I've been championing this book since the pandemic days, when Claire Legrand's newsletter teased that something big was in the works, so I was delighted to receive an ARC of A Crown of Ivy and Glass (especially with the recent publication delays pushing the release date back).

From the very first chapter, Legrand's writing style and worldbuilding pulled me in. In classic Legrand fashion, her writing is gorgeously evocative and haunting, and I love her return to a first-person POV....and I love having Gemma as a narrator. Legrand always writes complicated female characters so beautifully, and Lady Imogen (Gemma) Ashbourne is no exception. Gemma is a 20 year old daughter of an Anointed family, and is the only one of her family members not blessed with the magic of the gods. Instead, Gemma experiences excruciating pain in the presence of magic and debilitating panic attacks, but her pain doesn't make her some kind of saint. She's often unlikeable, selfish, juvenile, and self-loathing, all of which make her deeply human, and deeply relatable to me, a twentysomething woman with chronic pain. The chronic illness representation here is some of the best I've ever read, and I adore that Legrand never writes in some kind of magical cure-all, even when it seems it might go in that direction.

I also adore the turns that this story takes. Although the first half feels very much like Bridgerton, it very quickly goes off the rails in the best way and begins my favorite part of the book. I won't spoil anything, but if you've read Legrand, you know the dark and creative directions she goes in. All I'm going to say is when Gemma discovers her father's greenway (a magical passage between portions of their world), I literally could not put this book down, and when a twist involving her lover, Talan, happens about 70% of the way through, I audibly gasped.

And speaking of Talan, I've seen a lot of hate/indifference towards him here, and I can't say I completely disagree. If there is one very minor flaw I have with this book, it's that Talan and Gemma can feel insta-lovey at times. I don't think it's unrealistic -- when you get to the twist, you'll find out why he falls for her so fast, but I can also see her attraction to him. I mean, a sexy empath who takes your pain away if you ask? Sign me up, please. Still, I think part of the insta-lovey feel is due to the pacing. Apparently, their whirlwind romance takes place over two months, but nothing indicates the time skip, so I felt it was all happening in weeks. I'm certain other readers felt the same.

Still, that's a very minor flaw in the grand scheme of things (in my book) and didn't detract from my love of this book or my love of the series in the least. Based on Legrand's newsletter, it seems like the next book in the series will be from Farrin's point of view, and (I'm hoping) her romance with mortal enemy, Ryder Bask. I adored the hints of tension and backstory I got between Farrin and Ryder -- probably even more than I liked Gemma and Talan!

I cannot wait to pick up my physical copy of this book and I eagerly await the rest of the series. I never thought I'd love a Legrand series more than the Emperium trilogy, but so far, this is winning out over Furyborn.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, SourcebooksCasa, and Claire Legrand for giving me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Unfortunately this book didn't do it for me. I felt like the plot was very slow moving, the writing was juvenile, and it just didn't pull me in the way I had hoped. It just was not the book for me.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass – Claire Legrand



I was given an advanced copy of this story through Net Galley in order to provide an honest review.

Claire Legran is an American author who use to work as a public librarian. Her other works include the Empirium Trilogy and Thornlight – mainly children’s novels. A Crown of Ivy and Glass is her first adult story.



Lady Gemma Ashbourne is a young daughter of a wealthy household – yes, her mother is gone, seemingly fled when she was young but it’s not all bad. There are balls and parties to organise and attend. Nevermind the constant sickness and pain that racks her body from being surrounded by so much magic.

Her family was one of the few Annointed by the gods and blessed with magical power, well all of them except her. Her father is a Sentinel – strong and blessed with fighting abilities. Her sister Farrin is blessed with musical magic that can enrapture all those around. Her sister Mara was taken away when she was young to join the Roses, to help guard the Middlemist against any dangers that lurk there and treacherous magic.

Then one evening a mysterious young gentleman, Talan, happens to visit her home. Claiming to come from a formerly disgraced family, the young lad is seeking to do a business deal with her father and regain his family’s former good reputation.

Then Gemma fell in love with this Talan, but like most great loves, he was not who he said he was - he had secrets lurking beneath his pretty exterior. He had promised a solution to her affliction, a course that would get them both everything they had ever wanted.

Yet her decision to love and trust Talan, set them both down a very dangerous path that would either give them everything they want or kill them in the process.



