Huge thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Ledge.

“The cold is not alive.”

In a place known as The Ledge, a civilisation is trapped by a vast chasm and sheer mountain face. Rations are small, living is tough and there is no way to escape without befalling a deathly drop. What’s more, every season the people must present themselves as a human sacrifice to the Glacians - mysterious winged creatures who reside beyond The Ledge. 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.

I had high hopes for this book and it didn’t disappoint me! I thought it was a really solid debut novel and a good start to a new fantasy series, the ending was great and has set the next book up perfectly! I can’t wait to read book two.

I really enjoyed the setting of this book, I found it really easy to picture it all in my mind’s eye. Because I love winter, I really enjoyed the cold theme throughout, although it is a harsh environment, I really liked reading about the world and the history behind it. I thought the plot was good and there were definitely some good twists and turns throughout, particularly towards the end!

I did enjoy the whole enemies to lovers romance element to Ledge and I liked both of the main characters. I think perhaps if we had gotten Ryon’s POV then I would have felt more connected to him because at times I wanted to feel a bit more of a sizzling romance with him! But I still enjoyed reading about the pair and the steam was 🤌 very enjoyable.

I must admit that it took me a while to get into, some parts where a little slow but I think that’ll always be the case when an author is world building in a new high fantasy series. Unfortunately, the third person narrative threw me off, it’s not my favourite and I’m so used to reading books in first person, so it took me a while to get used to but I got there in the end!

Overall, I enjoyed this one and I will definitely be carrying on the series and look forward to seeing the author’s writing evolve over time. I think the series will only get better from here.

3✨

“He cannot stop his lips from finding hers, like missing pieces connecting. And in every second that he knows he should stop, leave her be, he also knows he cannot possibly let her go. Because she is his. And he is hers.“

This is a solid debut novel! Ledge follows Dawsyn, a woman stuck in a poor, desolate village on a ledge of a mountain. At the beginning of every season, winged creatures swoop down and steal away humans for unknown and presumably malicious reasons.

Obviously our girl gets taken.

Once in Glacia, the kingdom of the winged creatures, she finds out about their need for human souls. When posed with a choice to lose her soul or take a chance running down the mountain, she chooses running, only to be caught by one of the half-breed winged warriors, Ryon who agrees to help get her down the mountain. What follows is a slow burn story of forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and revenge plotting and political schemes.

Dawsyn is a bad bitch and I love her. Axe-wielding, determined, and sassy, Dawsyn is my favorite type of female main character. Ryon, our winged love interest, is stoic and quiet. He eventually gets around to being protective of her and cares for her, but I wish I had stronger feelings for him. I feel like because of the 3rd person narration, I had a hard time connecting with the characters and watching their relationship develop. The plot was also very slow to develop and I had to force myself to keep reading at parts BUT that’s because I’m not the biggest fan of a lot of traveling/hiding in books. If you like that you’re going to enjoy those parts a lot.

I wish we got a little more depth and tension in all aspects: characters, world building, romance, and plot. But as a debut novel, this was still a solid read. The cliffhanger literally had me rereading the page and saying, “wait, wtf??”


Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot for the arc on exchange for an honest review! This book comes out September 13th.

*Thanks Netgalley and Angry Robot publishing for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

This was really good.It was one if my mostly anticipated reads and it definitely lived up to my expectations.
The plot, the characters, the mystery held my interest and even though I am not big fan of the cliffhangers I'm definitely not regretting reading it. Can't wait for the next book.
the only reason I'm rating it 4 stars is because in the beginning I've struggled to get into the story due to the writing style.The short sentences /Cut off writing. once I got into the plot I was able to focus on the story rather than the writing style.

Oh. My. Gosh. Do you ever read a book and you’re stunned speechless? That was me with Ledge! Going in I did have high hopes and while the beginning was a bit slow it was needed because the rest of the book was banger after banger up until the biggest bang of all at the end!

