There are few authors who can write quite so beautifully as Claire Legrand. The attention to detail in her word choice is something incredibly special, and it's on full display in her adult debut. It was easy to get sucked right into the luscious, expansive world of Edyn, easier still to get pulled into each emotion. And with fragrances sprinkled throughout the prose, the became a truly scentsory experience. I adored the side characters and the support they each offered Gemma through her bouts of panic and chronic pain. This was mental illness rep at its best, not seeking to erase, but rather to move through it. A beautiful, captivating blend of regency vibes and high fantasy with a romance for the ages. And while the pacing felt a bit stop and go, A COURT OF IVY AND GLASS set the stage for the trilogy beautifully (most excited for Farrin's book).

I loved this book! There are so many layers to this story, it's a little hard to wrap my head around it.
The beginning is fun, flirty, magical, and a little sad. They're hunting demons and falling in love.
Then  it's intense and a little scary.  No sooner do you get the answers to the big mystery, that another bigger mystery comes up.
Next, it's a run for their lives from an unfathomable evil. With the love of family and new friends, they escape to fight another day.
That ending kinda wrecked me. I was hoping for.... no, I won't spoil it for you, but now I'm even more eager for book 2.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟💫 4.75

First, a huge thank you to Sophie from Sourcebooks International for sending me this ARC. I´ll treasure it forever.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 & 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬:
Adult fantasy, dark magic, folktales, romance, high society, panic attacks, chronic pain and illnesses, passion with a good level of spice, mystery, gods and magical creatures, fae, demons, shapeshifting female warriors, necromancer, elemental magic

Plot:

A Crown of Ivy and Glass, the first book in the Middlemist trilogy, is a story about romance, dark magic, costuming and architecture, dance, music, monsters and myths. A story about sisterhood, passionate lovers and this is only the beginning.
Each book will follow one of the Ashbourne sisters, and in this first novel, we are introduced to Lady Imogen “Gemma” Ashbourne…. a young, rich and beautiful woman of a family, which was Anointed by the gods and blessed with incredible abilities, she seemingly has it all.
But underneath every woman´s her glittering façade, Gemma is deeply sad. Years ago, her sister Mara was taken to the Middlemist to be a guard of the priory of Rosewarren, where she and other shapeshifting female warriors protect the human realm of Edyn against treacherous magic. Her mother abandoned the family. Her father and eldest sister, Farrin, often forget that she exists since they are embroiled in a deadly blood feud with the mysterious Bask family from the North. A feud brought to life long ago by a demon called The Man with the Three-Eyed Crown. And worst of all, Gemma is the only Ashbourne to possess no magic. Instead, her body fights it like poison. Constantly ill, aching with loneliness, Gemma craves love and yearns to belong.
But that all changes when she meets Talan d'Astier. A charming, sarcastic and criminally handsome man, with a mysterious family history. His family destroyed themselves, seduced by a demon, and Talan, the only survivor, is determined to redeem their honour. Intrigued and enchanted, Gemma proposes a bargain: She'll help Talan navigate high society if he helps her destroy the Basks by killing the demon.
Whilst attacks on the Middlemist are increasing, the plot against the Basks quickly spirals out of control, something immense and terrifying is awakening in Gemma, drawing her inexorably toward Talan in an all-consuming passion that could destroy her—or show her the true strength of her power at last.

Personal thoughts:

My first initial reaction to this book was that it is the perfect blend between an English high society period drama and an epic fantasy novel.
It has the lightness and shimmer of a high society balls hosted at a beautiful mansion in the countryside that is covered in ivy from the out and inside. It has the softness of a silk gown and the magical aesthetic of a pre-Raphaelite painting. But it also has the weight and eerie darkness you would hope for in a fantasy world. The danger and mystery. Therefore, I absolutely adored the world building around the Mist, the Rosewarren, the history, folktales, and gods, since it was so characteristically “Claire Legrand” with its rich details, its depth and extended even further once the Fae and demons were introduced.

The romance. The romance was about passion, desire, and at one point reminded me of the rain scene in Pride & Prejudice. Nevertheless, it was also about falling in and out of trust, about wondering whether they are soulmates or if he´s just really good at manipulating.I throroughly enjoyed the dynamic between Gemma and Talan, however I was not completly convinced by how quickly they fell in love.

