A Crown of Ivy and Glass really wasn’t the Fantasy book for me. My main problem with it was the writing style and how it fit more with a YA novel than an Adult one. It was very difficult to suspend my disbelief in regard to Gemma as a main character and narrator when she sounded like a young teenager most of the time.

The world-building was a interesting, even more so when it came to people’s individual magic, but some of the infodumps throughout put me off it. This also took a turn in the second half that made me understand the ACOTAR comparison and I don’t think it was that well developed.

Which leads me to another point: this book was over 500 pages and the pace was so odd? Some elements, like the romance, were so rushed. Others dragged on and on and went nowhere. And then there were some points that could have been addressed and more well developed throughout that didn’t come up until it was convenient for them to do so.

I’m disappointed. I had high expectations for this one and, sadly, the book didn’t meet them. The ending did bring up some intriguing questions on Gemma and her family, though, but I won’t be continuing the series to figure out those answers.

First off, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an e-ARC copy of this book. I first picked up this book because I was intrigued by how its description pitched it as an intersection between Bridgerton and ACOTAR. The premise of the book also seemed interesting, and at the very beginning, I was immediately pulled by the idea that this would be a story of three sisters, each living different lives and fates, but all caring deeply about one another. And although I really tried my best to see the positives in this book — which there are definitely a few — I share the overall sentiment with many other early readers of this book.

Although I do see elements of Bridgerton, Gemma and Talan’s love story is definitely insta-love, and I’ve personally never been a fan of this because it makes it so difficult to believe that they truly have feelings for one another — especially when they’ve literally just met. And the fact that their love story is introduced from the get-go just makes the story even more difficult to read because the bulk of events that occur is based on a relationship that I can’t feel is real. Their longing for each other seem much too sudden and out of nowhere, and oftentimes seems out of place. Talan’s words to Gemma are sometimes really cheesy, and I’m not sure if I’m the biggest fan of that either.

The book is also extremely slow in the first half. There were moments where I was ready to just give up reading it. But since it’s an extremely anticipated book, I knew that there must be some value in reading it, so I pushed on. But I admit, it was rather hard. A saving grace may be Farrin’s character, whose relationships and abilities with music were so interesting, and I hoped the book had a lot more of. I do understand that Gemma’s character is meant to be flawed. Meant to be broken. Because of her “allergy” to magic, she becomes someone who thirsts for attention, and brim full with jealousy. She is meant to make greedy decisions because of her upbringing. I could see the attempts to make Gemma be the “character that is difficult to love”, but for some reason, I find myself having difficulties sympathizing with her. Her greediness and shallowness oftentimes overshadows her unfortunate situation, and I question whether or not she’s actually trying to be better.

While the first half of the book or so is much more slow-paced, later on we can start seeing things spiral out of control. It was rather hard to keep track of what’s going on and how the world actually operates, and it is quite unfortunate because the book has such a promising and interesting premise! So overall, I think what is needed more in this book is balance. Some of the plot lines and relationships seemed so rushed, while others seemed to come from nowhere and continued to drag. There needs to be more balance in the world and character building as well, and a more balanced pacing of the entire story. I’ll probably stick around to see what the second book is like, but I hope I’ll get more of the three sisters in the sequel (especially Farrin)!

I feel this story went super slow and incredibly drawn out. I found myself wanting to create some hype. Kept saying people will love this so I need to find my excitement too. I then saw a special edition with sprayed edges in the works and gave myself a pep talk. I could not find it. It’s dark and demonic and a love story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This is an exciting magical mystery that tells the story of a girl who feels she will never amount to anything.

Claire Legrand is a fantastic author who explores deep, painful topics that many readers will find relatable. But many other readers might not understand them at all. What I had found while reading this book is to not expect a high fantasy world but a curious adventure with sprinkles of fluttering magic, yearning romance, and a new understanding of a world where you are not anyone special.

Gemma Ashbourne, the main protagonist, is a high society woman who cares about nothing else other than to make herself the center. Born without any gifts, she does her best to be a worthy daughter in a family who society has put on a high pedestal. She is rash, stubborn, and extremely privileged with her Ashbourne name. Many of the choices she makes can make readers angry and scratch their heads. She can be aggravating but slowly starts to open up about why she is the way she is. Despite being surrounded by magic, she is constantly harmed by it. Her own growth throughout the book shows her initiative to be a stronger individual not just for herself but to everyone she cares around her.

