The storyline for A Crown of Ivy and Glass focuses on Gemma: her chronic illness to magic, her family’s feud with the Basts, and her relationship with the mysterious Talan, who is the only person to help make her chronic illness bearable.

Gemma came across as a spoiled but hurting rich girl to me at first, but then she started to grow on me more and more as she found more of herself as well as an inner strength throughout the book. There is some trigger warnings with this character that readers should be aware of: Gemma suffers from anxiety, self harm, a chronic illness, and even contemplates suicide at one point. Gemma tries to do everything she can for her family to make up for the fact she feels like a liability to them for not contributing to the family but always feels like she falls short. A lot of the story focuses on Gemma and how she is coping with the illness and trying to figure out her purpose in life, as well as solve the problem of the feud between her family and the Basts. The author does do a good job showing what life is like living with a chronic illness.

The majority of the rest of the characters in the book ended up being murky at first for me but then I started to like them. The biggest question I kept asking myself throughout the entire book was, "What is Talan hiding because I do not trust this guy??" I really wanted to like him, but he just had some shady moves that kept me thinking "oh hell no, Gemma - RUN!" I really wish we had more of his story in the beginning so I wasn't so suspicious of him all the time. I'm also still wondering about the Basks (Ryder and Alastrina) and their motives, especially since their families are supposed to be in a feud. I feel like the author made me suspicious of everyone, and perhaps that was intentional to show how Gemma was feeling, but it drove me a bit crazy.

Honestly, it took me until about halfway through the book before I really got pulled into story (at one point I was considering not finishing it because I was having a hard time staying interested). The beginning was a little bit disorganized for me, probably because there were a few different storylines all happening at the same time. I felt like I really didn't have a good grasp on what exactly was happening (or what was supposed to be happening?). Maybe it also was because things were being held back for character development that later on I had an "a ha!" moment. Eventually it picked up for me and I ended up for the most part liking the book. I do want to know what happens next for the main characters in the next two books, especially now that I have a somewhat better understanding of who everyone is in the story. 3.75 stars for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Gemma seemingly has it all: wealth, beauty, and no end in suitors (male and female). But, underneath it all, Gemma has a secret. She gets painfully ill by magic, so she is bedridden and suffers anxiety attacks. Her bright spots in her life are her visits to her sister, Mara, in the Middlemist and the parties Gemma plans. She is also bone numbingly lonely. Her father has avoided her since her mother left, and her older sister, Farrin, is embroiled in a blood feud with the Bask family. Then she meets Talan, a mysterious young man whose family has destroyed themselves in serving a demon, The Man With the Three-Eyed Crown. Gemma soon finds out that the same demon is behind her family’s blood feud and sets off to end it. As she gathers her allies and makes plans, she finds out some earth-shattering news. News that shakes her to the core and threatens to end everything. What does Gemma find out? How does it tie into her quest? Will she overcome her body’s objections to magic, or will it kill her?

A Crown of Ivy and Glass is the first book in the Middlemist series. It goes without saying that this book can be read as a standalone (it’s the first book in a series).

There are trigger warnings in A Crown of Ivy and Glass. There are a couple that I am going to list but not give an explanation because of spoilers. They are:

Suicidal Ideation: Gemma tells her best friend that she thinks her family would be better off if she kills herself. There is a reason why she mentioned this, but because of spoilers, I will not say.
Self-Harm: To deal with her panic attacks, Gemma cuts herself. She is ashamed when her best friend sees the marks and is dismayed over it.
Panic Attacks: Gemma suffers from severe panic attacks throughout the book. There is a reason behind her suffering from them, but it is given later in the book and is a huge spoiler. So, sorry!!
Chronic Illness: Gemma suffers from a chronic illness throughout the book. She cannot be around magic or magic users without getting significantly sick. She lives in pain daily.
Emotional Abuse: Spoiler, I can’t write anything here!!
Child Abuse: Talan details abuse from his parents and sisters growing up. There is another huge detail of abuse to a child, but it is a spoiler.
Death: There are references to Roses being killed patrolling. The undead that Gemma encounters later in the book (and who save her) dies while protecting Gemma. Gemma’s mother is presumed dead. Tying into the child abuse trigger, a more metaphysical death also happens.
Grief: Gemma’s father is overcome with grief when her mother leaves them. Gemma grieves over the deaths of her allies.
If any of these trigger you, then I suggest not reading this book.

