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
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First line:
The cold is cruel but it is not alive.
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Source:
Source:
Kindle ebook
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Rating:
3 Axes out of 5
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I love the concept of the novel. Humans fighting for their lives in a harsh environment and against their fantastical winged oppressors. Dawsyn does not know the history of how her people came to be there. There is just the fight to stay alive, the hope that she will not be chosen on selection day.
Dawsyn and Ryon fell flat as characters for me. They feel one dimensional and I'm not particularly attached to either of them. Even the side characters don't evoke much love from me. Both main characters feel very flat with their emotions, even in the height of passion. And Salem and Esra just feel like they're trying too hard to provide comic relief. Dawson also falls unconscious way too many times and it annoyed me.
The writing style also feels very jolting and kept me from really getting into the series. Even the big plot twist at the end did not feel like it hit as hard as it could have because I was disconnected from the characters and the story. And I guess my thing this year is talking about chapter divisions, because I'm back on my soap box for this book. McEwan has a weird way of ending most chapters with a very short jarring sentence that ruins the flow. And sometimes ending the chapter where it is ended doesn't feel like it makes sense and ruins the flow of the story. I also was thrown off towards the end of the book (which is written in present tense), during a battle scene, the author suddenly starts talking about the future for two paragraphs. “It will take centuries before the tales evolve to tell of Dawson Sabar…” It’s supposed to be this profound piece of information that feels wrong in the context of the moment and throws you out of the story while our characters are literally headed into battle.
I love the concept and am interested to see what's next. I hope I can connect with the story and with the characters more in the next couple of books.
You might like this book if you like badass, stabby FMCs, winged MMCs, enemies to lovers, and plots to overthrow the ruling powers.
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