Valley, the third and final book in the Glacian Trilogy by Stacey McEwan, is a thrilling conclusion that pulls you through a whirlwind of emotions. Following Dawsyn and her band of allies as they strive to liberate the people of the Ledge, take down the corrupt queen, and dethrone the new Glacian king, all while seeking a way to destroy the pool of Iskra without sacrificing herself, this book is packed with heart-wrenching moments of hopelessness, betrayal, and jaw-dropping plot twists. The introduction of new and pivotal characters added even more depth to this already rich fantasy world.

The story kept me hooked from start to finish, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new fantasy adventure. That said, I’m giving this book 4 stars because there were moments when the pacing dragged, and I believe a few scenes could have been trimmed to make the story a bit tighter. Additionally, I love Ryon and Dawsyn, so I was left wanting more of their romance, especially after the big reveal about their relationship.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this book before its release and for being a part of the promotion of this epic trilogy!

This is the final instalment in the Glacian Trilogy. Overall the plot over the three books is highly satisfying. Our FMC Dawsyn continues on an epic quest, now with followers and responsibilities. I enjoyed having the POV of another formidable FMC, the Queen, this added another dynamic to the story. This book definitely has less romance, there are a few bits of it but this was definitely in the background to conclude the plot, which did upset me slightly as I wanted more. Also, initially the start is slow, but the writing is great, you are in that Chasm and feeling for these people. After about 40% the plot picks up. The epilogue was fantastic at the end. Definitely a great series. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Valley is the third and final book in the Glacian triology. What a fantastic conclusion to this amazing story! If you like reading strong female characters with an amazing plot you should definitely pick this series. Thanks to Netgalley and Angry Robot for the arc.

Valley by Stacey McEwan ARC Review

5/5⭐️

“All things find a way back home.”

This is the final book in the Glacian Trilogy which will be releasing on the 10th of September 2024. Firstly I want to say thank you to Stacey McEwan , NetGalley and Angry Robots for giving me the opportunity to read Valley as an ARC from the NetGalley page. When I found out I got approved for this I was screaming and crying at the same time. So thank you!

Some amazing features of this book:
- Romantasy
- Strong FMC
- Epic adventure
- Enemies to lovers
- Found family
- Unique fantasy world
- Multi POV’s
- Plot twists and turns

This was an epic conclusion to this trilogy, I had a roller coaster of emotions from the first page. This book was action packed with so many heartbreaking and heartfelt moments that has left me with a massive book hangover.

I love Dawsyn and Ryon’s relationship and the struggles they have had to face and overcome. Dawsyn is such a fearsome and selfless character. The spicy scenes were very well written and with a healthy amount of them throughout. Throughout the entire book I felt as if I was right there alongside the characters, walking with them, feeling their pain. The authors writing was brilliant!

I really enjoyed the lore in this book, there were a few scenes where it highlighted how the truth can be lost over time and how different cultures end up with different myths and tales. The Multi POV’s provided amazing insight and further developed the plot, especially with Yennes POV! The twists!

The ending was so beautiful it made me cry like a baby. The last chapter was such a heartbreaking conclusion to this trilogy, it was so perfect for Dawsyn and Ryon and all their friends and family. This is one of my favourite trilogy’s I have ever read!

Valley is being releasing 10/9/24 so make sure to check it out!

Wonderful, the fantastic conclusion. I think I enjoyed the best out of the trilogy. Strong women, politics, action and magic..
Thank you to the author for a great series. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

One thing I have loved about the writing style js that the beginning of the next book begins exactly where the last book ended. It puts you right back into the thick of it and it makes the story flow and feel seamless.

One thing I struggled with slightly with this book was the information dump. The previous books gave small snippets throughout but never gave away much detail. This final book went into much more detail and gave various POV’s. We were finally given the puzzle pieces to put the information together but due to it all being given in the same book it took a while to put it all together. However, it was still an enjoyable read to discover and find out the past.

The ending of the story I think could have benefitted being stretched out a little further. After all the hardships suffered in the Chasm, I wanted more moments of happiness specifically between the friendships and found family.
Although this, I loved how brief the epilogue ended things, again you weren’t given much I detail but given the puzzle pieces to fit together yourself.

For me every book in this series has sat at a very solid 3 star rating, it is rare to find a series where each book you’ve enjoyed at the same level.
Overall I was happy and content with how the story ended.

A very satisfying ending to a solid debut romantasy trilogy. Definitely worth the online/booktok hype!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC.

This was much better than I anticipated. The second hook just did nothing for me but I committed to the series so had to finish it and I AM SO GLAD I DID

In this final installment Dawsyn and Ryon are fighting for both of their people against the Glacians. Dawsyn is stuck between two horrible monarchs and she must save the people of the ledge and fight to find a safe space for everyone. With the help of their allies they must fight against the clock to survive.

