Good book, well written. I struggled relating to the FMC and immediately hated Gemma in the beginning but could already see the character growth and development by chapter 3. The world is introduced throughout the reading, without inundating the reader with details to try to figure out. It's always a relief with a fantasy book to get the details without having to read chapter after chapter to understand. Nicely done!

I want to first say thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for a copy of this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I tell you I literally was so excited when I saw this book on Netgalley. I read Legrand’s other series last summer and have seriously not stopped thinking about it since. Since then, she’s become a “buy on sight” author for me, and this book did not disappoint.

My rating: 4.5 (rounded up)

This book is the first in Legrand’s new trilogy, and I must say, I am so excited to see where the series goes. It is a strong start that has me invested in this incredibly complex world and these characters in a way I haven’t been since I read her previous trilogy. Perfect for those who want a mixture of regency era social structures with a high stakes fantasy vibe, this book has so much going for it. Despite a bit of a slow start, I can honestly say that I literally read 75% of this book in one day. I thoroughly enjoyed Legrand’s talent for world building, creating immense and well developed worlds that felt incredibly real. Despite the complexity of them and the intense magic system developed, there is no real tendency to info dumping, and it is clear that while some things are not explained, they are intentionally done so. This was one of those books that kept me turning the pages, reveling as the world and story expanded and having no clue what was coming next.

Legrand’s characters are all well-rounded, dynamic personalities who feel incredibly real. As someone who suffers from chronic pain myself, I loved seeing it represented in a fantasy novel, and seeing how the main character comes to terms with it. Legrand’s talent shines through not just in her characters but also her character relationships, with toe curling romantic scenes and sob worthy sweet family ones, and they were the real standout of this book.

Some things I could critique/didn’t like may be more personal opinion than anything else, but some of the twists were a bit too unexplained for me, leaving me confused. The main love interest, Talan, remained a bit too mysterious for me, and I couldn’t quite get a hold on who he was as a character, although that may have been intentional. Some minor plot lines felt a bit dropped or placed in late in a way that disjointed me a bit, but didn’t detract from the overall experience of reading.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I look forward to seeing what comes next for Legrand and for this trilogy.

Thanks again to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for this E-ARC.

Being a fan of Claire Legrand, I had such high hopes for this book. Who wouldn't be excited about an adult fantasy romance with spice? But, unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations.

Overall, I think the book could've done with a bit more world building and less of the main character looking at herself in the mirror. The most irritating thing about this novel was Imogen, the mc. She was insufferable and the reason why I rated this novel only 3 stars.

She only cared about her looks, how others saw her, and would do things she was explicitly told not to do and then wonder why a "bad thing" would happen. I do think that Imogen would act this way to hide from past trauma. It was most likely a coping mechanism for her but I still could not get past it.

The writing was fine, I actually quite enjoy Claire Legrand's writing. However, the characters were not it.

There is insta-love in this story so fair warning, but if you are okay with childish characters and insta love, I would give this book a shot. It is literally Bridgerton meets A Court of Thorns and Roses. Plus the spicy scenes were entertaining as all get out.

I was expecting a bit more from this book since I love the author’s other books. But while I enjoyed the world building, I felt like the characters were a little juvenile for an adult fantasy, and the pacing was really inconsistent. I’ll read the second book in the hopes the series gets better. *I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

5 star romance. 3.5 star fantasy.

For me this was a no think-y romance book with a fantasy subplot.

Firmly NA. TW: anxiety, self-harm, physical abuse

I enjoyed this a lot more than Furyborn. The plot was much easier to follow even if it was maybe less fantastically complex. It's a very engaging read with likable characters.

Some of the plot points were a little convenient, but I was really just reading it for the romance.

Overall, I recommend it as a pallet-cleansing book. It got me out of my reading slump.

Huge thanks to Source Books and Netgalley for this eARC. I have only read one book by this author, but with just that, I loved that book so much. I am beyond grateful to have the chance to read her latest book. I honestly enjoyed the book. I flew through it as if I am not reading a fantasy book. I love the writing style and how everything just made sense. I can see the Bridgerton and ACOTAR aspect of this book, which really made the reading process enjoyable. I cannot help but feel so much emotions reading this book. And of course, I cannot help but feel annoyed with Gemma, which is typical for every MC I enjoy reading. Nonetheless, I enjoyed her story and how hard she fought so hard for her family and everyone that meant so much to her.

