I loved Ledge when I read it earlier this year and was so excited to be able to read Chasm and find out what happened with that traumatic cliffhanger!

I won't spoil the plot, but things turned out how I expected. It started out a bit slow, but gradually got more exciting around the halfway point. Things really get hopping and all sorts of secrets get revealed. The return to Glacia and to the Ledge are full of action as Dawsyn tries to reconcile the magic of the iskra within her. I do feel like there is a bit more twist to the plot compared to Ledge. But at the same time, it doesn't have that tenseness or fight for survival edginess that I drew me to the edge of my seat either.

While I am glad there isn't another massive cliffhanger at the end of Chasm, it doesn't mean everything ends hunky dory for all the key characters. There is trauma and a very clear and exciting lead up to the third book. Which means I am back in breathless anticipation mode again!

Ledge honestly left me feeling unsure. There are so SO many things I liked about it! I loved the story, genuinely excellent plot and development all the way through, I just wasn’t always nuts about the writing style. At times it was effective, but especially through the middle there were times if felt a little stagnant being in third person and I wanted more emotion to come through in the narrative. Still, with the cliffhanger Ledge ended on?! You bet your butt I was right there jumping to read Chasm when I saw it was out.

Now let me just say WOW. Honestly I’m so happy with this follow up, where Ledge had ups and downs Chasm really just knocked it out of the park. You can really tell that Stacey McEwan has found the rhythm for the storytelling in this world. The style was much more consistent and the plots! 😱 Somehow this was even more unique than the last book and I seriously COULD NOT STOP READING. I needed to know what was going to happen next the entire time.

I’m not about spoilers, especially with a book like this where the journey is so enjoyable. So, just take my word on this one. Chasm was totally worth the wait and even better than the first. I’ll be first in line for the final book in the series! I absolutely recommend and cannot give enough compliments to the author!! Start to finish Chasm was just *chefs kiss* perfection!

Ledge was dark and gritty. Those people on the ledge suffered from starvation, murder, and kidnapping. But then Dawsyn escapes and there's a tiny kernel of hope. When Dawsyn and Ryon work together it becomes so much more than hope. It becomes plans, actions, missions. So when the first book ended with Ryon presumably dead, I was scared. The best part of the first book was the relationship that develops between Ryon and Dawsyn. Could the sequel manage without him? Could Dawsyn?

How will Dawsyn save everyone on her own while being a prisoner in the dungeons?

I guess it's a good thing she has some pretty cool allies.

This sequel picks up right away with Dawsyn experiencing the loss of Ryon, frustration at her inability to control her magic, and despair at her imprisonment. But she's definitely stubborn and determined. I do love that about her. And we get more Baltisse!

It's still the stark, gritty writing I came to love in the first book, but a little bit of the magic seems to have faded. The middle of the book meandered a bit too much, as is unfortunately somewhat typical in a series. And the stubbornness I loved about Dawsyn became exhausting when she used it to push Ryon away and avoid her feelings for too long. In a way, I understood but also I really wanted to shake her for wasting those precious moments. I did not love how this whole thing dragged on.

But with excellent side characters, new villains, a bunch of chaos, I did enjoy this book and will be checking out the next one.

Thank you Netgalley and Angry Robot Books for the eARC.

I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I will be light on the detail! I loved Ledge, book 1 in the Glacian trilogy, and I couldn't wait to read Chasm, so I instantly signed up for the ARC. This book did not disappoint. It was full of action, comedy and romance. I love the banter between the characters and even though they were in peril for most of the book, the laughs kept coming. Dawsyn continues to be an amazing strong FMC throughout this book. I would give it 4.75 stars. The only reason it wasn't a full 5 stars is because a few times I felt 'things' were a little too convenient. Dawsyn struggles with some things, and then suddenly, she doesn't. Poetic license was used a little in this, but that is forgivable as the rest of the book is superbly written.

I love Stacey McEwan's writing style and look forward to reading book 3 to find out how this all ends!

