Let’s talk about A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand. Her adult novel debut that follows Gemma, the one person in her family without powers. In fact, any interaction with magic causes her great pain. After meeting Talan at a party, he convinces her to help him in exchange for helping her destroy a rival family.

I was incredibly excited to read this book. When it is advertised as an ACOTAR/Bridgerton style book, I was like “SIGN ME UP!”

This book was incredibly trope-y, I felt like the author tried to put as many fantasy romance cliches into this book as possible to the point where it did not feel unique. I found this book predictable, but at the same time disappointed at the lack of explanations for many things. Apparently, there’s a huge feud between Gemma’s family and another family, but it was barely touched on and there could have been more content related to this. I found the characters bland, for the most part they would only talk about one or two different things. Gemma gives the vibe of a “pick me” girl, instead of the strong female main character I was expecting. If I had to read one more sentence about her saying how her life was so unfair, but that she was this beautiful creature that all the men wanted, one more time I would have chucked my Kindle across the room.

Rating: 2.5 ⭐️. I had high hopes for this book, but it had too many plot points that made the story feel like it was jumping all over the place. This book was unnecessarily long especially with characters that could have been a copy paste from any early-mid 2000s YA book. This book would have probably done better split in half because it does read two separate stories. I think this book has a lot of potential, but in the end it just fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love that with each book, Claire Legrand takes on something new.  A Crown of Ivy and Glass is the first in a romantasy trilogy.  I believe each book will be from the point of view of a different sister.

Gemma is a great heroine for the first book.  At first, she seems shallow and silly, only concerned with her appearance and her family’s wealth.  But there’s so much more to her: she has chronic pain and deep trauma.  And there’s so much character growth throughout the novel.

I loved the magic and worldbuilding in this one.  It feels completely lived in, and the Mist is both creepy and beautiful.  Reading this book felt lush and green and spooky.  I’m a big fan of fantasy that incorporates a little horror.

The romance in this didn’t really work for me, which is what’s kept it from being a 5-star read, but I loved the rest of the book anyway.  I’ll definitely be continuing with the trilogy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for my review copy of this book.

Overall. I liked this book. It wasn't one that I lost sleep because I had to stay up and read, but it was still an enjoyable fantasy. There are some darker aspects that would push this out of YA, but the romance itself felt a little on the immature side for an adult fantasy.

I think the thing I liked the most was how unique the magic system was. It was a very different take on something that most fantasy novels include. It made this book unique so that it stands apart in the genre. I did think that it was very cliche with everything else in the genre though. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing, because when I want a comfort fantasy novel, that's what I go for.

I'm not kidding when I say first off how much I hated this book. I was gaslighting MYSELF the entire time telling myself it was not as bad as I thought, and I slogged through every single one of the 560 (!!!!!) pages and I learned reading this that I really need to stop reading books and just DNF things I hate and save myself the light torture.

First off, this is apparently an adult novel but reads like horrible YA- from the awful lead character who is the worst kind of spoiled brat, to the tragically boring love at first sight with the bad boy leading male. None of the characters seem to grow, the characters that you're actually interested in barely get any time in the novel, and I still can't even tell you what happened because literally nothing happens for most of the book.

This is partially my fault, because while I got through Furyborn, I DNF'd halfway through the second book of that series and I think Claire just loves writing large, boring books that could easily be 1/2 or 2/3 the size. I did like Furyborn a lot more than I liked any part of this book though, and will absolutely not touch another one of her books so long as I live on this earth. I looked up some Goodreads reviews and it seems like most people seem to agree with the same problems I had with the novel, so I know I'm not crazy.

I hate writing bad reviews, and usually I chalk it up to the book just isn't for me, but this was just simply NOT a good book.

I really had a hard time with this one and I wanted to love it so badly!! But I made it about 20% in and I still did not have any attachment to the main character. I was mostly irritated and normally I would try to soldier through it but life is too short and this book was too long for that.

I received this ARC thanks to Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.



I have never read a Claire Legeand book, but I do enjoy the sci-fi/romance YA genre, so I look forward to one with an adult edge. Sadly, this came across very YA and was not able to keep my interest enough to finish the book.

The start of the book drew me in, and then my interest ebbed. I tried picking it up a few times, but page 134 was my finish line. I did, however, like the writing style and will investigate some of the YA books.

"A Crown of Ivy and Glass" is an ambitious debut novel by an author who, unfortunately, attempted to encompass too much within its pages. While the beginning of the book showed promise, the story progressively became choppier and less engaging.

One of the main issues with this novel is its juvenile narrative, which is surprising considering it is supposed to be an adult debut. The story's pacing is inconsistent throughout, making it difficult to immerse oneself in the plot fully. Additionally, the author crams multiple stories together incoherently, resulting in a lack of cohesion and direction. Furthermore, none of the characters truly stand out or undergo any meaningful development, leaving the reader feeling disconnected from their journey.

