At first I thought this was going to be a horror story. I actually never read what the book was about when i bought it 😂

But what a wonderful surprise to find a great fantasy story.

Humans fighting winged creatures called glacians for survival on the ledge.
A small frozen village with a small civilisation trapped by a vast chasm and sheer mountain face.

Dawson managed to escape the ledge and survive with the help of a half breed glacian.
But even if she is free she needs to avenge her family and the ones she left on the ledge. With help from Ryon, they will take down the king and his pure glacians ones and for al.

Thank you to the publisher and author for allowing me to read the first two chapters! I was hooked from the very first sentence. The cold may not be alive, but Stacey Mcewan’s words will definitely keep you alive, questioning, and wanting to learn more about this mysterious and dangerous place. The main character Dawsyn is strong and I can tell she is about to go on a JOURNEY! The first chapters are very reminiscent of ACOTAR and there’s some immediate spiciness in this story as well. I am excited to read more of this book and see where the story goes!

Thank you to Stacey McEwan and NetGalley for providing me with a free preview of the first two chapters of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have since read the full book.

"Ledge" by Stacey McEwan is an exhilarating and immersive dark fantasy novel that captivated me from the very first page. Set in a frozen wasteland called the Ledge, where a trapped civilization must face the menacing Glacians in exchange for survival, the story follows Dawsyn, a fierce and resilient ax wielder. When she is chosen for the annual sacrifice, Dawsyn's world is turned upside down. However, hope arises in the form of Ryon, a half-Glacian who offers to help her escape. The slow-burning romance and high-stakes plot kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. McEwan's world-building is masterfully crafted, transporting readers into a unique and chilling universe. The author's descriptive prose and character introspection drew me deeper into the story, making it difficult to put the book down. With unanswered questions and a sense of urgency, "Ledge" left me eagerly anticipating the next installment in the Glacian Trilogy. Overall, Stacey McEwan delivers an enthralling debut that will transport you to a mesmerizing and dangerous world, leaving you craving for more.

This book is 100% giving me hunger games vibes and I am HERE FOR IT!! I definitely need the whole book now I need to know what happens after chapter 2!! Thank you NetGalley and Stacey McEwan for letting me preview this book!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to the sampler copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an intriguing first two chapters Ledge that had me hooked and wanting more!! I definitely felt the Hunger Games vibes, Now I need to read Ledge and Chasm!!

I really love this debut novel by Stacey McEwan. The world building is really interesting and unique. I love the story of the ledge and wish we got to see the different people on there a bit more.

There were twists and turns all through the novel and I read the whole book within a day or 2. I can’t wait for book 2 and really recommend this book.

The first few chapters of this book are so cold. This is a perfect winter read! I really liked what i got to read and need more right now!

I had been considering purchasing this when I found the sampler/excerpt and thought it was a great opportunity to discover whether I would enjoy it as much as I felt I might before taking the plunge. Therefore, I downloaded it immediately. The two chapters that are featured give just enough flavour to whet your appetite unlike some as often I have found excerpts to be far too short, but this was pretty on the money. The language and worldbuilding and the introduction of characters were done nicely, and I found myself compelled to keep reading which gave me the answer I was seeking all along. I only hope the sequel is as exciting and richly portrayed.

This was a taster of the first two chapters for ledge I was able to access for free through netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book starts as a massive wow! I can't wait to go buy and finish reading this. It's a dark fantasy in a dystopianesque world where cold is an evil they all must face. Humans have been overtaken as the apex predator. Friends are hard to come by and love along-lost ideal.

The writing style is typical of fantasy and makes it very easy to get lost in but also question name pronunciations 😉

The plot in just the first two chapters alone is intriguing. The scene setting and world building are done beautifully with a large part of it done through character introspection rather than telling us about the world.

It feels like the kind of dark fantasy where you will get lost in it and come out several hours later feeling like you have travelled across a different world for several days.

I will provide a full updated review once I have completed the full book.

I didn't realize this was only two chapters but I did enjoy them! The first two chapters definitely pull you into the story and I can't wait to one day read the rest.

I love Stacey’s work so much! I can’t wait for the next book to come out! I will definitely be buying it!

Stacey McEwan's "Ledge" offers a compelling start to the Glacian Trilogy. Set in a unique, ice-bound universe, the book introduces readers to Dawsyn, a strong and persistent protagonist wielding an ax and bearing a tremendous burden.

