I think this one was marketed so incorrectly, taking two very large and well loved titles (Bridgerton and ACOTAR) when it really isn't for those audiences at all. As a Claire Legrand lover, this one wasn't for me.

Loved this book, thank you so much netgalley for the advance copy. A really enthralling tale, fantasy at its best

I liked this one and feel like it is perfect for someone just getting interested in fantasy books. I've sold quite a few at my store.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this book. The main character really annoyed me, I never connected with the other characters, and I wasn't very interested in the world or the magic system. It started very abruptly which made it difficult to figure out what was happening, and there was too much time spent on extraneous details rather than plot-specific elements that would have rounded out the book. I'm sure that this book would be a good read for others, but it was not for me even though I really liked Claire Legrand's Empirium series

We start with our main character, Gemma, who is the charming youngest daughter. She seems very self absorbed and vapid. But we find out that her body is always in pain due to a reaction to magic. In comes Talan, who says his family was killed by demons. These two strike a deal that Gemma will help Talan in society life and Talan will help Gemma track down the demon responsible for the blood feud her family has.
I found the magic and world interesting. Unfortunately, I found the side characters more compelling and did not connect with the main characters. I thought the pacing was slightly off but I did not see some of the twists coming. I would be interested in seeing what the author does with the rest of this trilogy.



Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for my early read. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

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

Having had this book for awhile, it is one that is a very slow burn. I did not enjoy how long it was taking to move the story forward. I did think the story itself had promise, but the execution was not as expected.

I enjoyed the world building and characters. Parts of it were very predictable, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I could see it coming way before it was revealed. I didn’t care for the love interest, and there seem to be a lot of similarities to other fantasy books like ACOTAR. I would be interested in seeing where this series goes, but this book also felt unnecessarily long.

I can honestly say that this book could have been half the length and without all the 'will they, won't they?' of the first half of the novel between Gemma and Talan. Especially since there are three books in this world to get through. This one just came across as really long winded before getting to the really great stuff in the second half of the book.

We get a lot of important information at the start. Gemma is different to her sisters in this world of magic and the fae. Not only does she have no magic in her prominent family. She is also made unwell by proximity to magic.

This doesn't actually mean she's at odds with her two sisters. Quite the opposite, in fact. With Farrin who she still lives with, there is a bit of strain, but that's more to do with the differences in the ways they're treated and ends up being a dim memory because Farrin is awesome.

Mara, on the other hand, is the softest and sweetest among them, though she doesn't still live in the big house. As a child, she was taken from Gemma and the rest of the family to an order that guards against the not good kind of magic.

There is also a feud between Gemma's family and another that, at around the point where the plot really starts to get going, halfway through or so, we find out is boltered by the actions of a demon and the people he controls over the years.

Yes, there is a lot here that needs to be set up, but it isn't the set up that takes its time. It's whether or not Gemma should trust Talan, the intriguing courtier who has recently come to her home. She wants to make plans that will help her family with him. She despises and wants nothing to do with him. She bares herself to him. He seems to betray her and disappears.

The second half of the book is a great deal more interesting with the world and Gemma's sisters coming into play. We also come to realise the reasons why Gemma is made unwell by magic as well as getting to (briefly) see the queen of the world and all sorts of magic users.

People who are fans of Sarah J Mass, will absolutely enjoy this books, can’t wait to see more from this author!

A Crown of Ivy and Glass was delightful! I'm not sure exactly what I expected going in, but this lovely book - often light-hearted but also so full of heart and sometimes downright creepy - so fantastically surpassed my expectations. Legrand really is excellent at her craft. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for book 2.

I think this book rightfully deserves all the hype that it’s been receiving. Perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas and Leigh Bardugo. Nothing not to love.

I had high expectations for this book, but it missed the mark. I didn't feel that the book had a cohesive story and it didn't hold my attention.