Her romance with Talan d'Astier is an adventure of its own. Reading about two hopelessly in love individuals pine after one another is enjoyable. Talan's assistance in Gemma's mystery helps unravel much of what the world of "A Crown of Ivy and Glass" is about. I adored their interactions and they bond they share.

The love Gemma shares for her sisters is also notable. Farrin and Mara are just as important to the plot of the story. They are good individuals who hold no ill intentions to their sister. All three of them care for eachother deeply and will do whatever it takes to keep eachother safe.

"A Crown of Ivy and Glass" is a beautiful introduction to Claire Legrand's Middlemist trilogy. There is a lot to take in and while at times the story can move slower than other parts, it allows the reader to digest the facts and events that are happening. If you do not pay close attention you will fall off and into the dangerous "Mist".

If you are someone looking for a slower paced fantasy this a great book to pick up. Take your time with this story. How it starts is different to how it ends.

3 ⭐️

I can see why this book has been compared to Bridgerton and ACOTAR because it does have similar plot elements, but it falls far short of the hype.

"A Crown of Ivy and Glass" is unnecessarily long, very slow for the majority of the book, and doesn’t do a good job of balancing plot with character development. This is supposed to be an adult fantasy romance and while it does have adult romantic content, the fantasy and the writing are not adult. There are a number of YA tropes, the world is not developed enough, and there are multiple plot holes. It annoyed me to no end that for a large portion of the book, the MC was just blatantly ignoring an obviously important detail.

This really was like reading two very different books that have been mashed together. The tone and plot have a drastic shift partway through and a major plot element from the beginning is just completely dropped in the second half. It really felt like the plot and the romance got written separately and then had to be combined without changing anything.

The premise of this book was really interesting and I enjoyed the beginning, but it turned into a bit of a slog in the middle and towards the end. There were some promising hints about what might happen in book 2, but I really don’t know if the execution will ruin it for me.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.4 ⭐
𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚛. 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚘𝚘.
The premise of this book was definitely interesting, a very Pride & Prejudice-esque high fantasy. I love a good period piece with a pretty aesthetic. It was a fun read, I was a little skeptical after reading some of the reviews so I was glad it wasn't horrid.
It feels more YA even though it's marketed as an Adult Fantasy so I'd encourage readers to be mindful of that.

tw: self-harm, suicide

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 & 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠.

It *hurts* me to rate this one so low, but I cannot give it any higher than 2.5 stars. I had such high expectations after loving the Furyborn series, but this book was just a mess. In complete honesty, I spent over a week on it and ended up DNF'ing it at 81% because I was unmotivated, confused, and dreading picking this book up. I really wanted to love it because the premise is so promising, but there were so many plot lines and not one of them deserved a 500+ page arc in the FIRST. BOOK. Our characters seemed lifeless and bland, constantly making the same mistakes; the drama dragged on and on and I legitimately didn't understand how any of the (too many) conflicts led to the characters' actions. I was bored and couldn't bring myself to finish the book even after a week wasted on 81% of it. I would love to say I'd come back to this book/series, but I probably won't. The romance was probably the only rewarding part of the book, and even it was seriously lackluster and insta-lovey.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC! This is the first adult fantasy from Claire Legrand, author of the Furyborn YA fantasy series. In A Crown of Ivy and Glass, Lady Imogen "Gemma" Ashbourne views herself as lesser than her powerful older sisters, Mara and Farrin especially since her body is often racked with pain, magic sickens her and her father's tolerance of her is thin. But when the dashing Talan d'Astier enters her life, with an ability to ease her pain and a story of a curse that could be causing the problems to her family, Gemma is swept up in a quest to find the demon tormenting her life. This fantasy is a sweeping and romantic start with the promise of more to come. The ending fell a bit flat for me, but I would see where the next book goes.

