*3.75 rounded up to 4 stars

This book picks up right where Ledge left off, with Dawsyn being captured by the Queens. I really enjoy the authors writing style; the world building is easy to understand, the plot is not super convoluted, and there isn’t a ton of prose. This makes the book an easier-to-read fantasy that is still entertaining. I loved that we got to see more of the world in this book and we got to learn a little bit more lore throughout the book, mainly through Baltisse telling Dawsyn things. It was definitely interesting to hear where the Pool of Iskra originated from, as it gives us insight into what it is and why certain characters act in a certain way.

One thing this series does really well is the characterization of every character, including various side characters. I feel like each character has a distinct personality that is unique to them, which makes me more invested in everyone’s story. I loved the continued banter with Esra (and most everyone else) as well as the sarcastic comments between Dawsyn and Baltisse. However, there were times Dawsyn got on my nerves. In the middle of the book, she spends so much time being mad at someone for a relatively dumb reason (e.g., it was something that was out of the other person’s control). It was like she wanted to appear so tough that any feeling other than anger meant she was weak. Because of this, she spends so much of the book angry and, in my opinion, a little angry at the wrong people. She spends so much time denying her feelings and hurting other people in the process that it started to get old. I am so glad we finally got to get a reconciliation at the end of this novel after all of the “I hate you (but on the inside I secretly don’t and don’t want to admit to myself)” stuff.

Ultimately, a 3.75 star book. I don’t know exactly what is making it feel less than 4 stars but there is an element missing that makes it just shy of that 4 star rating.

Thank you Netgalley and Angry Robot Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chasm picks up straight where Ledge leaves us and my goodness does McEwan keep us on our toes! I thoroughly enjoyed the inner monologue of our Main Character, Dawson, as she navigates the aftermath of book 1 and how she adjusts her identity as well.

I further enjoyed the aspect of discussions with loneliness, betrayal and the trust lost as well as finding trust within yourself to allow others to help! I find that many Fantasy Books try to nail this theme which at times fall flat for me but McEwan perfectly executes this here!

My only reason as to why it isn’t a 5 Star read is that at points I felt as though the plot wasn’t going anywhere, mainly towards the beginning of the third Act. While this kept me guessing as to what was going to happen it at times made me stop and start the book.

Overall, very enjoyable read while keeping it as consistent as the first one for me! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to be able to read this early!

This book is really good. Big improvement over the first in terms of pacing and prose style. Definitely sets up the action for future books while making me frustrated that I’ll have to wait to see what direction they’ll go in. Full on had me sobbing at parts and I’m hoping for a good resolution in the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for an eARC of Chasm!

I was an eARC reader for Ledge, so I was so excited to read and review Chasm too! Bless up to Stacey McEwan for picking up right where she left off because that cliffhanger dealt me some severe emotional damage. I read this book so fast! We get to see our badass FMC grow into her powers and herself. This book sets you up massively for the final book and I. CANT. WAIT.

Enjoyable read and continuation from the first novel. Enjoyable read, Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I loved the first book so much and have been dying to read the second book and it was amazing I loved every single second of this book and could not put it down

Another page turner!
This story was mainly focused on Dawsyn’s goal and finding a way to rescue her people. Not much spice this time around, there could have been a little more or at least tension imo. But again the love story was not the focus.
I enjoyed the few chapters of different POVs. I prefer when it’s just a sprinkle and not every other chapter.
Not really a cliffhanger but there is still story to be told.
Thank you NetGalley and AngryRobot for this arc!

A good next step in the series, although I felt like it was lacking in substance. It was a filler book to further the plot, but not enough driving the plot or the relationship. We are given more glimpses into side characters which was nice!

Another sequel that fell prey to the second book curse. I loved Ledge so freaking much - I tore through it in one day. So I was ecstatic to get an early copy of the sequel. But, alas, it was rather disappointing. It took too long to really get going. I was around 100 pages in and we still hadn’t developed the plot any further from the first book. It was like we were stuck in the conclusion from the first book, harping on the same consequences of those events, while not moving forward towards anything new. There wasn’t anything new to be learned in world-building or lore, so it lacked that element that was so fascinating from the first book. The fast-paced, action-packed nature of the first book was also practically non-existent in this one. The relationship between Dawsyn and Ryon was largely at a stand-still. This was a slump. There was nothing driving the story. This will definitely be one of my most disappointing reads for the year, just because of how much I loved the first book and was looking forward to the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is entirely my own opinion.

Chasm was not what I had expected. I had expected it to go in one direction and it went in a completely different direction.

