beginning of this book really pulled me in. Stacey's writing was full of roughness and depth. As the book went on though I feel that the story lost a lot of what I loved about the beginning of the book. The characters lost that depth I loved and the story's plot because more disheveled. I think that had the battle scene been kept for the second book; this way, the plot would have been able to keep the same depth without adding a ton of length. This book was really close to 5 stars for me and I think this is was kept me from giving it the final star.