Stacy McEwan
Adult Fantasy
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 winged creatures who bring them meagre rations to survive, in exchange for a periodic human sacrifice. Dawsyn, axe 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?Thankfully, the fates align and Dawsyn manages to escape their clutches with the help of a half-Glacian called Ryon. But trust does not come easily, and she keeps a trained axe to his throat while they journey together down the slopes. But who’s to say that the life below will be any better than the one she has run from?
-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.
Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.
My Opinion
(4 / 5) Living on the ledge of a mountain Dawsyn lives in the brutal cold until the Glacians return to take some of her people as offering. What happens to them is a mystery.
This had all the dystopian vibes that I have come to love. People fighting for their existence, horrific rulers who claim to be what is best for them, and a “lightbulb” moment of clarity when they put the pieces together.
Dawsyn is chosen to be an offering and is brutally grabbed off the mountain. She finds a way to escape their clutches and here is where we learn so much about her. I’d seen she was tough, that her mere survival was solely because of her work. But when she escapes, we truly get the picture of who she is. She is thrown into many life threatening situations and the excitement is nonstop. Oh you know me and the fast-paced books! I just eat it up. Throw in a bad a$$ woman who can take care of herself and some incredible villains and I’m glued.
One of the best parts of the book were the characters. I had quite a few favorites! Salem who had the perfect accent and his crass friends. I like to call them the “endearing brutes.” They were fabulous! But Ryon also was a lovely cinnamon roll that kept me guessing. Throw in Dawsyn and her abrasive manner and these two had me loving them from moment one. Add yep, they’re enemies-to-lovers so I’m hooked. With this trope so overdone it was nice to have it well written. This had quite a bit of intimacy in it but it was well done and easy to skip if that’s your forte.
The end was chock full of excitement but one aspect changed the feel of the story for me. I’m not sure why it caught me by surprise but I found I didn’t like it and wasn’t as enthralled afterwards. Beyond that, the story was gripping and I will be anxiously awaiting book 2!
General content summary: Goodreads has this labeled as YA, it’s not. It’s adult and the main character is 24. The intimacy was high and detailed but violence was also prevalent.
F words: 20+, people scramble and fight each other for food/supplies, people are taken and held captive, many people fall into the chasm, previously an elderly woman dies from a severe cough, grief, suicide, attempted rape, physical violence, murder, a woman is taken captive, prisoners are stripped, a tongue has been removed, bloody suicide, bloody killings (multiple), a man dresses in women’s clothes, a woman undresses in front of a man, f/f marriage, alcohol (drunk), kisses, near drowning, performing chest compressions on someone, mass suicides (few details), open door love scene (detailed intimacy, multiple), battle (bloody, dismemberment, beheading and more), poison, childbirth death.
Thank you to Angry Robot for the gifted copy!
The book releases September 13, 2022.
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