The main storyline for A Crown of Ivy and Glass centers around Gemma, her illness to magic, her relationship with Talan, her family’s feud with the Basts, and Talan’s mysterious background. The author did a fantastic job of detailing how Gemma’s illness affected her life and how she lived each day in pain. It broke my heart to see how lonely she was also. Her father and Farrin were constantly pow-wowing over how to attack the Basts next, and they spent little to no time with Gemma. Actually, Farrin spent more time with Gemma than their father. It was easy to see why Gemma got so attached to Talan right from the beginning.

There were a few things that I wished the author had been more clear about right from the beginning. The first one is the blood feud with the Basts. Nothing got explained until almost the end of the book, and even then, I was a little confused about it. The other was Talan’s background. I wish, wish, wish that the author divulged his background sooner. I don’t like being strung along and thinking one thing about a character and then only finding out something different.

I was fascinated by the lore and how magic worked in this book. This book was full of lore, and I would have loved to have seen some guide at the beginning or end of the book. I also loved how the author explained how magic came to be in this universe. It was fascinating to me, and I couldn’t read enough about it.

There are several sub-storylines that added immensely to the main one. These sub-storylines filled in holes and gave explanations for things that were referenced earlier in the book.

I thought that Gemma was a very solid character. She did come across as vain and spoiled at the beginning of the book, but by the middle, the author made it clear that it wasn’t the case. She hadn’t been dealt the easiest hand in life. Her panic attacks along with her constant pain drained her. Also, her loneliness was very palpable at the beginning of the book. Her character’s growth was amazing, and I was in awe of what she did for Talan during the final battle. Actually, what they all did for him (it was a group effort).

I liked Talan, but I will admit, I was as suspicious as Gemma’s best friend. There was something about him that didn’t seem quite right. Also, there were too many deaths when he was around, and his magical ability (an empath) was almost too good to be true. I was a little grouchy when the author unveiled him, but at the same time, I got why she did it. I loved the turn she took with his character, though. I could never trust him enough to put him on the good guys’ side. It wasn’t until Gemma did what she did at the end that I finally was able to fully trust him.

There are several secondary characters that make an appearance in this book. I liked them all. As with the secondary storylines, they filled in gaps and added some extra oomph when needed. There were a couple that I would love to see more of and a couple that I could see having a relationship (Ryder and Farrin!!).

The romance angle in this book is spicy. If I hate to rate it on a scale, I would say that it is between a jalapeno and a cayenne pepper. Gemma and Talan had good sex if I am going to put it bluntly. I also liked that the author chose to have them do the dirty first and then fall in love. It messed with Gemma’s (and mine) head when it revealed Talan’s intentions. And as I stated above, I did have a hard time believing him when he finally told her his feelings.

I went through such a range of emotions during the last half of the book. I was enraged by what was revealed by Gemma’s father and Farrin’s reaction. But at the same time, everything that was revealed made sense. I wish I could say more but I can’t. There are major spoilers there, which would ruin the book if you haven’t read it.

The end of A Crown of Ivy and Glass was action-packed. There was a point where I was worried about Talan and Gemma. The author didn’t end the storyline but left it open with a hint of what to expect in book 2. I cannot wait to read book two because I hope it answers some questions that were brought up in the second half of the book.

I would recommend A Crown of Ivy and Glass to anyone over 21. There is violence, language, and explicit sexual situations. Also, see my trigger warning list.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca, NetGalley, and Claire LeGrand. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

This fantasy book has a lot of world building which also makes it a massive read. The book feels like an investment book for the series where the character Gemma's story is an introduction to this world. I found the character interesting in that she is unapologetically selfish throughout the story until she forms a bond with a group of women towards the end of the book. Her magical disability is a great twist and brings depth to her character. The love interest Talan is highly suspicious from the moment he is introduced but he ends up fitting well with Gemma.

The book sometimes reads like a young adult novel but with a lot of adult sections. I hope the series has books about each of Gemma's sisters as they are some of the best parts of this story.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

Lady Gemma Ashbourne is part of an Anointed family - a family blessed with high magic. For some reason, though, she has no magic herself, and instead feels great pain whenever she is near it. During a family ball, she meets Talan, a man who's family was destroyed by a demon and who is put to restore his family name and status. Gemma finds herself quickly falling in love with him, but he has a distinct evil lurking about him.

