I am so disappointed that this was my overall feelings towards this book as I went into it with such high expectations. I think my biggest problem was because of the length of this book, the pacing needed to be a bit more consistent rather than sluggish at some parts and then way too rushed at others. Also the main character Gemma was unlikable beyond the normal understanding that you are supposed to grow with a character and they are supposed to grow on you. It felt like everyone around her was doing something of importance yet she was too stuck within herself and her own vanity to really contribute in a meaningful way. Overall I love Claire Legrand as a writer, so I definitely think that this is just a case of wrong book for me.

Lady Gemma lives a privileged and sheltered life, her family are gifted with magic, she is rich and beautiful, but it is not enough. Years ago her sister Mara took her place to be part of those who guard the Middlemist, her mother left when she was a child, her family is in a never ending blood feud with the Backs, she has no magic, and the magic of those around her pain her deeply.

At one of her parties she meet Talin, he has also lost everything due to a demon, and they strike up a bargain, Gemma will help him restore his family's name, and he will help her destroy the Basks once and for all, but things are infinitely more complex than they expect, and their missions end up forcing them to take on powers more powerful than they could have every imagined.

This book was so complex, and at first I was a bit lost but when it picked up, IT PICKED UP. The romance in this one was to die for. The world building was so well plotted and thought out I was astonished. I also love a world where women are a focus, their strength, their bond, ad their resilience. The author packed so much into the pages, the history of the world, all the many powers and creatures, the creative magical system, etc. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

DNF @ Chapter 10.

The first, maybe, three or four chapters or so were interesting. Gemma's lack of magical abilities which makes magic toxic/lethal to her is a very interesting concept and I really enjoyed the interactions she had with her sisters.

Gemma is very self-centered, privileged, and behaves in a very entitled manner. I'm sure she gets her whole character arc and develops throughout the story but she's quite irritating in the first chapters I read.

I would've totally been super down with this book if it focused primarily on the family dynamics and the tantalizing drop that there's something very wrong with one of them. But, no, the story shifts to the ensuing romance between Gemma and Talan and the pacing drops to a crawl.

This is supposed to be Claire Legrand's first adult title but I have to agree with some of the reviewers that say this feels more like a YA novel. The only difference is that there's more spicier hints/scenes and that the size of the book is quite large.

Sorry, wasn't for me.

I enjoyed this one while I was reading and it was paced well enough to hold my attention but overall wasn’t super impressed. I found the plot super transparent and found myself not really caring what happened to these characters in the end.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I honestly really wanted to love this one. Based off of what it was being promoted as I thought I would love it. I just could not connect with the story. I just could get hooked and invested in this. While I can see why so many did love it I feel like I just couldnt connect with the writing style and the story.

I did not enjoy this and probably should have DNFed, but I chugged along and it did not get better. I was hoping that this title was just going to have a slow slightly unenjoyable beginning and then as the plot picked up, I would be invested, but that unfortunately did not happen for me.

I could not follow the world building. The early parts of the book were very slow and then all of a sudden the pace was moving so fast I couldn't keep up or process what was happening. Overall, this book did not live up to its pitch. You might disagree with me and in that case, carry on and enjoy!

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for this ARC of A Crown of Ivy And Glass in exchange for my honest opinion

This was my first Claire LeGrand book and I very much enjoyed it. A science fiction, fantasy with magic, love, evil, royalty, betrayal, and fighting all rolled into a great story.

Gemma is born into an anointed(magical) family. While her 2 sisters and father all have magical powers, she has none. As a matter of fact, she has pain and panic attacks when magic is used around her. Her sister, Farrin, has the voice of an Angel. Her other sister, Mara, volunteered to take Gemma’s spot when she was chosen to help protect the land known as the Middlemist.

I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to follow these characters in future adventures.

I wanted to love this book, For me it was Ok. It was just so wordy. Things were very over detailed. Thought the storyline was interesting and new. I loved the idea of a demon curse I was lost in all the detail leaving me bored and not wanting to continue.
I like the regency feel of the world. The relationships that form are interesting. Just for this reader the delivery was not fitting.

Gemma is a beautiful character, and her struggle with her illness was a surprisingly thoughtful portrayal of disability that I haven't seen written a lot in romantasy books.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass, by author Claire Legrand, is the first installment in the authors Middlemist series. It is also the authors first foray in the adult fantasy romance genre. Three sisters in a noble magic family must fight to protect their home from invasion by the creatures of the Old Country—the realm of the gods and the birthplace of magic—before the weakening Middlemist, the boundary dividing the two worlds, disappears forever. Lady Imogen "Gemma" Ashbourne is gorgeous and rich, her family Anointed by the gods—but her charming smile and deft wit mask a wrenching sadness.

Years ago, her sister Mara was taken to the Middlemist to guard against the treacherous magic of the Old Country. Her mother long ago abandoned the family and nobody knows if she is alive, or not. Her father Lord Gideon and eldest sister, Farrin are embroiled in a deadly blood feud with the powerful Bask family often forgetting that Gemma exists. Worst of all, Gemma is apparently the only Ashbourne to possess no magic. Instead, her body fights it like poison. Constantly ill, aching with loneliness, Gemma craves love and yearns to belong. Then she meets the devastatingly handsome Talan d’Astier.