A new fantasy book that I will be begging for the next in the series for as soon as it’s announced! If you’re a fantasy reader this is a new must read and I already know it’s going right up to the top with all my other favorite fantasy books/series of all time!

Don’t mind me going to pre-order the physical copy for when it releases because I MUST have this book on my shelves!

A ginormous thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the amazing chance to read the ARC of this stunning book! A breath-taking debut from Stacey McEwan!

LEDGE is an action-packed fantasy & enemies to lovers romance that follows Dawsyn, the last person alive in her family as she navigates the perilous and icy environment of the Ledge. Their world is controlled by Glacians - winged beings that live beyond the Ledge. Dawsyn soon learns that her world is not as it seems after she meets Ryon, a half-Glacian and learns of the world beyond the Ledge.

LEDGE was action-packed with Dawsyn as a badass, axe-wielding female protagonist. Fantasy with a romance plot line are so much fun to read and LEDGE did not disappoint. The romance was a little more lust than love but definitely enjoyable to read with some spice 🌶. I was fascinated with the Glacians and wish we learned a little more about them but maybe more will be revealed in future books. And that ending was 😱. I have no idea where the story will go next!

I was drawn to the beautiful frosted cover, read the blurb and immediately smashed the request button on netgalley.
This book was not what I was expecting...in a good way! I got sucked in immediately and loved the world building and immense drama all the way to the end.

Dawsyn lives on a ledge which is guarded by Glacians, winged creatures that take a person front he village each year. Dawsyn finds an opportunity to try and stop these creatures and with the help of Ryon, she discovers that secrets run deep.

This has drama, axes being thrown around and romance, with a little spice sprinkled in and I cannot wait for book 2.

I implore you to read this book. It lives up to the hype.

Forged in bitter cold, Dawsyn knows only hardship and fear. When she thinks her time has come it’s only the beginning of her story. There’s fighting, some of the best banter and of course, spice. You can really tell Stacey’s comedic personality come through in the writing.

There’s several reveals that caught me off guard but the most shocking is the end (cliffhanger). Thank god it’s a trilogy so I know I’ll get some answers soon.

I loved that Dawsyn is a competent, witty and strong FMC who does not need a savior MMC. Ryon is an excellent foil to her. Most of the novel is them teaming up (in more ways than one 😏) to take back what they feel is theirs. In between you get colorful side characters and backstory.

Unlike many first novels I feel as though the world building did not come at the cost of an information dump and several cliches were avoided. I’m so thankful I got the opportunity to read this as an ARC but it destroys me that now I have to wait even longer for the next book to come out.

Thank you to Net Galley, Angry Robot Books and Stacey McEwan for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

A strong debut novel from TikTok personality Stacey McEwan, Ledge is solid entry point to a fantastically built world. While allusions to other popular works are evident, and some fun cheekiness lives within the text to echo the satirical nature of McEwan's social media presence, Ledge stands on it own as a fantasy adventure with a strong romantic subplot. Hitting all the favorite tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity one bed but the bed is a super tiny cave and it's cold so OF COURSE cuddles happen, McEwan weaves the primary and secondary plots together with a finesse that speaks to a passion for clean, engaging storytelling.

Where so many other novels fall short, McEwan succeeds in crafting a believable heroine in Dawsyn. A rugged, ragged survivor of the Ledge with a tongue and sharp as her axe-blade. We're quickly wrapped up in the cold on the mountains and watching her navigate the Glacian interference in her day-to-day life, primarily in the size and shape of Ryon, a grumpy Glacian to counter Dawsyn the grumpy Ledge dweller. It's not often a grumpy/grumpy pairing works, but these two feed off of each other so deliciously well; throwing 3x the shade and sarcasm for every one compliment. It was endearing as hell..

4/5 stars - better than the average debut. Have some personal gripes with in-world naming, POV shifts at odd places in the book (and out of nowhere), but otherwise greatly enjoyed the ride. I look forward to revisiting the cold-ass mountaintops and seeing where McEwan takes us.

