Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC! This is the first adult fantasy from Claire Legrand, author of the Furyborn YA fantasy series. In A Crown of Ivy and Glass, Lady Imogen "Gemma" Ashbourne views herself as lesser than her powerful older sisters, Mara and Farrin especially since her body is often racked with pain, magic sickens her and her father's tolerance of her is thin. But when the dashing Talan d'Astier enters her life, with an ability to ease her pain and a story of a curse that could be causing the problems to her family, Gemma is swept up in a quest to find the demon tormenting her life. This fantasy is a sweeping and romantic start with the promise of more to come. The ending fell a bit flat for me, but I would see where the next book goes.

Gemma (Imogen) Ashbourne comes from a family who generations ago were chosen by the Gods to receive a small fragment of their power and serve as guardians of the human realm ‘Eden’. Even with these powers the Ashbournes have managed to push themselves higher, to the pinnacle of society with wealth and influence in abundance. Unlike the rest of her lineage, Gemma is weakened by even the slightest touch of magic and unable to use it at all herself. This leaves her feeling isolated and alone.

Her sister Mara has been taken to the Priory of Rosewarren to guard Middlemist against evil magic, in fact it was supposed to be Gemma whose task this was, but her father knew she was too fragile and allocated Mara in her place. As such Gemma lives with intense guilt, not only of Mara’s plight, but with the knowledge that she is too selfish to take Mara’s place, even if she could. She is far too accustomed to living in the historic family estate of Ivy Hill and being adorned in luxurious fabrics and jewels, Gemma would not be willing to give this up.



Her other sister Farrin is a pinched and serious woman who has no time for frippery and is harsh to all especially those who her family have a generational, feud with The Basks. Although she cares deeply for Gemma, she is constantly frustrated by her, as is their Father who cannot bite his tongue half as well as Farrin.

At a ball Gemma meets Talan d'Astier who comes from a lower ranker family and is looking to rise into the upper echelons of society. She soon falls for his charms and agrees to help him climb the societal ladder.



I really enjoyed the fantasy elements, but am not a huge fan of the period drama stylings. That’s just personal preference though.

 Unfortunately I found Gemma intolerable and not a character I could empathise with to be honest, she is completely selfish and self-obsessed, whether it be self-hate or thinking she’s better than everyone else. It definitely feels a lot more like a YA book than an adult book, particularly because of the way her character was written and the love/obsession between Gemma and Talan comes across as very juvenile and surface level.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass is Claire Legrand's adult fantasy debut novel. As many reviews have mentioned it does read like a YA fantasy romance (with some non-YA spice); it's very easy to forget that the FMC is a twenty-something year old and not a teenager. Additionally, there's a LOT going on in this book - lots of characters, lots of different types of magic and magic-wielders/types of beings. Try not to let your attention drift (challenging in the first half which is slow) or you may need to go back.

It took me a bit to get through the first half, but I felt that it really picked up in the second half. Overall, I liked the story. It could have been a bit pared down, but I'm interested enough that I'll read the second book.

I really was intrigued by this book. I really liked furyborn and love the premise of this story. While it does give bridgerton vibes at the beginning I will say it’s not a historical romance. Also the only thing I really felt like was acotar was youngest of three sisters and mental health issues. I don’t want people to think the love story is like either of those stories.
In fact , I was kind of not a real fan of the love story. It felt too insta love, I was much more intrigued by a side couple that sounds like will be the main characters of the next book. Was there chemistry and witty banner? Yes but not something that is going to make you swoon in my opinion.
I also am not a fan of the pacing of the book. It felt choppy at certain points and other plots points felt weak. I really could have seen this book being shaved off like 150 pages. It also didn’t really feel adult high fantasy to me. I would peg for more upper YA/New adult. I just felt like the main character just starts giving inner thoughts randomly to this hot guy and it wasn’t believable why she did.
With that being said, it’s a great book about mental health. The fact that no one knows what to do for the MC and just consider her weak felt close to home. It does have self harm aspects but it is important to the plot. I really liked how the main character comes off cocky and almost over compensates for her weaknesses. She is insecure but not weak and shy. It was refreshing to have a MC that says she’s beautiful and is comfortable with her sexuality.
Overall it was a good book and I am considering the second book to read. If you go into the book for topics like sisterhood and mental health I think you will enjoy it. It does drop you off in the middle of a plot but that is the authors style of writing.

