I loved this world! The Regency period and dark faerie tale vibes were beautifully combined. I came in anticipating Half A Soul with a more high fantasy feel, which did kind of hold, but this book is certainly grimmer and more otherworldly, with a dash of unsettling, which I think many readers will enjoy.

I really thought I would love this book from the opening chapters, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. Beginning with an uneasy yet romantically-charged partnership between nobles to hunt a demon, the story quickly unravelled into an epic adventure involving new worldbuilding elements being constantly introduced until I no longer knew what the rules of this world were. Likewise, our protagonist Gemma started off as a character who made up for her magical weakness with plenty of cunning, but very quickly developed into someone I wasn’t quite as interested in reading about. I’m not the biggest fan of insta-love, but I did think the pacing of the romance was handled well and managed to stay interesting despite the early get-together — even if I did see the big plot twist coming a mile off. Perhaps this book simply had lots of good ideas crammed into one long-winded plot, which wasn’t helped by the somewhat YA writing style for its decidedly adult content. Overall, a good concept, but the execution wasn’t my cup of tea personally.

I was excited to start this book when I saw it compared to Bridgerton meets ACOTAR. I love both of those series and was sure I’d love this one too. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the book for me, and I ended up DNFing for several reasons. I didn’t love the pacing. The start was very slow and had some info dumps that, though they gave a lot of information about the setting and magic, didn’t hold my interest. The setting, magic, and monsters are intriguing though, and I think the world-building has a lot of potential. I almost wish the story focused on one of the secondary characters, because the protagonist was not my cup of tea.

Gemma was such a frustrating protagonist, and I didn’t love the romance. It was too tumultuous, and there’s an insta-love feel to it. Even so, I didn’t really feel the chemistry between them as much as I’d hoped. I think part of this is because I didn’t really love Gemma, and I wasn’t invested in her story because of her terrible personality.

The pacing and the mislabeling of the book also threw me off. I read that this is an adult fantasy, but it read more as a YA piece. Also, the pacing is slow in some parts, very fast in others, and choppy in between. It wasn’t fluid, which prevented me from becoming fully invested in the story.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

2.5
I was so sad giving this book this rating. Claire Legrand had me in a chokehold with her Empirium trilogy and I was so excited for an adult fantasy debut, but this book fell flat in so many ways. To start, the characters were pretty one note-spoiled FMC and new and exciting MMC which is something done before and I would have been okay with it if it was done well. I also thought the pacing of this book was so off. It was over 500 pages... for what? The romance aspect was really rushed, while everything else felt really slow and dragged down. I get world building takes time, but it was so all over the place that it didn't feel consistent to me. I was intrigued by the magic system and I liked that there was chronic illness and mental health representation in Gemma, but all the pieces didn't come together for me. Nothing plot wise was really sticking for me and the no one was really as developed as I would have liked. I also felt like I kept getting lost. One point we were at one place and then new things kept being introduced without giving them the proper time. I was generally disappointed in this one. Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review.

This book was a little hard for me to get into but about half way through it picked up and I was more interested in the storyline. I liked the book and I would read more by this author again.

This seems like a good premise, and I was looking forward to this title. Unfortunately, it just never grabbed me. I’m am sure other readers may enjoy this, but I found it difficult to get into.

This book made no sense. Dialogue dragged on, I know what Gemma was wearing in explicit detail, but nothing else was ever fully explained. I couldn't even bring myself to finish this book because the pacing was so weird. I did not care about Gemma. She was spoiled and proud of it, for some reason. And magic makes her sick, in a world with gods, glamours, magic, family feuds, demons, anointed families, a queen, and it's just way too much.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I didn't enjoy any of the characters or the world-building. It also read as very YA although it was marketed as an adult novel.

This book took a little bit for me to get into, but once I did I enjoyed the storyline. Gemma is a fantastic main character.

