I received this sample from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for this review.

I loved this sample so much that I instantly added the first book (of which this is the opening chapters) and the second to my TBR. While I haven't finished beyond this sample yet - I have not stopped thinking about the premise: A community of people living in a freezing icy village, hopeless, with no escape and as futile as their existence seems, the threat looms of death during the yearly culling where a member of the community is selected as sacrifice.

It is so different to anything I've read in a long time, plus the fact that it is a trilogy means it is bound to be a thrilling experience - my only reason for holding off thus far is because it's a trilogy. I will be binger-reading these three books as soon as book 3 releases next month!

I recently started following the author on her socials and have been getting more interested in her books. This sample was the perfect amount to convince me that I need to add her books to my TBR. I loved the feeling of despair that is instant in these 2 chapters but that Dawsyn is a small flame just waiting. Can't wait to read more!

In the haste of reading about this book I did miss that it was a sampler. The two chapters are good and I think I will read the whole book at some point.

I received this sample and was enthusiastic to read it (after all, who doesn't love Stacey McEwan?!) However, I just couldn't immerse myself into the book: the descriptions felt quite lacking and some didn't make sense. Sadly, I don't think I'll continue with the book.

I was glad to have found this sampler of this book. Getting a taste of this sensational book that everyone is talking about finally gives me a reason to go and get myself a copy. Definitely worth my time reading.

Stacey McEwan gives us fantastic world-building and imagery. The world is described beautifully. Reading Ledge literally made me feel the cold! The storyline and characters are top-notch qnd stand out from your usual fantasy romance. It's dark and utterly delicious!

Honestly the first two chapters are compelling but they leave much of the book unknown, with that being the case I cannot decide if to purchase the book or not for our members as I do not know if the rest of the story is good or not. I also did not feel drawn in enough during the first two chapters to feel the need to purchase the book to see how it ends.

Love the segment of this book it has definitely intrigued me into buying the whole story. I liked the prose and use of descriptive/metaphorical writing, and I think the beginning line really helps draw the reader in. Including hints about the character and her past (ie childhood) in the first chapter really helps draw the reader in and made me intrigued from the get go.

This sample from the Ledge seems to be the start of a promising new book series. With a focus on survival and the struggles of an isolated society, I can see some of the main issues in the novel emerging in the first chapters.
Although some of the new terminology was confusing, as we did not have time to fully learn about this new setting, I can see the seeds of strong world building.

I particularly liked that the author focused on man vs nature (or more accurately, man vs cold). The struggle of surviving in cold temperatures is especially poignant when the characters seem to live in a society that discourages co-operation. The people fight, steal and kill when the Drop occurs. They cannot trust their neighbours or rely on one another for survival. This is a strong set up and I can definitely see the link to books like The Hunger Games.

I look forward to reading more from Stacy McEwan!

I read only but a sample of the book “Ledge.” It’s not a fully formed story yet so I’m not quite sure what it’s trying to say with the author’s choice of words and setting. This book starts ominously feeling like an Arctic fantasy with elements of The Hunger Games, but for Adult audiences rather than a YA version. The story became interesting when the FMC visited her neighbor, Hector. Their relationship, history and interactions were intriguing. The book so far has caught my attention enough to want to know more. I’d definitely continue reading. Some books need to be read at least 50% of the way through to know if it’s going to be your best or worst book. It truly depends on the pacing of the book. I get the feeling there’s something big looming like the FMC will soon be selected by the Glacians and find out exactly what the humans purpose is and the origins of the Chasm. There’s a foreboding tone just simmering. I don’t agree with certain word choices. There were many times the author chose peculiar words that didn’t fit as if they used a thesaurus plucking obscure words. It started to become distracting to the story. Overall, I enjoyed this sample and am willing to keep reading. I am fairly forgiving because I recognize not all works are perfect and quite a lot of time and effort goes into writing. My favorite line from the book is “Perhaps there are worst things than death.”

This snippet was easy to get into and seems like a very cool set up for a promising fantasy read! Really liked the tone.

