Lady Gemma Ashbourne has it going on, beautiful and wealthy, with a powerful family to boot. But all is not what it seems in her world. In this world of magic and anointed families bestowed power by the gods, Gemma struggles, because she's allergic . Any exposure to magic makes her sick, and while her family carries on being around it and using it (sort of??) Gemma is left bereft, and often times dealing with feelings of inferiority because of her affliction. This provides a really interesting and valuable interpretation of chronic illness, and mental health struggles, which you don't always see represented in fantasy books. I appreciated that aspect, and thought it was well done, and added a lot of depth to Gemma's character and growth. Anyway, the Ashbourne family has major generational beef with another family, the Basks, and a lot of the story centers that conflict, along with having big fancy balls and dances that felt underwhelming and pointless to me. In between the family battle, we have Gemma's arc falling in love with court newcomer, the mysterious Talan. There's an instant attraction there, and Talan and Gemma team up to settle the score with the Bask family, and fall in love in the meantime. Then the second half of the book happens and well, I got whiplash. This is where my real critique begins. I won't say much on the second half to avoid spoilers, but it was definitely something...

I wanted to like this story, but it was a miss for me. For one, the magic system in this book confused me. We have anointed by the gods powerful family lineages, lesser magic users, necromancers, and everything in between, but it just wasn't adding up, it felt like the story couldn't decide what it wanted to be. This is also true for the difference in atmosphere from the first half of the book to the second. They felt like entirely different creatures mushed together without any transition, and I found it boring and mid. So many new characters and new layers were introduced, and the relationships between Gemma and her sisters were elaborated upon greatly, and yet it still fell flat for me. I also wasn't very excited by the romance between Gemma and Talan, it was fine, but the spicy bits were so strangely timed, and I still feel like I didn't know much about Talan's character other than him being hot and mysterious and stinky? On the other hand, I did really like the relationship between the sisters, Gemma, Mara and Farrin, and I was really excited by the prospect of the forbidden love trope between Farrin and Ryder Bask (hopefully that's explored later). Gemma was a difficult main character to love at times, but I did enjoy her growth, and wish that her arc of coming into her power would have been less, flat? The idea of the Middlemist was also really cool, but not enough time was spent developing the magic for it to really work into the plot of the story well enough for my liking. Overall, this was 2/5 for me, I may possibly read the next one clinging to the hope that we see Farrin x Ryder, but we'll see.

This is a fantasy, romance novel, written in a first person POV. Our main character is a "fragile kitten" type who goes through a transformation to more of a "wild cat" type. IYKYK. The story is filled with mystery and intrigue, so much so that for most of it, I had no idea what was going on, but I desperately WANTED to know. As things slowly get revealed, the world and the magic system becomes more and more exciting.

This story also features a main character with GAD, who suffers from panic attacks and chronic pain. Readers should be aware this book also incudes several instances of suicidal ideation and self-harm.

The first part of the book allows you to get to know our main character and her intriguing new love interest, and her family/friends. It also delves into a little bit of the families history and the history of the land they live in, which is clearly not the real story. Things become infinitely more exciting when everything starts to become a lot more sinister. Half the time you're reading this, you'll think you know what's going on and then you realize you actually have no idea. I love a book that keeps me guessing. I was never sure of what certain characters true intentions were, which kept things exciting.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, however I felt like there was a LOT going on, so much so that it felt quite chaotic. The pacing was a bit all over the place. There's just a lot at play, but I feel like the next book in this series could be reaaaaallly good and there's a lot of opportunity for things to be better explained. It is only the first book, so there's much more to be revealed in the future, I'm sure. The world these characters live in is definitely not what it had seemed.

I did like the main character and the love interest, although at times I found the relationship a little cringe. I'm not always one for the insta-love trope. I didn't realize that this book was more of a mature/adult fantasy, as there was lots of spice and which I thought was goood. The tension was delicious. If I'm being totally honest, I would prefer a book about Farrin (her sister) and Ryder (their family's enemy). I also really enjoyed a lot of the side characters and I am excited to get to know them more.