The protagonist, Gemma, is portrayed as an immature character who, although she does experience some nominal growth in addressing her own strength, fails to recognize the significance of the supportive community around her. In one instance, Gemma loses a friend, but instead of acknowledging her mistakes, she assumes her friend will continue supporting her unconditionally.

"A Crown of Ivy and Glass" attempts to tackle numerous themes and plotlines but ultimately falls short. The author's ambition seems to have hindered the execution of the story, resulting in a narrative that feels disjointed and lacks character development. Despite a compelling beginning, the book fails to maintain its momentum, leaving readers unsatisfied. This review is based on an eARC provided by NetGalley for an honest assessment.

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 Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the advanced copy.

I wanted to love this - having loved many of Legrand's other books but I completely agree with other reviews.

I liked the first chunk of the book - I thought the idea of a protagonist suffering from chronic pain - being drawn to a man who could ease that pain physically and emotionally was interesting.

The narration felt a lot more young YA rather than older YA or adult - not sure who the intended audience was.

I feel like she has tried to cover too much in just one novel without world building first. A simpler entry story to a trilogy is needed.

I liked the premise of a brigerton style fantasy...but I simply lost the effort to carry on reading and at 50% of the way through gave up.

A beautiful and rich Lady who wants nothing more than to heal herself makes a deal with a handsome man with a ruined reputation, in exchange for healing her she’ll help him fix his family reputation by working together. Gemma Ashbourne is a Lady, she is young, beautiful, and rich... the only problem? She is the only person in her family with no magic and she can’t use her magic because it poisons her body. Gemma feels like she’s lonely and wants to be loved, she feels like no one pays attention to her, instead giving it to her sister who traded places with her to take up a position. Gemma then meets Talan d’Astier, an absolutely handsome guy who’s family destroyed themselves, seduced by a demon, and leaving Talon the only survivor and he wants to regain his family honor and navigate high society. Gemma’s family is also in a deadly blood feud with the mysterious Bask family. This was advertised as a mix of Bridgerton and ACOTAR, but what it honestly was... was boring. I found Gemma to be so insufferable and honestly was not feeling the romance or the story at all. I found myself constantly skimming and wanting to DNF the book but stuck through til the end, and despite this being the first book in the trilogy I will not be reading any of the following books. Gemma’s sister Farrin was a much more interesting character and I would have preferred a book about her rather than Gemma if I’m being honest. I liked that Talan, as a love interest, was very empathetic toward’s Gemma’s chronic pain and was there to soothe her, but otherwise I just didn’t care all that much for their romance. Overall, sadly this one was not for me, and despite how intrigued I was by the premise, it just fell flat. However, despite that, if you do like young adult fantasy romances with a bit of historical/bridgerton-esque tones, give this one a go, maybe it’ll work out better for you than it did for me.

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Wanted to love this…. But I was confused half the time with what was going on.. and then a spicy scene would happen, I only really liked the ending.

Instant lovers
🖤 Enemy families
🖤 Hidden powers
🖤 Supernatural


Twenty year old Gemma or Imogen is her full name lives in a world with powerful magic. Where everyone around her has it but she does not. She is easily made sick by certain magics and truthfully hates her life because she’s not like the others.

Gemma has what they call “the panic”. Basically panic attacks where she gets frantic and cries and cannot remember anything for a brief time. Her friend Illaria is the only one who really helps her but she wants her to get professional help.

Gemma being 20 puts her at a stage where she should be acting like an adult but at the same time she can be extremely childish. I know this is due to her upbringing and the troubles that have happened.

Talan is a a guy from a foreign land coming to impress Gemma & her family to bring wine to the country. He immediately starts out charming at her at the party she is hosting. They are direct about why he is there & what he wants. Gemma starts to have some impure thoughts randomly while dancing…

“Trapped indeed. A thought arose unbidden: what it might feel like to be trapped between a wall and Talan’s body, tugging on his vest as his thigh wedged itself between my legs and I claimed his lips with my own.”

She immediately snaps out of her slight drunken state to focus on what she was talking about to not give too much information away. They plan to meet again the next day to talk while sober.

Gemma is almost taken over by something & creates a glammer on herself & her lady’s maid as well.

Gemma learns that Talan had powers and can temporarily heal her pain. I don’t want to give away too much so I’ll just leave it at that. There is some death in this book as well. There are so many twists & turns you would & wouldn’t expect in this book.

There is a lot of stuff that happens in the book. It can be lovely then dark the next page. Check any warnings you may need before reading this.

This book reads very YA/NA throughout parts but adult when things get spicy. Gemma is 20 but at times acts like she’s 16 with her attitude, thoughts & actions. This is getting 3 stars because i felt like this book was dragging on as well as so much going on at once. Things felt a little incomplete. It was a decent book & definitely was intriguing at times but it took me way longer to read than other books I read. I did get this as an arc from NetGalley & the author so thank you for allowing me to read this.

great book and I enjoyed the characters growth. Loved the friends and how this all worked out. I enjoyed the characters journey to finding oneself and others. I hope to read more by this author again.

