Ledge by Stacey McEwan
Series: The Glacian Trilogy #1
Published by Angry Robot on October 31, 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 271
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible
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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...
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In a place known as the Ledge, a civilization is trapped by a vast chasm and sheer mountain face. There is no way for anyone to escape the frozen wasteland without befalling a deathly drop. They know nothing of the outside world except that it is where the Glacians reside – mystical and vicious winged creatures who bring meagre rations in exchange for a periodic human sacrifice.

Dawsyn, ax wielder and only remaining member of her family, has so far avoided the annual culling, but her luck has run out. She is chosen and ripped from her icy home, the only world she knows. No one knows what will happen to her on the other side, least of all Dawsyn. Murdered? Enslaved? Worse?

Fortunately, a half-Glacian called Ryon offers to help them both escape, but how can she trust one of the very creatures that plagued her life? Dawsyn is a survivor, and she is not afraid to cut anyone down to live.

With a slow-burning romance, high stakes and even higher rewards, this richly created new fantasy series by popular TikToker Stacey McEwan will keep you gripped to the very end.

*Content warnings* gratuitous violence & death; death of a minor; suicide; attempted sexual assault

I am a huge romantasy fan, yet I find myself struggling to find books in the genre that can hold a candle to my favorites (ACOTAR, The Winter King, Bridge Kingdom, among others). When a friend suggested I pick up Ledge to quench my romantasy thirst, I was a little skeptical. I don’t usually end up liking the TikTok/social media sensations and find them to be overly hyped because everyone has been caught up in the frenzy. I’m currently side-eying Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros for this same reason, but that’s another story. lol. Anyway, I really, really enjoyed Ledge and immediately downloaded the sequel, Chasm, on Netgalley when it was over. And here’s the funny thing. When I sat down to write this review and began to think about all the different aspects of a book I always write about like the characters, romance, worldbuilding, story, etc. I realized that this book is lacking in several areas. It has plot holes and pacing issues. So why could I not stop reading it? I couldn’t put it down and really grabbed on to the unique aspects of the story. So that’s super wild to me! How can I fly through a book and not notice all the issues it has? LOL. Anyway, let’s dissect this. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. I love a fantasy set in a freezing cold world. These are my very favorites. I’m not sure why, I just love how cozy (or ominous) and magical (or eerie) a wintry setting makes these stories. Ledge takes place in a small village right on the edge of a deep chasm in the treacherous mountains. It’s completely cut off from the rest of the world, and nobody leaves unless they are snatched away by a Glacian, a violent winged creature that reminds me of a dragon, never to be seen again. The people who live on the ledge struggle for everything. The Glacian kingdom sends them just enough rations and supplies to keep them alive, but they’re essentially fighting each other for everything they have. In exchange for these rations from the Glacians, the people of the ledge are forced to offer themselves up as human sacrifices every so often. When the time comes, they all stand outside their homes as the Glacians fly over them and decide who they will choose. Dawsyn has lost her entire family to the Glacians, and now her luck has run out. She is taken and flown to the castle on the other side of the chasm, where she is held prisoner until the time comes for her to make a life changing decision. I found this concept to be super compelling, and I loved the setting. The frigid ledge, the scary kingdom on the other side, and the chasm that separates them had me so intrigued. I really enjoyed the set-up of the story. 

2. But then… the story really slows down and turns inward to focus on the romance, and the worldbuilding suffers as a result. The Glacian king allows Dawsyn to choose her fate. She can either live as a mindless shell or she can run down the mountain in a race against the Glacians who will attempt to hunt and kill her on her way, something nobody has been successful at doing so far. Of course, she chooses to run and I was so excited for a suspenseful descent with danger and battles and loads of suspense. I was hoping the bulk of the book would focus on this, actually. But it never happened. We meet Ryon, half human half Glacian, who volunteers to be one of the creatures who will hunt Dawsyn. But he has an ulterior motive. His goal is to escape with her to the kingdom below and set his plan in motion to ultimately overthrow the king and find a way for humans and Glacians to live in peace. A noble goal. Instead of hunting her, he finds her and they join forces to descend the mountain together.

