Scan barcode
izzyreadswhilequilting's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Self harm, and Violence
emeraldrina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would. At first Gemma is a very unloveable character, but as you learn more about her and her family you begin to sympathize with her. I’m not completely sold on her character development though - the switch from selfish to self-sacrificing was a bit abrupt. But her pain and panic attacks and self-harm were more believably dealt with.
I really enjoyed the world building and magic system. The mystery about the family heritage is interesting enough to make me want to read more. Although I figured out both “twists” before they were revealed, there were enough questions about them that the reveals were still intriguing.
The romance was the weakest part for me. Especially given the twist, it makes little sense to me how they fell in love so fast. And there are several points where Gemma is way too instantly forgiving. It felt like there was conflict stirred up then rapidly waved aside. Talan is also a bit bland, weirdly. He should be the most flawed and contradictory character, but instead he’s just whatever Gemma needs him to be. More real flaws and conflict would’ve made the romance more believable and interesting.
I really enjoyed the world building and magic system. The mystery about the family heritage is interesting enough to make me want to read more. Although I figured out both “twists” before they were revealed, there were enough questions about them that the reveals were still intriguing.
The romance was the weakest part for me. Especially given the twist, it makes little sense to me how they fell in love so fast. And there are several points where Gemma is way too instantly forgiving. It felt like there was conflict stirred up then rapidly waved aside. Talan is also a bit bland, weirdly. He should be the most flawed and contradictory character, but instead he’s just whatever Gemma needs him to be. More real flaws and conflict would’ve made the romance more believable and interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, Chronic illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, and Fire/Fire injury
kransom's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Mental illness
Moderate: Self harm, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, and Suicidal thoughts
deedireads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
TL;DR REVIEW:
A Crown of Ivy and Glass, an adult fantasy romance Giselle retelling, was definitely not perfect, but I had a ton of fun reading it and can’t wait for book two.
For you if: You’re looking for anxiety/chronic pain rep and love a steamy fantasy book.
FULL REVIEW:
I loved Claire Legrand’s Empirium trilogy (first book is Furyborn), so imagine how excited I was when I read in her newsletter that she’d sold a new adult fantasy romance trilogy where each book focuses on a different sister and retells a famous ballet. I DMed the publisher to put me on a galley list right away (to which they kindly said “it’s a little early lol”).
A Crown of Ivy and Glass was far from perfect, but I definitely had fun reading it. This one is a Giselle retelling and focuses on the youngest sister, Gemma.
The not-so-great parts: The pacing was inconsistent, with a much slower build and sudden change 75% of the way in. Gemma is vain and self-absorbed and not very likable, especially in the beginning. Legrand’s “once upon a time” prose style also takes some time to get used to until it stops feeling cheesy, as does Gemma and Talin’s insta-love.
And for the good parts: Gemma gives us some solid rep, including anxiety/panic attacks and severe chronic pain, which Legrand has said was extremely important to her. I loved that it was a Giselle retelling, and it managed to surprise me even so. The magic system feels novel and interesting. Oh, and steamy scenes be steamyyy.
The next book is going to be about Gemma’s eldest sister, Farin, and based on the glimpses we got in this book, I can already tell it’s going to be a fantastic romance. I’ll be eagerly awaiting it!
A Crown of Ivy and Glass, an adult fantasy romance Giselle retelling, was definitely not perfect, but I had a ton of fun reading it and can’t wait for book two.
For you if: You’re looking for anxiety/chronic pain rep and love a steamy fantasy book.
FULL REVIEW:
I loved Claire Legrand’s Empirium trilogy (first book is Furyborn), so imagine how excited I was when I read in her newsletter that she’d sold a new adult fantasy romance trilogy where each book focuses on a different sister and retells a famous ballet. I DMed the publisher to put me on a galley list right away (to which they kindly said “it’s a little early lol”).
A Crown of Ivy and Glass was far from perfect, but I definitely had fun reading it. This one is a Giselle retelling and focuses on the youngest sister, Gemma.
The not-so-great parts: The pacing was inconsistent, with a much slower build and sudden change 75% of the way in. Gemma is vain and self-absorbed and not very likable, especially in the beginning. Legrand’s “once upon a time” prose style also takes some time to get used to until it stops feeling cheesy, as does Gemma and Talin’s insta-love.