Chasm is the continuation of the Ledge series by Stacey McEwan. In this installment, Dawsyn has escaped the Glacians and has made it her mission to rescue the rest of her people from the Ledge, with the help of Ryon and the people she has met along the way. Through this journey, Dawsyn learns about her family and herself. She also learns whether it is possible to trust someone that she was raised to hate.
Again, I like McEwan’s writing style, but this one dragged a bit for my liking. There was a lot of exposition, which was certainly valuable to the story, but it just felt like a lot of information to take in. I gave this a 3.5. The queer representation stepped it up a bit by adding the kindling of a queer romance. As for spice, there was a bit, but not enough to warrant a glass of water. 1 pepper.

Chasm è stata sicuramente una lettura più complessa rispetto al primo libro, Ledge, che nella parte centrale diventava un libro alquanto più leggero che poi sfociava in un finale col botto che ti lasciava col cuore in mano e a pezzi.
Era ovvio che avrei letto il seguito e sono davvero felice che l'autrice abbia ricomposto i pezzetti del mio cuore...però potrò dire ben poco in questa recensione che non sia spoiler.
Rimarrò quindi molto sul generico e vi dirò le mie impressioni.
Questo libro secondo me soffre della sindrome del libro di mezzo...è un libro che deve fare da legame tra il primo e il prossimo libro che uscirà, e i molti eventi che accadono in questo secondo capitolo mi han solo fatto pensare a questo: se qualcosa può andare male, non ti preoccupare, può solo succedere qualcosa di peggio!
Perchè ovunque vadano, qualsiasi cosa facciano tutti i personaggi di questa storia devono soffrire.
Sofferenza è il secondo nome di questo libro.
Dawsyn, la nostra protagonista, l'ho trovata inutilmente egoista ed egocentrica, obbligando praticamente tutti i personaggi che la circondano a soddisfare il suo bisogno di fare l'eroina per salvare persone che non vogliono essere salvate, che l'avrebbero molto probabilmente lasciata a morire di fame e di freddo quando ancora non era scappata, invece di pensare alla sicurezza e alla salvezza di chi le è vicino e le vuole bene.
Inoltre calpesta senza nessun ripensamento i loro sentimenti. Perchè sa davvero come spezzare un cuore in mille pezzi, infischiandosene completamente.
Nella parte finale ovviamente si ha un cambiamento nel suo modo di fare, ma l'ho trovato davvero un brusco cambiamento senza un vero e proprio motivo, se non quello di essersi stancata di comportarsi in quel modo cinico e scontroso. Mi spiace davvero molto che abbiano dovuto soffrire quel suo orribile modo di fare, invece di godersi e apprezzare il fatto di essere di nuovo tutti riuniti e temporaneamente lontani dal pericolo.

Un altro punto negativo è che non sono riuscita a capire come sia strutturato il Chasm. Viene descritto più volte ma non sono decisamente riuscita a capire come sia fatto. Speriamo che venga descritto meglio nel prossimo libro o che venga inserito un disegno o una mappa di come è fatta questa dannatissima montagna!
Ho fatto anche molto fatica a leggere il dialetto scozzese (immagino che sia scozzese) di Salem. Mi dispiace ma certe frasi sono davvero illeggibili e incomprensibili...mettete una nota con la traduzione please!

A parte tutto questo mi è piaciuta come lettura e sicuramente leggerò il terzo libro, perchè devo assolutamente sapere come tutto questo caos troverà una risoluzione, perchè davvero troppe fazioni e informazioni son state inserite nel calderone di questo romanzo e potrebbe risolversi bene o esplodere e venirne fuori un gran casino.

Speriamo bene!!!

Grazie Netgalley per avermi permesso di leggerlo in anteprima!


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Chasm was certainly a more complex read than the first book, Ledge, which in the middle of the book became a somewhat lighter reading which then resulted in an explosive ending that left you heartbroken and broken.
It was obvious that I would read the sequel and I'm really happy that the author has put the pieces of my heart back together ... but I will be able to say very little in this review without spoilers.
I will therefore remain very generic and tell you my impressions.
In my opinion, this book suffers from the middle book syndrome... it is a book that must act as a link between the first and the next book that will come out, and the many events that take place in this second chapter have only made me think about this: if something can go wrong, don't worry, something worse can only happen!
Because wherever they go, whatever they do, all the characters in this story have to suffer.
Suffering is the middle name of this book.
Dawsyn, our protagonist, I found unnecessarily selfish and self-absorbed, forcing practically all the characters around her to satisfy her need to be a hero in order to save people who do not want to be saved, who would most likely leave her to dying of hunger and cold when she hadn't yet escaped from the Ledge, instead of thinking about the safety and salvation of those close to her and who love her.
She also tramples their feelings without any second thoughts. Because she really knows how to break a heart into a thousand pieces, not giving a damn about it.
In the final part obviously there is a change in her way of doing, but I found it a really abrupt change for no real reason, other than that she got tired of behaving in that cynical and grumpy way. I'm really, really sorry that they had to suffer that horrible way with her, instead of enjoying and appreciating that they are all together again and temporarily out of harm's way.

