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A review by sharon_reads
A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I really enjoyed this book. First fantasy book I’ve read since the middle of 2024 and it held up. The romance was sweet and I loved seeing Talen and Gemma come together. But I did find there was a lot of back and fourth with their romance that could have been cut out for the sake of time.
As much as I loved our Gemma, once I hit 75%, the referencing to the panic, her pain, etc got to be a little much and didn’t need to be repeated EVERY chapter. It was never expanded on, and it always the same explanations. I know there is much more at play, but saying the amount of times she wakes up to pain, and it being the same old ordinary pain of everyday life is not needed all the time.
As for the fantasy, the world is super interesting. I was curious to learn more as I started reading, and as we dove deeper, I was interested but also felt like things weren’t being explained? Despite enjoying the side plots, I felt it took away from the main story and where the book was going. In the last 15%, stopping in the middle of our conclusion and final reveal, to have this side plot be brought forward again was a tad bit annoying and I don’t think it was needed since I felt like our characters could have come together as a team without it, and it would have been more powerful?
I’m still excited for the next book, even though I’m not sure where they are going to go from here. But I look forward to reading.
As much as I loved our Gemma, once I hit 75%, the referencing to the panic, her pain, etc got to be a little much and didn’t need to be repeated EVERY chapter. It was never expanded on, and it always the same explanations. I know there is much more at play, but saying the amount of times she wakes up to pain, and it being the same old ordinary pain of everyday life is not needed all the time.
As for the fantasy, the world is super interesting. I was curious to learn more as I started reading, and as we dove deeper, I was interested but also felt like things weren’t being explained? Despite enjoying the side plots, I felt it took away from the main story and where the book was going. In the last 15%, stopping in the middle of our conclusion and final reveal, to have this side plot be brought forward again was a tad bit annoying and I don’t think it was needed since I felt like our characters could have come together as a team without it, and it would have been more powerful?
I’m still excited for the next book, even though I’m not sure where they are going to go from here. But I look forward to reading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide