I had such high hopes for this book, it did really seen like something written just for me. That wasn't the case.
Unlike many YA fantasy books that drag the plot for more than one book just to call it a trilogy, this book should've really been cut in half, because right at that 50% mark this book makes a 180° turn and feels like a completely different book.

I DNF'd this at 70%, I tried really hard to just finish it, but I couldn't stand the characters anymore. The plot is interesting, but not enough to balance out how unsufferable the main characters is.

This was a bit of a hard book for me to read, as it did not capture my interest from the very start. I often expect a good book to pull me in within the first chapter. However, I literally struggled thru the entirety of this book to complete it, and it took me a very long time to complete. It may simply be that it's not my style. However, I tend to love imagination and fantasy style books. I just struggled with most all of the characters. I hate giving such a negative style review. I know others have enjoyed it. This is simply my own personal opinion.

Thank you, Dreamscape Media, for allowing me the privilege of reading this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the world but Gemma was too selfish, spoiled and self-centered. I prefer to see a lot of personal growth in these types of fantasy novels but it missed the mark. Talon still seems very much a villain and the feud between the families, beating of her father, are all a little too much. Maybe it will come together in the next installments.

The plot of this book is good, but it did not grip me. I found myself choosing other listens over this regularly. It takes some time to build up. Also the main character is difficult to like.
I enjoyed the audiobook overall and the narration was good.

I don’t like to give books poor reviews because they are the work of someone’s soul–and it’s hard work! That being said, personally, I didn’t love A Crown of Ivy and Glass. I felt like the opening plotline–to throw a party so that Gemma could convince people to care about what was happening with The Roses so that she could help her sister was a little convoluted and ended up only serving the purpose of introducing Talan because it is immediately dropped for a completely different plan that is totally selfish. I have zero problem with a self-confessed selfish character either, but Gemma failed to make herself sympathetic or relatable, so I didn’t care much for her plight. I was also unimpressed by the insta-love. It attempted to be enemies to lovers, but that was a flimsy charade that lasted about a chapter.

This book ended up having way too much plot without that epic fantasy feel, so it was just one thing after another after another with characters whose passionate scenes I ended up skipping over because I really did not buy their insta-love, so I wasn’t invested. I cared more about the enemies, the Basks, and the sister who didn’t get a POV–Farrin. I found myself hoping Talan would betray Gemma to add some spice. And ultimately was confused by the world building and magic system.

The positives this book had were: the intrigue of the enemies, the Basks, a team up with said enemies, sex positivity, and casual queerness.

In the end I will give this book 3 stars and ask a friend to tell me if the sequel ends up being better, and maybe I’ll read it, but I might just get the SparkNotes and get over it.

2.5 stars rounded down.

This novel has a great premise but doesn't quite live up to it. It seems like Legrand was overambitious and couldn't decide what kind of book this was supposed to be - a romance, a dark fantasy, YA or adult? It was refreshing to read about a main character who is so different than usual due to her chronic pain, but she veers way too much into whiny and petulant teenager for a book that is billed as adult. It definitely has some pretty heavy steamy scenes but I didn't feel like this really was worth the length of the read. Save yourself and just stick with her other works.

Narration from Evelyn Rose was excellent. She was wonderful to listen to and I appreciated her subtle changes for each character.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an audiobook ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy the narrator's reading, but I had trouble getting into the plot of the book. The main character seems to be rather self-pitying as well as selfish. I understand that the character is meant to have this flaw as well as having an unknown painful disease which explains the flaw, but I didn't really feel the sympathy that disease was meant to invoke. Additionally, the male character was very manipulative. This book usually would be one that I am invested in, but somehow it didn't catch me.

A complicated story with Gemma and Talon and other paranormal characters.
Sometimes the characters and story line got confusing. and hard to keep everything together.
In all an okay story. with mystery, suspense and romance.
Voluntarily reviewed.