This novel takes us into the world of the Ashbournes daughters. One daughter is sent to the Middlemist, one is a recluse, Lady Gemma is battling a painful disease that seemingly has no cure. She is intrigued by a gentlemen and a whirlwind romance develops that throws her and the ones she love into an epic adventure. I enjoyed this book for the intriguing characters and the emotional depth they held. I’m excited for the next adventures of the Ashbournes.

3 stars

This is a romance-fantasy series and I had high hopes for it. The writing fell flat for me and I felt like this is pandering to the TikTok ACOTAR audiences without giving much substance. The world-building could have been better, the characters needed much more depth, and I wanted to like the main character. So 3 is generous but I still want to see what happens.

I really enjoyed this book, despite a few parts that didn’t work for me. I love claire’s writing, as the empirium trilogy is one of my all-time faves. the premise of this book just SCREAMED “this book is for YOU”

the first half…didn’t work for me. I really wanted to give up, but I generally wait until the halfway point to see if it’s worth sticking around.

reader, it was worth sticking around. I am so glad I read this book.

things I loved:
- the worldbuilding: claire’s writing is so lush and descriptive; I felt like I was immersed in the world
- the magic: as much as I love a clear-cut magic system, I also love when something challenges the existing system
- the sisterly bond: I love farrin, mara, and gemma’s love for each other
- the plot reveals: there were three that made me gasp, even tho I saw them coming lol I love a well-executed reveal
- the mental health rep: as expected, claire nailed the mental health rep. just extremely well-done, tho very tough to read.
- the side characters: I am SO EXCITED to see more of these characters in the next two books!

things that took time for me to like:
- the romance: one of the reasons why the first half didn’t work for me was the insta-love. I thought their conflicts were resolved too quickly for my liking. however, I warmed up to it by the end.
- gemma: oh, imogen. my GIRL. she is so unlikeable at the beginning and I ate it up. then, she kept making questionable decisions that frustrated me. look, we went through a journey through the human spectrum of emotions! I loved her character arc so much. it reminded me of my lowest point in life, and that…was just so important.

things that didn’t work:
- the pacing: it felt so slow at points, then at other points it moved so quickly that I had to reread pages.
- the resolutions to certain plot points: related to the pacing, I think that some plot points were resolved too quickly. I want characters to stew in it!!!!

so! all in all, I enjoyed ACOIAG very much. not my favorite book of claire’s, but still very much a world I’d love to revisit.

There was great world building and interesting characters here, but the unexplained instalove romance was a bit baffling. I would continue the series.

Lady Gemma Ashbourne is unlike the rest of her family who were Anointed by the gods and blessed with special abilities. Gemma is not only powerless but her body fights magic like it is poison. When she meets the devastatingly handsome Talan, the lone survivor to a family seduced by a demon. They strike a bargain: Gemma will help him navigate high society and he will assist her in destroying her family's rivals. According to legend the demon called The Man With the Three-Eyed Crown is behind the families' blood feud so if Talan and Gemma can slay the demon, they can end the feud once and for all. This fantasy book is intriguing and has a twist I did not see coming. There were a few points that seemed to jump out of sequence, and I had to reorientate what was happening in the story. The romance was a slow build but worth the wait. Each character's special abilities are interesting and the application of them throughout the story for their character growth and story development was thought out nicely. It leaves off on a bit of a cliffhanger, and I am curious to see what comes next for these characters.

Special thanks to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a new author for me and I was really excited about this book! I really enjoyed this one and can’t wait for the next one! I liked that the main character had anxiety, which is relatable. I liked that this was a romance fantasy! The book is a little slow and romance happens somewhat quick. I don’t have any issues with that:) sometimes in fantasy it’s good to get a build up since there’s usually so much new to understand. I enjoyed the plot and pace. I thought the heat between Gemma and Talan was explosive! I think they were a great match! Even though these two start out not really liking one another. Makes it all the sweeter when they finally give in! Gemma does also have some family issues as well. This book had a lot as far as magic, romance, mystery, spice, and more! I’m highly looking forward to reading the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand.

I really just wanted more of the sisters.
Multiple point of view chapters would have slung this book into completely different territory. I feel like just the one point of view held it back from being great.