This book is really good. Big improvement over the first in terms of pacing and prose style. Definitely sets up the action for future books while making me frustrated that I’ll have to wait to see what direction they’ll go in. Full on had me sobbing at parts and I’m hoping for a good resolution in the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for an eARC of Chasm!

I was an eARC reader for Ledge, so I was so excited to read and review Chasm too! Bless up to Stacey McEwan for picking up right where she left off because that cliffhanger dealt me some severe emotional damage. I read this book so fast! We get to see our badass FMC grow into her powers and herself. This book sets you up massively for the final book and I. CANT. WAIT.

Enjoyable read and continuation from the first novel. Enjoyable read, Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I loved the first book so much and have been dying to read the second book and it was amazing I loved every single second of this book and could not put it down

Another page turner!
This story was mainly focused on Dawsyn’s goal and finding a way to rescue her people. Not much spice this time around, there could have been a little more or at least tension imo. But again the love story was not the focus.
I enjoyed the few chapters of different POVs. I prefer when it’s just a sprinkle and not every other chapter.
Not really a cliffhanger but there is still story to be told.
Thank you NetGalley and AngryRobot for this arc!

A good next step in the series, although I felt like it was lacking in substance. It was a filler book to further the plot, but not enough driving the plot or the relationship. We are given more glimpses into side characters which was nice!

Another sequel that fell prey to the second book curse. I loved Ledge so freaking much - I tore through it in one day. So I was ecstatic to get an early copy of the sequel. But, alas, it was rather disappointing. It took too long to really get going. I was around 100 pages in and we still hadn’t developed the plot any further from the first book. It was like we were stuck in the conclusion from the first book, harping on the same consequences of those events, while not moving forward towards anything new. There wasn’t anything new to be learned in world-building or lore, so it lacked that element that was so fascinating from the first book. The fast-paced, action-packed nature of the first book was also practically non-existent in this one. The relationship between Dawsyn and Ryon was largely at a stand-still. This was a slump. There was nothing driving the story. This will definitely be one of my most disappointing reads for the year, just because of how much I loved the first book and was looking forward to the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is entirely my own opinion.

Chasm was not what I had expected. I had expected it to go in one direction and it went in a completely different direction.

I enjoyed getting to know more about Baltisse, her story line was interesting and I became invested in her character. I do feel that she was the only character worth becoming invested in. The other side characters, whilst there, seemed to be following Dawsyn about rather aimlessly.

The rescue scene in the start of the novel was exciting and I feel it could have been given a little more time to enjoy, it sort of started and then was over. But I feel a few areas of the book were like that. Places where I should be feeling a lot of emotion were often rushed, such as the character deaths. I found myself not feeling as much as I’m sure I was supposed to.

I found the middle of the book lacked purpose, it mainly comprised of Dawsyn and the team wandering from one place to another not doing too much.

I did enjoy the parts where they worked on her magic and I am interested to see how that plays out in the next book.

Something that really annoyed me was the relationship between Dawsyn and Ryon, even though he explained the situation and literally would do anything for her. She just wouldn’t forgive him. I understand the”denying your feelings” plot line but I found that situation began to wear on me as the book progressed.

Their eventual reconciliation felt rushed at the end of the book. And it also felt forced. I mean she went from not wanting him to even touch her out look at her to “take me now”… and when he said no, because he wanted her to admit her feelings, she thought undressing would be way to go.

I feel like things were left very unresolved with Ruby. She disappeared and everyone but Dawsyn thinks she betrayed them. They talk about it once after she disappears and then they never mention her again, not even to question her loyalty. The scenes between Ruby and the queens did nothing to clear up their intentions. She had one last chapter at the end of the book where she is visited in the dungeons by the queens and then it just stops. I’m sure it was meant as a cliffhanger, but I just felt it was a loose string that didn’t fit in anywhere.

The ending was exciting, but suffered from being rushed. Nothing happened for a lot of the book and then everything was happening in the last few pages, a massive fight, control of her magic and a death.

I am rating this book 3 stars, mostly because I liked Baltisse. I feel this story has potential and I will read book three to see how the story ends.

🤷🏼‍♀️ What it's about:
Dawsyn continues her mission in rescuing the people on the Ledge while faced with numerous challenges of heart, mind and loyalty.

✨️ Why I recommend it:
This book picked up exactly where we left things in Ledge and thank goodness, because I needed answers. It holds a really interesting journey for Dawsyn. She is idle for the first time in her life and as a result, it feels like the majority of her battles here are with her mind. She is constantly challenged and forced to trust. She has some frustrating moments but these seemed authentic when considering her journey and personality. I loved seeing the theme of women uniting against the world continue. The pacing was definitely slower than Ledge, the writing style slightly different as well (possibly just the ARC I read and this will be edited) but this is a book of answers and a pretty epic set up for the conclusion. I can’t wait to see where things go.

🤩 Read if you like:
Fantasy/romantasy, slow burn, scorned lovers, multi POV, magic, women warriors.

📖 Ebook or physical book?
Either works fine for this one.

