by Stacey McEwan
A village of people are held captive on an icy mountain ledge by winged creatures who supply only meager rations and come each year to reap a new batch of humans. What happens to the humans who disappear into the sky across the chasm? Let’s find out!
Read if you like: high fantasy, fantasy romance, enemies to lovers, world-building, mysterious origins, survival tales, winged MMC, stoic and capable FMC.
Dawsyn has only known the Ledge. The cold, harsh, life where you must take care of your own above all else. Where others died, she survived. Some might call her lucky. But her luck runs out when she is plucked off the Ledge by a Glacian in the yearly culling. She will soon find out the mystery of why her people are kept trapped on a mountain, why these powerful creatures need humans so dearly.
Ryon is a half-Glacian yet he has earned a position within the King’s court. When a fearless human comes to Glacia he sees his chance for escape. If only he can get her to trust him. If only he can survive her.
I was so excited to get the opportunity to read this book! I loved hearing Stacey’s voice in my head as I was reading. Thanks, TikTok.
I really enjoyed the pacing, the world-building, the character histories. When I got to Ryon’s first chapter I squealed. I love dual POV so much. We get a solid understanding of Dawsyn and the human experience before we get his POV and it adds so much to the story. I love the strength and perseverance of the characters. Yeah, she’s not warm and fuzzy and puts herself above all… you got the part where she was raised on a Ledge by ice monsters for some obviously nefarious reason, right? I’d run when I got the chance, too. Ryon is a great character and I love seeing his development on the page. I thought the romance had a good build with the pace of the story and was a solid medium spice level. The tension is delicious. I love their banter and mutual building of trust and respect.
Now let’s talk about that ending… holy cow. What now!?! How long do I have to wait for more of this story? Do we know? Anyone? We’re just trucking along with the plot; I see the potential for book 2 and then we get hit with a whammy. Good grief! I was not okay with the lack of pages after this point.
Now why 4/5 stars? There were parts that were clunky. Some of it being their dialogue in the first 30%. Maybe that’s on purpose to build awkwardness. Not sure, but it could be polished a bit. And there were a lot of familiar and predictable, yet still enjoyable things throughout. Overall, I will anxiously await book 2.
A huge thank you to Stacey McEwan and NetGalley for my copy of this book for review.
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