Along with that, Claire Legrand was once again able to create a story that was carried by an incredibly complex main character. Gemma is a woman, who not only suffers from chronic pain and illness, but also from sadness, loneliness and self-hatred that is so deeply rooted inside her. But that is not what defines her in the end. It’s her strength, resilience and emotional journey throughout the book, which we get to accompany her through both the glittering highs and the ink black lows.

I think this book isn´t going to be everyone’s taste and many will make too early decisions and judgements, however I hope that more people will fall in love with this book as much as I did. I cannot wait for this book to come out next year and for everyone to dive into this world and story. Meanwhile, I´m going to sit here in misery wondering how many human sacrifices it will take to get an ARC of the second book too.
Lastly, and on a very unprofessional note: If my “Farrin and the Queen are secretly lovers and Farrin´s book will have a sapphic romance” theory turns out to be true…. I WILL SCREAM SO LOUD IT WILL BE HEARD ACROSS THE ENTIRE PLANET!!

SPOILERY Review

The Characters:

I loved Gemma’s character from the very first pages. She’s a very feisty, cunning, courageous, girl who is tough and loving but also struggles with selflessness and ADORES beautiful dresses. I loved the representation for her panic attacks.

Talon was so deeply caring and unbelievably sweet but the whole time there was just SOMETHING about him that made you wonder what he was hiding. I had guessed that particular plot twist but thats mainly because I love a secretly “evil” love interest. However, its very clear that Talon isn’t evil at all and he truly loves Gemma. I adore how his power helped her with her pain. They are so unbelievably cute together.

In regards to the side characters, I loved them all! The sisters were so complex and interesting. None of the characters got blurred together. Claire truly took time in crafting them all into their own unique person.

Alastrina is a very interesting character as well. I love the contrast of her obvious disdain to the small moment of her pulling Gemma to safety towards the end. Claire is incredible at crafting such complex characters. I love how Ryder helps Gemma with her panic. I love the Villa for becoming so deeply devoted to her. Lulath is my favorite of them all but I absolutely love Nesset and Phaidra. Also Queen Yvaine is so mysterious and I am beyond interested in her character.


The World:

Okay, this world is beautiful and MASSIVE! There are so many parts to it and so many unanswered questions still. I am so excited to learn more about it and its magic. God only knows how many creatures live in this world and the Olden country! I’m ready to see them all!

The Writing:

The writing was, as always, perfect. Claire is one of those authors that you read and immediately know she’s the Chosen One. I’ve read most of her books and I have to say, I have never found an issue with her authorial voice or writing style. Her descriptions are so specific and beautiful. Her dialogue is always interesting, snappy, and true to the characters. And she creates amazing tense, terrifying, and epic fight scenes!

The way Claire describes the faerie and their magic is so beautiful and perfectly whimsical. She really captured the fae essence. I love how it is so individual to the other types of magic and parts of the world that they all stand out on their own.

Thought Dump:

It is so clear that Ryder LOVES Farrin and I have been dying to know if he was the boy who saved her from the fire all those years ago! I am VERY exciting for the enemies-to-lovers action between Farrin and Ryder, like, yes please!

Not the way Phaidra’s death had me tearing up. We barely knew the Villa and yet I love Lulath, Phaidra, and Nesset with my whole heart. “Free.”

What WAS that climax? It was so epic! The way Claire describes fight scenes, the way she described the power battle between Gemma, Kilraith and Talon?! And my goodness I was a wreck when Farrin and Mara joined AND ESPECIALLY when the Basks were there to help!! Oh my what an amazing climax. Claire is truly so spectacularly talented. I can’t even describe how amazing this entire climax was.

I am a sucker for a love interest being under control by an evil being who then attacks the MC. Don’t ask me why but its my favorite thing ever and the way Claire did that with Talon was so unique and horrifying but also so cool at the same time. I loved it so much.

That ending was so beyond sweet. I loved Gemma and Talon’s last night together and the sheer beauty of that last page, wow.

“Take care of her for me. Love her as she deserves.”

Overall:

Overall, I have so many thoughts and feelings that I could never possibly express. This book was truly an emotional rollercoaster. I was laughing, raging, and crying. Furyborn is probably my favorite trilogy ever and so I was nervous about this book, but it is right up there with Furyborn. I am so excited to see the direction she takes with book two and I absolutely need the sequel ASAP! I don’t ever want to leave these characters or this world!

I highly recommend this for anyone who loves a good mash up of Bridgerton and ACOTAR with writing that is ten times superior to both. The magic, the world, the characters, the writing, the rep, were all on point!