Scan barcode
A review by brightbelladonna22
A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand
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