I found the ending a little bit convenient, I really don't like in fantasy, when the character with newly discovered magic or untested magic "just knew what to do". HOWEVER, I am excited to see what comes next. I will definitely be reading the next book as I adore Claire's writing. I can imagine her characters so vividly as she is excellent at describing them in a way where it makes a clear picture in your mind. I also love how effortlessly the author's writing flows, like she's not trying to clever, she just is? Her descriptions of the setting transport me there, I can picture it like I'm standing there.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks, Claire and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.





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This has been one of my most anticipated reads this year and unfortunately it didn't quite live up to the hype.

To me, it did feel like it read more as a YA than an adult fantasy book, and it felt very long and maybe that is also why i started loosing interest.

Overall, i'm glad I read it, but not sure that I would continue on with book 2.

Thank you, Sourcebooks for my free copy.

Hmm this book was something. The first half of the book I was really digging. It felt like a fantasy Bridgerton world with a Frozen inspired story (told from Anna’s perspective). I was drawn in and happily going along with the mystery, the romantic tension, the feuding families.

Then right after the midpoint, the story changed completely! Suddenly, it was a YA fae fantasy. Then it bogged down terribly. I was left confused by what was happening in this sudden left turn and frustrated as I slogged through the end.

Overall, it felt like the author was trying to tell too many stories at once, too many genres. The original premise was good and I was interested. The sudden switch to something completely different killed my excitement. I’m sad because I ended up disappointed.

I liked the anxiety/panic attack rep in the MC. It reflected my own personal experiences and I enjoyed seeing an honest portrayal in a fantasy heroine. I enjoyed tension to the romance in the beginning and the question of “will he betray her?” playing out. But once that switch happened in the second half, the couple suddenly became honestly annoying. Maybe I just like a slower burn. The spice however was excellent! Sexy and romantic!

Right now I’m on the fence about trying book 2. Enough was tied up at the end of book 1 that I don’t feel chomping at the bit for more. I think if you are a big fan of author and books that are crossover (adult that feels like YA), you’ll probably enjoy this book.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book!*

"A Crown of Ivy and Glass" is smutty high-ish fantasy with strong fairy tale vibes. It has immense potential especially world building wise, yet the story remains focussed on a gullible and mostly unlikeable rich pretty girl type of character who doesn't understand that the dude newly arrived at court she lusts after is not necessarily one of the good ones. Often I felt like I was reading a sequel and the ending left me pretty confused too, but overall I enjoyed the book, it wasn't boring. The main protagonist is very unlikable though, be warned. 3.5 stars

This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me! A totally unique fantasy, an very different kind of MC, a story that seems somewhat light and frivolous only to turn dark and gritty. Lets get into it:

Starting with the good, Claire Legrand is obviously a wildly talented writer. I loved her use fs imagery, and her prose style is stunning. She slips world-building in very effortlessly, and the foreshadowing is on point. The fantasy world really is unlike anything I've read: there is the world out MC, Gemma, lives in. Full of magic and prestige, and separated from the "Olden" world via the middlemist. The Olden world is full of ancient creatures and threats, such as demons and fae, chimeras and necromancers, and much yet to be discovered. This was a great dichotomy to explore, and it felt very dark and threatening. I also adored the exploration of Gemma's mental health, which I thought was handled in a very raw & accurate way without veering into any problematic stereotypes or overly triggering content (although I would STILL recommend looking up and heeding trigger warnings for this one).

A lot of my problems from here came from execution. While Claire's writing is beautiful, all the characters read as... very immature and thin. It wasn't so much the writing as the way the characters voices read. I wanted to know so much more about what drove all of them, and while we do get an amount of that with Gemma, I still found myself confused about her relationships with everyone else and how they all felt about one another (as well as why). Gemma was difficult to like, and she did grow a lot, but I didn't exactly connect with her or her LI much throughout this story.

Much of what I have noticed about this execution being messy is pacing. We spent a lot of time on unimportant storylines, of which there are many, and it felt like the reader was being tugged form one things to the next with no idea why or whether they were going to tie together. Come the end, most of it DID tie together, but it was thin and loose and left more questions than answers for me. I thought the concept of the Olden world was fascinating and had so much potential, but I also feel that I know very little about it.