In just the first two chapters, McEwan's world-building is exceptional, painting a chilling picture of a society trapped in a harsh frozen landscape known as the Ledge, constantly fearing the mystical and fearsome Glacians.

Numerous unanswered questions presented in these initial pages amplify the reader's curiosity. How did the Ledge come into being? Is this community the last bastion of humanity or simply a secluded society?
I'm so glad "Ledge" is already out because I've added it to the top of my reading pile.

Thanks to NetGalley and Stacey McEwan' for the two chapter sample in exchange for an honest review.

So glad for the sneak peek! Cant wait to read more by McEwan! The first few characters really draw you in and make me so hyped to see more.

I didn’t realise this was a 2 chapter sampler when I downloaded it and I confess myself disappointed because I am intrigued by what I just read and want to know more… looks like I’ll just have to buy it.

Now bearing in mind that this is a sampler, I can only comment on what I have read so far. I like the use of present tense - it definitely provided a sense of urgency to the narration, I felt my anxiety growing even though nothing particularly horrific has happened yet. A surefire way to build tension.

Not much characterisation within two chapters but I liked what little I saw.

Something needs to be done about the actual formatting of the book: in the sampler sent to my kindle, the second chapter was full of random line breaks and no indents for new paragraphs.

I’ve just bought the book to learn more. I’ll post a full review once finished on Goodreads.

***This review is based on a sample (two chapters) of the book Ledge by Stacey McEwan***

A young woman living alone in a society that is literally on a cliff edge. Does she enjoy her solitude or is she secretly wishing for the day she is chosen?

As soon as I heard the premise of this book when Stacey was writing it, I knew it was one I wanted to read. After reading the first two chapters I'm now absolutely certain this is a book I am going to love. Already the writing style is gripping and feels natural to read. The characters are, so far, well written and you can tell that they have been thought out over time. I can't wait to get my hands on this book.

Having only sampled the first two chapters of Ledge, I’m certainly intrigued to explore this story more.

Set on an harsh and icy mountain face where resources are scarce, our strong willed, axe wielding FMC Dawsyn is all that is left of her family. As she endures this frozen wasteland, she can’t help but wonder about the Glacians; vicious, winged creatures who provide rations to the community in exchange for a human sacrifice…

Thank you to Netgalley, Stacey McEwan and Angry Robot for providing me with this sample.

Having read the first two chapters of ledge I'm very intrigued the story is well written and hooks readers from the get go. The story seems to be well paced with action from the very first chapter as well as world building and some back story included. I lokn forward to reading the rest of this book when it us released to see where it goes

It was not my cup of tea, but I imagine others would like it.

I felt like the editing could have been more fine-tuned regarding the pace, character development, and overall tone of the story.

Book review editing space

Title: Ledge
Series: The Glacian Trilogy
Author(s): Stacey McEwan
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Date Published: September 13, 2023
Date Read: May 23, 2023
Format: eBook
Free?: ARC from NetGalley - 2 chapter preview

NOTE: The following ratings are based on the first two chapters only.
Overall Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ / 5

Spice Rating: 🔥 / 5
Fantasy Rating: 🦄 / 5
Tear Rating: 💧 / 5
Humor Rating: 0 / 5

The Ledge does not reward the meek.

I will first say that I was given the first two chapters as a special preview ahead of the book’s paperback release, so this review only covers that preview.

That being said, I was instantly drawn into the world that Stacey McEwan has built, where the Ledge is cold and unforgiving, and monstrous dwell in the Chasm. I found her writing style to be very easy to fall into, and was sad that tore through the preview so quickly!

I have so many questions about the book — who are the captors? Why the Ledge? What will happen? And I cannot wait to purchase my copy of the book and find out for myself.

If and when I am able to buy this book in full and read it all, I will update my review accordingly.

Based on the two chapters I read, I would definitely recommend this book. I’ve given up on books for less, and I think this book holds great promise of adventure and intrigue.

A really interesting first couple of chapters which set the world up quite nicely and which have really intrigued me. The setting of a small civilisation isolated on a snowy mountain but with something mysterious lurking in the outside world seems quite unique to me and I am definitely curious to read more. I really enjoyed the writing in these two chapters, I felt it portrayed both the world and the characters' emotions vividly, and the prose flowed really nicely.
Often it can take a while to settle into some books, but after only two chapters I already feel like the plot and worldbuilding are moving at a steady pace and I want to know so much more. Based on this sample I'm definitely going to add Ledge to my TBR.