Full review will be posted and linked on a later date.

I've been a huge fan of Claire Legrand since Furyborn and so I was definitely thrilled at this big ole adult fantasy coming out! I was thoroughly brought into this new world with the lavish world building, unique magic system and fantastic plot line. The characters were wonderfully developed and you really start to feel very invested in their various predicaments. Gemma, with no magic but stunning in her beauty and charm. Farrin, gifted with the magic of song, has been tasked with running the powerful Ashborne estate for her father who is embedded in a long standing feud with the Bask family, and finally Mara, sent to be one of the "Roses", a defender at the border of the Middlemist, where the ancient magic of the Olden gods threatens to breakthrough into their own world.
The only thing that I didn't think was needed was some of the terminology for lady bits when "dirty talk" was part of the scene. It cheapened it for me and maybe that's part of the reason it was classified as an adult fantasy. Believe me, I enjoy me some spicy fantasy p#rn as much as the next person but it just didn't work in this situation. Other than that I really loved the book and will absolutely be reading and recommending this series.

I loved this world! The Regency period and dark faerie tale vibes were beautifully combined. I came in anticipating Half A Soul with a more high fantasy feel, which did kind of hold, but this book is certainly grimmer and more otherworldly, with a dash of unsettling, which I think many readers will enjoy.

I really thought I would love this book from the opening chapters, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. Beginning with an uneasy yet romantically-charged partnership between nobles to hunt a demon, the story quickly unravelled into an epic adventure involving new worldbuilding elements being constantly introduced until I no longer knew what the rules of this world were. Likewise, our protagonist Gemma started off as a character who made up for her magical weakness with plenty of cunning, but very quickly developed into someone I wasn’t quite as interested in reading about. I’m not the biggest fan of insta-love, but I did think the pacing of the romance was handled well and managed to stay interesting despite the early get-together — even if I did see the big plot twist coming a mile off. Perhaps this book simply had lots of good ideas crammed into one long-winded plot, which wasn’t helped by the somewhat YA writing style for its decidedly adult content. Overall, a good concept, but the execution wasn’t my cup of tea personally.

I was excited to start this book when I saw it compared to Bridgerton meets ACOTAR. I love both of those series and was sure I’d love this one too. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the book for me, and I ended up DNFing for several reasons. I didn’t love the pacing. The start was very slow and had some info dumps that, though they gave a lot of information about the setting and magic, didn’t hold my interest. The setting, magic, and monsters are intriguing though, and I think the world-building has a lot of potential. I almost wish the story focused on one of the secondary characters, because the protagonist was not my cup of tea.

Gemma was such a frustrating protagonist, and I didn’t love the romance. It was too tumultuous, and there’s an insta-love feel to it. Even so, I didn’t really feel the chemistry between them as much as I’d hoped. I think part of this is because I didn’t really love Gemma, and I wasn’t invested in her story because of her terrible personality.

The pacing and the mislabeling of the book also threw me off. I read that this is an adult fantasy, but it read more as a YA piece. Also, the pacing is slow in some parts, very fast in others, and choppy in between. It wasn’t fluid, which prevented me from becoming fully invested in the story.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

2.5
I was so sad giving this book this rating. Claire Legrand had me in a chokehold with her Empirium trilogy and I was so excited for an adult fantasy debut, but this book fell flat in so many ways. To start, the characters were pretty one note-spoiled FMC and new and exciting MMC which is something done before and I would have been okay with it if it was done well. I also thought the pacing of this book was so off. It was over 500 pages... for what? The romance aspect was really rushed, while everything else felt really slow and dragged down. I get world building takes time, but it was so all over the place that it didn't feel consistent to me. I was intrigued by the magic system and I liked that there was chronic illness and mental health representation in Gemma, but all the pieces didn't come together for me. Nothing plot wise was really sticking for me and the no one was really as developed as I would have liked. I also felt like I kept getting lost. One point we were at one place and then new things kept being introduced without giving them the proper time. I was generally disappointed in this one. Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review.

