*2.5 stars*
I wanted to love this book so much more, but unfortunately it just didn't hit the mark for me. I felt like it was really long but didn't need to be? Don't get me wrong, I love a good, long book when it's well done and holds my attention, but I found myself able to put this book down and wasn't really overjoyed at the prospect of picking it back up again.

The book starts off good - we get a little bit of background, we meet the characters, we get a good story set up. Gemma seemed like she was going to be a really interesting character to follow through this book (and she was!), but I didn't really like Talan. Unfortunately, disliking the main male lead does not bode well for a romance. I was actually more interested in Farrin's love life than I was Gemma's lol. And we only get VERY TINY glimpses and hints at that aspect of Farrin but it seems like it could be an EPIC story.

Anyway. After the beginning, things sort of seemed to just spiral out of control. The story seemed all over the place, and I was sort of confused and little bit bored for a lot of it. It felt very stop and go, and I just couldn't get into a flow with this book. The romance didn't work for me, not just because I didn't like Talan, but because there was no substance to it. It was very insta-love, and then the relationship was just all over the place, and not in a good way.

I think there are definitely people who are going to like this book, but it just wasn't for me unfortunately. If there was another book from Farrin's POV, I think I would definitely read that. Very curious to see what happens with her and Ryder. But in terms of Gemma's story, I don't really feel like I need to know more.

There's nothing worse than an anticipated read by an author you love letting you down...

If you look at the average rating for this book, it's evident that it's not really meeting readers expectations. I didn't want that to be the case, but it is what it is. And it's due to flaws I never would have though CL would make. She has created an amazing fantasy series before, so I have no idea what she was thinking with this one.

The narrative is pretty juvenile for supposedly being an adult debut, the pacing of the story is very inconsistent throughout, the plot doesn't stick to a single genre creating the feeling that this is multiple stories incoherently crammed together, and none of the characters stand out or go through any meaningful development.

In all honesty, I probably would have given this 2 stars, but my loyalty to CL is preventing me from doing so, hence the rounding up.

Legrand has always been a bit hit-or-miss, and despite the lovely cover and the intriguing copy, this book was unfortunately a miss. The author can be such a beautiful writer but does best with rigorous editing, and that was not in enough evidence here. In the spirit of full disclosure, I should also add that I often find the way she writes sex scenes to be cringe-y (for several reasons, but the main one is because she has the capability to be such a strong stylist elsewhere--unlike with something like ACOTAR for example, where the writing voice is less distinctive but more consistent throughout). While there were other things going on in A CROWN OF IVY AND GLASS in addition to the romance, it would have taken something on the level of the Furyborn books in terms of their sheer scope to sufficiently redeem this one for me, and the still ambitious but less epic worldbuilding here just wasn't enough. However, readers who loved the Furyborn trilogy or are more omnivorous consumers of fantasy romance than I am--or are looking for solid representation of characters with anxiety--will probably find a lot to appreciate. I suspect I'll skip her adult SFF and stick with her middle grade and YA in the future, though. (If anyone reading this hasn't read SAWKILL GIRLS yet, that book is *great*!)

This was another wonderful book by Claire Legrand. It had so many of the elements I love in romantasy book: balls, a terrific trio of sisters, a unique magic system, family feuds and the most important, an interesting relationship. While it was faster than I would have liked (I hate instalove), all the trials between Gemma and Talan made me come around the quickness of it. There's a lot of important talk about mental health and dealing with things out of your control. I don't know why this is being marketed as adult compared to her Furyborn series - they felt similar in content to me. But overall, if you've like her other books, give this one a try!

"In every legend," Talan said quietly, ur-gently, pulling me back to him, "there is a kernel of truth”
"Yes, Talan. Please help me. Make the pain go away."
I must admit I was curious about this book. I feel like my curiosity still lives but that is not at all a bad thing.
A story about three sister, Farrin, Mara and Imogen with powers only … Gemma seems to have none. What’s gonna happen when a great and terrifying Mist threatens to overpower them all and destroy everything they know.
I very much enjoyed this book. Both in the characters’ dynamics and the magic system.
The Mist mildly reminded me of the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia) but this time it felt even more awake and scary.
The sisterhood between Gemma and her sisters was so good to read, despite everything.
And Talan was just … an unexpected book boyfriend that knew how to make your toes curl, with the same gentleness of a caress.
Through and through Gemma proved herself to be a strong willed young woman. Despite everything that she suffered she still wanted to find solace somewhere, somehow. Not loosing hope. She is not perfect, far from it, but she felt real. And that is something that I always appreciate in a fantasy book!!
Somehow the author managed to make me question everything that was happening. One minute letting me enjoy the lightness of love, romance and spice. And the next making trying to figure out magical dynamics that were very original and creative. And don’t let me even start on the plot twists app reading every other chapter !!!!
I am also afraid to say that I already can’t wait for book two in this series so … GO AND READ IT !!
“Only a month I've known you, and yet I already feel as if you're a part of me."
“I will not rest until I've earned back vour trust. Be safe, my wildcat.”
“Take care of her for me. Love her as she deserves.”

