Reviews with content warning for Self harm - A Crown of Ivy and Glass

My first Claire Legrand book. It was a good read, quite different. Very solid world building and light on the romance. The main character deals with panic attacks and self-harm - very interesting to see mental health be a major theme in a fantasy novel but it was done well.

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kalecake's review against another edition

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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!

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bellebookcorner's review

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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!

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deedireads's review against another edition

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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!

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