I may have trolled reviews on Goodreads before I began reading A Crown of Ivy and Glass. All I can say is, I do not understand the low reviews. I truly enjoyed this story. The magic, the love, and the worlds were well done and engaging. I never felt lost, as I sometimes do in fantasy stories that include multiple worlds. Legrand includes enough details about new characters and the different dynamics of the storyline, and she never leaves her reader behind. This book was detailed, fast paced, and an easy read that flowed off the pages. I say this one is a winner.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand is a stunningly written fantasy novel that is sure to captivate readers. With intricate world-building, well-drawn characters, and a tightly woven plot, the book is a must-read for fans of the genre. Legrand's writing is captivating, and the story is filled with enough twists and turns to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a beautifully crafted and engaging fantasy novel.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Gemma is the youngest of 3 sisters in a world where when the Gods died their magic went to mortals. Some got more magic and are Anointed, some are lesser. They have different classes, strengths and weaknesses and pray to the Gods. One of Gemma’s sisters is an amazing musician, the other is a Rose, someone who protects them from the Middlemist, a portal to the Olden Country. Their father is also a sentinel. Their mother left them after a fire and their lives are fairly mundane. Their one thing is they have a feud with another family, the Basks, and keep doing terrible things to each other. Gemma is sickened by magic but she still attends her elaborate parties and romps around with men. Talan is on her dance card one evening and a connection is made.

This book was described as Bridgerton and ACOTAR. It was only Bridgerton in the vague way of parties and queens, it was only ACOTAR in the way of 3 sisters.

The first part of this book was a bit difficult to get through. The story wasn’t very captivating, the main character fairly boring, then little tidbits started coming in and then I was devouring this book. This book got dark, there is some horror mixed into this story. Some TW for suicide and self harm.

I saw some early review DNFing and not pushing through but keep going and it all unravels.

Okay, wow... If this is how Legend writes adult novels, then you can bet her YA novels will be a blast. And it wasn’t until writing this review that I realized I bought Sawkill Girls in the past and then promptly lost it in my TBR.

I’m baffled that people don’t love this one. It can be difficult to transition to writing adult novels after writing many successful YA books. I just finished one that was less than stellar. But I haven’t read this author before, and maybe that’s why I love it, where fans of her work don’t.

But I do agree with others that the pacing is off. It took me a while to get into this story, and when I saw it was over 500 pages, I groaned. But how glad am I that I stuck with it? Because this turned into a blast. I didn’t totally love the ending and am not sure why things had to happen the way they did, but I’m hoping that the next book will correct some things.

I figured out some things regarding Talon early on. I agree with people that Gemma is self-centered, where she doesn’t give as much as she takes from her sisters. But that means there’s room for character growth down the road. (Now, if she’s the same in the next book, I will definitely be salty.)

Once we got to see what magic people could practice, I loved learning the various skills people had. There are a lot of aspects to this book, veins of storyline, and a mashup of genres, and I feel it comes together nicely. I really dug this one.

Thank you, Sourcebooks Casablanca, for sending this over.

I have loved Legrand's Furyborn series and has high hopes for this one. Sadly it disappointed me as the writing wasn't like her other books. The pacing made it hard to read as there will be scenes that didn't need to be focused on too much and there were scenes that did need to be focused on more but weren't. The beginning was way too slow in my opinion and it took me a while to get into the story. I did enjoy the world-building as it made up for the book in some ways as I love unique fantasy worlds. Legrand can write some wonderful words and I love them for it. I do have to say the writing did feel a bit more YA than adult but in this case I didn't mind it so much. The conflicts were well planned out in this book with great plot twists that kept making me want to read this book.

The main character in this book is Gemma who I didn't enjoy so much. She was a great character but I just didn't feel connected with her story. I did enjoy her development in the book but I loved her sisters more as I feel their stories are going to be great. The side characters were well-written and I loved them more than the FMC. I felt that they had more of a story potential and that I will enjoy their povs a lot more. The romance is instant love which isn't my favorite trope as I love to see the relationship and tension buildup. I do see the couple being endgame but at the same time could see it not happening more as a potential romance plot twist. There are some spicy scenes so be ready for that!

The ending isn't a HEA and the other books I heard are written from the sister's pov. I'm excited to see how it will play out as I believe I will enjoy the second book a lot more than this one. I feel as though Legrand's writing has changed after writing for what feels like a while. I also listened to the audiobook version which made the story better for me as I feel without it I would have DNFed it at the beginning. I do believe there is potential for book 2 so I will be reading that one. This book is perfect for fans of ACOTAR and Bridgerton.

Trigger warnings: panic attacks, self-harm, suicidal ideation, suicide

After reading and loving Legrand's FURYBORN trilogy, I was so excited to read this ARC and incredibly disappointed when I realized it wasn't going to hold up to the same writing standard that FURYBORN set.