And for the good parts: Gemma gives us some solid rep, including anxiety/panic attacks and severe chronic pain, which Legrand has said was extremely important to her. I loved that it was a Giselle retelling, and it managed to surprise me even so. The magic system feels novel and interesting. Oh, and steamy scenes be steamyyy.
The next book is going to be about Gemma’s eldest sister, Farin, and based on the glimpses we got in this book, I can already tell it’s going to be a fantastic romance. I’ll be eagerly awaiting it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Violence, and Sexual content
luckylulureads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
So this book is definitely not perfect, but I LOVED it nonetheless. I may be in the minority here, but I thought Furyborn was just okay, while this had me HOOKED.
I’d say the romance was more Insta-lust than Insta-love, and honestly I don’t see anything wrong with that. There’s definitely still some tension or push/pull in the relationship between Gemma and Talan that it seems realistic. Sure, he can kinda lay it on thick, but with reason. ..
Gemma herself is an unlikeable character, and yet I loved her. She deals with chronic pain and crippling anxiety, and as someone who can relate, it can be difficult to find the energy for kindness or generosity when you’re running on fumes like that. She can be moody, irrational, and selfish, but she is also aware of how her actions affect others in the aftermath. She’s a traumatized person who is working on healing and coking to terms with her pain. And I think she has incredible growth over the course of the book. As the author intended, Gemma is absolutely Amy March and Emma Woodhouse coded.
The plot of the book itself is super interesting, and I found myself unable to put the book down once the mysteries really got rolling. I had to know what all of these seemingly disparate threads meant. While the book takes a really wild turn in the second half, it quickly gets back on course, and there are some intense revelations. It puts a lot of the first half into perspective.
I absolutely cannot WAIT for book two, which I have on good authority is definitely Farrin’s book. Which hopefully means more Ryder!
I’d say the romance was more Insta-lust than Insta-love, and honestly I don’t see anything wrong with that. There’s definitely still some tension or push/pull in the relationship between Gemma and Talan that it seems realistic. Sure, he can kinda lay it on thick, but with reason. ..
Gemma herself is an unlikeable character, and yet I loved her. She deals with chronic pain and crippling anxiety, and as someone who can relate, it can be difficult to find the energy for kindness or generosity when you’re running on fumes like that. She can be moody, irrational, and selfish, but she is also aware of how her actions affect others in the aftermath. She’s a traumatized person who is working on healing and coking to terms with her pain. And I think she has incredible growth over the course of the book. As the author intended, Gemma is absolutely Amy March and Emma Woodhouse coded.
The plot of the book itself is super interesting, and I found myself unable to put the book down once the mysteries really got rolling. I had to know what all of these seemingly disparate threads meant. While the book takes a really wild turn in the second half, it quickly gets back on course, and there are some intense revelations. It puts a lot of the first half into perspective.
I absolutely cannot WAIT for book two, which I have on good authority is definitely Farrin’s book. Which hopefully means more Ryder!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Self harm, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Vomit, Suicide, Ableism, Animal death, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Blood
nukie19's review
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This novel has a great premise but doesn't quite live up to it. It seems like Legrand was overambitious and couldn't decide what kind of book this was supposed to be - a romance, a dark fantasy, YA or adult? It was refreshing to read about a main character who is so different than usual due to her chronic pain, but she veers way too much into whiny and petulant teenager for a book that is billed as adult. It definitely has some pretty heavy steamy scenes but I didn't feel like this really was worth the length of the read. Save yourself and just stick with her other works.
Narration from Evelyn Rose was excellent. She was wonderful to listen to and I appreciated her subtle changes for each character.
Thanks to the publisher for providing an audiobook ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
Narration from Evelyn Rose was excellent. She was wonderful to listen to and I appreciated her subtle changes for each character.
Thanks to the publisher for providing an audiobook ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Abandonment, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Alcohol, and Grief
brightbelladonna22's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Chronic illness
lizgriffinwords's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Minor: Death
taryn_g's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Violence, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, and Sexual content
Minor: Medical trauma, Grief, Abandonment, and Child abuse
More...