Seduced by a demon, his family dabbled in forbidden magic and destroyed themselves. Talan, the only survivor, is determined to redeem his family’s name. Intrigued and enchanted, Gemma proposes a bargain: She’ll help Talan navigate Gallinor high society if he helps her destroy the Basks. According to popular legend, a demon called The Man With the Three-Eyed Crown is behind the families’ blood feud. Gemma is skeptical of such ludicrous tales, but vengeful Talan is eager for a chance to kill a demon. It’s the perfect plan. But attacks on the Middlemist are increasing.

The plot against the Basks quickly spirals out of control. And something immense and terrifying is awakening in Gemma, drawing her inexorably toward Talan and an all-consuming passion that could destroy her—or show her the true strength of her power at last. Sadly, this books pacing left me wanting it to speed up. Also, the author apparently wanted to make an impression with New Adult readers as well as Fantasy Romance readers because she tends to end up with chapter after chapter with X-Rated sex scenes which I ended up skipping as quickly as I could.

I would put a rating on the book itself, but with children as young as 5 being shown X-rated perversion in their classrooms, I will refrain from telling anyone not to read this book. You can argue with me about the finer points of allowing anyone that young to read this book, but until we get rid of the garbage that teachers are showing our children, I will keep fighting for it to be removed.

Apparently, I have discovered that this trilogy will feature all three of the sisters which means Farrin, the Heir, and Mara, Order of the Rose, will get their chances to prove that they can carry a story. I do think there is more to the hated Basts that meets the eyes, so I look forward to seeing how they review Gemma's family after what happens in this book. The reason for my review, mainly, is that Gemma is a character who is all about thinking that she is the most gorgeous female in all the lands, and she has the dance cards to prove that men line up to be with her. Later, she becomes more, but it takes almost 1/2 the book for her to grow up.

Very surprised how much I enjoyed this book! Great world building and it captivated my attention right from the start! Some of my fav tropes and I love that ending !!

I am preparing a video "partial review" of this book. This is because, unfortunately, my access expired before I had a chance to finish it. But I can report that 80 pages in I was really enjoying it. So much that I have just purchased a copy!

Lady Gemma Ashbourne is a young woman who has it all, as the Gal About Town from one of the two most respected, powerful and prosperous magical families. Well, she has everything except the one thing everyone else has: magical abilities. Not even a bit of low magic made it into Gemma's blood somehow, and in fact, she seems to be painfully allergic to it. When she meets the attractive and mysterious Talan d'Astier, they strike up an agreement: he'll help her hunt the demon which can't possibly exist but he believes is tormenting her family (as it did his) and she'll help him navigate society to restore his family name. Meanwhile, The Middlemist, which protects the land from its monsters, is thinning while her sister Mara, who fights in Gemma's place, is in ever greater danger. Surely there's a connection.

Claire Legrand's writing is excellent, keeping the reader tightly wound with our tight sensory connection to Gemma which is what is keeping me eager for my copy to arrive in the mail.

Killer fantasy holy cow! This was enthralling from page 1 and didn’t let go. You will particularly like this one if you are into A Court Of Thorns and Roses and like a little bad with your romantasy. I think this is a superior novel to her last - the growth in writing and character development really shows. You will not be disappointed!

This book made me cry so much I had to stop reading it in public! Not because it was sad though, more because I don't think I've ever felt more seen by any character. There isn't much chronic pain rep in books, and not only having that, but the sheer relief she felt in first time she found herself painless made me sob. I was so happy for her. I also appreciated the representation of her having panic attacks, it was real and another thing that we don't see enough of in books. It all just made her even stronger and more incredible, just like in Fourth Wing.
Aside from loving the rep, I liked the world and magic system a lot too. It was interesting, and unique, and I can't wait to see more of it in the next book!
I did have a little problem with Talan though. I just found him SO suspicious from the start, and it seemed like everything he did just made him more sus but Gemma just kept forgiving him anyways (though as part of the chronic pain gang I do get it lol). I kinda kept hoping she'd pull an SJM and find a new love interest though, especially when I loved both her and her sisters best friends, Illaria and Gareth so much! He's fine overall, and I'm sure other people will love him because he certainly has book boyfriend material, but I don't trust him.
I will absolutely recommend this book. And also continue to cry over it.

I am in the process of reading this book right now. Just wanted to put this up for me to come back to and add to my review. The plot is of course amazing can't wait to read more!

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. It did not take long for me to be immersed in the world in which Gemma lived, and it is a world nothing like my own. From the start we are drawn into the lives of all the characters, especially our unlikely heroine, and the adventure begins.

I REALLY wanted to love this one, I just could not connect with the story. What I thought it was about and what the story was really about was very different and it didn't work for me :/ I think the writing style didn't hook me in and it took me a long time to get through this book .

I'm devastated to report how much I disliked this. I was so excited for it and it was one of my anticipated reads for the year.

