Cover Image: A Crown of Ivy and Glass

A Crown of Ivy and Glass

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Member Reviews

I appreciate anxiety representation and have a great love for the author’s work with Furyborn. This one wasn’t quite for me but I do plan to give it another try.

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I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

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I could not finish this as it was too inconsistent to really get into. I felt like the pacing was weird and it kept swapping genres to try to appeal to multiple audiences. I wanted to like it but just couldn't really root for any of the characters.

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A Crown of Ivy and Glass was one of my most anticipated books. The premise sounded really exciting (I love fae and demons, I'm a simple girl). Unfortunately the execution was a bit messy: I found the pacing very inconsistent and too many and confusing plots at the same time. I did enjoy the exploration of a character dealing with chronic pain and mental health issues, it was very well developed, however the sexy romance stole a bit from it.

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I really enjoyed the mental health and chronic pain representation in this. It felt authentic and was well done. I enjoyed that the MC wasn’t treated by the writing like she was incapable due to her disabilities, which I also enjoyed.
That’s unfortunately where my enjoyment of this book ended. It was WAY too long, for starters. The romance was trying too hard and did not feel believable for me. The MC is also kind of insufferable, personality wise. I could not relate to her and she was just really irritating in a lot of ways. I also felt that there were some holes in the world building that were essential to fully understanding the story. I was very disappointed by this, which was sad because I was really looking forward to it and this book had a great concept.

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I couldn’t really get into this book, it felt drawn out and I couldn’t connect to the heroine at all.
The events of this book also was pretty confusing and just didn’t make sense to where I thought the plot was going.
So I couldn’t finish it.

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WOOF. In the best way. Such a strong start to what I hope will be an even stronger series. Claire Legrand and her perfectly paced novels; what a treat. In truth, I did not care for the protagonist in the beginning, but I kept on keeping on, and, slowly at first, and then all at once, I was enthralled. I found myself unable to put this book down, and am so, SO glad I kept going. Character growth! Healthy, hot love! Fantastic worldbuilding! FANTASTIC CHARACTERS! Beautiful prose! So excited to read the sequel.

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Did not finish - i was 150 pages in and this book just did not grasp me and i had to put it down.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and leave a review A Crown of Ivy and Glass!
I hope one day i may be able to pick it up again.

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DNF at 31%

This book had so much potential, and I've loved books from this author in the past. But unfortunately, this book dragged so much at the beginning that I was never hooked. The Main character wasn't someone that I could support or get behind. I also wasn't a fan of the romance and I felt like the author was just trying to squish the characters together for plot's sake.

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I have realised that this genre is not for me but I did appreciate the writing. i became frustrated with the plot, hence my rating but the writing was good

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I absolutely struggled finishing this book. The MC was just so... ANNOYING in the beginning. A pampered, privileged upper crust? Her having debilitating pain from the constant exposure to magic nor her panic attacks. BUT once I powered through the tough to read bits, I really enjoyed discovering the mystery behind the demon bits, hence the four stars. As long as she continues growth, it will continue to be a series worth reading. I definitely can't wait to learn more about Ryder and find out why he's behaving so strange every now and then as well as the mystery behind the mother of the MC and her sisters. Will be picking up the sequel as soon as available!

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DNF at 15%... this just wasn't the fantasy book I was looking for. I tried to get into it, but just felt like that wouldn't happen unfortunately. I couldn't get into the character or the story line.

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Claire Legrand is one of my favorite authors ever and I will read and buy anything she writes! Her books never disappoint and this book was no exception. Her writing is gorgeous, her characters are perfectly flawed, and her storylines are complicated and messy in the best way. As always, this book was as intricate and beautiful as the cover.

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I am a fan of Clair Legrand's previous books, so I was so excited to read this! I was not disappointed.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass has such fantastic world building. It's a very unique universe, and I love the magic system. The garden magic is so interesting! The characters are all fantastic. I especially love all of the sisters, they are all fierce in their own ways.

The story it really intriguing. It drew me in right away and my kept my attention until the very end. There were several plot twists and they all completely surprised me.

I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

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Sadly, this was a miss for me. I DNF'ed this book at 40% of the way through.

I am always nervous giving poor reviews because I know how much energy is put into writing and publishing books.

I wasn't able to stay connected to the main story line and kept re-reading pages over and over. Eventually, I became so distracted I was unable to track what was happening throughout the book.

Lady Gemma Ashbourne is very self centered and her love interest Talen seem to spend a lot of time in sexual encounters and not a lot of time developing their love story that I was hoping would go deeper and have more connections as the story unfolded.

There was also a ton of information that I felt didn't connect well to the flow of the story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an ARC

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I love this author*s writing style, she has a way of gripping you and getting you invested in the characters. I enjoyed the book.

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Stopped at 17%. Could not get into this story - I found the magic system interesting but the characters were immensely dull. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

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Claire Legrand's 'A Crown of Ivy and Glass' is a foray into a world where magic, nobility, and ancient feuds intertwine, creating a tapestry of intrigue and fantasy. The story centers around Lady Gemma Ashbourne, who stands out in her powerful family as the only member without magical abilities. Her journey, marked by loneliness and a yearning for belonging, is beautifully rendered in a setting replete with mythical creatures and dark magic.

Legrand's world-building is rich and imaginative, drawing the reader into a universe akin to a magical version of 'Bridgerton,’ a description that immediately got my attention. The narrative blends the complexities of family dynamics, power struggles, and an ancient blood feud that threatens to engulf everything.

However, the book's pacing and structure present challenges. While the world Legrand crafts is undoubtedly fascinating, the story often feels weighed down by its own complexity. There's a sense of 'info dumping' at times, with so much happening that it becomes difficult to follow the plot's intricacies. This aspect left the story feeling bogged down.

The romance between Gemma and Talan d’Astier, though charged with chemistry, seems to rush ahead. Despite this, their relationship adds a vital dimension of warmth and passion to the narrative.

Despite its pacing and complexity, it rewards with a rich, imaginative world that has me hooked and eager to return for book two.

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Gemma Ashbourne, the baby of a powerful family, grapples with a painful relationship with magic, making it tough for her to fit the perfect daughter mold. Despite her struggles, she pushes herself harder, battling hidden pain, desperation, and a serious case of low self-esteem, which triggers panic attacks. It's cool that the fantasy novel delves into mental health issues, showing how they seep into every corner of Gemma's life. However, that didn't endear her, her love interest was annoyingly flawless, and the plot fell a bit flat for me. Gemma seems stuck in her own pity party, indifferent to the fantastic world of demons, curses, and family drama around her.

The book's ending was decent, leaving me curious about the next one, but I was a bit unclear on the fate of the demon – wounded, dead, who knows? Still, I found the read enjoyable!

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This book was a breath of fresh air! It kept my enthralled and I couldn't put it down! It is everything you look for in a book! So so so good!!! LOVE this!

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