This book was all over the place, but I'll try to organize my thoughts as best I can.

First, I just couldn't get behind any of the characters. At the beginning of the book, Gemma swings wildly between being insufferable and self-obsessed with moments of relatability via her self-doubt and panic attacks. Eventually, the self-obsessed facade fades, but what's left isn't much of a personality. Once Talan enters the story, the insta-love hits, and that relationship becomes her entire personality. We don't know much about who Gemma is outside of her relationship with Talan.

The insta-love was frustrating for a number of reasons. Not only do they fall in love within a couple of weeks of knowing each other, but with Talan being an empath, his is the only magic Gemma can be around without being in physical pain (since being around magic makes her physically ill), so, of course, she falls in love with him.

The writing wasn't nearly as strong as the writing in FURYBORN was, either. This is supposed to be Legrand's debut adult novel, but everyone's voices were so juvenile, I thought they were teenagers until the smut kicked in.

Talan and Gemma fall in and out of love at breakneck speed. Gemma swears, multiple times, that she isn't sure if she can trust Talan again, but each time, as soon as they see each other, they're sleeping together and all is seemingly forgiven; it felt lazy to say the least.

I found myself frustrated as well because the worldbuilding had so much potential--this magic system could've been so interesting to learn about--but everything was skipped over. Even now, I'm not sure how the magic system works. After being denied her magic for so long, Gemma learns how to wield it without really knowing what it is or how it works, and I didn't understand the logic behind that.

Within the plot, there were several deviations that had me wondering what they had to do with the main plot and how we got there to begin with. Not to mention, a lot of the plotting was so convenient; the characters barely faced any conflict and everything resolved quickly, including the main conflict at the end that the rest of the book was supposedly building up to. It was resolved so quickly and easily that it didn't feel satisfying.

Needless to say, I will not be continuing with this trilogy, and I wouldn't recommend it either. Instead, I recommend Legrand's FURYBORN trilogy; they are much stronger and better-written books.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The storyline for A Crown of Ivy and Glass focuses on Gemma: her chronic illness to magic, her family’s feud with the Basts, and her relationship with the mysterious Talan, who is the only person to help make her chronic illness bearable.

Gemma came across as a spoiled but hurting rich girl to me at first, but then she started to grow on me more and more as she found more of herself as well as an inner strength throughout the book. There is some trigger warnings with this character that readers should be aware of: Gemma suffers from anxiety, self harm, a chronic illness, and even contemplates suicide at one point. Gemma tries to do everything she can for her family to make up for the fact she feels like a liability to them for not contributing to the family but always feels like she falls short. A lot of the story focuses on Gemma and how she is coping with the illness and trying to figure out her purpose in life, as well as solve the problem of the feud between her family and the Basts. The author does do a good job showing what life is like living with a chronic illness.

The majority of the rest of the characters in the book ended up being murky at first for me but then I started to like them. The biggest question I kept asking myself throughout the entire book was, "What is Talan hiding because I do not trust this guy??" I really wanted to like him, but he just had some shady moves that kept me thinking "oh hell no, Gemma - RUN!" I really wish we had more of his story in the beginning so I wasn't so suspicious of him all the time. I'm also still wondering about the Basks (Ryder and Alastrina) and their motives, especially since their families are supposed to be in a feud. I feel like the author made me suspicious of everyone, and perhaps that was intentional to show how Gemma was feeling, but it drove me a bit crazy.

Honestly, it took me until about halfway through the book before I really got pulled into story (at one point I was considering not finishing it because I was having a hard time staying interested). The beginning was a little bit disorganized for me, probably because there were a few different storylines all happening at the same time. I felt like I really didn't have a good grasp on what exactly was happening (or what was supposed to be happening?). Maybe it also was because things were being held back for character development that later on I had an "a ha!" moment. Eventually it picked up for me and I ended up for the most part liking the book. I do want to know what happens next for the main characters in the next two books, especially now that I have a somewhat better understanding of who everyone is in the story. 3.75 stars for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Gemma seemingly has it all: wealth, beauty, and no end in suitors (male and female). But, underneath it all, Gemma has a secret. She gets painfully ill by magic, so she is bedridden and suffers anxiety attacks. Her bright spots in her life are her visits to her sister, Mara, in the Middlemist and the parties Gemma plans. She is also bone numbingly lonely. Her father has avoided her since her mother left, and her older sister, Farrin, is embroiled in a blood feud with the Bask family. Then she meets Talan, a mysterious young man whose family has destroyed themselves in serving a demon, The Man With the Three-Eyed Crown. Gemma soon finds out that the same demon is behind her family’s blood feud and sets off to end it. As she gathers her allies and makes plans, she finds out some earth-shattering news. News that shakes her to the core and threatens to end everything. What does Gemma find out? How does it tie into her quest? Will she overcome her body’s objections to magic, or will it kill her?