DNF at 28%
I've picked this up and put it down to switch to something else multiple times. I don't find this to be something that has me interested in anything - plot or characters, unfortunately. I was really looking forward to it though.
Thank you to Dreamscape and Netgalley for the advanced copy.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand was not my cup of tea but I did enjoy certain elements of it. The narrator for one, did a fantastic job of creating an immersive storytelling with a beautiful Voice. The romance between Gemma and Talan was done well and I liked how supportive he was of her as she discovered more about her gifts. However, she was one of the most insufferable main characters that I've read in a long time. She didn't seem very mature and I questioned a lot of her motives and decisions. The fact that there was disability rep, mental health rep, and Bridgerton style romance saved this one from being a DNF but I definitely wasn't invested in the story or the characters enough to really pay attention.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, Dreamscape Lore for an advanced audiobook copy of A Crown of Ivy and Glass.

DNF AUDIOBOOK

I don't know what it is about me and audiobooks, but I have to have the perfect narrator in order to enjoy the book. In this case, I didn't enjoy the narrator and even though she depicted the spoiled nature of the main character really well, I just couldn't get into the book. I hope that I can give the book another try when I can purchase a paperback. That being said, I had really high expectations going into this book because the Empirium Trilogy is one of my top five favorite trilogies ever in the history of ever. As I said before, I reallllllllyyy hope that I can give this book another chance because Claire Legrand is a really talented author and I'm just extremely picky with audiobooks.

This book took me so long to read because I just could not get in to it. I hated Gemma. Right from the very first chapter. She openly admits that she is glad that her sister was the one taken… that she gets to live a life of luxury and if given the opportunity she wouldn’t change it. As soon as she said this, I hated her. She’s incredibly selfish. Now she does get better of course. I get that we are suppose to see her grow as a person but I still couldn’t get over her selfishness. Talan I liked.,I like how he respected Gemma’s pain. Do I think he was a tad sketchy? Sure. I get why he did what he did. Overall I liked him though.

Honestly I was just bored for 75% of this book and forced myself to finish so I could fully review it.

The narration was fantastic. Zero issues there!

DNF 60%. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book I really really did but it just wasn’t it for me. I got so bored and started skipping around just to get threw it. The characters? Eh they were ok. Storytelling? All over the place making it hard to get threw. This one just wasn’t for me. It has the bones to be good just not the meat and sides that makes my want to read. Thank you again to the author and NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen and read.

This was one of my most anticipated reads because furyborn was what got me back into reading....and this.... Just was not up to it's level.

Simply because it takes about half of the book to actually get interesting, and before it even gets interesting you can guess a ton of things.

If there is one thing about it Claire knows how to write someone who is in their own head.

The main character is the youngest of her sisters, but she does not have the powers granted to her by their family's God. On top of not having those powers she is in crippling pain whenever she is around magic, but she is from a high family and everyone wants to be an Ashbourne. She throws the most lavish balls and always has the first and the best things. Under it all she is sad and feels worthless, she tears her skin apart just to east the panic she has.

And one day a dark haired boy comes to one of her balls will promises to vanquish the demon that plagues her family, but she has other plans for when the demon is found.

I'm very ready for the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, Dreamscape Lore, Sourcebooks, Claire Legrand, and Evelyn Rose (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of A Crown of Ivy and Glass in exchange for an honest review.

As a long time fan of Legrand's books, I was certainly excited to hear about a new trilogy, though I was surprised that it is and adult novel. While I am very familiar with Legrand's young adult novels, I was certainly excited to dive into something for adults. The catch: The cover makes this appear to be targeted at a young adult audience. This novel is full of magic, demons, and romance and I can certainly see a young adult or adult audience enjoying this novel (though there is quite a plethora of [exciting] mature content).

In a family of gifted magic users, Gemma Ashbourne has none. Despite this sadness, she really does have it all, coming from a family of status. A beautifully large home, lavish parties, and anything she could ever ask for, all available at her fingertips. 

When Talan d'Astier appears to one of her evening get-togethers, Gemma assumes he is just there to use her name to make a family connection, just like everyone else she happens to meet. When his kindness becomes something more, piquing her interest further, she finds there's more to Talan than just a name and dashing good looks. But there is more to Gemma as well.

Oh, did I mention the blood feud between Gemma's family and the Basks, supposedly powered by a demon? Perhaps hunting down and killing that demon might end the feud! There is so much magic in this novel, and it truly dives into so many different aspects of magic and demons around the last 30% that it can be a bit hard to wrap one's head around. I really enjoyed the pacing up to this point, and the end was a teeth-grinder to be certain, as I am ready for the next novel!