Overall I think I just wanted much more from this, but I do see a lot of potential now that the stage has been set and we know who the enemies are. I am hoping to see this story slow down a bit in pivotal moments, and spend less time on side stories that end up being inconsequential. I have heard literally NOTHING but amazing things about her Empirium series, and so I absolutely intend to give this author another go and likely to follow up with the sequels in this series, as the last half read much better than the beginning and I'm hoping to see that continued.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this one before publishing!

I was looking forward to this book, I've seen the highly anticipated reviews and such, heard all the uptalk on it and then was disappointed when I read it. For an adult debut, it falls more into a young adult type narrative with very inconsistent pacing. The characters really didn't go through any meaningful development and seem stale in many ways. I WANTED to like this book and I WANTED to order this and get it on my library's shelves, but now I am not so sure.

Okay, I absolutely adored this book!

Though it was slow to start, through some cliches that accompany most romances, I quickly found myself falling in love with the characters and the twists and turns of the plot as I read on.

Gemma Ashborne is a chronically ill woman who suffers from panic disorder and depression that coexists with her chronic pain and chronic fatigue. As someone who suffers from all of these, I absolutely loved seeing myself as a disabled woman featured as a main character whose strength does not come from her physical capabilities. I will say that it is important to pay attention to the content warnings at the beginning of this novel, as the story deals with self-deprecation, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. As someone who has suffered through these thoughts due to my chronic illness, I am happy to say that Claire Legrand did an excellent job handling these themes--they were not the main focus of the book, nor of Gemma's character, and were not glamorized in any sort of way, but they may still be triggering to some readers.

The romance in it, though I was a little hesitant at first, was super beautiful, too. The smut was lovely, steamy, and soft, and flowed so nicely with the rest of the story. The plot, aside from the romance that had me squealing "SHIP! OTP!" like a 2011 Tumblr girl, was full of mysteries, feuds, and magic. There is A LOT happening in the story, which was overwhelming at times, but I still feel all connected nicely by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an e-ARC of the novel in exchange for an honest review! I will certainly be picking up a physical copy when it hits shelves.

"But I refuse to allow that to cage me. I will enjoy my life, for it's the only one I have."

⭐⭐⭐✨

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for a copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

content warnings: self-harm, suicidal ideation, ableism? (MC has chronic pain/chronic illness), panic attacks, manipulation, possession, mental illness? (characters have sort of dangerous episodes/hallucinations), murder, child abuse, parental neglect

I have been eagerly anticipating this novel since the Empirium trilogy by Claire Legrand is one of my favorites of all time (not counting that novella I hated!) The moment I saw the cover on Netgalley, I downloaded it without hesitation!

A Crown of Ivy and Glass follows Lady Imogen/Gemma Ashbourne, the middle daughter of three, a young woman with a mysterious chronic illness of sorts, who spends her nights chasing the thrill of parties and lovers to avoid thinking about how she is the only member of the powerful and Anointed Ashbourne family to not have any magical abilities at all and to avoid the guilt of believing herself the reason her mother abandoned them and her younger sister was taken away to the dangerous Middlemist.

When a mysterious and enchanting stranger appears, offering to help her find a legendary demon that is ruining her family and to destroy the Ashbourne's enemies the Basks, Gemma will stop at nothing. Except... what if she can use the demon to give her magic instead of destroying it?

Claire Legrand jumps right into the adult fantasy genre with as much of an enchanting world as the Empirium trilogy that will be living in my mind rent-free. I started this the day after Christmas and finished it right after Valentine's Day! Many days I didn't want to put the book down because the suspense had me delighted, and the atmosphere was so well-written that once or twice my toes were curled in fear! Other days, I read a single chapter and set it down because the pacing seemed to drag.