“A Crown of Ivy and Glass” is a fantasy story that had a novel idea and an interesting world but unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought it would. At times the story moved fast and there was lots on information to absorb and take in and yet at other times it was really slow paced and hard to push on through it. It’s a shame because it is such a great concept for a fantasy series - I feel for the next instalment in the series if the author works on their pacing of the story – the progression of events and how much information is given for the reader to absorb they could really have something on their hands.

DNF a few chapters in, will not be posting review publicly. did not like the MC at all, and did not find the story intriguing.

Good premise but the execution was lacking. Slow to get into and unnecessarily confusing and the world building needed more streamlining to making it clear. Didn’t hook me from the start unfortunately

I have not previously read anything by Claire Legrand but the Bridgeton meets ACOTAR vibes this book was pitched with was right up my alley. I sadly didn't really end up enjoying this book and felt myself often skipping pages and just trying to get through it.

my main struggles with this book were first, the MC. She is unlikeable in a way that sometimes I can deal with if there is some character arc but I felt like she didn't change at all by the end of it and didn't really end up with a lot of redeeming qualities either. She felt way too juvenile for an adult book. I did appreciate her Chronic pain rep though and really wish she had ended up being more likeable.

2nd, the love interest was way too much of an insta love for me. I wanted slow burn (especially when trying to compare it to Acotar) and I just didn't get the chemistry between the two. I also just felt like he was sketchy from the start and maybe that's why I felt no connection there.

I personally didn't mind the pacing but I did find that this book really didn't need to be as long as it was. It could have used some scene cutting and fluff removable as it did sometimes feel unnecessary. I also felt the writing style was good and I am still interested in reading other books by Claire, but I don't think I will be continuing this series.

Overall I felt there was really potential here, but somewhere a long the way that got lost and I wish this book hadn't left me really expecting more. It felt like the editor did not spend any time in shaping this book and just slapped an ok sticker on it without reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcesbooks Casablanca for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars
This was unfortunately disappointing for me. The narrative was juvenile for a supposedly adult book, and I honestly felt no connection to the characters or the story. I've heard great things about this author, and it's too bad that this seems to have missed the mark for most fans.


Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and NetGalley for access to this arc.

A new look into fantasy with entangled family members.
Three sisters with different goals and talents with magic, a mysterious father, an absent mother, and multiple other characters intertwined in the world of Mist,
Gemma realizes she lacks magic and any touch causes her pain and illness, she leads her life superficially until she meets Talan. Their relationship is complicated with love.
Many characters are introduced in the beginning and required rereading on my part to understand who they were with their unique names and personalities (my own concentration flaw).
Scenes are very descriptive and wordy but beautifully done.
Many mysteries remain to be solved in the next book but it is a world you can immerse yourself in and enjoy the journey. I would definitely get the next book to see what happens and how the characters evolve in this specially created world.

This wasn’t a really good book. It’s.. ok.
Also this was my first book by the author, so I dont have any comparison to her other books.

I have mixed feelings about this book, so it’s a little bit hard for me to write this review.

The storyline is really flat and there was so much potential. The main character was 90% the time annoying..

It’s a 2 star Book for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

Probably closer to 3.5 stars than 3, but definitely not 4.

Claire Legrand has a talent for protagonists who are self-centered, but still compelling and relatable, and Gemma very much follows in that mold. She is very much into girly things like fashion and balls and gossip in a way that's frankly refreshing given how 'not like other girls' so many female fantasy protagonists can be. And if I didn't find her as entertaining as I did, I might have given up on the book.

The pacing is quite frankly all over the place. Every bit of foreshadowing is basically highlighted with blinking neon signs. It felt like I should have been breezing through the book, but everything felt so dragged out, and yet simultaneously it would jump from one subplot to another in rapid fashion. Legrand seems to want to write a sprawling epic, but given that she only has Gemma narrating, it doesn't really work.

Given all that and how disappointed I was by the ending of the Furyborn trilogy, I don't know if I'll bother with the rest of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and Ms. Legrand for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I am aware that this is being marketed as Ms. Legrand's adult debut but it felt like a very dense and slow (and looooong) YA book to me. The main character, Gemma, is a teenager and very much acts and thinks like a teenager. Frankly I found her character very difficult to like and although I realize the whole point of her character arc is that she matures, I never really felt that she matured enough for me to overcome my initial distaste. Gemma initially comes across as self-centered, narcissistic, flippant, oblivious and snobby (i.e., a TEENAGER) and although I had a lot of sympathy for her condition, her personality was just repellent.