3. And then the story stops. lol. There was potential for so much suspense and excitement, but things get too easy for these characters. This super treacherous mountain seems like a hill for how quickly they descend it. Like, I was picturing Mt. Everest or the Alps for how cold it is (and how far removed these people and the creatures are from the rest of the world) but then they hit the bottom in no time and I was like… oh, so was it just a little hilly Appalachian Mountain maybe? There are some revelations, which I enjoyed. Some secrets are aired. But overall it all felt too easy. And it all moved at a glacial speed. I kept reading because the beginning really grabbed me, but we spend a little too much time hiding in an inn trying to figure out what to do, even though Ryon’s plan has been in motion forever… and things are basically ready to go? So… why did he even bring Dawsyn if she literally had nothing to offer him and actually hinders his ability to carry out his plan efficiently? It just felt like too much of a liability for someone who has been waiting a long time for the opportune moment to overthrow an entire kingdom.

4. Dawsyn and Ryon are very underdeveloped characters. We get a little backstory of Dawsyn losing her family members one by one, and we get some very murky details about Ryon’s past. But they’re both seriously lacking in personality. And they don’t make sense. Dawsyn has been on the brink of starvation in a barren wasteland for her entire life. How can she do anything but sit by the fire and try not to die? She’s wielding axes and killing things and is so strong. How can this be? It makes no sense. This weird insta-love they fall into also makes no sense. Why does she trust him so easily? He is the enemy, yet she wants to give herself over to him completely even though he’s done nothing to prove to her that she can trust him. And why does he care about her at all? Because she’s pretty? I can’t figure out a reason why they love each other. Also, Ryon insists on calling Dawsyn “girl”. WHY? WHYYY!? It’s so annoying! Glacians live a long time, so I guess he’s old even though he’s smoking hot (Edward, is that you?), but why must he call her “girl”? It felt demeaning and really rubbed me the wrong way. Plus, she asked him not to call her that multiple times so he doesn’t even respect her. I’m sure both of them are annoyed that the author forced them to fall in love, because there is no love built between the two of them. It seems to only happen for the sake of the plot.

5. Many little details are shrouded in this kind of vague nothingness. Readers are told things but are never shown anything. Why do Dawsyn and Ryon both swear the same way when they’ve been brought up practically on different planets, and are different species? Where did Dawsyn’s training in weaponry and combat come from? What is this magic system? How do we have a mage who just randomly appears and heals people of their injuries to ensure the story can continue? Where did the Glacians come from? There’s no history of these creatures. They clearly haven’t always existed (or at least not in this place) since there was a life before the ledge that Dawsyn’s grandmother experienced. So where did they come from? This pool that renders humans shells and allows the Glacians to be immortal… Um, ok? Why? How?

6. The writing, while nice at times, never really settled into one consistent style. It’s like the author wrote this in chunks over the years and then pieced it all together. The prose changes, and there was no real consistency.

7. So why 3 stars? Well, it’s that whole compulsion to read that I mentioned in the beginning. I was so captivated by the bones of this story that I kept hoping things would get more fleshed out and my questions would be answered. The story sounds so cool on the surface, and the author could have done so much more if she had dug a little deeper and really tackled everything she set out to create. I feel like she got tired or bogged down by her imagination. But the thing is, she did write something I binged. She got me. The twist at the end FLOORED me. I was shaken to my very core. Holy cliffhanger. Regardless of all my criticisms, this book grabbed me. I thought about it when I wasn’t reading it. I read for longer stretches than my sleep schedule allowed. I don’t even know what happened. I think it was a case of the right book at the right time and I will absolutely be reading the next one. I hope more worldbuilding happens, more questions are answered, and we get a more developed Dawsyn and Ryon.

Wow. Just look at the turmoil in my review. LOL. I enjoyed this book, I was entertained, and I will be recommending it to others. BUT it would be so much better with some improvements that I hope to see in Chasm. So do with that what you will!