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A review by deedireads
A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand
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