kalecake's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I LOVED this book. I heard a lot of people were disappointed in this story but I loved the main character’s flaws. I didn’t know what was going to happen next. It was sexy, it was dark, it was morbid. I had such a great time!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Suicide, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Sexual content
bellebookcorner's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
2.0
I’ve seen another series by this author quite a lot on social media so I was excited to give this one a try. Unfortunately, this one didn’t live up to my expectation.
The story started out with a strong opening, plot seems interesting to follow, and I enjoy listening to the narrator. The narrator did a good job delivering this book.
However, at some point the plot took an unexpected turn. I was struggling to keep up with what’s going on. It would be nice if this one was divided into two books instead of cramming it into a long thick book.
The world building is actually pretty interesting and I’m interested in knowing more about the magic system. However, the pacing felt weird sometimes. In some parts it was too rushed with multiple time jumps but then it’ll turn very slow that I just want to skim past it.
Moreover, there are too many characters but not many of them are very memorable. I didn’t feel the chemistry or any spark between the main characters because of how the FMC keeps giving the MMC a second chance over and over again annoyed me by the end of it.
I really want to like this book but I felt confused most of the time listening to this story. The long chapters also makes this book feels longer than it should be.
This book sounds promising and has potentials to be a great read, however I was disappointed with how it turns out. I don’t think I’m gonna continue reading this series.
While this book didn't work out for me, you’re welcome to check it out if YA fantasy romance is your go to genre.
I received an advanced audiobook for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!
The story started out with a strong opening, plot seems interesting to follow, and I enjoy listening to the narrator. The narrator did a good job delivering this book.
However, at some point the plot took an unexpected turn. I was struggling to keep up with what’s going on. It would be nice if this one was divided into two books instead of cramming it into a long thick book.
The world building is actually pretty interesting and I’m interested in knowing more about the magic system. However, the pacing felt weird sometimes. In some parts it was too rushed with multiple time jumps but then it’ll turn very slow that I just want to skim past it.
Moreover, there are too many characters but not many of them are very memorable. I didn’t feel the chemistry or any spark between the main characters because of how the FMC keeps giving the MMC a second chance over and over again annoyed me by the end of it.
I really want to like this book but I felt confused most of the time listening to this story. The long chapters also makes this book feels longer than it should be.
This book sounds promising and has potentials to be a great read, however I was disappointed with how it turns out. I don’t think I’m gonna continue reading this series.
While this book didn't work out for me, you’re welcome to check it out if YA fantasy romance is your go to genre.
I received an advanced audiobook for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and Death
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
keepcalmblogon's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I don’t like to give books poor reviews because they are the work of someone’s soul–and it’s hard work! That being said, personally, I didn’t love A Crown of Ivy and Glass. I felt like the opening plotline–to throw a party so that Gemma could convince people to care about what was happening with The Roses so that she could help her sister was a little convoluted and ended up only serving the purpose of introducing Talan because it is immediately dropped for a completely different plan that is totally selfish. I have zero problem with a self-confessed selfish character either, but Gemma failed to make herself sympathetic or relatable, so I didn’t care much for her plight. I was also unimpressed by the insta-love. It attempted to be enemies to lovers, but that was a flimsy charade that lasted about a chapter.
This book ended up having way too much plot without that epic fantasy feel, so it was just one thing after another after another with characters whose passionate scenes I ended up skipping over because I really did not buy their insta-love, so I wasn’t invested. I cared more about the enemies, the Basks, and the sister who didn’t get a POV–Farrin. I found myself hoping Talan would betray Gemma to add some spice. And ultimately was confused by the world building and magic system.
The positives this book had were: the intrigue of the enemies, the Basks, a team up with said enemies, sex positivity, and casual queerness.
In the end I will give this book 3 stars and ask a friend to tell me if the sequel ends up being better, and maybe I’ll read it, but I might just get the SparkNotes and get over it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm 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
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
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