While maintaining a bit of a YA feel, I can say I thoroughly enjoyed Legrand's first novel for an adult audience. The romance was so enticing, and the world seems to have so much to it, so much more that hasn't yet been explored by the reader. This novel is perfect for those who seek a Victorian Era British high society feel with a sweeping fantasy blend.

I don't think that the intent of this book is to make the reader dislike our main character, Gemma, but I do dislike her. A lot. I'm still giving this book five stars because I don't mind not liking a main character. The narration felt true to the main character's voice, which was a good thing (my feelings about Gemma aside). So much happened in this book and I found myself getting really engrossed in the action scenes.

I'll pick up the next book in this series when it comes out, but I'll need to be in an attentive mood before I read it and I'll definitely reread this one first. This would probably be an ideal recommendation for someone who likes fantasy/romantasy and wants to get into regency romances, or vice versa.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Pros: I BEAUTIFUL cover, an AMAZING premise. The narration was spectacular, and honestly what kept me going. I did find the story trailed off a few times, but I did enjoy it overall!
The work building was superb, I would read again, as I think it would help me understand it better the second time around (a lot of information)
Loved overall!

I reviewed this in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed reading this book. There are good and bad things about it. the bad, there were some areas of the book it was a little slow. I am also, not one for characters to fall instantly in love, it's just not realistic for me. Also, It does it a little weird towards the middle, but I can't say that I totally didn't like that it did. I have not read any other books by this author, so, I am not sure what to think of it. A couple of good things: There was a part in the book that I was surprised by, no spoilers. I did not see it coming, so that is a good thing. I do like that This author took things a little differently. Most books are about people getting powers and how they learn about them, this was the opposite. I liked that it was different and that the author took this approach of having the main character being the only one without powers or does she? It defiantly has a Bridgeton vibe, at least in the beginning. The audio quality was pretty decent and easy to follow, each voice is defiantly a different character. She does well narrating and keeping the interest of the reader.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand was a rich tapestry of magic, fractured relationships, and agency. The characters were interesting and the world-building intriguing. This was my first Legrand and I loved the prose and storytelling that was consistent throughout. I also enjoyed the inclusion that the main character represented. I'd like to see what happens next in this world.

I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This is the first book that I have read from this author. I have seen her other books around, but I have not picked them up yet. I know that a lot of people on goodreads did not like this book that much but for me it was more of 50/50, I didn’t hate it enough to DNF or to rate it lower, but I didn’t love it enough to rate it higher.

I will list the reasons why I did like the book and the reasons why I did not, I find when I have a book that I am split 50/50 on that it's easier to write a review like that.

What I liked about the book was the magic system. I loved the humans, mixed in with monsters, demons, fae, necromancers and so much more. I thought it was beautifully done with mixing all those amazing creatures together. I loved the character growth in this book a lot. Gemma is the MFC and I had the hardest thing connecting with her in the first half of the book. I thought she felt a little childish but the more and more I read I started to understand her a little bit more and by the end I liked her. I think it was because of the growth you saw in this character, if she was not to have the growth in this book, I don’t think I would have been able to say that I liked her. Talan is the MMC and at first, I did like him, but something felt wrong about him, and the more that I got to know him and his story I could finally understand what it was, and I do have to say he isn’t that bad. I think Gemma and Talan are a good fit for the first book because they both are so broken and learning how to rebuild themselves, but if Ryder is in the next book, I hope he becomes something more to Gemma. I don’t know why but I really liked his character a lot. I thought the author did a great job with the hard topics of chronic illness, self-harm. I really enjoyed the Narrator of this audiobook, I thought she really brought the book to life as much as she could with her voice, and honestly I don’t think she could have done anything different to really grab the person reading or listening to the book because it was writing itself that was hard for me.

What I didn’t like was the info dump in the beginning. It all felt a little too much for me and I had a hard time with listening to the audio. It was slow to get through the first part, nothing was really happening that was a big attention grabber or action. Just a lot of thinking and talking and non-stop questioning. The start of the book just felt disorganized for me, I didn’t know what was really going on or what might happen. I honestly cannot say exactly what it was that I did not like about the start of the book other than it was too much and too slow of a pace.

Even with that being said I did enjoy the book at the end and I do want to read the next book to see what will happen next.

I want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to review this book.