I was super excited to start this book. I was craving a fantasy romance and this seemed like everything I wanted. I really loved the representation in this book. Gemma’s character was unique and I enjoyed getting to know more about her character. She had moments where it was hard to engage with her, but she did have growth. The book read kind of young in my opinion. The book kinda confused me, I felt like I was getting pulled in multiple directions.

I’m curious to see where the series will go, though.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was looking for a good story to read after some other world building books. I was disappointed. I think the author tried to do too many things. It was all over the place. I think if the author had focused on one thing it would have flowed better. It seemed to jump around too much.

I have sort of mixed feelings about this one! Gemma annoyed me SO much at first, but that was kinda the point I suppose. I did end up getting hooked once I was halfway in, but I was also a little confused because SO much was going on. I also found some bits really repetitive? I did love Talan, and I also want to learn more about the Basks. 3.5stars, rounded to 4 here.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a review. This wasn't for me but not everyone will feel the same way. I"m sure there are those who will love it but it just wasn't for me.

I’m going to be very honest, I really struggled to get through this one. It took me around 2 months to read.

I did enjoy parts of it. I enjoyed the author’s writing style, and she had some wonderful descriptions and world building. Everything just felt so vivid, and it was very detailed and immersive.

I found the pacing to be all over the place. Some elements were very rushed while others dragged on. I also felt that there were too many plot lines which made it overall pretty inconsistent and confusing to read. Plus the book was so long, so it really just felt like it dragged on and on.

However, I was really into the last maybe quarter of the book with some of the action that occurred. I think I will still pick up the next book in the series once it’s released to see where the story goes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF
Unfortunately this book fell a bit short for me, no matter how hard I tried to get into it i lost interest it and was unable to connect with it.

Unfortunately this book fell a bit short for me, there was some beautiful world building in the beginning with a lot of hope. I felt the middle started to jump around a lot and had me losing interest, I wanted to stick it out but I wasn’t connecting with the characters. DNF @ 62%.

Wow, this was a thick book. It was easy to follow and had good worldbuilding. I was initially drawn to the cover art, which is gorgeous. I went in mostly blind on the story and that was very fun for me because this is a very vast universe with a lot of creatures. I enjoyed following Gemma's story, there were times that I questioned her decisions (when do we not do that?) but overall I enjoyed the characters that were introduced and the story that was told. Makes me want to read the next one to see where they go with it.

I went in with zero expectations and was pleasantly surprised but a smidge underwhelmed.
What a start to a new world by Claire Legrand. My hope is that she grows more with her writing style and builds to a more exciting plot progression ... That being said, I am very hopeful for the future of this series. Especially given her success with the Empirium Trilogy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
I really enjoyed this book! It had disability representation which I always appreciate. And it had romance that I mostly enjoyed but don’t feel like was the only thing in this book, which I feel like is becoming pretty common. The only thing I would say is it felt written more like a YA book than adult book, but I enjoy both so that wasn’t an issue for me.

The only reason I finished this book, was because of the promising reviews I read before starting, but unfortunately this book didn't do it for me. I'm not sure if it was the writing style, the characters (which I couldn't bond with) or the storyline itself. The cover is very pretty though.

Okay so I love Claire Legrand but I wish she would just get to the point a bit quicker sometimes. (I felt this way at points of the Furyborn trilogy) I kept waiting and waiting for the action of this book to start which I felt like it took forever. I also just felt sad for Gemma who is just essentially bullied and always made to feel inferior too her family. Just kind of a let down because I was really excited to read this based on author, cover, and description.

This book just wasn't for me. I tried very hard to get into it, but I ended up skimming through most of it.

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This definitely has potential, but I personally found the main character extremely superficial, and quite unlikable. I only managed to read to 60% before deciding to DNF.

I might give it another try, some other time… because the world building and magic system are very intriguing!

Gemma Ashbourne's family was blessed but she isn't pleased with her progress within the family. She doesn't have magic like the rest of the Ashbourne line and she isn't as strong as her sisters. What starts as a court romance with Talan d'Astier, the son of a family that ruined themselves becomes a fantastical magic battle as multiple storylines open up between worlds.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass is a great fantasy with interesting world building and a unique heroine. 

Lady Gemma Ashbourne isn’t a typical fantasy heroine. She’s not a badass or the chosen one or the most talented magician. She’s the only member of her powerful aristocratic family who doesn’t have any magic. And not only that, she’s basically allergic to magic. Whenever she’s around too many magic users or has to use magic created by others, she is violently ill and has to spend days recovering. She also suffers from a panic disorder and has debilitating panic attacks.

Claire Legrand does an excellent job of examining how a chronically ill person might live in a magical fantasy world. In addition to her illnesses, Gemma also great guilt because her older sister took her place as a fighter at the Middlemist, the barrier between their world and an old world filled with monsters.

I won’t get into the plot too much to avoid spoilers, but there are a family rivalry, a burgeoning romance, things breaking through the Middlemist, and family secrets. The plot takes a sharp left turn at about 60% into the book, which was totally unexpected and really well done.

This book is 558 pages and although I often struggle with long books (attention span issues), but I tore through it and it never felt too long.

Clare is brilliant and this book has so many potentials. I’d definitely pick up the next book. The sisters are so intriguing and the smut was fine but i needed more heat and i need it to be more spicy. The villains and the mystery of them had me screaming

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advance reader copy of A Crown of Ivy and Glass!

A Crown of Ivy and Glass is the first in a trilogy of the story of Gemma Ashbourne, the third daughter of an Anointed family engaged in a feud with another Anointed family, the Basks. Before the gods died, the Anointed several families with high magic to protect the world in their stead. Most Anointed families only have two children but the Ashbornes have three. The last daughter is always sent to the Warden to protect the Middlemist but Gemma's middle sister, Mara, volunteers to go in her stead. Mara's magical abilities are as a Sentinel, like their father, who are skilled warriors. Gemma is constantly sickly as not only does she have no magical abilities, but being around magic causes her extreme pain. Gemma's father has a guest come to stay, Talan, who completely changes Gemma's life.

I really enjoyed this book! The world building and magical system is incredible. Gemma is so completely unlikable as a character at the beginning of the story that I thought I would not enjoy the book but I was completely drawn in by the end of the book. So many things happen throughout the story but it is easy to follow and the characters and magic are so well developed that it was so much fun to read.

I so wanted to love this book. Claire Legrand is a legendary fantasy writer, so I had very high hopes. Unfortunately, I just could not get into the book. The main character, Gemma, was a brat and not in a fun or interesting way, and Talan fell very flat for me. I found myself struggling to understand what was happening, but I wasn't interested enough to keep trying. My library has purchased this title, and I hope that someone enjoys this book.

I was very interested in the world building but after a while it seemed a bit slow and predictable. I got a lot of From Blood and Ash vibes. So, if you enjoyed FBAA, you might enjoy this one. It was a bit slow and I found myself having difficulty picking it back up.