I liked this one. It is the author's first adult novel, and it's definitely got adult themes. It's a bit steamy, full of high society, and it's a pretty dark fantasy - demons and curses and battles. Think a cross between Bridgerton and A Court of Thorns and Roses.

I was provided both a print and audio ARC of this book via the publisher and Netgalley. As always all opinions expressed in my review are my own.

As you can see from the synopsis this follows Gemma, the youngest of a noble family blessed with magical abilities. Gemma is the only one who does not have magic, and when she spends time around those with magic, she suffers great pain and panic attacks. When Gemma meets charming and handsome Talan at one of her lavish parties, she is immediately smitten. In Talan she is able to forget about her constant pain and he helps her with her panic. Gemma and Talan strike a deal to help each other navigate high society in exchange for gaining revenge against those who have wronged their families. In their quest for vengeance they uncover curses, demons, and other unsavory things.

This was a unique adult fantasy romance. This has all of the elements of a regency romance mixed in with the fantasy romance you expect from FBAA or ACOTAR. I really enjoyed the fantasy elements, and hope that the author flushes out the magic system a bit more in the next book. I look forward to reading about what the sisters find out about their magic in the next installment. I thought the worldbuilding was good and there was a good mix of fantasy creatures and lore present. I hope that continues to expand in the next book as well.

This has quite a few adult romance scenes. They aren't overly graphic as some romance books, however there are a good amount of them. Gemma suffers from a sickness that causes her pain when she is around magic. Being that she is surrounded by magic most of the time, she uses intimate relations as an escape from the pain and the isolation her condition brings with it. In the beginning I felt Gemma was immature and spoiled, and a bit unlikable. She is quite aware that she is spoiled but as the story progresses she comes into her own as she learns about her affliction and starts to take control. I thought her relationship with Talan was a bit instalovey and she forgave him too quickly and trusted him too easily after she uncovers some damning information about him. Love conquers all I guess. I did really enjoy the sister relationship between Gemma, Mara, and Farrin.

I felt this was a big on the long side. There are long periods where the plot isn't advancing and the characters aren't really making headway in any particular direction. Then all of a sudden lots of things happen all at once. If you liked Furyborn series, I think you'll enjoy this. The writing style and characters feel very similar, but it has alot more adult content.

"A Crown of Ivy and Glass," was a complete delight. I was delighted when the main character was quite original. She is very self-centered and foolish, yet she has many redeeming qualities and unique magic abilities. The main romantic interest is good... no, he's bad... no, he's good... no, he's bad.. no... haha. There was magic or reference to magic often enough to make the magic anticipated and the reading interesting . Normally, I'd criticize 456 pages as being too long. But this book keep me interested with its plot twists and beautiful descriptions - which were detailed, but not too detailed. I finished it in two quick days. I look forward to reading the next book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Claire Legrand & Sourcebooks Casablanca for an arc of A Crown of Ivy and Glass in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

I'll be honest, I didn't even read the description when I saw this book was available. I had been seeing photos of it everywhere so I knew it was a highly anticipated read the the cover looked right up my alley. It is also the first in a new trilogy.

I really enjoyed the story! I started this book blindly, not knowing the synopsis beforehand. It was interesting from the very beginning and held my interest all the way through. Now, I'm not-so-patiently waiting on the second book to come out!

This story revolves around the highly regarded Ashmore family - the Sentinel father; Mara - a Rose of the Priory (a position that keeps her away from her family as she is part of the guard and is indebted to a life of protecting others from the mist and all that is within it - this position is supposed to be placed upon the youngest daughter of each family, but Mara was taken instead - we'll get there!); Ferrin - the dutiful older sister who helps keep their father balanced and helps him oversee all matters - she comes off as drab & strict, but she loves her family fiercely; and finally, Gemma (Imogen), the youngest of the sisters and the one who was supposed to serve as a Rose of the Priory, however, Gemma never had magic like her sisters or everyone else. In fact, magic harms her, so Mara was taken instead of Gemma.

Gemma is the main focus of this story. It focuses on the pain she is inflicted with because of magic an the sadness of not having magic of her own. She feels that she may have been somehow caught in the crosshairs when a curse was placed on the Ashmore family and the Bask family by a demon, the 3-eyed demon. At a party thrown by Gemma at the Ashmore home, she meets the very attractive and charming Talon. She pretty much loves him at once. Talon's family and old family home were destroyed by a demon and so he & Gemma set out to find the demons who caused their families so much pain and harm. They are hoping to find the demon and take revenge and get the curse lifted from the Ashmore & Bask families.