The world-building was cool, although I wish it had been more show, less tell, and I thought both Mara and Farrin were very compelling characters. You know you're in trouble, though, when you're looking forward to pages and scenes without the main character. The undercurrents of the interplay between Talan and his magic and Gemma made me uncomfortable, and I would have liked to see that explored more. I did struggle with the pacing of the romance vis a vis the rest of the plot. A lot of the timing and flow seemed inconsistent. I think with some strong editing this would have been a great Young Adult book. I've read other books by Ms. Legrand (I really enjoyed Extasia) and my expectations were very high, which maybe was unfair. I think this book has a lot to offer other readers but it just didn't do it for me.

DNF @ 42%

I'm sorry to say that this book is simply not good.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass, in theory, held the promise of an enjoyable read. However, after enduring nearly 250 pages, I simply couldn't force myself to continue. The main character, Lady Gemma Ashbourne, proved to be insufferable, excessively focused on her own vanity and loneliness. Rather than evoking sympathy, the author's attempts at eliciting pity only made Gemma appear shallow and deflective. Moreover, the instant love/attraction between Gemma and Talan was an immediate turn-off for me. Their relationship unfolded in a clichéd manner, with declarations of passion that felt contrived and increasingly annoying. While the book had a couple of redeeming qualities, they come with important caveats. The world-building and individual magic systems introduced intriguing elements, but the frequent infodumps disrupted the overall flow. Additionally, I appreciate the inclusion of a main character grappling with severe chronic pain and mental health challenges, which was portrayed in a real and raw manner. However, due to the protagonist's unreliable narration caused by her panic attacks and resulting time loss, this aspect became more frustrating than engaging. With so much potential, it's disheartening to spend the majority of this overly long book feeling irritated. It may find a following on TikTok, but for me, it fell short of expectations.

Just as a sidenote; I attempted to start reading this book 3-4 times and never truly felt invested in the story or characters. It was a chore to get to 42%, but I may give it a listen on audiobook in the future so I can listen to it at 2x speed.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing this book in exchange of an honest review.

I had such high hopes for this book. I love fantasies and this one just didn't hit. I think on it's premise it has everything you want in a fantasy but it just had too much to it. The world building is interesting and I love the use of magic in it. But the pace was off. Plus it was so long. I ended up wondering if it would ever end. It just seemed to drag on. Maybe it would be better to break it up.

In honestly I would probably finish it to find out how and why Gemma has her powers and where her mother is and what happens with Talan. Overall, I liked it enough to see where the story goes.

3.5/5

I feel like the author didn’t figure out the direction of this book until halfway through. It started off going in the direction of Gemma and Talon’s twisted love story and then evolved into something much bigger in a way that didn’t work for me. I will say that I enjoyed the second half of the book better than the first. Overall, it was decent, but not something I would be interested in reading again.

**DNF 32%

I really thank the publisher for the free book.
This novel was one of my most anticipated books of the previous months, but unfortunately it didn't meet, since the very beginning, my expectations.

Characters, details and descriptions gave me immediately the idea to be in front of another tired story with clichés I don't find attractive anymore. Maybe the writing style isn't my cup of tea...

Maybe I'll wait a little bit and try again.(and in that case I'll update this review.
For now, I'm not encouraged to continue at all.

✨I did not end up finishing this book. I found myself not following along and not being able to be sucked into the story. I was really distracted by how young the main character thought and acted. It was hard to take her seriously when pit into difficult situations.

✨the plot had something going for it and I was very intrigued to see what happened but all of the previously mentioned distractions just kept me out of the story and I couldn’t finish this one.

There was so much happening in this book, some times I coudn't keep up.

The story line was great, even if it was a little slow in the beginning.

I found Gemma a good representation for people with severe anxiety and chronic pain.

Overall, it wasn't bad, just not really my type of book.

Adding sex does not an "adult novel" make.