A big thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Legrand's previous YA series, and I was willing to give her another chance with this one. But sadly this one didn't quite work for me. Or really, at all.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand is adult fantasy novel that follows the perfectly perfect life of Lady Gemma Ashbourne who supposedly has it all.. Except magic. Which causes her great pain, and loneliness when the rest of the world has it. Then she meets the handsome Talan d'Astier, who has been disgraced and plotting to bring back to his family name. So Gemma makes a deal with him, to restore his name and track down the mysterious Bask family that has caused a feud with her family. Throw in an old prophecy about a demon, and there you have A Crown of Ivy and Glass.

Only very disappointingly so. The writing was basic and the plotting/pacing was a mess. I don't think I'll be picking up another Claire Legrand book in the future.

I loved every second of this! Please do yourself a favor and read this newest Claire Legrand book!!!
(Please do check out the triggers though)
At a glance: first person narration, fantasy series, adult romance, trilogy.

On paper, this book has everything I love in the adult fantasy genre. However, the actual book doesn't live up to the description and instead feels incredibly young while reading - definitely not an "adult" book.

My first problem lies with the narrator. For a first-person book, I need to get a sense of who the hero is on a deeper level, but everything with Gemma feels so surface-level and lacks grounding. There's a lot of telling rather than showing here, and that never makes for a good read.

The build-up to the story is also lacking. Gemma throws herself into this deal with Talon within the same 24-hour period she meets him. Within two days of knowing each other, they're kissing and crying because they're afraid they'll lose each other. There is no believability here and if we're meant, as readers, not to trust it, that doesn't come through in the text because Gemma does not explain her feelings well to the reader and seemingly feels zero hesitation towards this newcomer in her life.

I really thought I was going to love this book, and I can typically get past a narrator I don't like if the story and world are compelling enough. Unfortunately, the feud between the Ashbourne and Bask families as well as the mystery surrounding Talan's family don't hook you the way they should.

I hate doing this, but I put this book down at about the 25% mark and don't know if I'll pick it up again.

No one is more disappointed that I am by this rating. I was expecting so much more. The cover of the book is absolutely gorgeous and I was entranced by it. The blurb that I read showed so much promise that I was excited for the read. I pushed the read it in hopes that I would be selected. Sadly this is just such a let down.

Really enjoyed this story! I am not a huge fantasy reader but I did feel like I could follow this story. I stayed engaged throughout!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks are an eARC and audio copy of A Crown of Ivy and Glass!

I had a very difficult time getting into this book. It took me forever to read. I've liked some of Legrand's other titles, but even in the Empirium trilogy I found the main character really annoying. I appreciate what she tried to do with chronic and mental illness, unfortunately most of the time it came across as disingenuous. This was Legrand's first Adult Fantasy book. However, I don't feel like Gemma was mature enough and the narrative reads like YA. The love interest was boring. And the relationship was very insta-love. My eyes were literally rolling with their first interaction. The marketing on this book is really strange. I don't understand why every female written fantasy book needs to be compared to ACOTAR. It's okay if a book is it's own thing. Just because there is magic and romance, does not mean it has to be SJM adjacent. I do not recommend this. I think this book needed to go through another round of editing.

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the early copy. I really struggled with how to rate this one and ultimately settled on a 3.5 star (because I liked it better than a book I recently rated 3 star).

I think this book successfully accomplished what it set out to accomplish / what it promised readers. ACOTAR comp. “Bridgerton with magic” in terms of prolific smut and regency-ish vibes. I’d go so far as to say From Blood and Ash, but with better worldbuilding and characters.

The problem is, NONE of the comps in that prior paragraph are my cup of tea, at all. So I am wildly not the target audience.

I did appreciate the main character’s struggles with chronic illness, panic attacks, and other mental health challenges. CW for suicidal thoughts.

If you’re not deterred by insta-lust and like your fantasy romance heavily peppered with spice, you might this one. I’m curious to see which of the other sisters the second book centers on — because neither of them seem as sex-obsessed as Gemma.

Claire Legrand is such a great author. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of her books. Her writing is such a ride. Her characters are amazing. This book was no different. It kept me engaged the whole time. And I could not put it down once I started reading it.

I DNF'd this book at 22%. I tried really hard to get through it, but I ultimately couldn't. While I did like the prose and the descriptive language, the plot fell flat to me. The main character was unlikeable to me and the romance between Gemma and Talan felt forced and lacked chemistry. I kept forgetting that this is an adult fantasy book because Gemma's perspective made it seem like she was a teenager rather than a woman in her early twenties. The world-building was interesting but I thought it would've been better if it was spread out throughout the book; it felt like a lot to throw at the reader at the very beginning. After reading one fifth of the book, I still wasn't pulled into it and lost interest quickly. I'm giving it three stars because the concept does sound unique, but it could've been executed better.