Thank you Angry Robot Books and Net Galley for this ARC. Chasm by Stacey McEwan will be released 12 September 2023.

Thank you, Angry Robot, Stacey McEwan, and NetGalley, for the ARC.

This was an excellent 2nd book. I did have to stop and reread Ledge before I continued with this book because I had forgotten what had happened. I’m glad I reread it because I would have been so lost. I loved the storyline in this book. It kept me interested the whole time. This book had a lot of twists and turns. I love the chemistry between the characters. Salem and Ersa always have me cracking up.

The one thing that got on my nerves was Dawsyn's hyper-independence. She would not accept help if it dropped at her feet and became annoying. I wanted to scream, just let them help you. But other than that, I thought it was a great book, and I can't wait for the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher to providing me an advanced e-copy of this book to read. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I will admit when I first read Ledge back in March it wasn’t my favorite book, but that cliffhanger ending made me want to continue on with the series. And thankfully Chasm starts right where Ledge left off. Dawsyn is being held in the dungeons dealing with the loss of Ryon, The Queens are royal pricks and the towns people are suffering.

The first part of Chasm grabs you and does not let go. Each page is so engaging and fast paced I was addicted immediately. And I realized too late that I shouldn’t have started reading this at 10PM at night. Then we get to portion that for me made the book lose a star rating. The middle portion of the book dragged and there was lot of unnecessary let’s call it bickering between several key characters for an extend drawn out period of time. However, the ending of Chasm made up for the slow middle. The end was action packed and left me wanting more. Now even though the middle has its flaws I see what Stacy McEwan was doing. She was building up character development and setting up all the chess pieces for the finale to come in book 3.

Some of my favorite pros from Chasm. The side characters such as Ezra, Salem and Baltisse were certainly entertaining and I liked finding out more about hybrids. I also loved the introduction of Ruby.

Another pro for Chasm is my new found love and appreciation for Dawsyn. In book 1 she’s hard to love. Dawsyn is brutal and takes zero crap. But watching her struggle made her feel more human and could finally relate to her. Now even though I enjoyed her development I did think some portions where a bit to drawn out to the point of eye rolling at certain parts.

But overall I highly enjoyed Chasm. It’s definitely one of my favorite books I’ve read so far in 2023 and I can’t wait for everyone to experience its release later this fall.

3.5 folding stars

I really like the writing style of the author, even though it sometimes made the narration a bit disjointed, sometimes took precedence over pace.
I also liked all the various side characters and their respective back stories.

But really, there was not enough romance.
There was also not much happening in the middle of the book, Dawsyn was not a really likeable character and Ryon was transparent.
I couldn't understand why Dawsyn was so mad at Ryon for so long, for what seems like not a huge deal. But at one point it appears that she was mad at him because it hurt her when he died. She doesn't want to open up to him because she doesn't want to be hurt again. Fine. But what about hurting him in the process? That is a bit selfish no? I don't know if I got that part right but it didn't help me like Dawsyn.
But overall it was enjoyable and I'm curious about what will happen in the next book.

"A Thrilling Journey of Trust and Power" takes readers on a captivating adventure, filled with danger, betrayal, and newfound strength. Dawsyn's character development shines as she gains friends and learns to trust others while grappling with her unstable powers. The story's pacing keeps you hooked, and the vivid descriptions transport you to the treacherous mountain slopes and the looming evil that awaits. This thrilling book leaves you eagerly anticipating the next installment, eager to see how Dawsyn's story unfolds and how she faces the challenges ahead.

I have to say I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first. The writing style still isn’t my favorite and I found it to be dragging most of the time with not much actually happening. I would have preferred more romance and I didn’t really care for the repetitive Dawsyn/Ryon drama. It did get more exciting at the end though and I feel like the next one could be better, so maybe it’s just a middle book issue. I’ll stick around to see how it ends.

Thank you to Angry Robot for the ARC!

After devouring Ledge and being wrecked by the ending, I was ecstatic to have an ARC of Chasm. I loved seeing more character development in this book and getting to see insight into new characters. I enjoyed the new magic introduced and found the "light versus dark" magic story line. The only thing I didn't was the separation of the main plots. It seemed that the task of saving the people on the ledge and overtaking Adrik and the Queens would be mingled together. However, the plot to overtake Adrik and the Queens took a back seat to the Ledge. That caused me to be disappointed in the turn things took. I also disliked how Ruby's storyline also got sidelined and it seemed like they just forgot about her. Overall, I still enjoyed this book a lot and look forward to the next one!

Chasm does not dissappoint! The story picks up right after the cliffhanger that Ledge left us on. I really enjoyed getting to know the supporting cast of characters better. This was a very solid sequel. I think I may have even liked it better than Ledge! I need the next book now!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Angry Robot, for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Release Date: 12 September 2023
Rating: 5 stars

I have been following Stacey McEwan on TikTok for a while now, and based on her humour in those short videos, I suspected I would really enjoy her debut novel. Ledge was such a great start to this series, with good characters, an intriguing plot, a gorgeous writing style, and a cliffhanger that left me reeling.