Content Warnings: Sexual scenes, isolation, loss of loved ones, depression, PTSD, sexual harassment, attempted sexual assault, violence, blood/gore, slavery, torture, racism, and suicidal ideations. Mention of: growing up with limited resources, starvation, sexual assault, rape, suicide, loss of body autonomy, and death due to childbirth.
I loved every second of getting to know Dawsyn and Ryon, two souls that have been hurt so much but still want to fight to create a brighter future. Seeing these two who should be enemies [according to their enemies] slowly get to know one another, empathize with each other, and ultimately fall hard for each other...had me cheering for them, crying for them, and just wanting to give them the biggest hug I can.
Watching these two who should be enemies slowly get to know one another, trust each other, and ultimately fall head over heels for each other...had me cheering for them, crying for them, and wanting to just hug the crap out of them.
With the way, this book ended I have no idea what book two could lead to but I AM READY! I cannot wait to get my hands on whatever comes next!

If you love fantasy books that are unpredictable, fun, and leaves you wondering what could possibly happen next...I highly recommend reading Ledge!

If you don’t add this to your reading list, you’ll be missing out!

What starts off as an intriguing tale on its own, a group of people forced to live on an icy ledge, turns into an epic tale of kingdoms, uprisings, and deepest betrayals.

The characters were well written, the world building was epic, and I cannot wait for the next book int the series to come out.

Ryon (so so sexy) was the only character I had a bit of a problem with. His use of the word “girl” in almost every sentence drove me bananas!

If you’re anything like me, you’ll have a hard time putting this tale down once you’ve started, so get ready to binge read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & Angry Robot for a copy.

Ledge was an interesting and captivating story, Dawsyn and people from the Ledge are isolated from everything. There are no other humans near them, except Glacians - mystical winged creatures, who bring them meager rations and take sacrificed humans, who are chosen from their households. After 6th of 7th time of evading this horrible future, Dawsyn finally gets snatched away. But instead of immediate death, she gets an opportunity for escape. While being hunted, like a pray. What happens next? Will she survive? Who will she meet? Will she be able to help her people, who are still back at the Ledge? You will need to find it out for yourself.

This was a medium to slow pacing. Writing was vivid and well explained. There were some parts where language was written in dialects and it was a bit hard to read it. But that is my personal problem. It took a good chunk of time for Dawsyn to get away from captivity, only to find herself against new challenges and danger. We got a lot of explanations and world-building, some secrets that were revealed here and there, and interesting encounters with secondary characters. I am curious to know what exactly is behind Iskra. Yes, we got an explanation, but it feels that there is something more to it. What exactly happened to her? And why?

I think not a lot of readers will appreciate Dawsyn - if you think about it, she has grown up in a secluded and harsh environment, without proper adult guidance. She has not seen the outside world and known their customs or simple treats. She is strong and vicious when she needs to be. She is childish and deep down vulnerable, due to her upbringing.

And Ryon - he is half Glacian, half human. Cursed to constant shaming and sneering from pureblooded Glacians. He is well trained, calculating and easy on the eyes. Due to his human side, he is more in tune with his emotions. He has his own secrets and shame, to carry on and at some point, painful revelations will be crushing his spirit.

There's certainly an attraction between Dawsyn and Ryon. From hot to cold. From enemies to lovers. The impossible pairing. There were moments with steam and lust, but nothing crazy. I hoped that the word girl will be thrown out soon, but I was not in luck of that. I mean Ryon, our sweet and sexy man, she said she doesn't like it.

And don't get me started on the ending - the last 2 min! How dare you Stacey! But it was much needed kick in the curb. Let's see what will happen next.

Thank you to Stacey McEwan, Angry Robot Books and NetGalley, for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

It seems trivial and not very literary to jut say this book is really, really, really good and I really, really, really liked it. But boiled down to the very basics…it is very good and I enjoyed it immensely.

The fact that it’s being marketed as a trilogy, that she already knows it’s a three-book story, that always impresses me. I came up with a three-book idea a while ago, but then I realised I actually had to write them, and I’m still on book one.