While this couple certainly had sexual tension, I think what I loved most about her previous trilogy was the tantalizing slow burn, the enemies to lovers, the plot twists that wrench your heart out and leave you reeling. Gemma and her love interest were lacking in this, and the plot twist felt a little like she'd ripped the jawdropping plot twist of her own previous book and served us a condensed watered down copy paste of that. I would have loved if this book pulled a <spoiler>Hans from Frozen, which is what I was expecting, along with some second romantic interest</spoiler>, so I was disappointed to realized we were stuck with this coward. 🤭 He never really grew on me, but Gemma did!

I think the foreshadowing for who I assume the main character of book 2 and her potential love interest is was fabulous though, and much more up my alley as far as romances go. That's a potential five-star for me already!

I think I would recommend to this to fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses (except imagine a POV of how Elain is perceived in book 1 + if their father hadn't lost all their money), romances with instant chemistry, and rich and chilling atmospheres!

Claire Legrand utterly masters her adult debut!

A Crown Made of Ivy and Glass is a hidden gem. Legrand has depicted an epic tale about finding love when you feel unworthy.

Legrand has written this book as a love letter to mental health survivors. Every page is filled with honest mental health descriptions. Legrand embraces real life struggles and adds a love interest who makes the main character realize she is worth everything.

Birthed into a life of trauma, Lady Gemma Ashbourne is reeling, living each day wading through the wreck that is her body. For generations, the gods have blessed the Ashbourne’s with magic. However, Gemma has none. Instead, magic causes her insurmountable pain, with her body reacting to surrounding magic like poison.
Gemma’s waking moments are filled with pain and loneliness.

Presented with an opportunity to escape the chains that bind her and forget her pain, Gemma pairs up with a man named Talan. His family was wiped out by demonic interference, leaving him the sole survivor. Intent on restoring his family’s name, he seeks Gemma’s help. Armed with a plan to save them both, Gemma guides him through high society for a chance to live freely.

However, what neither one of them saw coming was the passion they would develop for one another. When Gemma is with Talan, she can forget her pain and her losses. Talan comforts her weary soul and makes her feel wanted. Gemma has never believed in herself, but when she is with Talan, she feels alive.

Similarly, Talan masks his own childhood trauma and the family he lost. Talan’s past haunts him and leaves him breathless with remembrance. Gemma quiets the storm in his mind; she is peaceful and radiant- everything he is not. Talan attaches himself to Gemma like a man starved. He can not get enough of her comfort, of her warm embrace.

Talan d’Aister and Gemma Ashbourne are made for one another. If only they could admit to each other what they feel in their heart. Unfortunately, they may not have time. Attacks on their world are increasing tenfold and creatures of old are awakening. Not to mention, Gemma’s new perspective on life is drawing her towards something dangerous… There is a beast slumbering inside her, and it wants out. Will Gemma be able to tame it, or be consumed?

Overall, Legrand’s adult debut is a tale of being found when you’re lost. When all hope is gone, strength from loved ones shines strong. Family fuels the soul, and in A Crown Made of Ivy and Glass, it is the shining star. By putting faith in one another, the characters prove that love is the grandest force of all.

Legrand has built the start of which will surely be an eternally cherished series.

Visit your local bookstore and purchase a copy on release day: May 9th, 2023!

Thanks to SourceBooks Casablanca and NetGalley for this ARC!

I didn't even realize this was an adult book until the sexy times started. All the characters were very YA in behavior. Gemma was an awful character. Selfish and heedless - she just barreled into every situation without ever really thinking beyond her own impulsive desires. The insta-love was suspicious (with good reason) and yet they are still meant to be soul mates at the end? I ended up skimming through most of the book by the end. the scenes that didn't involve Gemma and Talan were fun. I want to know more about the Basks and the sisters.

Fantasy romance with a tense, romance, impulsive decisions, and a look at consent and what it means to be bound to someone who can solve a problem for you. For readers who enjoy lush descriptions and heart-racing romance scenes.

[NOTE: Unless otherwise stated, my NetGalley feedback is not a blurb or endorsement. If a publisher wishes to use any part of my comments for promotional purposes, please contact me or my agent via email. I would prefer not to include star ratings but NetGalley won't let me post without one, so all will be 5 stars.]