Another negative point is that I could not understand how the Chasm is structured. It is described several times but I definitely could not figure out how it is made. Let's hope it is described better in the next book or that a drawing or a map of what this bloody mountain looks like is inserted!
I also had a lot of trouble reading the Scots dialect (I assume it's Scots) of Salem. I'm sorry but some sentences are really illegible and incomprehensible ... put a note with the translation please!

Apart from all of this I enjoyed reading it and I will definitely read the third book, because I absolutely need to know how all this chaos will find a resolution, because too many factions and information have been inserted into the cauldron of this novel and it could resolve well or explode and come out of it like a big mess.

Let's hope so!!!

Thanks Netgalley for letting me read it!

I absolutely LOVED the first book in this series, Ledge, and I've been waiting for a sequel ever since. It was so accomplished and so amazing to lose myself in that I have high hopes for the sequel.

I was worried I wouldn't remember the ending of Ledge and go in a bit blind, but I was straight back into it. You're right there. I advise not reading this one without the first. It'll make no sense. And it deserves your full attention and understanding.

I felt this was more character based than action. We really get under their skin and I felt closer to them in this book. For those who prefer action over thought, then they may feel a little disappointed, as for me, not a huge amount happens, at least for the bulk of the book. I didn't mind that particularly, as I enjoy character development over a heavy plot. Having said that, it did feel a little slower at times because of that. There's not as much romance which I would have liked to see, as I have been rooting for Dawsyn and Ryon right from the off.

I felt Ryon took a bit more of a backseat in this one whilst Dawsyn shone from every page. She's not always likeable, she has her past and her secrets, and her troubles, and she's used to caring for herself. There's a range of characters, some seen in the first book and some new or expanded. One that does stand out the most is the mage, Baltisse. I can't fully explain it but she's just this beautiful character and I would gladly read her story alone.

Where I think this book, and the former, excels is they feel very unique. I've read many fantasy books, some new, some old, but Stacey feels like she's writing something different and that's what makes it stand out for me. She excels at description. It's all set in this fantasy land, and yet everything sounds so tangible, so familiar, and it almost plays like a movie in your head, it's that clear.

On reflection, I'd say I preferred Ledge over this one, but it is still a brilliant story and, like the first, it really whets the appetite for the next and it provides a great ending whilst promising more. But at the same time, I think she's got a lot more on her plate for the final book as there's a lot of strings that need tying up before I'll be completely satisfied. I'm hoping the slower pace is just building up for an explosive third offering.

Whilst I may have preferred book 1 overall, this is still a fantasy series that I would recommend to readers - I was going to say young and old, but it's a bit too spicy for young, so instead I'll say old and older.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the e-ARC of Chasm in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 stars. *vague spoilers ahead*

Unfortunately, Chasm seems to be a victim of the dreaded second book syndrome. After devouring Ledge which was a great start to a series, despite some pacing issues, I’m sorry to say Chasm wasn’t quite as strong. It just felt like a lot of nothing was going on.

After the cliffhanger in Ledge, we did get a bit of action at the start of Chasm, but it quickly fizzled. The middle of this book was a bit of a slog, and both the plot and characters felt aimless.

The conflict between Dawson and Ryon felt so drawn out, just for the sake of adding depth to the relationship, but rather it just created unnecessary distraction to moving the plot forward. It felt disconnected to everything else that was going on.

The threat to life of some of the characters felt underwhelming as they didn’t see enough development to make me truly care. The only character I felt developed was Baltisse, and she was the highlight. Even Dawsyn, who’s POV we are reading, doesn’t seem to have any real development.