The way Stacey describes wintery weather is absolutely stunning. I love winter and snow and ice and frost - maybe not in the quantities shown in this book - but she has this way of depicting it as a monster with its own characteristics that make it frightening but beautiful.

It is a clear contender for a fantasy film or series adaptation. It’s written so visually that you can see the characters and the locations so clearly.

There’s a romantic undercurrent to the main story which is a nice touch but it’s not over powering. Our female protagonist of Dawsyn is not a damsel in distress and our male protagonist Ryon is not a hero in disguise. Yes they help each other, but they’re their own strong people. The romance just adds a little extra to the two of them.

It’s very layered. Some fantasy books can be just about the magic, and the unfamiliar and the entertainment, and they can be good also. But this has more depth than “just” being a fun fantasy story.

It’s got a bit of everything: there’s romance, there’s action and adventure, a bit of humour, obviously fantasy, some terror, magic - it’s so well rounded and one genre is not hindered by the inclusion of another.

She’s already said there will be two more books in the series, but now I’ve read this one, I can’t possibly imagine having to wait, what, months? Even years to continue the story. I want it now. It was absolutely fantastic.

❄❄ the cold is not alive ❄❄

⭐ - 1,000 +
🌶 - 2

‼️ This book is THE book ‼️ If you're new to fantasy, trying to get over a book hangover, trying something new, or staying with what you like this book is the answer to everything. Whether you want the action or the romance or BOTH Stacey McEwan delivers the need and desire perfectly 🤌 From Dawsyn, a badass FMC who doesn't take shit and isn't ashamed of who she is leads the way with the help of Ryon, the Glacien she wants to hate but does everything else BUT including getting in a few hits 🪓 Ryon the half breed who never balks or tries to diminish Dawsyns fire. Ryon who looks and treats Dawsyn like the powerhouse woman she is. They're equals from different worlds fighting the same battle. Travel to Glacia and Terrsaw 🏰 together as the story is beautifully built that it leaps off the pages and engulfs you like Iskra. Fall in love with your enemy. Take down a kingdom or two. Stay the frost. Watch the Chasm. The cold is not alive. And above all else do not die.

#staceymcewan #Ledge #Dawsyn #Ryon #fiction #fantasy #romance #ARC #glacia #glacians #terrsaw #Chasm #enemiestolovers #forcedproximity #betrayal #iskra #BookTok #bookreview #bookrecommendation #axe #halfbreed #readersofinstagram #bookishpost #advancereaderscopy #bookishlove #cliffhanger #bookhangover #bookishlife #netgalley #goodreads

McEwan managed to surprise me by presenting a beautifully written fantasy story that had me hooked from the literal first line. Not only was this story so easy to follow and also presented a visually stunning setting, McEwan wrote a stunningly complex start to a trilogy, leaving me begging for more! Just the right amount of spice, paired with a darily lovable and complex protagonist leaving me with questions that I need answered in the second volume! I am absolutely in love with this story and cannot stop recommending it to my fantasy-loving friends.

Absolutely in awe. McEwan, I will be waiting patiently for the announcement of Book 2. In the meantime, catch me at the store, first in line on Sept 12 to make sure I secure a finished copy!

Thanks Netgalley and Angry Robot publishing for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Netgalley, for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Having read a lot of fantasy, I have to say that I've never read a setting and story quite like Ledge. The harshness of life on the ledge was so visceral. I was drawn in by the harsh selection process and by Dawsyn's desire to survive. I could feel the desperation and the way it fueled her to keep pushing when her journey down from the ledge felt impossible.

I loved the cast of characters and the mystery that slowly unraveled through the story but prepare yourselves because the ending is quite a cliffhanger.

Overall I enjoyed this debut novel by Stacy!

The concept was super interesting, and easy to understand which made for an enjoyable reading experience. The idea of the ledge being this almost mystery - and how the humans who live here have to witness people get taken away every year was fascinating. However, this particular writing style wasn't my favourite, being in the third person and it also felt a bit formal?? (however this may just be me!)

