Scan barcode
A review by maggiemaed25
A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand
5.0
So, I loved this book. Reviews are really mixed on it... maybe because it feels very ballroom-magical at the beginning and becomes something darker and crazier as the book goes? I don't know. I honestly liked it better as the darkness started being revealed, but I still liked the beginning. I loved the slow darkening of the magic and truth beneath all the glamor.
I didn't like Gemma at the start but knew that her journey was going to be an epic one of empowerment and discovery of self-worth. (Also, yes, this is adult, but Gemma is still only 20, so if she feels young, that's because she is...)
The worldbuilding was incredible, and I still can't stop thinking about the magic, the Mist, the Olden... everything.
I thought all the characters were well drawn, and I appreciated the loving but complicated sister relationships. The romance was pretty insta-love, but it got so complicated after the initial mutual attraction that I didn't mind. Like is drawn to like, but that didn't make their romance any less complex and full of issues.
I could wax on and on about how beautifully Legrand wrote Gemma's journey of illness, trauma, and anxiety into confident self-worth.
I will be recommending this book to everyone I know who likes romantic fantasy, perhaps with a warning that Gemma isn't exactly likeable but feels real and goes through some real transformation throughout the book, and also that it isn't all glitz and glamor but gets very dark and gritty.
I didn't like Gemma at the start but knew that her journey was going to be an epic one of empowerment and discovery of self-worth. (Also, yes, this is adult, but Gemma is still only 20, so if she feels young, that's because she is...)
The worldbuilding was incredible, and I still can't stop thinking about the magic, the Mist, the Olden... everything.
I thought all the characters were well drawn, and I appreciated the loving but complicated sister relationships. The romance was pretty insta-love, but it got so complicated after the initial mutual attraction that I didn't mind. Like is drawn to like, but that didn't make their romance any less complex and full of issues.
I could wax on and on about how beautifully Legrand wrote Gemma's journey of illness, trauma, and anxiety into confident self-worth.
I will be recommending this book to everyone I know who likes romantic fantasy, perhaps with a warning that Gemma isn't exactly likeable but feels real and goes through some real transformation throughout the book, and also that it isn't all glitz and glamor but gets very dark and gritty.