Most might know Stacey McEwan from her TikToks and trying to turn her husband into a fictional boyfriend. She went viral with her wit, sarcasm, and general relatability. Luckily, she's also an amazing writer which is clear from her first book of her breakout series, Ledge.
Let’s get into it.
Summary
The story follows Dawsyn who is randomly selected as a human sacrifice for a brutal species that live across the Chasm from her home, the Ledge. There is no way for anyone to cross the Chasm except to be flown by those species, known as Glacians, who reside on the other side.
They are a winged species who bring meager rations to the Ledge in exchange for a human sacrifice. No one knows what happens to them once they make it over the Chasm. Dawysyn is the only remaining member of her family and her luck finally runs out when she is snatched by the Glacians and hauled over to their castle.
Once she finds out what happens to the humans who make it over, she’s determined to escape. The king of the Glacians gives her a choice: stay and meet the same fate as her fellow villagers or run to the city at the base of the mountain (except Glacians will hunt you the minute you leave the castle).
Dawsyn takes her chances and runs. Fortunately, a half-Glacian called Ryon offers to help them both escape. Once they make it to the city, all hell breaks loose and Dawsyn doesn’t know who to trust and who to kill.
My Review
I followed Stacey McEwan when she first posted a TikTok of her catching her kiddos playing a game they called "slug race." In essence, her kids were laying face down next to each other by the pool and not moving. Stacey's reaction was "This is what I get for marrying a muggle" and, despite NOT being a Harry Potter fan, I was hooked on her videos.
With that said, just because someone is hilariously awesome on their social media channels doesn't mean they'll be a good writer. I always am wary of TikTokers who go viral or have huge followings and then write a book. Just because you might already have a large audience, doesn't mean the book will be good and/or sell. Fortunately for Stacey, she's both great at marketing herself on her social media channels but writes an incredible book to boot.
The world of The Glacian Trilogy series is set in a snowy, icy landscape set atop a ledge (hence, the name of the book). After Dawsyn is chosen as one of the sacrifices to the Glacians who live over the Chasm, she doesn't go down without a fight.
Here's the deal - this book isn't thematically mind-blowing. Part of why I give books five stars is because I simply loved reading them. Ledge is exactly that. For a fantasy book, I found reading this to be quite easy and without weird names and getting lost in pronunciations. But I will say that Stacey's worldbuilding is one of the more unique worlds I've read in quite some time. It was a breath of fresh air - a really cold breath of fresh air.
The steam
I had read that Ledge was a slow-burn romance and although there is a TON of tension, I wouldn't necessarily classify it as slow-burn. Personally, I would've liked a bit more angst. However, once McEwan decided the steam was going to happen, she delivered! The steamy scenes were beautifully written and without those cringy words we knowingly all hate. You know the ones I'm talking about... the ones where we roll our eyes and throw up in our mouth a little every time we see them written. Spilled his seed? Velvet steel? Yeah, all those words were, thankfully, not in this book.
BUT I would like to point out that this book is mostly plot with a side of steam. If you're looking for a smutty book, I'd suggest heading to Katee Robert or something along those lines. Personally, I am more of a plot than smut gal so that's why I loved this book so much.
Found family
McEwan wrote a great cast of side characters. My favorite character is probably Esra - a burly human who puts on quite a show even without a stage. And his fashion is as good as Anna Wintour. Esra provides just the right amount of comic relief without feeling forced or disrespectful to the LGBTQ+ community. They are truly a joy of a character and can't wait to find out what else we'll see from them.
Cliffhanger
If you hate cliffhangers, you'll hate this book. You are left with a HUGE (and I mean huge) cliffhanger so make sure to have her second book "Chasm" on the ready. The third installment is yet to be published.
Favorite Quotes
Some of the best quotes that made me feel the feelings.
The mantra those on the Ledge tell themselves to stay alive.
“Stay the frost, mind the chasm.”
Dawsyn realizing some stuff
She guesses that for all their differences, he might just be the only other creature in their world who was born and made as she was. Perhaps souls like theirs can only wader so far before they collide.
Ryon being all philosophical
“…but I will not sift through her choices and dispose of the ones that make me afraid. They are not mine.”
Dawsyn always pushing Ryon’s buttons:
“Did it scare you, Ryon? Tell me, what will you do if I kiss you again?” He grabs her wrist and pulls her down the path.
“I will bury myself inside you, Dawsyn. And yes, it scares me.” - Ryon
Tropes
If you like these tropes, you’ll love Leaves:
Found family
Enemies-to-lovers
Forbidden romance
Strong FMC (female main character)
Slow burn
Forced proximity
Content Warnings
Be prepared for:
Death of a minor
Graphic violence
Steamy on-page sex scenes
Torture
Murder
Suicide
Attempted sexual assault
Alcohol use
Strong language