However, the characters I enjoyed (quick witted FMC and brooding love interest with wings.. hello?!) plus the fan favourite tropes (enemies to lovers & forced proximity) which we all love!

Overall I loved this book. it does end on a cliff hanger!

Thank you to Netgalley & publisher for sending me an arc of this book

Really enjoyed this book! Great main characters with lots of growth, swoon-worthy romance, and very intriguing storyline! I really liked how fast paced this book was and the cliff-hanger really blind-sided me!

Firstly thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for sending me an e-ARC of this book!

Overall Ledge was a really nice new fantasy to sink your teeth into. It had an interesting world of new ideas, mixed with a few we all know and love. I'm just a little on the fence with it.

Readers who aren't big on world-building will enjoy this, it's relatively minimal and Stacey doesn't bog us down with details. I actually would have liked a little more, but given our FMC literally grew up on a ledge of ice and has no real idea about the world, this worked for the story!

And about our FMC? Well it's a fantasy, so naturally Dawsyn is a plucky, kick-ass heroine with a mysterious family background, who likes to throw hands and smart mouths everyone with hearing distance 😂 we like what we like 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

The love interest? Again, the tropey, tall, dark and brooding with a hidden agenda. And wings. Again, we're all suckers for wings 😏

It was a little bit insta-lovey for me. I didn't really feel a connection other than a physical one and then it just kind of... was?

I thought the premise was really fascinating, the overall story, the politics and deceptions, the characters we've been given are really interesting, and I think the next two books in the trilogy could bring something really great. This first one just lacked a little for me personally, but I do think that is more a reflection on me than the book!

The ending though... loved it. I'll not drop a spoiler, but that's exactly what I like to see! It'll leave me wanting book two to see how that goes down, and has really set us up for an interesting ride!

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robots for sending me the eARC of this adult fantasy novel!

Stacey McEwan stuns with her debut novel Ledge! I really enjoyed the original storyline and setting in Ledge. The characters were so quick witted and the banter between them was on point. From start to finish, you are engulfed in the story like a mountains in a blizzard. This book hasn't even come out yet and I am already anxiously awaiting book two! Stacey really did an incredible job creating this story, especially as her debut!

“The cold is not alive … It comes to life when you let it, child. Do not let it”

“Beware the female whose desire to hurt burns hotter than her desire to heal”

“I do not trust you, Ryon. But that doesn’t mean I can’t want you”

“And your deadly little ax”

Omg omg omg !!! This book wasn’t just good … IT WAS OTHERWORLDLY AMAZING !!!
I’m absolutely speechless !!! I would like to say that it was just the plot that did it for me but … I’d be lying !!!
The plot, the magic, the creatures, the secrets, deceptions and the characters built an amazing world that I honestly cannot wait to explore more!!!
I’m absolutely in love with a certain half-breed who has a way with words … damn Ryon but he has me. And he is the one to fall first and the hardest !!!! I can’t cope with that !!!
And Dawsyn is an amazing female main character !!! Badass as all those I’ve read about !!
And the tropes in this book … YES PLEASE GIVE ME MORE !!!
There was slow burn (very slow but very worthy), enemies to lovers, forced proximity, sharing heat during cold times so much banter and THE DAGGER TO THE THROAT !!!!
I’m absolutely stunned !!!
And the spice … well damn but it was really good!!! Not too much but definitely not little !!!!
This book gave me a lot of Hunger Games vibes at the very beginning and the Chasm more than reminded me of the Fold so … I was more than interested !!!!
And that cliffhanger at the end!!! I wish I could say that I was expecting it but in truth … I wasn’t!!!
I NEED BOOK TWO !!!! Now !!!

“You will be the death of me, girl”

“He cannot have just her body and not become starved for the rest of her”

“Because once I have you, I will not let you leave me”

“Do not drop me … Never”