A Crown of Ivy and Glass is the first book in the Middlemist series. It goes without saying that this book can be read as a standalone (it’s the first book in a series).

There are trigger warnings in A Crown of Ivy and Glass. There are a couple that I am going to list but not give an explanation because of spoilers. They are:

Suicidal Ideation: Gemma tells her best friend that she thinks her family would be better off if she kills herself. There is a reason why she mentioned this, but because of spoilers, I will not say.
Self-Harm: To deal with her panic attacks, Gemma cuts herself. She is ashamed when her best friend sees the marks and is dismayed over it.
Panic Attacks: Gemma suffers from severe panic attacks throughout the book. There is a reason behind her suffering from them, but it is given later in the book and is a huge spoiler. So, sorry!!
Chronic Illness: Gemma suffers from a chronic illness throughout the book. She cannot be around magic or magic users without getting significantly sick. She lives in pain daily.
Emotional Abuse: Spoiler, I can’t write anything here!!
Child Abuse: Talan details abuse from his parents and sisters growing up. There is another huge detail of abuse to a child, but it is a spoiler.
Death: There are references to Roses being killed patrolling. The undead that Gemma encounters later in the book (and who save her) dies while protecting Gemma. Gemma’s mother is presumed dead. Tying into the child abuse trigger, a more metaphysical death also happens.
Grief: Gemma’s father is overcome with grief when her mother leaves them. Gemma grieves over the deaths of her allies.
If any of these trigger you, then I suggest not reading this book.

The main storyline for A Crown of Ivy and Glass centers around Gemma, her illness to magic, her relationship with Talan, her family’s feud with the Basts, and Talan’s mysterious background. The author did a fantastic job of detailing how Gemma’s illness affected her life and how she lived each day in pain. It broke my heart to see how lonely she was also. Her father and Farrin were constantly pow-wowing over how to attack the Basts next, and they spent little to no time with Gemma. Actually, Farrin spent more time with Gemma than their father. It was easy to see why Gemma got so attached to Talan right from the beginning.

There were a few things that I wished the author had been more clear about right from the beginning. The first one is the blood feud with the Basts. Nothing got explained until almost the end of the book, and even then, I was a little confused about it. The other was Talan’s background. I wish, wish, wish that the author divulged his background sooner. I don’t like being strung along and thinking one thing about a character and then only finding out something different.

I was fascinated by the lore and how magic worked in this book. This book was full of lore, and I would have loved to have seen some guide at the beginning or end of the book. I also loved how the author explained how magic came to be in this universe. It was fascinating to me, and I couldn’t read enough about it.

There are several sub-storylines that added immensely to the main one. These sub-storylines filled in holes and gave explanations for things that were referenced earlier in the book.

I thought that Gemma was a very solid character. She did come across as vain and spoiled at the beginning of the book, but by the middle, the author made it clear that it wasn’t the case. She hadn’t been dealt the easiest hand in life. Her panic attacks along with her constant pain drained her. Also, her loneliness was very palpable at the beginning of the book. Her character’s growth was amazing, and I was in awe of what she did for Talan during the final battle. Actually, what they all did for him (it was a group effort).

I liked Talan, but I will admit, I was as suspicious as Gemma’s best friend. There was something about him that didn’t seem quite right. Also, there were too many deaths when he was around, and his magical ability (an empath) was almost too good to be true. I was a little grouchy when the author unveiled him, but at the same time, I got why she did it. I loved the turn she took with his character, though. I could never trust him enough to put him on the good guys’ side. It wasn’t until Gemma did what she did at the end that I finally was able to fully trust him.

There are several secondary characters that make an appearance in this book. I liked them all. As with the secondary storylines, they filled in gaps and added some extra oomph when needed. There were a couple that I would love to see more of and a couple that I could see having a relationship (Ryder and Farrin!!).