Gemma (Imogen) Ashbourne comes from a family who generations ago were chosen by the Gods to receive a small fragment of their power and serve as guardians of the human realm ‘Eden’. Even with these powers the Ashbournes have managed to push themselves higher, to the pinnacle of society with wealth and influence in abundance. Unlike the rest of her lineage, Gemma is weakened by even the slightest touch of magic and unable to use it at all herself. This leaves her feeling isolated and alone.

Her sister Mara has been taken to the Priory of Rosewarren to guard Middlemist against evil magic, in fact it was supposed to be Gemma whose task this was, but her father knew she was too fragile and allocated Mara in her place. As such Gemma lives with intense guilt, not only of Mara’s plight, but with the knowledge that she is too selfish to take Mara’s place, even if she could. She is far too accustomed to living in the historic family estate of Ivy Hill and being adorned in luxurious fabrics and jewels, Gemma would not be willing to give this up.



Her other sister Farrin is a pinched and serious woman who has no time for frippery and is harsh to all especially those who her family have a generational, feud with The Basks. Although she cares deeply for Gemma, she is constantly frustrated by her, as is their Father who cannot bite his tongue half as well as Farrin.

At a ball Gemma meets Talan d'Astier who comes from a lower ranker family and is looking to rise into the upper echelons of society. She soon falls for his charms and agrees to help him climb the societal ladder.



I really enjoyed the fantasy elements, but am not a huge fan of the period drama stylings. That’s just personal preference though.

 Unfortunately I found Gemma intolerable and not a character I could empathise with to be honest, she is completely selfish and self-obsessed, whether it be self-hate or thinking she’s better than everyone else. It definitely feels a lot more like a YA book than an adult book, particularly because of the way her character was written and the love/obsession between Gemma and Talan comes across as very juvenile and surface level.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass is Claire Legrand's adult fantasy debut novel. As many reviews have mentioned it does read like a YA fantasy romance (with some non-YA spice); it's very easy to forget that the FMC is a twenty-something year old and not a teenager. Additionally, there's a LOT going on in this book - lots of characters, lots of different types of magic and magic-wielders/types of beings. Try not to let your attention drift (challenging in the first half which is slow) or you may need to go back.

It took me a bit to get through the first half, but I felt that it really picked up in the second half. Overall, I liked the story. It could have been a bit pared down, but I'm interested enough that I'll read the second book.

I really was intrigued by this book. I really liked furyborn and love the premise of this story. While it does give bridgerton vibes at the beginning I will say it’s not a historical romance. Also the only thing I really felt like was acotar was youngest of three sisters and mental health issues. I don’t want people to think the love story is like either of those stories.
In fact , I was kind of not a real fan of the love story. It felt too insta love, I was much more intrigued by a side couple that sounds like will be the main characters of the next book. Was there chemistry and witty banner? Yes but not something that is going to make you swoon in my opinion.
I also am not a fan of the pacing of the book. It felt choppy at certain points and other plots points felt weak. I really could have seen this book being shaved off like 150 pages. It also didn’t really feel adult high fantasy to me. I would peg for more upper YA/New adult. I just felt like the main character just starts giving inner thoughts randomly to this hot guy and it wasn’t believable why she did.
With that being said, it’s a great book about mental health. The fact that no one knows what to do for the MC and just consider her weak felt close to home. It does have self harm aspects but it is important to the plot. I really liked how the main character comes off cocky and almost over compensates for her weaknesses. She is insecure but not weak and shy. It was refreshing to have a MC that says she’s beautiful and is comfortable with her sexuality.
Overall it was a good book and I am considering the second book to read. If you go into the book for topics like sisterhood and mental health I think you will enjoy it. It does drop you off in the middle of a plot but that is the authors style of writing.

A big thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Legrand's previous YA series, and I was willing to give her another chance with this one. But sadly this one didn't quite work for me. Or really, at all.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand is adult fantasy novel that follows the perfectly perfect life of Lady Gemma Ashbourne who supposedly has it all.. Except magic. Which causes her great pain, and loneliness when the rest of the world has it. Then she meets the handsome Talan d'Astier, who has been disgraced and plotting to bring back to his family name. So Gemma makes a deal with him, to restore his name and track down the mysterious Bask family that has caused a feud with her family. Throw in an old prophecy about a demon, and there you have A Crown of Ivy and Glass.