That is the synopsis in an extremely small nutshell. There is sooooooo much in between. All of the characters were written to perfection. There were only a couple of times I was bored with the story in particular places, but they were very short lulls and I was right back into it!

This was a solid 4/5 Stars for me and if you enjoy adult fantasy, I'd highly recommend giving this one a read. You'll be hooked!

definitely feeling a little disappointed by this book. i was super excited when i first heard about this book especially seeing that it was written by claire legrand which was why i was a little confused when i saw the rating. also i did not like gemma at all. she’s very “oh woe is me” about being lonely but the reasons she’s alone aren’t even bad?? i felt like the book started off really well but it hit a point where everything just went downhill. also this book was marketed as adult fantasy but it really just seems more like a YA book with poor writing.

i’m honestly really disappointed with this book seeing as i had really high expectations.

No one is more saddened than I am by this rating.
The Empirium trilogy is one of my favourite fantasy series, and Kingsbane is even an all time favourite, so when I heard Claire Legrand was going to write an adult fantasy book I was so excited. Unfortunately A Crown of Ivy and Glass didn't really do it for me.

I thought the premise of the story and the world building were interesting but I felt like there was a pacing problem. In the beginning the plot is quite straightforward and interesting enough (though some things felt both too slow and too rushed at times), but then there's a switch and it goes in too many directions at once. At some point I even thought I had missed a few pages or some previous explanations for what was happening. It almost felt like two books into one, which was a little confusing.
And I wasn't as invested as I hoped I would be in Gemma and Talan's story. I usually adore the way Legrand writes relationships and feelings, but I couldn't get attached to them. Out of the three sisters, Gemma is the one I was less drawn to. But I'm definitely interested in Farrin and Mara. We haven't seen a lot of them yet but I'm intrigued and I do want to know more about them, so I'm still looking forward to the next books following the other two Ashbourne sisters.

I saw this compared to ACOTAR, and a bit to Bridgerton so I had high hopes.

We meet Gemma Ashbourne, the youngest of three daughters. She appears to live a fabulous life, but reality is not as it appears. She suffers and is always in pain, as her body reacts negatively to magic. And it is everywhere. She meets Talan and they make a deal. She will help him navigate high society, and he will help her find a demon that started the blood feud between her family and another.

This book was very long. I liked it but never felt fully invested and don't find myself on the edge of my seat for the next installment in the series.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Dreamscape Media for both an ARC and ALC of this one!

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me the audiobook and eARC copy of this book!

3/5 Stars

When I found out Claire Legrand was coming out with a new series, I was so excited as Empirium series is one of my favourite series. Her world building and thought process throughout that trilogy was impeccable, which is also maybe why I did not love this book as much. As I went into this with high expectations. While the world in which Claire creates for the first book in Middlemist trilogy is very interesting, it doesn’t have as much detail as I was expecting. Although were it really fell apart for me was the romance plot, I did not feel the connection between Gemma and Talan. I found their relationship lacking chemistry and felt cringy at times. I found myself wanting to skip their chapters. As of right now I don’t think I will continue on with the series, unless I hear better things with the sequel.

I received an e-arc through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion of the book.

This is my first Claire Legrand book and to my understanding is her first adult romantasy after writing YA. And it's very obvious this is new to her. The story is trying very hard to be a spicy romance and falling short *spoiler* it's an insta love story and it's so annoying because there is no chemistry or tension or anything between the love interests. The story line has stuff happening but it keeps getting sidetracked so nothing is actually happening to progress the story. The main plot is kind of jumbled to the point I forgot what the actual end goal of the story is suppose to be. The ending has a more concentrated focus of the plot but the first 75% of the book its just like impromptu spicy that's not even spicy and tension/chemistry of the characters doesn't exist. It's somewhat predictable about the story line. Overall it's a meh story and it could have been better

This was a bit of a flop for me.

I’ve read Legrand’s previous books and enjoyed them, I was really hoping I’d feel the same about this one.. and maybe I will as the series progresses, but unfortunately this first installment was very middle of the lane for me.

Pitched as Bridgerton meets A Court of Thorns and Roses I was intrigued, and although I definitely see the vibes of that present in this story, I felt that descriptor ultimately harmed my opinions as i went in with a higher caliber of expectation that wasn’t met. Because it is a bit of a genre blend this book felt all over the place for me.