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS for the ARC.

This book started a little slow for me... I was probably 30% of the way through and still not sold on the characters or the plot. But, after that - I got sucked in! I ended up finishing the bulk of the novel in less than 2 days once I got going.

The marketing says that this is for people who like Bridgerton and ACOTAR and I think that's mostly fair, but certainly more towards readers who like ACOTAR and fantasy/romance with royal families and class system drama. There weren't clear regency romance tropes, like arranged marriage, ruining, etc. That being said, there are a few hookups that happen in a garden and/or maze. So, there's that.

I REALLY liked the magic system in this book - I felt like it was a cool, promising start to a trilogy, although it is a little bit confusing to get through in this first installment. There's a lot of positioning: Legrand works very hard to get readers on board with all of the different realms, magical beings, and power-types involved here. If this is too dense at first, keep reading! About halfway through I was really invested in some of the mysteries/unknown elements in the story, though I definitely had to kind of persevere at first.

As for the characters, I liked Lady Gemma the most at the end, or near the end. She is sort of a royal party girl, burdened by her (extreme) allergy(?) to magic. Her chronic illness gave her a lot of depth and fit pretty well (I think) within the larger exploration of "monstrous" women in this book. I do not have a chronic illness, so I can't speak towards how this portrayal lines up with the mental realities portrayed by Gemma's anxieties and pain. But, overall, I found her really engaging and she develops a lot by the end.

On the romance: I wasn't sold on Talan and, sadly, I don't really care about Gemma/Talan's relationship. I won't spoil the ending, but I sincerely hope the next book in this trilogy is about Ryder (which seems to be the popular consensus in these reviews). I won't say anything else on this because I don't want to spoil by being too specific.

4/5 starts: I subtracted a star because of the density (surprisingly for me, I think this could have been a duology and Legrand could have added a couple hundred pages to further build out the world) and because of the lackluster couple at the center of the book.

Overall, I'm REALLY looking forward to this trilogy. It feels different and new, even though it contains plot elements and themes that fantasy/romance readers love. How soon can I get the next ARC?

Claire Legrand never ceases to amaze me with what she can with epic fantasy. The vastness of her worlds, the pure emotion she pours into her characters, the depths of darkness that she explores, it is all exactly what I love with my whole entire heart.

Also, why are we not talking about the fact that chronic illness and pain are a huge part of this book? And extremely well done (in my opinion)? Plus the depiction of anxiety and panic attacks in a fantasy setting? It's all so, so good? If anyone, ANYONE, wants to come for Imogen, or call her whiney or weak or annoying, they have to go through ME first. Nobody will disrespect her while I'm around.

I struggled with this book. I don’t know if it was the pacing or the characters but I had a hard time immersing myself into this story and I really really wanted to. I love Claire Legrand’s other works. Her characters are flawed with dark and light components and her plots are intricate but for some reason this book didn’t work for me. I dnf’d this book at 40% unable to push myself any further. If you want a slow, sexy, morally gray main character, portal fantasy with political intrigue pick up this book. Just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.

The beginning of what promises to be an epic fantasy trilogy. Claire Legrand built a full on world teeming with charming and challenging characters; there’s exceptional magic and danger lurks around every corner. This was definitely a slow start, but I attribute that to the immense world building that went into this and setting the stage for the rest of the trilogy. And by the final two thirds, I could not put the book down and I am anxiously awaiting the next installment.

Gemma is the daughter of an anointed sage and the sister of two ferociously magic women. But Gemma not only has no magic, she is in fact sickened by it. And considering her world is immersed in magic, she is in a constant state of pain. But she hides this beyond a glittering facade, playing the coy beauty. When a handsome foreigner arrives, Gemma cannot help but be attracted to Talan. And they may each have something the other wants. But is their attraction too dangerous? Or is it exactly what Gemma needs to free herself from her all consuming pain. TW: Self-harm.

This reads extremely juvenile for adult fantasy romance. I didn't like the love interest and kept waiting for the shoe to drop on him, ACOTAR-style. I liked Gemma as a character, but didn't feel super invested in her. Overall, it didn't do much for me.