So of course I applied for Chasm when it became available on Netgalley. I read the book in 2 sittings (if it wasn't for a need to pay bills I would have skipped work to read it in one sitting) and was hooked the whole way through. The characters, who read as more surface-level in Ledge, are further developed. We get to see more of each person's back-story, their relationships with other characters, and even their relationship with themselves (if that makes sense) grow exponentially. The history of the world and how the Ledge came to be are explored and with each puzzle piece we get, tensions naturally increase. Where Ledge felt more plot driven, Chasm feels a lot more balanced. My love for this world and the characters (especially Salam, Esra, and Baltise) knows no bounds.

Even though it is still a while before this book is even released, I am (very) anxiously awaiting the final installment in this trilogy. Stacey McEwan has proven herself to be a wonderful author in this debut series, and I hope she nails the finale just as much as she did the first two books!

Chasm is book two in the series and it did not disappoint. This was a great sequel to book one and I could not be more happy about it. The character development progresses and we learn so much more about who these characters are and why they are the way they are. The world building was significantly better than book one, I did not want to leave this world at all. Overall I think this was a great sequel and I cant wait to see what is next.

No spoilers.
After the ending of Ledge I was so happy to get a hold of this book.
We are thrown back in with Dawsyn in jail awaiting her fate while mourning Ryon's death.
It was heartbreaking.
After she is rescued by Baltisse we get reacquainted with the motley of characters from the first book.
I loved the inner turmoil that Dawsyn deals with. I wish she figured things out sooner but in the end she was right where she needed to be.
The aftermath of the uprising shows just how much power corrupts and I really hope the next book offers some closure on that.
The ending is a bit of a cliff hanger and I impatiently await the next book.
Thank you to Netgalley, Angry Robot and Stacey McEwan for the arc and I am leaving this review voluntarily

4.5 stars

It’s going to be hard to properly review this book without revealing a certain spoiler, I suppose it’s a spoiler but, I’ll be honest, it feels quite an obvious one to really treat this as a spoiler. But you’ve been warned.

*SPOILER* I suppose after how Ledge ended, any mention of Ryon in this book is a spoiler. Yes he’s back, it happened so abruptly that I wasn’t surprised by this development. While the ending of book 1 hit me at the time and I was fascinated to find out where the story went, I can’t help feeling Ryon in this instalment has been demoted from an interesting character to simply a brooding, protective hunk that most YA books feel they need. I don’t know, I just didn’t feel him and Dawysn’s relationship the same way this time. Actually for the start of the book I badly wanted Baltisse and Dawysn to get it on, that chemistry I could feel!
Yes plenty of reviews say Dawsyn overreacted or it was a simple misunderstanding that caused the friction between the couple. But Dawsyn is a survivor, someone who has largely survived by not trusting or relying on anyone else and even the simple fact that Ryon lied to her and kept crucial information from her, once she had dropped her defences and guard, I totally get what she felt betrayed and lost by his actions. Yes she was scared too after experiencing that fear and heartache but, imo, she was just in being mad.
For a lot of this book, Dawsyn doesn’t want to be near Ryon and yet it frustrated me he couldn’t respect her wishes, he was always there calling her “Malishka” when she told him not to, or “girl”, always there when she was feeling needy or vulnerable, being a grunting, possessive a*s shouting at and bossing Baltisse around the moment he needs her for Dawsyn. He’s just the ‘scary boyfriend’ insert which, in itself, is a little boring.

Dawsyn I still found an interesting character you have to root for, she’s still got a lot of healing to do, she’s not a nice character but she’s a good character, and you experience more in this book of her learning to accept herself and the love that people have for her. The events on the ledge, finding out about her past/family and how the people on the ledge came to be, the conflict of loving someone, the magic blooming inside her, rebellion etc, there’s a lot in Dawsyn’s head to keep her development and thoughts complex. Dawysn’s main goal in this book is to free the people of the ledge, however since the Glacians were defeated in Ledge, there are now new threats in her path.
Salem and Esra are still the comic relief. I’m glad Hector is back and Ruby, oh my sweet Ruby (justice for Ruby who NO ONE deserves), she’s a great addition that I want more of in the final instalment.

Baltisse though was, by far, my favourite character in this story, actually she was the best character. I found her intriguing in book 1 and I’m so glad she got a back story and depth in this instalment. But she’s sassy, she literally takes no disrespect, she’s fabulous, she has magic and I love her. I won’t lie, I feel like her character was still wasted and/or misused but maybe I’m still just bitter.

Characters aside, Chasm follows the same easy reading style as Ledge, it flows, it’s not overly complicated you and you get into it and become absorbed with characters that are largely very likeable. You have more backstory for Ryon growing up, for Dawsyn and her grandmother and sister. You learn more about Iskra and mages also.
This isn’t a long book but pacing can still be a little stunted at times, there does feel like sections that could have possibly been cut down, but still it doesn’t impact the reading experience. Bar an, imo, unnecessary and disappointing character death, the climax to this book is also very busy and tense with a promising ending making the final instalment to this series sure to be dramatic.

Overall I’m really enjoying this trilogy and i can’t wait to find out how it’s all wrapped up. Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.