I read the first two chapters of Ledge as an exclusive sample from Netgalley.
I will definitely be reading the rest.
Ledge gets straight into the action, skillfully world building and amping up pace and tension at the same time.
Our main character is likeable, relatable and an excellent example of a strong female character.
I'm excited to read the rest of the book.

With only the first few chapters, it’s hard to properly review and rate this.

The pros:
-I can clearly imagine this world. Her use of imagery allows me to see, feel, smell, and hear it.
-This clearly is dystopian and I love dystopian novels.

The cons:
-I wasn’t invested in the FMC by the end of chapter 2. Normally I am. However, the chapters are very short and I maybe could have with more chapters.

Overall, it’s not bad. It’s just hard to gauge with two chapters.

Well, I decided to give this book a go because of the hype, really.
Probably I shouldn't have;
I'll be very honest: I don't think there is anything essentially wrong with this book or with Stacey McEwan's writing, whatosever. This is simply not a book for my personal taste and preference.
Even though I did enjoy the dystopia side, the fantasy and romance were too much for my taste, so I never could fully enjoy the story or be engaged with the characters.
Again, not the book's fault. I'm just not the proper audience for it.

I encountered this author randomly on TikTok. She posted a video that made me laugh so hard that I immediately shared it with all of my friends (it was the one where if a genie offered you three wishes what would you do). Since this video I've followed her, and I've seen Ledge featured in the BookTok community. However, I've read some of the BookTok books and have been left slightly disappointed and so I'm sometimes a bit hesitant to go all-in on a book/series. This sampler was a great way for me to get a taste of what her writing style is about, and to determine if I want to read her stories (spoiler: I do); not only is Stacey McEwan a very funny (and relatable internet) person, but she is a very talented author. What a great way to help get me more excited about a series and I can't wait to actually sit down with the full copy of Ledge and its sequel.

Thanks Angry robot and Netgalley for this ARC of Ledge by Stacey McEwan

I was so excited to receive this ARC as I've seen talk of this all over tiktok, and I was really getting into the story, but I'll be honest, As much as I loved the premise, the blurb. I love fantasy, I love the dystopian nature of this story, a sampler is just not enough for me to give a review and this why I struggled to give this a higher rating, unfortunately.

Phew sign me up, from these first few chapters I already love Dawsyn. She's a badass willing to fight for what's hers. Excuse me while I run off to Amazon to purchase the whole book.

I really loved the world building and the characters in Ledge. Dawsyn is a wonderful mfc to read and I can’t wait to dive into book 2.

I felt like this was a book that set an expectation and met, if not superseded it, in the best way.

It is YA so that should be kept in mind for readers, but I don’t think that takes away from it.

This is the story of a girl named Dawsyn who’s lived her whole life on a small slice of land called the Ledge. And every season, these beings called Glacians steal away some of the humans.

Dawsyn gets taken and things don’t go as expected and Dawsyn (who’s also a badass ax wielder by the way) meets Ryon along the way. Together they set out on a journey that upturns a lot of interesting secrets.

That was kind of a bad summary and things are a lot more complex than that but I don’t want to give away spoilers and I feel like there are so many unexpected turns that summarization can be a slippery slope.

I have been on the fence about reading this series for a while now, as I love the author on Instagram but I also have quite the TBR stack to read. This sampler is such a great idea and really helped me prioritize reading this series in a way that didn't require my full investment right off the bat, while still getting me hooked! I can't wait to read the rest of the book/other books in the series! I will be posting reviews on both my instagram @/briellesbookshelves and my GoodReads account.

Ledge - 4.75 ⭐️
Dawsyn grew up on a ledge with harsh snowy conditions and minimal resources. Their village on the ledge is forced to endure their loved ones being sacrificed one at a time. Dawsyn is taken by the winged creatures called Glacians and finds out what happens to those who are chosen.

Such a quick read and couldn’t put it down! Dawsyn goes through a lot very quickly, and the book is fast paced. She learns so much about the Glacian’s, the circumstances of her village, and the rest of the world. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about that world alongside her. The romance is good, and I’m invested in their relationship. That cliffhanger though! Be glad book 2 is already out!