I enjoyed getting to know more about Baltisse, her story line was interesting and I became invested in her character. I do feel that she was the only character worth becoming invested in. The other side characters, whilst there, seemed to be following Dawsyn about rather aimlessly.

The rescue scene in the start of the novel was exciting and I feel it could have been given a little more time to enjoy, it sort of started and then was over. But I feel a few areas of the book were like that. Places where I should be feeling a lot of emotion were often rushed, such as the character deaths. I found myself not feeling as much as I’m sure I was supposed to.

I found the middle of the book lacked purpose, it mainly comprised of Dawsyn and the team wandering from one place to another not doing too much.

I did enjoy the parts where they worked on her magic and I am interested to see how that plays out in the next book.

Something that really annoyed me was the relationship between Dawsyn and Ryon, even though he explained the situation and literally would do anything for her. She just wouldn’t forgive him. I understand the”denying your feelings” plot line but I found that situation began to wear on me as the book progressed.

Their eventual reconciliation felt rushed at the end of the book. And it also felt forced. I mean she went from not wanting him to even touch her out look at her to “take me now”… and when he said no, because he wanted her to admit her feelings, she thought undressing would be way to go.

I feel like things were left very unresolved with Ruby. She disappeared and everyone but Dawsyn thinks she betrayed them. They talk about it once after she disappears and then they never mention her again, not even to question her loyalty. The scenes between Ruby and the queens did nothing to clear up their intentions. She had one last chapter at the end of the book where she is visited in the dungeons by the queens and then it just stops. I’m sure it was meant as a cliffhanger, but I just felt it was a loose string that didn’t fit in anywhere.

The ending was exciting, but suffered from being rushed. Nothing happened for a lot of the book and then everything was happening in the last few pages, a massive fight, control of her magic and a death.

I am rating this book 3 stars, mostly because I liked Baltisse. I feel this story has potential and I will read book three to see how the story ends.

🤷🏼‍♀️ What it's about:
Dawsyn continues her mission in rescuing the people on the Ledge while faced with numerous challenges of heart, mind and loyalty.

✨️ Why I recommend it:
This book picked up exactly where we left things in Ledge and thank goodness, because I needed answers. It holds a really interesting journey for Dawsyn. She is idle for the first time in her life and as a result, it feels like the majority of her battles here are with her mind. She is constantly challenged and forced to trust. She has some frustrating moments but these seemed authentic when considering her journey and personality. I loved seeing the theme of women uniting against the world continue. The pacing was definitely slower than Ledge, the writing style slightly different as well (possibly just the ARC I read and this will be edited) but this is a book of answers and a pretty epic set up for the conclusion. I can’t wait to see where things go.

🤩 Read if you like:
Fantasy/romantasy, slow burn, scorned lovers, multi POV, magic, women warriors.

📖 Ebook or physical book?
Either works fine for this one.

Thank you Angry Robot Books and Net Galley for this ARC. Chasm by Stacey McEwan will be released 12 September 2023.

Thank you, Angry Robot, Stacey McEwan, and NetGalley, for the ARC.

This was an excellent 2nd book. I did have to stop and reread Ledge before I continued with this book because I had forgotten what had happened. I’m glad I reread it because I would have been so lost. I loved the storyline in this book. It kept me interested the whole time. This book had a lot of twists and turns. I love the chemistry between the characters. Salem and Ersa always have me cracking up.

The one thing that got on my nerves was Dawsyn's hyper-independence. She would not accept help if it dropped at her feet and became annoying. I wanted to scream, just let them help you. But other than that, I thought it was a great book, and I can't wait for the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher to providing me an advanced e-copy of this book to read. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I will admit when I first read Ledge back in March it wasn’t my favorite book, but that cliffhanger ending made me want to continue on with the series. And thankfully Chasm starts right where Ledge left off. Dawsyn is being held in the dungeons dealing with the loss of Ryon, The Queens are royal pricks and the towns people are suffering.

The first part of Chasm grabs you and does not let go. Each page is so engaging and fast paced I was addicted immediately. And I realized too late that I shouldn’t have started reading this at 10PM at night. Then we get to portion that for me made the book lose a star rating. The middle portion of the book dragged and there was lot of unnecessary let’s call it bickering between several key characters for an extend drawn out period of time. However, the ending of Chasm made up for the slow middle. The end was action packed and left me wanting more. Now even though the middle has its flaws I see what Stacy McEwan was doing. She was building up character development and setting up all the chess pieces for the finale to come in book 3.