I'm so sad and surprised that this is the review I'm giving, but this was a DNF close to the 30% mark. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll start by saying, I almost never DNF a book because it truly pains me to do so, but alas, I had to finally admit defeat here. I really did try for over 2 months and just could not force myself through anymore. I'll list a few reasons below as to why this was a DNF.

Firstly, I was super confused. The plot was sort of everywhere and there seemed to be so much going on that I found myself struggling to completely wrap my mind around what was happening and envision it all clearly.

Secondly, I began to very much dislike the main female character Gemma. Because of this, I could not connect with her character at all and a book where you cannot connect with the characters is just not fun to read. I hoped that once our main male lead was introduced that I could at least connect with him in some way, but his character fell flat for me as well, leaving me rooting for no one really.

Lastly, I just couldn't get over the "insta-love" between Talan and Gemma. Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of insta-love in general, but it just felt very unbelievable here and left me wanting something more. I'm definitely more into character-driven books and I just couldn't get on board with these particular characters which was the ultimate reason I decided it was time to set it aside.

This book had me invested from the first page! The characters are well written and they all have distinctive personalities and flaws. The world building was really well done and clearly developed and the setting and atmosphere were clearly defined from the get go. I've already ordered copies for the store I work at, as well as a copy of my own. An absolutely amazing read I'll definitely recommend to friends as well as customers.

But a very interesting book. There had a lot of different aspects to it and there's a lot of apology in it and it was interesting. How this girl r e n r o r had a lot of different powers and she didn't realize how they came about. She loved her sister FAR RIA. She was a very good musician on the piano. A lot of things happened to her but her sister always protected her. S*** the older sister got sucked into having fare with t a l a n. She really loved him but things turned out to be very different and you'll find out. She was also taken to the woods to learn different powers and these people kind of kidnapped her and she tried to get out of there but it was very hard. They had factions and wars going on between these two course and here's interesting how the character was described. KILR ATH was a very interesting character. You'll find out what he really was in the book. It was interesting how the women were very powerful in this book and how they could take on many different roles. They could go to court with the queen and look around and find out things going on. Your father was a very interesting character too. He played a very important role and then surprise the mother came back for some reason. As you read the book you'll find out how all this became clear and all tied together

I was very much looking forward to this book but it was a letdown in my opinion. I felt like the author was doing way too much and none of it stuck in a meaningful way. The plot was a mess and the pacing inconsistent.

I walked away from A Crown of Ivy and Glass with somewhat mixed feelings. On the one hand, the world of the book is lush and intriguing. The depictions of chronic pain/illness were also raw and honest, adding a layer of emotional weight to the story. But the plot itself was a bit of a mess, overstuffed with elements that didn't all cohere.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass is ostensibly a fantasy romance, although in some ways, it didn't seem to know if it fully wanted to be a romance or just a fantasy. Talan and Gemma have solid chemistry, but there was a hint of insta-love to their attraction, and a lot of circular push-pull dynamics that got old. The book also lacks an HEA/HFN, making me a little skeptical about whether this really felt like romance.

The fantasy elements worked better for me. The magic and the worldbuilding both held my attention, and the world is complex, full of different strains of power, old gods, strange monsters, and more.

But my biggest issue was that there was just a lot of mess in the plot. There were so many different threads - Gemma's issues with magic, Talan, Gemma's sisters, everything happening with the Mists, the politics and rivalries, necromancers, demons, fae, old gods, etc. - that I had trouble focusing on any one thing, and couldn't figure out what I was supposed to pay the most attention to. I hope that some of these elements will become relevant in the sequels, but I did feel like a lot of plot threads were thrown at the wall to see what would stick.

Still, I'm intrigued enough that I look forward to the sequel, if only to see how so many disparate plots come together.

3.5/5

So anticipated... So hyped... So disappointed that it couldn't match up.
Giving those 3 stars because nothing can match up to the pillar we build when we are excited and imagining all the possibilities... I get that. I just can't help but feel slightly meh because I was truly looking forward to this one being the next best 5 star and it bordered on DNF for me.

It felt very much like a wonderful Romantasy in the making and then the author took a vacation and got sucked into reading a book and sort of decided to take their writing in that direction entirely. Which would be great! Don't get me wrong. You can make that work and drive people crazy in all the best ways. But it was just such an abrupt difference and weird transition that it felt like a screeching halt that we never got started back up after.

Overall, I don't regret reading it. It was cute and did offer some resolution to my questions to some degree, but once you hit that switch over point it feels rushed but also overly tedious and long.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book. I was so excited when I got approved for this book, and it didn't disappoint, I have read some mixed reviews for this book but for me I enjoyed it a lot, I liked the plot and the characters and I can't wait to read on with them. 4 stars