I had high hopes for this book, after loving furyborn so much. But it just feel a little flat for me. It wasn’t bad but it did not blow my mind either. At times I found myself very confused, especially at the end… I will sit in this book for a litttle and see how I feel down the road!

Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try, it could be your favorite book!

A Crown of Ivy and Glass is a fin, imaginative book--- a little spicy and fairly dark. Gemma, the main character, lives with chronic pain which (and spoilers) is not resolved by the plot of this book-- a detail I appreciate in terms of disability representation.

Legrand's world building is unparalleled, and her female main character unapologetic and fierce in a way that defied my expectations for this book. I would continue to read books just about the Ashbourne family.


Spoilers:
Gemma is a force, and not what I expected. She starts off a bit shallow, but this façade is understood when she explains her family situation and how she, the youngest, was supposed to be where her older sister is now. So desperate for love, unsatisfied by her family's attempts (or lack of), she meets this guy who everyone is pretty much "don't trust him" and she does so anyway. It somehow works out with some fantastic story telling and we do get a happily ever after. Suitable new adult, some graphic adult content, and so on.

This is a very formulaic plot, that has few new ideas or storylines. However once I had gotten past the first third of the book which was slow moving and frustrating, the pace quickened and the action was page turning. I would not call this an adult book, it feels firmly in the young adult range of fantasy with way too many sex scenes and declarations of love. So extremely similar to Sarah Maas’ books but not quite on their par.
My favorite characters were the Vilia and I would be curious to read the next book in the series to see how the sisters power unfolds. I hope the next books have the older sisters storyline and less of Gemma’ who frustrated me. It is admirable to have a main character riddled with panic attacks and self-hatred but the other aspects of Gemma’s character - vanity, shallowness and self centeredness made her hard to care too deeply for. I appreciate that many other readers will be more favorable to her and this is only my opinion. I also would love to see the Basks storyline unfold more. They were intriguing!
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC. This would be 3.8 stars if I could be that precise.

I almost felt like this book was two books in one, but I did enjoy it a lot! There was almost always something going on, once the plot got going, and now I can't wait to find out what happens in the rest of the series. If you're a fan of fantasy, magic, demons, and anything in those categories, you should definitely give this one a try! As my first Claire Legrand book, I was not disappointed.

This was not quite the ACOTAR / Bridgerton novel that I was expecting from the marketing, but it was a decent enough read. Some really good points; our protagonist Gemma suffers from a debilitating condition, which makes a change from the usual all-perfect heroine figures in novels. There's some great interaction between her and and the male lead Talan, and they work together to achieve their goals. Nice world building with loads of incredible descriptions and depictions. Some parts were however a little slow and I just wanted things to speed up a little. I'm not sure if I'd rush to read book two in the trilogy.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass caught my attention because of how much I enjoyed the Empyrium trilogy, but this book turned out to be unlike anything else I've read.

I have both Rhuematoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia, so to see a heroine whose own body attacks itself with pain, and seeing the way she's determined to find ways to experience joy in spite of the pain, but also seeing the way she sometimes buckles under the pressure and her friends build her up was absolutely incredible. I'm still in aw of it and cannot get it out of my head even days after finishing reading.

The romance was quite well done. I loved that Talan is not an alphahole, but he does have some secrets. I also really appreciated that Gemma doesn't just ignore red flags in the name of love, but questions in a very realistic manner.

One of the best parts is when a supernatural being tells Gemma that just like humans, they are complicated and messy and wonderous.

This is a perfect romantasy read with a bit of enemies to lovers, hidden magic, sibling rivalries and incredible disability representation.

This was a rough one for me.
I absolutely adore Legrand as an author and love the way she can write so many different stories, worlds and characters that you want to fall in love with and, genuinely care about.
This one however didn’t hit the mark.
It was “advertised” as ACOTAR meets Bridgerton, which as it turns out this was not.
Unfortunately this novel felt like a few different novels all pushed into one that raised more and more questions as the story went on and few were answered at the conclusion.
What started as a really good, fun read turned into something that was pretty chaotic