To begin, it didn't feel like Claire Legrand. I"ve enjoyed everything I've read that she's written and she definitely has a tone/voice to her writing. This book didn't really have any of that and I think it's because it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Is it YA, is it historical fantasy romance, is it pure fantasy, etc. The genre was all over the place. The plot couldn't settle and neither could the characters. I finished it still figuring out if I even liked the main characters or love story.

Altogether it was an average, confusing read from an author who is typically not average.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gemma Ashbourne is the youngest member of a powerful family, but magic causes her pain and so she could never be a perfect daughter – but that makes her try even harder. With all that pain, desperation and low self-esteem she tries to hide, she developed more fears and has panick attacks. I liked that mental health issues are addressed in a fantasy novel and I could feel how it affects every aspect of Gemmas life, but it did not make me like her, the other characters – her love-interest is annoyingly perfect – or the plot of the book. Gemma lives in her bubble of self-pity and does not care for anything that does not affect her, so the fantastic world of demons, curses and family drama is pretty shallow.

GERMAN REVIEW
Gemma Ashbourne stammt aus einer der einflussreichsten Familien mit der stärksten Magie, doch sie selbst hat nicht nur keine magischen Kräfte, allein die Nähe zu Magie kann bei ihr starke Schmerzen auslösen.

Ihre fehlenden Fähigkeiten sorgen schon für Probleme in der Familie, denn ihre Schwester Mara musste ihren Platz als Wächterin übernehmen und daher fern von der Familie den Middlemist beschützen, und auch ihre Panikattacken machen Gemma das Leben schwer. Sie hat viele Ängste und Komplexe, weil sie das Gefühl hat, nie gut genug zu sein und eine Außenseiterin in ihrer eigenen Familie ist, und kompensiert das mit zahlreichen Partys und einer Obsession nach Schönheit aus – und sucht so woanders nach Bestätigung. Mit ihrer oberflächlichen Fassade, um sich selbst zu schützen, und ihrem Drang, immer allen zu gefallen, fand ich Gemma insgesamt ziemlich anstrengend und hatte eher Mitleid mit ihr.

Ihre neuste Mission ist es, einen Dämon zu finden, der ihre Familie verflucht hat, da sie hofft, dadurch ihren Vater stolz zu machen. Dabei hilft ihr Talan, in den sie sich beinahe auf den ersten Blick verliebt und dem sie einen großen Teil ihrer Ängste anvertraut. Da konnte ich Gemma auch nicht so richtig ernst nehmen, weil sie sich selbst als weltoffen sieht, aber auch ziemlich naiv ist, sich gedanklich entweder selbst bemitleidet oder Talan anschmachtet. Talan selbst ist schon fast zu perfekt um wahr zu sein, er bezaubert Gemma mit seinem außerordentlich guten Aussehen und seinem Charme, dazu unterstützt er Gemma in all ihren Plänen und ist ihr persönlicher Confidence-Booster. In Gemmas Augen ist er so vollkommen, dass er mir schon bald auf die Nerven ging.

Die Handlung klingt eigentlich ganz interessant, aber ich fand sie auch sehr chaotisch. Da ist natürlich der Dämon, der die Ashbournes verflucht hat, sodass sie sich mit Familie Bask bekriegen müssen, die aber den größten Teil des Buches nur eine Bedrohung im Hintergrund darstellen, sodass man kaum fühlen kann, warum man sie fürchten sollte. Man versteht auch kaum, warum die Ashbournes eigentlich so einflussreich sind, was Mara als Wächterin des Middlemist tut und auch generell erfährt man nur wenig über die Welt, weil Gemma in ihrer eigenen kleinen Blase lebt und nichts über ihre eigenen Probleme hinaus wahrnimmt.

Gleichzeitig habe ich aber auch irgendwie ein schlechtes Gewissen, wenn ich so hart über sie urteile, da sie offensichtlich psychische Probleme hat und daher noch weniger Kontrolle über ihre Gefühle als ein durchschnittlicher Mensch. Und natürlich hilft es in ihrer Situation auch nicht, alles zu unterdrücken und die perfekte Lady vorzuspielen, wenn sie sich selbst überhaupt nicht so sieht. Ich find es generell schön, wenn auch solche Themen in Fantasy-Romanen verarbeitet werden, aber das hat die Charaktere nicht unbedingt sympathischer gemacht und auch die restliche Handlung mit Dämonen, Familiendrama, Fehden und Geheimnissen konnte mich nicht überzeugen.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read “A Crown of Ivy and Glass” in exchange for an honest review.

As a reader who really enjoyed “Sawkill Girls,” this series was a little jolting when anticipating that it would be similar. Instead, it was more closely related to that of a Bridgerton type novel, which has its own unique traits. Setting the expectation of that before reading “A Crown of Ivy and Glass” would have helped me process that more quickly :)

Claire Legrand is such an incredible author and I love that she isn’t afraid to venture into this fantasy realm to explore a different layer of excitement for us readers. I always enjoy reading her literature, and look forward to the next book in this installment.