The last couple of chapters, we see more action and we get into the meat of what I thought this book would be about given the title.

This story still has so much potential that I hope gets a chance to shine and I will be along for the ride.

I thoroughly enjoyed LEDGE (read it in almost one sitting) and could not wait for CHASM!

CHASM picks up right after LEDGE ends, a small blessing considering that doozy of a cliffhanger, and the band of misfits adds a few new members to their group, all of whom are entertaining. We learn more about how things came to be: the Glacians, the pool, etc., and we're offered a new POV.

Unfortunately, CHASM lacked a lot of the chemistry and overall tension I enjoyed so much in LEDGE. After the initial opening, not much happens until the 90% mark, (it took me 8 days to finish this because I kept setting it aside) and then all hell breaks loose only for readers to be left with yet another cliffhanger. <spoiler> The romance between Ryon (who, thankfully, was not dead dead) and Dawsyn is disappointingly nonexistent. </spoiler>

I don't know how many books are planned, there is still a lot that needs to be worked out, but hopefully the next (and final?) installment will stay focused and not get waylaid by unnecessary downtime.

<i>Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. </i>

I absolutely loved the first book and was so excited to start this second one. It did not disappoint.
This book started off right where book one finished and jumped straight back into action. Poor Ryon has been Stabbed and everyone thinks his dead. Whilst Dawsyn is in jail after the Queens betrayed her.
The story still follows our two main characters Dawsyn and Ryon.
Dawsyn is still on her mission to return to the Ledge and free her people whilst Ryon still wants to help his people and realises the people he trusted to help him are only looking out for themselves. Ryon soon learns who he can and can’t trust. There’s still plenty of action in this book and new discoveries and mysteries to learn about.
Dawsyn is still our strong lead and knows what she wants. Dawsyn is definitely feeling the hurt in this book after what happened at the end of book one. She really struggles with trusting anyone and you can definitely see some vulnerability to her. I did feel that Dawsyn held her grudge for a pretty long time in this book and I just wanted her to forgive Ryon. I love how you can see the Development of Dawsyn as a character in the second book.

I really enjoyed how well written the book is and that the story flowed perfectly. I really like the authors writing style too.

Overall a really great read and I’m really
really looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley, Angry Robot and the author for and advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

After reading the first book in The Glacian Triology Ledge which I devoured in every spare moment and left me speechless. I jumped at the chance when the second book Chasm appeared on my dash board. This book is so much more than what I expecting. Definitely a lot darker. We still have the main characters Dawsyn and Ryon and her quest is to return to the Ledge and free her people. Who can she trust, who will break her heart. Help comes from some very strange places. I have laughed, cried and literally shouted at the characters in this book. I have felt like an invisible bystander watching this epic unfold and I have loved every moment. Now please, please can I have the next book Now. Loved, loved it and highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc in return for an honest review.

If you’re going to make a fantastical world feel somewhat believable and authentic, and yes, fantasy needs to feel lived-in and humanly possible in some respects for the conceit to really stick its landing with readers, then you need three key things – taut, compelling and fully-formed world-building, robustly realised characters whose arcs matter and who feel informed by a driving, accessible humanity and a reason why a story drawn from a far-off fictitious world matters to you in everyday wherever-you-live.

The rooting of astonishingly magical and strange beasts and people and lands in something tangible and very human gives us an identifiable, meaningful entry point for a story, the sheer exotic nature of which might tantalise and entrance but never truly affect us were the more accessible elements not present.

The fact that Stacey McEwan manages to not just include all three elements in her two Glacian Trilogy books, Ledge and this year’s equally as compelling Chasm, but to go above and beyond in their execution points to just how good her writing is and how immersively mesmerising this series is overall.

There’s no doubt that the premise of the series is the very stuff of almost otherworldly fantasy perfection.

In the world of the Glacian Trilogy, two quite distinct races shares uneasy space – the fearsomely-winged, almost beast-like and ice-white Glacians who rule from a kingdom high in the mountains, and humanity who live in the warmer valley kingdom of Terrsaw below and, mysteriously, on an icy precipitous shelf known simply as The Ledge.