Thanks for this ARC!

It was a lovely start to the series.
Basically it was like this book was my only source of light, and I could exist in it forever.

I barely saw the hours pass while I was absorbed in reading. The universe was bright and expressive. A world with different types of desires and impulses that built up the entirety of what was a heavily distorted court.
The result was an exhilarating story full of stratagems and lethal choices.

It was even more extraordinary to see how Gemma managed to be selfish, soft, fragile and heroic and so undeniably her.

But, one of the best things about this book truly resides in Claire's writing, reading what this woman writes is like ascending into a dream.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass is another one of those narratives that enchants and that falls so resonantly that you would like to live a thousand lives, to read it for the first time a thousand times.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this book, and the premise was intriguing, but it really didn't do it for me. For a book touted as an adult fantasy, I found that it read very YA with some spice thrown in to push it up to adult. I felt that this book did too much without really doing much at all, and the pacing felt very rushed without really getting into the detail that I wanted in terms of world building and the magic system. The first half of the book could have been the entire book 1 in my opinion, and the second half could have been the next book in the series if the author dove deeper into the characters and events, which I feel would have changed my opinion entirely. I also found Gemma to be quite vapid and annoying, which was maybe the point, but it was too much for me and I couldn't really come around to liking her as her character grew towards the end. I actually found the Basks to be the most interesting characters in the book, and I would have liked more of them, which hopefully the author does in book 2. Overall, I liked the ideas of the story, I was just left wanting more in the way that they were presented.

This is my first book to read by Claire Legend and I really enjoyed it. I was skeptical cause I had read some not so pleasant reviews but not everyone likes the same books. For me I liked it alot. I love all the fantasy and world building. There is so much going into this book and it was done perfectly. It's fast paced and keeps you on your toes. Gemma can be a little self centered sometimes but she feels so much pain physically and mentally but is still so strong. This book takes you on such a wild ride and i am so excited for book 2 to see what happens next!!!

I could not finish this book. It was very hard for me to stay interested, mostly because I did not like the main character. Which, I get is sometimes the point at the beginning of a book...you know, character growth, etc...
This was not enjoyable enough for me to push through, unfortunately.

I will attempt to read it again at another time, but it wasn't a good start,

I picked this guy up as I read another book by Legrand and liked it, and found the "Brigerton" comparison to be interesting. I found it to be more ACOTAR-y than Brigerton-y (ok yeah, it's a historical romance in the Regency era, but like, there are a ton of those and this book was VERY white - I associate Brigerton with diversity) and ended up with kind of mixed feelings about it. I think jt is going to be very hit or miss for folks - it was mostly a miss for me, just because I could not get behind the romance. Like the main love interest is an empath who can MANIPULATE PPL'S THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS and everyone just blindly trusts them. Ya girl never did trust or like him, so the romance parts (which are not an insignifcant piece of the book) just didn't land for me. I liked the worldbuilding and MC's sister's though, so if the next book covers Farin and Ryder (or whatever their names are), I might end up reading it 'cause I ship those two. 2 stars - it was ok.

I loved Claire’s other series so i was so excited to read this one. I dropped everything the day it dropped onto my kindle but unfortunately, i just couldn’t get into it. It’s more of a it’s not you, it’s me situation i think. I will definitely try pick it up again

While I wanted to like this I found the plot, world building and characters something that I was not a fan of and not something I would pick up again.

I thoroughly enjoyed this high fantasy adult romance.

Reminiscent of ACOTAR with an abrasive MC and a love interest with dark secrets, I think this is going to hit all the right marks with the BookTok demographics.

Great cover and concept.

After having loved this author's other works, I have to say this was a pretty anticipated release for me. Magically Bridgerton? Sign me up, absolutely. I liked the characters and though that the world-building was pretty easy to follow, but the pacing or plotting felt a bit off? Something was a bit disjointed in terms of the flow, and while it did take me out of the story a bit, it wasn't enough to completely ruin the experience or anything. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment because I think a lot of my gripes will be answered/resolved as the world and characters progress. Overall, a fun first installment of a new series! 3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 Stars.

A Crown Of Ivy And Glass was a highly anticipated book for me, and I was excited to read that it was being advertised as a magical Bridgerton, I was so totally onboard.

I really enjoyed this, I thought Gemma was a very intriguing character, and I enjoyed her development. I did feel that the book perhaps didn't flow as well as it could have, which did detract from the reading experience, but I still enjoyed this.

I'm keen to read the next one, and find out a bit more. I think the second book will have a hit of a stronger direction, which I'm looking forward to.