This book was a little hard for me to get into but about half way through it picked up and I was more interested in the storyline. I liked the book and I would read more by this author again.

This seems like a good premise, and I was looking forward to this title. Unfortunately, it just never grabbed me. I’m am sure other readers may enjoy this, but I found it difficult to get into.

This book made no sense. Dialogue dragged on, I know what Gemma was wearing in explicit detail, but nothing else was ever fully explained. I couldn't even bring myself to finish this book because the pacing was so weird. I did not care about Gemma. She was spoiled and proud of it, for some reason. And magic makes her sick, in a world with gods, glamours, magic, family feuds, demons, anointed families, a queen, and it's just way too much.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I didn't enjoy any of the characters or the world-building. It also read as very YA although it was marketed as an adult novel.

This book took a little bit for me to get into, but once I did I enjoyed the storyline. Gemma is a fantastic main character.

I may have trolled reviews on Goodreads before I began reading A Crown of Ivy and Glass. All I can say is, I do not understand the low reviews. I truly enjoyed this story. The magic, the love, and the worlds were well done and engaging. I never felt lost, as I sometimes do in fantasy stories that include multiple worlds. Legrand includes enough details about new characters and the different dynamics of the storyline, and she never leaves her reader behind. This book was detailed, fast paced, and an easy read that flowed off the pages. I say this one is a winner.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand is a stunningly written fantasy novel that is sure to captivate readers. With intricate world-building, well-drawn characters, and a tightly woven plot, the book is a must-read for fans of the genre. Legrand's writing is captivating, and the story is filled with enough twists and turns to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a beautifully crafted and engaging fantasy novel.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Gemma is the youngest of 3 sisters in a world where when the Gods died their magic went to mortals. Some got more magic and are Anointed, some are lesser. They have different classes, strengths and weaknesses and pray to the Gods. One of Gemma’s sisters is an amazing musician, the other is a Rose, someone who protects them from the Middlemist, a portal to the Olden Country. Their father is also a sentinel. Their mother left them after a fire and their lives are fairly mundane. Their one thing is they have a feud with another family, the Basks, and keep doing terrible things to each other. Gemma is sickened by magic but she still attends her elaborate parties and romps around with men. Talan is on her dance card one evening and a connection is made.

This book was described as Bridgerton and ACOTAR. It was only Bridgerton in the vague way of parties and queens, it was only ACOTAR in the way of 3 sisters.

The first part of this book was a bit difficult to get through. The story wasn’t very captivating, the main character fairly boring, then little tidbits started coming in and then I was devouring this book. This book got dark, there is some horror mixed into this story. Some TW for suicide and self harm.

I saw some early review DNFing and not pushing through but keep going and it all unravels.

Okay, wow... If this is how Legend writes adult novels, then you can bet her YA novels will be a blast. And it wasn’t until writing this review that I realized I bought Sawkill Girls in the past and then promptly lost it in my TBR.

I’m baffled that people don’t love this one. It can be difficult to transition to writing adult novels after writing many successful YA books. I just finished one that was less than stellar. But I haven’t read this author before, and maybe that’s why I love it, where fans of her work don’t.

But I do agree with others that the pacing is off. It took me a while to get into this story, and when I saw it was over 500 pages, I groaned. But how glad am I that I stuck with it? Because this turned into a blast. I didn’t totally love the ending and am not sure why things had to happen the way they did, but I’m hoping that the next book will correct some things.

I figured out some things regarding Talon early on. I agree with people that Gemma is self-centered, where she doesn’t give as much as she takes from her sisters. But that means there’s room for character growth down the road. (Now, if she’s the same in the next book, I will definitely be salty.)

Once we got to see what magic people could practice, I loved learning the various skills people had. There are a lot of aspects to this book, veins of storyline, and a mashup of genres, and I feel it comes together nicely. I really dug this one.

Thank you, Sourcebooks Casablanca, for sending this over.