It’s not clear why a rump group of about 100 people battle it out for survival high atop the shelf where warmth is fleeting and food is a scarcity, save for some vegetables eked from the ground and food drop supplies from the Glacians from time to time.

Lest you think there’s some humanitarian element to the Glacians food drops, know that these nightmarishly cruel beasts exact a terrible price for their grudging generosity – the offering of human sacrifice which every family must make in a gruesomely dreadful act known as the Selection.

It’s a terrible way to live in every respect because whether you’re fighting for food or land or being eaten from the inside out by paranoia and fear of when your life might end in terror and great loss, nothing about your life has any real redeeming worth save for the spare numbers of friends and family you somehow acquire in spite of your horrific circumstances.

No one survives these periodic cullings until someone does, a feistily capable young woman called Dawsyn who stares down the impossible odds through inner tenacity and will to live, and the help of Ryon, a half-Glacian, who aids in her escape, make her way into climes more suitable to human habitation.

But Terrsaw itself has made a terrible bargain to stay relatively safe and unaffected and Ledge documents what happens to Dawsyn as she makes her way in a world which, on the surface feels welcoming and generous, but whose rulers have effectively sold their souls to buy peace, life and safety and who see Dawsyn as a threat to the status quo that must be extinguished.

As Chasm opens, Dawsyn sits imprisoned in the dungeon of the rulers’ palace, her fate decided.

She is to die at the hands of the autocrats who oversee Terrsaw, whose claim of selfless bargaining with terrible price to buy humanity’s relatively untroubled future has morphed into a mindset to avariciously cruel and self-serving that they don’t recognise that they are almost as much a threat to people as the Glacians themselves and that they have corrosively emptied out their humanity in order to save it.

Events conspire to ensure that Dawsyn doesn’t succumb to the fate ordained for her and while she mourns some great and terrible losses, she and her allies, whose numbers are small but mighty in intent and durable of purpose and action, begin to fight back not just against the Glacians and their terrible inheritors but against a mindset that has elevated survival above living and which sees nothing wrong with selling out everything that matters to buy a shaky and indeterminate caged future.

As fantasy goes, and it should be noted, the publishers of the Glacian Trilogy describe it as “romantasy” which exists in marketing speak alone, this series is in a class all its own possessed of world-building so fearsomely complete and expansive that it’s almost impossible not to be believe that the lands of Glacia and Terrsaw don’t exist somewhere just out there.

Equally, it possesses endlessly compelling characters like Dawsyn, who doesn’t need a man to save her – hallelujah for heroes who aren’t men and who can make it on their own, thank you very much – but who does benefit mightily from the sacrificial love and sacrificial support of the likes of gruff but loveable older inn keeper Salem, flamboyant black marketeer Esra and ancient mage with attitude Baltisse, all of whom feel wholly real and relatable despite their fantastical home and lives.

Chasm also benefits from a robust fight for freedom, for self-determination and for truth, its narrative arc replete with the cruelty of autocracy and the violence self-interest over prioritising power acquisition and sustainability over the welfare of the subjects it purportedly exists to nurture and support.

You care about what happens to Dawsyn in Chasm not simply because she wants to fight this corrosively awful abuse of power but because she’s willing to do anything to learn how to harness the warring magical power within and to save her people from threats old, and yes just when you thought all the dominos of evil might fall, new, one of which is so horrific in its craven need to feed and be served that even pluckily determined Dawsyn, who endures a lot, a LOT, emotionally and physically in this book, begins to wonder if she is every going to get any sort of triumphant happy-ever-after.

It’s a rich and captivating story, and while is suffers a little, but only a little from The Empire Strikes Back-middle entry of a trilogy levels of lulls in action and drive, Chasm more than makes up for them with some truly intense and memorably affecting descents into the dark night of the human soul.

Chasm is fantasy done stunningly and beautifully wrought, its beguilingly readable mix of superlative world-building, fully-formed characterisation and narratively alive reason to be coming together with McEwan’s gift for remarkable rich and beautifully substantial writing to form a novel that is as far as you can get from a lacklustre sequel and which astonishes and entrances on every page and which makes the future arrival of the final instalment in the trilogy an imperative necessity that must happen yesterday.

This was a great sequel to Ledge. I feel like not much happened to actually move the story along, but I still really enjoyed it. I'll be eagerly awaiting book 3.