Some of my favorite pros from Chasm. The side characters such as Ezra, Salem and Baltisse were certainly entertaining and I liked finding out more about hybrids. I also loved the introduction of Ruby.

Another pro for Chasm is my new found love and appreciation for Dawsyn. In book 1 she’s hard to love. Dawsyn is brutal and takes zero crap. But watching her struggle made her feel more human and could finally relate to her. Now even though I enjoyed her development I did think some portions where a bit to drawn out to the point of eye rolling at certain parts.

But overall I highly enjoyed Chasm. It’s definitely one of my favorite books I’ve read so far in 2023 and I can’t wait for everyone to experience its release later this fall.

3.5 folding stars

I really like the writing style of the author, even though it sometimes made the narration a bit disjointed, sometimes took precedence over pace.
I also liked all the various side characters and their respective back stories.

But really, there was not enough romance.
There was also not much happening in the middle of the book, Dawsyn was not a really likeable character and Ryon was transparent.
I couldn't understand why Dawsyn was so mad at Ryon for so long, for what seems like not a huge deal. But at one point it appears that she was mad at him because it hurt her when he died. She doesn't want to open up to him because she doesn't want to be hurt again. Fine. But what about hurting him in the process? That is a bit selfish no? I don't know if I got that part right but it didn't help me like Dawsyn.
But overall it was enjoyable and I'm curious about what will happen in the next book.

"A Thrilling Journey of Trust and Power" takes readers on a captivating adventure, filled with danger, betrayal, and newfound strength. Dawsyn's character development shines as she gains friends and learns to trust others while grappling with her unstable powers. The story's pacing keeps you hooked, and the vivid descriptions transport you to the treacherous mountain slopes and the looming evil that awaits. This thrilling book leaves you eagerly anticipating the next installment, eager to see how Dawsyn's story unfolds and how she faces the challenges ahead.

I have to say I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first. The writing style still isn’t my favorite and I found it to be dragging most of the time with not much actually happening. I would have preferred more romance and I didn’t really care for the repetitive Dawsyn/Ryon drama. It did get more exciting at the end though and I feel like the next one could be better, so maybe it’s just a middle book issue. I’ll stick around to see how it ends.

Thank you to Angry Robot for the ARC!

After devouring Ledge and being wrecked by the ending, I was ecstatic to have an ARC of Chasm. I loved seeing more character development in this book and getting to see insight into new characters. I enjoyed the new magic introduced and found the "light versus dark" magic story line. The only thing I didn't was the separation of the main plots. It seemed that the task of saving the people on the ledge and overtaking Adrik and the Queens would be mingled together. However, the plot to overtake Adrik and the Queens took a back seat to the Ledge. That caused me to be disappointed in the turn things took. I also disliked how Ruby's storyline also got sidelined and it seemed like they just forgot about her. Overall, I still enjoyed this book a lot and look forward to the next one!

Chasm does not dissappoint! The story picks up right after the cliffhanger that Ledge left us on. I really enjoyed getting to know the supporting cast of characters better. This was a very solid sequel. I think I may have even liked it better than Ledge! I need the next book now!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Angry Robot, for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Release Date: 12 September 2023
Rating: 5 stars

I have been following Stacey McEwan on TikTok for a while now, and based on her humour in those short videos, I suspected I would really enjoy her debut novel. Ledge was such a great start to this series, with good characters, an intriguing plot, a gorgeous writing style, and a cliffhanger that left me reeling.

So of course I applied for Chasm when it became available on Netgalley. I read the book in 2 sittings (if it wasn't for a need to pay bills I would have skipped work to read it in one sitting) and was hooked the whole way through. The characters, who read as more surface-level in Ledge, are further developed. We get to see more of each person's back-story, their relationships with other characters, and even their relationship with themselves (if that makes sense) grow exponentially. The history of the world and how the Ledge came to be are explored and with each puzzle piece we get, tensions naturally increase. Where Ledge felt more plot driven, Chasm feels a lot more balanced. My love for this world and the characters (especially Salam, Esra, and Baltise) knows no bounds.

Even though it is still a while before this book is even released, I am (very) anxiously awaiting the final installment in this trilogy. Stacey McEwan has proven herself to be a wonderful author in this debut series, and I hope she nails the finale just as much as she did the first two books!

Chasm is book two in the series and it did not disappoint. This was a great sequel to book one and I could not be more happy about it. The character development progresses and we learn so much more about who these characters are and why they are the way they are. The world building was significantly better than book one, I did not want to leave this world at all. Overall I think this was a great sequel and I cant wait to see what is next.