Only very disappointingly so. The writing was basic and the plotting/pacing was a mess. I don't think I'll be picking up another Claire Legrand book in the future.

I loved every second of this! Please do yourself a favor and read this newest Claire Legrand book!!!
(Please do check out the triggers though)
At a glance: first person narration, fantasy series, adult romance, trilogy.

On paper, this book has everything I love in the adult fantasy genre. However, the actual book doesn't live up to the description and instead feels incredibly young while reading - definitely not an "adult" book.

My first problem lies with the narrator. For a first-person book, I need to get a sense of who the hero is on a deeper level, but everything with Gemma feels so surface-level and lacks grounding. There's a lot of telling rather than showing here, and that never makes for a good read.

The build-up to the story is also lacking. Gemma throws herself into this deal with Talon within the same 24-hour period she meets him. Within two days of knowing each other, they're kissing and crying because they're afraid they'll lose each other. There is no believability here and if we're meant, as readers, not to trust it, that doesn't come through in the text because Gemma does not explain her feelings well to the reader and seemingly feels zero hesitation towards this newcomer in her life.

I really thought I was going to love this book, and I can typically get past a narrator I don't like if the story and world are compelling enough. Unfortunately, the feud between the Ashbourne and Bask families as well as the mystery surrounding Talan's family don't hook you the way they should.

I hate doing this, but I put this book down at about the 25% mark and don't know if I'll pick it up again.

No one is more disappointed that I am by this rating. I was expecting so much more. The cover of the book is absolutely gorgeous and I was entranced by it. The blurb that I read showed so much promise that I was excited for the read. I pushed the read it in hopes that I would be selected. Sadly this is just such a let down.

Really enjoyed this story! I am not a huge fantasy reader but I did feel like I could follow this story. I stayed engaged throughout!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks are an eARC and audio copy of A Crown of Ivy and Glass!

I had a very difficult time getting into this book. It took me forever to read. I've liked some of Legrand's other titles, but even in the Empirium trilogy I found the main character really annoying. I appreciate what she tried to do with chronic and mental illness, unfortunately most of the time it came across as disingenuous. This was Legrand's first Adult Fantasy book. However, I don't feel like Gemma was mature enough and the narrative reads like YA. The love interest was boring. And the relationship was very insta-love. My eyes were literally rolling with their first interaction. The marketing on this book is really strange. I don't understand why every female written fantasy book needs to be compared to ACOTAR. It's okay if a book is it's own thing. Just because there is magic and romance, does not mean it has to be SJM adjacent. I do not recommend this. I think this book needed to go through another round of editing.

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the early copy. I really struggled with how to rate this one and ultimately settled on a 3.5 star (because I liked it better than a book I recently rated 3 star).

I think this book successfully accomplished what it set out to accomplish / what it promised readers. ACOTAR comp. “Bridgerton with magic” in terms of prolific smut and regency-ish vibes. I’d go so far as to say From Blood and Ash, but with better worldbuilding and characters.

The problem is, NONE of the comps in that prior paragraph are my cup of tea, at all. So I am wildly not the target audience.

I did appreciate the main character’s struggles with chronic illness, panic attacks, and other mental health challenges. CW for suicidal thoughts.

If you’re not deterred by insta-lust and like your fantasy romance heavily peppered with spice, you might this one. I’m curious to see which of the other sisters the second book centers on — because neither of them seem as sex-obsessed as Gemma.

Claire Legrand is such a great author. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of her books. Her writing is such a ride. Her characters are amazing. This book was no different. It kept me engaged the whole time. And I could not put it down once I started reading it.

I DNF'd this book at 22%. I tried really hard to get through it, but I ultimately couldn't. While I did like the prose and the descriptive language, the plot fell flat to me. The main character was unlikeable to me and the romance between Gemma and Talan felt forced and lacked chemistry. I kept forgetting that this is an adult fantasy book because Gemma's perspective made it seem like she was a teenager rather than a woman in her early twenties. The world-building was interesting but I thought it would've been better if it was spread out throughout the book; it felt like a lot to throw at the reader at the very beginning. After reading one fifth of the book, I still wasn't pulled into it and lost interest quickly. I'm giving it three stars because the concept does sound unique, but it could've been executed better.

Thank you NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.