This book would get 4 stars if it developed the love with actual love and friendship instead of random, unrealistic, awkward sex scenes. I understand the use of promiscuity and sluttery as a drug/alcohol-like vice to numb her chronic pain. Otherwise, Gemma is, at best, 18 or 19, and her sisters not much older. I wish the author/publisher didn't try so hard to make a mature/young book. Just make them adults; mature adults can have problems too without being so annoying to read.

I loved the pacing and action! Other series dice up the action and milk it through 6 books, but I liked that Legrand kept up with punch after punch of problems, drama, settings, and new characters. It made it more like what I associate with male written sci-fi or medieval fantasy.

I did like this enough to want to continue the series, but the sexual content and 'insta-love' has me reluctant to recommend.

thanks to Netgalley and sourcebooks for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

*Received an ARC of this book for an honest review* It pains me to give this book a low rating, but even 3 stars is generous. The book has potential as a series if the next books clean up. I thought this was being advertised as an adult book, but it did not come off that way. It felt very juvenile and very scattered. I'm super picky with what I read for YA, so this was not good for me either way, Super disappointed.

A bit surprised with how much I ended up liking this in the end because the first half was a bit of a struggle for me. A lot of reviews describe this as feeling like two books put together and I agree and find that to be this book's biggest flaw (although I'll be curious to see if I will still feel that way on a reread). I don't blame people for DNF-ing. That being said, the second half was strong enough for me (both in terms of plot as well as character/relationship development) that pushing through the first half was worth it. I would say that ultimately the pacing feels a bit like reading a duology in one book.

This book has been pitched as "Bridgerton meets ACOTAR" and while I can sort of see why on the surface (and is an effective marketing tool) I don't think it sets up the right expectations and many will be disappointed. The first half of the book leans into the Bridgerton aspect with a setting that feels one part fairytale, one part Regency-era (the vibes are great and I found the worldbuilding fascinating - though there's quite a bit of infodumping in the beginning). There's a heavy focus in this half on the romance between Gemma, our protagonist and her love interest, Talan and I really didn't vibe with the pacing of it. They fall in love very quickly in this first half (not <i>quite</i> insta-love but close) and I couldn't tell why other than their strong attraction to each other. With the Bridgerton comparison I was expecting more yearning and more of a slow-burn and instead it felt like this book really wanted to quickly emphasize that this is an ~adult fantasy romance~ in the first half before delving into the actual plot and relationship development.

While some elements of the book's larger plot are laid out in the first half, I didn't feel like the story really got going until 50% in. There was a predictable plot twist (but one I was hoping for because I knew it would make me more invested in the story and Gemma/Talan's relationship) and then the story finally started delivering on the interesting worldbuilding and leaned more into the dark fantasy (with a bit of horror) vibes that I'm used to (and love) when it comes to Claire Legrand's writing. The first half had me convinced this would only be a 3 star read but the second half pushed it into 4 stars. I found that I had grown quite attached to the characters and was invested in the overarching plot of the book/series. I even loved the romance between Gemma/Talan in the end despite feeling "meh" about it in the beginning of the book! That being said, the Regency-era Fantasy Romance vibes from the first half aren't super present here so while fans of Claire Legrand's other works (there's aspects that remind me both of the <i>Empirium Trilogy</i> and <i>Sawkill Girls</i>) who may have initially struggled with this book will likely enjoy this half, readers who enjoyed the balls and society aspects of the first half may be disappointed with this shift.

Aside from the book and central romance's pacing, the other dealbreaker for readers will likely be how much they love the protagonist Gemma Ashbourne. In one of her recent newsletters, Claire Legrand describes her as a tribute to "unlikeable heroines" such as Emma Woodhouse and Amy March and I can definitely see it and it's why I loved her immediately (and why other readers will struggle with her). She's spoiled and selfish and makes impulsive/sometimes-nonsensical decisions and I personally adore her. She has fantastic growth throughout the book and I found myself really proud of her journey. She's also a character that has chronic pain and anxiety which I found to be handled really well and makes her stand out from other fantasy romance heroines. I also adored her relationship with her sisters, Farrin and Mara (both interesting characters on their own) and look forward to the next two books in the trilogy to learn more about them. I'm hoping/assuming Farrin's book will be next and between her music-based magic and the complicated dynamic she has with Ryder I think it has strong potential to be a favorite of mine in terms of fantasy romance.