Thank you NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book sets you out on a journey, and like any journey there was some detours. I enjoyed the magic elements I thought they were well thought out. It has romance but wasn’t super romantic which worked for this story. I saw someone else say it gave low key Bridgeton vibes and I saw that too. Leaves on a cliff hanger but not a steep one. I’ll definitely give the 2nd book a shot when it is released. Overall I liked it.

I am officially DNF-ing this book at 60%.

Nobody is sadder by this decision than me because all of the Empirium trilogy are 5 stars for me. A part of my bookish soul has died in writing this reality.

To condense my thoughts—A Crown of Ivy and Glass feels like a chaotic hodgepodge of ideas that muddle the point and trajectory of the story until you've gone through fifteen different plots. It was whiplash switching from scene to scene, and I never felt like the ground was solid under my feet. Whereas, the Empirium trilogy is methodical and detailed with its storyline, ACOIAQ doesn't ever know what it wants to be. Tons of tropes were thrown to try to stick. Also, the romance, the big selling point of this romantasy, is insta-love, and I felt hardly any connection to them. From other reviewers/friends, I've heard the ending jumps in an entirely different direction, and I just couldn't see myself continuing onward towards it. Maybe I'll feel differently when the sequel releases, but for now this book was not anything near what I was expecting or wanting.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this story. I like the magic world and how the characters fit into it. Gemma is very easy to like and to root for. She is fearless and determined which I like in a lead female character. Talan is exactly what I want in a male character. He is tough but cares about Gemma and will do anything to protect her. I will be continuing on in this series.

This book is marketed for fans of Bridgerton and A Court of Thorns and Roses, and while I agree on the Bridgerton front, I would actually switch ACOTAR to From Blood and Ash as I found it had more in common. Or at least it felt like it. I did like this book overall, I did want to finish it and found the plot line intriguing, but I did not get into it the same way I did its comparison (ACOTAR, or even FBAA). Nevertheless, I do recommend it as a read as it may be more your cup of tea than mine. It’s got magical creatures, humans with magic, demons, necromancers, and many others. I did like the reoccurrence of what was once an enemy becoming either an ally or friend.

As part of a family Anointed by the gods, Gemma Ashbourne seems to have it all. She’s beauty, brains, and has money. What’s missing? Her magic that comes with being an Anointed one; her sister, Mara, who has been sent off in place of Gemma to the Warden to fight enemies in the Mist, her other sister (Farrin) and father seemingly leaving her out of everything and ostracizing her…and a dashing young gentleman at her side of course. Here enters Talan d’Astier, just as beautiful as she is, and he needs her family’s help. After agreeing to work with Talan to hunt a demon, and in return receiving assistance on tarnishing the reputation the Ashbourne’s enemy, the Basks, and bringing Talan’s family back in the Queen’s good graces, it didn’t cross Gemma’s mind to truly question Talan until dark events start occurring around her. From mental blackouts to murders, something is going wrong at Ivyhill, and the commonality is Talan. Is he the new evil presence or is it something else? There is also something powerful waking up in Gemma, and soon nothing will be the same.

TW: suicide, self-harm

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the description and seeing the comparison to ACOTAR, I was really hoping it would be a good book to read while I wait for SJM’s next book. Unfortunately it wasn’t. It took all my effort to finish the book.
I found the main character to be most annoying. Granted she had issues with panic attacks, anxiety that many nowadays can truly relate to but she was presented as spoiled rich beautiful person who only cared about having parties and having a good time - reminds me of the influencers of this generation.
Talan was wishy-washy and he and Gemma had no chemistry whatsoever. Farrin and Mara were a little more interesting as I found them to be stronger characters than Gemma.
The story dragged along as it did with all the different gateways, hoping that with each gateway it would provide some sort of excitement. And not until about 80% into the book did it have any major movement.

This started out a bit slow, but then really hooked me. I thought the main character was extremely well-written, and the author played off her strengths and weaknesses very well. I am looking forward to the next book.

I loved this authors first series so much. So I was stoked to get an ARC for this one. While I didn’t love it as much as I hoped, it was still good! I know it’s not getting a ton of love, but I do hope it is a hit still. This book deserves it!

It’s multi genres, more on the YA side and filled with some reps you don’t see much of.

This is a strong start, and I hope it just gets better as the series goes.