Valley is the final book in the Ledge trilogy and so it had a lot of plot points to merge together to wrap up the series and it wove them beautifully. There was background information on characters that was quite interesting. The world building of the ledge, valley and chasm and the lore surrounding the humans, mages and Glacians is well realized and I found it quite captivating. I loved finishing the series and feeling pleased with the outcome. I recommend all three books and plan on reading them all again in the future.

8.5/10

An excellent conclusion to the trilogy. While this entry did begin a bit slow it continued to pick up steam throughout and never tapped the brakes. I really enjoyed the continued development of many of the characters, and of course the ever present humor. (If you follow Stacey McEwan on Instagram you know exactly what I mean.) Beyond that though the plot of the trilogy really came together to, what I think, was a very fitting ending here. There was one character at the end I would have liked to hear more about but for the most part I was very satisfied with the ending. There were also a couple twists, one big one, that I definitely did not see coming, and when they were revealed I obviously found myself lying in bed going "Ok well now I need to read one more chapter!" so yea, thanks for the lack of sleep I guess Stacey...

I have said this before but I will reiterate it again for the conclusion of the trilogy here; I love that this is a romantasy book, but that it is one that regular fantasy readers or guys can find a lot love about as well. Yes romance is one of the major plot directions, but there is so much more than just that. There is also great world building, history/lore, characters, humor, action, and so much more. That is what makes The Glacian Trilogy my kind of romance read, I mean let's be real everyone enjoys a good romantic plot, some of us, like me, just don't enjoy when it is the only major plot, and that is exactly what makes this series great for us.

I was very lucky to receive an ARC of this book. Valley is the last book in the Glacian trilogy, that sees the conclusion of Dawsyn and Ryon's story. As per the last two books, this is a slower paced book, more of a journey than constant action and excitement. The writing is excellent (per usual). This book picks up with Dawsyn, Ryon, their friends and the ledge people having escaped the ledge and now in the Chasm looking to journey to the end and to freedom. Now with the Glacians and the human queen chasing them, they struggle through the darkness, famine and insanity of the chasm. I enjoyed this book, thought it was a good conclusion. I am happy we got more of Yennes story, that was unexpected. I think that it could have been a little shorter of a book, but with this world and characters, I don't mind staying in it longer either.

This was a beautiful ending to the trilogy. I cried and laughed multiple times through out. I loved reading the alternating POV of Yennes and learning her story. Heartbreaking but so good.

A great conclusion to this epic Trilogy! I loved all the characters in these books and the world building was great!

“Ryon sighs too. "What I wouldn't give," he whispers, moving his mouth to her ear, "to fly you away."

“A princess made a monster.
And now a monster made a princess.”

"We'll make it, malishka" he says, lips glancing her neck.
Dawsyn shivers again. "Whatever comes?"
She feels him grimace. "Whatever comes."

"I felt something cut its way into my chest and bind around my heart, and you've lived within me ever since. Wherever I go, it remains, and it seeks you out. Nothing feels right unless I can see you, hear your voice."

When I started this book, I didn’t know how to feel. There is a sense of completion and dread at knowing that you are about to read the last book in a series. And when the series is one you loved very much … those two feelings are quite hard to ignore, constantly battling each other out for dominance. Dawsyn and Ryon’s story has accompanied me through some harsh time and reading about a stubborn but relentless woman trying to save herself and her people from a terrible destiny while also meeting the other part of her soul unexpectedly was the cure that saved me. And now … now I don’t know what to do with myself. The author has been able to condense all the possible answers I needed from the previous books in this one without making the book itself heavy or frustrating. It was action packed. It was magical. It was dark in the right moment and it made me feel hopeless. But it also made me feel hopeful and in love and desperate to get the people I love to safety (in my case I’m referring to these characters that I needed to have an happy ending). There were some plot twist that I did not see coming and the fact that we got to some intriguing characters’ backstory was fascinating. Dawsyn was as badass as always. Only this time around there is a fragility in her that we had only caught glimpses of before but which comes from the responsibility weighing on her shoulders. And Ryon … he is and always will be the love of my life. Once again there’s nothing in his heart by complete devotion and loyalty to her and no one else and I can’t help but love him deeply for it. Aside from their romance, the second thing I love the most about this series is the found family trope whose components never fail to amaze me in their love and affection for one another. I still have tears in my eyes thinking about the fact that this journey is over. Dawsyn will always love rent free in my heart. And I can’t wait for another adventure !!!

"Look at me and tell me that you were not carved apart and remade with a piece of me."