Well that was exciting! Great follow up to Ledge! I am looking forward to the next book!

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robots for the chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review

I was very excited for this book because of how book 1 ended. Now I’m very excited for the next!! I do think this series will be best binged though because the wait is torture!!

I was so excited for this sequel. I gave Ledge 6 stars. That one hooked me from the get go and never let go. Unfortunately I have to dnf this one. I read to 35% and it took me over a month to get that far. I was so bored. It started so slow which is sad because it had that amazing cliffhanger but the whole plan, romance, action never kicked in within 35% I just got tired of reading all this build up. It wasn't holding my attention and because Ryon and Dawsyn were so at odds I lost all the chemistry I felt for them in book 1.

Chasm, the second book in The Glacian Trilogy, was a little slower paced than its predecessor. It picks up from a fantastic cliffhanger. Dawsyn is faced with the death of Ryon, her pending execution, and the loss of hope for her family on the Ledge. I can't say more without revealing too much!

What I liked:
I cannot tell you how much I love the characters of Esra and Salem. I sincerely wish they were my friends in real life. There were some additional characters that I grew to love throughout the course of this book. This was a slower paced book, likely setting the stage for book 3. We find out more about Dawsyn and the power she has, and what she can do with it. I actually enjoyed this slower pace! I had a hard time putting this book down. I don't know how long we have to wait for the 3rd book, but its too long, I'm sure!

What I didn't like:
I felt like some of the plot reveals were fairly expected. Some of the conflict between the characters was frustrating - but I know that's intentional :)

Overall, this book was solid, and I can't wait for the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Angry robot for the ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley and Angry Robot!
I loved the first book and am so excited for the second one! I have been waiting to see what happens next in Dawsyn's story, and I am so glad to have received the next installment in this series. I would definitely recommend this series to people who love a quick and easy-to-read fantasy with lots of detailed characters.

*3.75 rounded up to 4 stars

This book picks up right where Ledge left off, with Dawsyn being captured by the Queens. I really enjoy the authors writing style; the world building is easy to understand, the plot is not super convoluted, and there isn’t a ton of prose. This makes the book an easier-to-read fantasy that is still entertaining. I loved that we got to see more of the world in this book and we got to learn a little bit more lore throughout the book, mainly through Baltisse telling Dawsyn things. It was definitely interesting to hear where the Pool of Iskra originated from, as it gives us insight into what it is and why certain characters act in a certain way.

One thing this series does really well is the characterization of every character, including various side characters. I feel like each character has a distinct personality that is unique to them, which makes me more invested in everyone’s story. I loved the continued banter with Esra (and most everyone else) as well as the sarcastic comments between Dawsyn and Baltisse. However, there were times Dawsyn got on my nerves. In the middle of the book, she spends so much time being mad at someone for a relatively dumb reason (e.g., it was something that was out of the other person’s control). It was like she wanted to appear so tough that any feeling other than anger meant she was weak. Because of this, she spends so much of the book angry and, in my opinion, a little angry at the wrong people. She spends so much time denying her feelings and hurting other people in the process that it started to get old. I am so glad we finally got to get a reconciliation at the end of this novel after all of the “I hate you (but on the inside I secretly don’t and don’t want to admit to myself)” stuff.

Ultimately, a 3.75 star book. I don’t know exactly what is making it feel less than 4 stars but there is an element missing that makes it just shy of that 4 star rating.

Thank you Netgalley and Angry Robot Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chasm picks up straight where Ledge leaves us and my goodness does McEwan keep us on our toes! I thoroughly enjoyed the inner monologue of our Main Character, Dawson, as she navigates the aftermath of book 1 and how she adjusts her identity as well.

I further enjoyed the aspect of discussions with loneliness, betrayal and the trust lost as well as finding trust within yourself to allow others to help! I find that many Fantasy Books try to nail this theme which at times fall flat for me but McEwan perfectly executes this here!

My only reason as to why it isn’t a 5 Star read is that at points I felt as though the plot wasn’t going anywhere, mainly towards the beginning of the third Act. While this kept me guessing as to what was going to happen it at times made me stop and start the book.

Overall, very enjoyable read while keeping it as consistent as the first one for me! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to be able to read this early!