Plot wise I’m intrigued but I have lots of questions remaining… I wish I had walked away from this with a stronger grasp of where this story would be going in the long run.. with that being said, I’m curious enough to see where it goes.

Character wise- I’m disappointed. I really disliked the MC of this book, I could see character growth happening, but it just wasn’t enough to offset the rest of her personality and self centeredness at the beginning. Her selfish, egocentric, dramatic personality made this book feel much younger than the audience it was intended for, unfortunately.
Add to that an insta-love relationship that I’m just not believing and I was struggling to truck my way through this one.

All in all I was surprised this book came from an author I’ve read and enjoyed plenty of other fantasy books from. I likely won’t be buying, but rather borrowing from my library to se show the story unfolds from here.

I had a hard time getting through this book. It wasn't because the story was bad - I just couldn't stay engaged with it. I found Gemma to be a bit of a drama queen, though when the story finally got around to explaining exactly what her problems were and why she had them I could give her a lot more leeway in her attitude. The setting was also confusing and events seemed to be disjointed as the author worked to set everything up. I kept reading and eventually I got interested in what was happening. Things were revealed that changed my perspective and made me want to know what would happen next. There were still confusing scenes and in the end there were just as many unanswered questions as answered ones. Hopefully, I will remember enough of what is going on to get into the next book since this is not the end of Gemma's story. I was given an advanced copy of this book by the author. My review is voluntary.

Thanks Sourcebooks for letting me read this book in advance through Netgalley. I read this willingly therefore this review is my own.

This book was so hard to follow. I don't even know how to start my review. It was described as being a mix between Bridgerton and A Court of Thorns and Roses. I read the similarities but it was so weirdly mixed, it was like it didn't fit together as a whole.
It was like putting two totally different genres, two totally different stories in the same one.

The world-building was incoherent. First, you think it's a Bridgerton vibe with magic, then boom 🤯 you're in a fantasy world with fae, demons, necromancer and it's like the Bridgerton vibes doesn't exist anymore.

The female main character was so hard to like. She's egocentric, narcissistic and it's like she has nothing else for herself. Oppositely, I liked how strong she became through the story. How she learned more about herself and how she dealt with it.

Also, I love the chronic pain representation, the depression, anxiety attacks and self-harm. It was well-written and well depicted.

The male main character, who she fell in love with, was not a favorite of mine either. He didn't choose her, let her alone when she was in need, lie to her. And every time, she came back to him. And fast !.

Honestly, I'm still curious to see what will happen next with her other two sisters and probably will be reading the second one in this series. But I cannot recommend this book. I think it will be a book that you either love or hate.

I found it really hard to get through, I just dont think this book was for me! It feels very YA even though its pitched as adult,

This was my first Claire Legrand book, and I could tell pretty immediately it wasn't going to be my type of book. Mostly because the writing was clearly YA "trying out adult". But can't leave the YA behind completely.

I wanted to like this book. I really, really did, but something was just missing. Legrand's Furyborn trilogy was one of my favorite reads of last year so I had high hopes for this story. I loved the setting and the concept was interesting. Find the demon that is pitting two well-respected families together and make a deal with it. Simple enough. Except the whole time they're searching for it, they don't know if the demon is real. It makes for a rather poor motivation to me.

Beyond that, the characters were very surface-level. I found Gemma to be incredibly shallow and vain and there was very little to redeem her from that. And her relationship with Talan felt so instalovey and absurd. The pacing was also all over the place that it was hard to really keep track of everything that was going on. All in all, I just found myself so bored. I felt like I had been reading this one forever when I had only made it about 30% in and had to force myself to keep going. As much as it hurts my heart to give it this rating, I can't force myself to give it any higher.

(2,5)

Truth be told, I did not know what to expect when I dived into A Crown of Ivy and Glass since I had never read a book by this author before. But the story sounded like a fantasy I could like so I had many hopes for it.
Sadly, this one fell short and I am disappointed. I did not find much to enjoy as I could not find it in me to be interested by the story which I thought was pretty boring. And I did not care much about the characters either, or anything really.
Maybe it will be a little harsh but as a book pitched as Bridgerton meets A Court of Thorns and Roses, it failed to
deliver.

I quite enjoyed this! I did struggle through the first half due to the world building, but overall this was not a bad book. Definitely a solid start - this series has potential.

Full review to come closer to release date.