"Stay with me," he whispers to her. "Vow
it."
This promise, in part, she can swear to.
"You took my heart long ago, Ryon," she says. "It stays with you."

"Only fools trust the fates. Destinies are forged, not written."

“Dawsyn places her hand in Ryon's and it fills her with a light that is neither mage nor Glacian, but the rightness of two souls such as theirs, and the assuredness that they should collide.”

“If you depart this world before me, I will never find that light again, because the love I feel for you... it is the ruining kind. I won't survive it twice."

4.75 ⭐️
The awe encompassing finale to the Glacian Trilogy has arrived! Dawson, Ryon and the gang lead the ledge dwellers they rescued into the chasm to escape two oppressors. What follows is a wide range of strife, triumph, failure, and acceptance.

I thought this was one of the best finalizes to a series I’ve read in some time. I was up till 2:30 am one night trying to read as much as my eyes would allow as I wasn’t sure how we’d make it to the end with all the turns were had been taking. I loved reading about the past of new characters, seeing the deterioration of wills in some and rise of strength in others.

I also really enjoyed the epilogue and thought it was wonderfully done.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Angry Robot books for the ARC!!

I've been eagerly waiting for the final installment in this trilogy and it's finally here. It took a little bit for me to get into this one, but once I did I really enjoyed it!

So good, a little slow in the first half though. <3 Great finish to this trilogy!

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read this eARC.

Y’all I think I’m cursed. Seriously what is going on with most series finale books this year. Valley was one of my most anticipated books of 2024. And sadly I’m disappointed.
Before I get any further though I do wanna give a massive thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Back to the nitty gritty. I’m extremely conflicted even typing this review. This series has been one of my all time favorites. But our third and final book fell short of what I was expecting. Which feels so wrong to type out and it breaks my heart. But even with that said don’t let that discourage you from reading the series as a whole.

Because let me tell you, Ledge was a fantastic opening to an action packed fantasy world with a splash of romance.

And we can’t forget about Chasm! By far my favorite book in the series. Chasm was a kick butt sequel with action, betrayal, magic and romance from start to finish.

Oh but Valley.. this book felt like that one lord of the rings movie where literally all they are doing is hiking and sleeping. Then we get to the last 40% of the book for finally something to happen to get the plot rolling again. I understand during those slow scenes there was importance to them and events that had to happen I just wish we could’ve reached our destination quicker.

Now again Valley did get better after we got past the halfway point. However it wasn’t perfect. I didn’t feel as connected with our main characters like I did in previous books. The romance was barely a fizzle. And to top it off the ending felt rushed.

Even though Valley wasn’t my favorite. I still highly recommend this series. And will always recommend it to any fantasy reader.

I feel so conflicted with this review, and I don't like it because this series has been so good, I've loved it. But this fell short of what I was expecting.

Ledge was a brilliantly unique opener, full of action and romance and fantasy.
Chasm was a wonderful follow-up, full of conversation and emotion.

I really hoped that Valley would be a combination of the two.

Let me start with the positives.

I always worry with a series that I will have forgotten what happened at the end of the previous book, and then be completely lost at the start of the next. I admit, I had forgotten what happened at the end of book two. But it didn't really matter. It goes straight in and all of a sudden you're back with these familiar people in a familiar situation.

It's a mixture of fantasy and action, adventure, romance, and travel. There's elements of thriller, and bizarrely, it has a historical feel to it, even though it's not really historical, it's fantasy, but there were elements that I found I enjoyed that I normally find in historical novels.

I would have liked it to have started a bit faster. For the first sort of 40-45% of it, it's just talking and walking and sleeping, and whilst I understand that's important in the whole context of the book, for me, it felt like it went on just a bit too long without much happening. Halfway through things start happening and whilst that's good, I felt it needed a slightly quicker transition.

Whist I enjoyed all three books and it's definitely a series I would recommend, I think the first book was by far the best, and it sort of dwindled from there. They didn't get bad, no, nothing is bad about them, just for my taste, it peaked at book one and the rest have been trying to build this story around it and it never quite reached those heights again.

Some reviews had said there was a twist in the second half of the book and I was looking forward to hat it could be as I felt it needed something meaty. But when I got to what I assume was the twist, I was disappointed. It didn't feel like enough of a twist, more just something added in the hope it would make it a bit more thrilling.

I didn't gel with the characters as much in this book. They felt flat. There was nothing new about them, and they'd lost that thing that made them interesting.

It got better as it went on, I just with the final event had taken place a little earlier to keep me hooked.

I suppose, overall, for me, it had just lost its magic. Still good, and I'm still glad I read it, and it's still a fabulous series, but it just didn't have that same spark I had come to expect.