The romance angle in this book is spicy. If I hate to rate it on a scale, I would say that it is between a jalapeno and a cayenne pepper. Gemma and Talan had good sex if I am going to put it bluntly. I also liked that the author chose to have them do the dirty first and then fall in love. It messed with Gemma’s (and mine) head when it revealed Talan’s intentions. And as I stated above, I did have a hard time believing him when he finally told her his feelings.

I went through such a range of emotions during the last half of the book. I was enraged by what was revealed by Gemma’s father and Farrin’s reaction. But at the same time, everything that was revealed made sense. I wish I could say more but I can’t. There are major spoilers there, which would ruin the book if you haven’t read it.

The end of A Crown of Ivy and Glass was action-packed. There was a point where I was worried about Talan and Gemma. The author didn’t end the storyline but left it open with a hint of what to expect in book 2. I cannot wait to read book two because I hope it answers some questions that were brought up in the second half of the book.

I would recommend A Crown of Ivy and Glass to anyone over 21. There is violence, language, and explicit sexual situations. Also, see my trigger warning list.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca, NetGalley, and Claire LeGrand. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

This fantasy book has a lot of world building which also makes it a massive read. The book feels like an investment book for the series where the character Gemma's story is an introduction to this world. I found the character interesting in that she is unapologetically selfish throughout the story until she forms a bond with a group of women towards the end of the book. Her magical disability is a great twist and brings depth to her character. The love interest Talan is highly suspicious from the moment he is introduced but he ends up fitting well with Gemma.

The book sometimes reads like a young adult novel but with a lot of adult sections. I hope the series has books about each of Gemma's sisters as they are some of the best parts of this story.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

Lady Gemma Ashbourne is part of an Anointed family - a family blessed with high magic. For some reason, though, she has no magic herself, and instead feels great pain whenever she is near it. During a family ball, she meets Talan, a man who's family was destroyed by a demon and who is put to restore his family name and status. Gemma finds herself quickly falling in love with him, but he has a distinct evil lurking about him.

I liked this one. It is the author's first adult novel, and it's definitely got adult themes. It's a bit steamy, full of high society, and it's a pretty dark fantasy - demons and curses and battles. Think a cross between Bridgerton and A Court of Thorns and Roses.

I was provided both a print and audio ARC of this book via the publisher and Netgalley. As always all opinions expressed in my review are my own.

As you can see from the synopsis this follows Gemma, the youngest of a noble family blessed with magical abilities. Gemma is the only one who does not have magic, and when she spends time around those with magic, she suffers great pain and panic attacks. When Gemma meets charming and handsome Talan at one of her lavish parties, she is immediately smitten. In Talan she is able to forget about her constant pain and he helps her with her panic. Gemma and Talan strike a deal to help each other navigate high society in exchange for gaining revenge against those who have wronged their families. In their quest for vengeance they uncover curses, demons, and other unsavory things.

This was a unique adult fantasy romance. This has all of the elements of a regency romance mixed in with the fantasy romance you expect from FBAA or ACOTAR. I really enjoyed the fantasy elements, and hope that the author flushes out the magic system a bit more in the next book. I look forward to reading about what the sisters find out about their magic in the next installment. I thought the worldbuilding was good and there was a good mix of fantasy creatures and lore present. I hope that continues to expand in the next book as well.

This has quite a few adult romance scenes. They aren't overly graphic as some romance books, however there are a good amount of them. Gemma suffers from a sickness that causes her pain when she is around magic. Being that she is surrounded by magic most of the time, she uses intimate relations as an escape from the pain and the isolation her condition brings with it. In the beginning I felt Gemma was immature and spoiled, and a bit unlikable. She is quite aware that she is spoiled but as the story progresses she comes into her own as she learns about her affliction and starts to take control. I thought her relationship with Talan was a bit instalovey and she forgave him too quickly and trusted him too easily after she uncovers some damning information about him. Love conquers all I guess. I did really enjoy the sister relationship between Gemma, Mara, and Farrin.

I felt this was a big on the long side. There are long periods where the plot isn't advancing and the characters aren't really making headway in any particular direction. Then all of a sudden lots of things happen all at once. If you liked Furyborn series, I think you'll enjoy this. The writing style and characters feel very similar, but it has alot more adult content.