Rating: ⭐✨⬜⬜⬜
Title: A Crown of Ivy and Glass
Author: Claire Legrand
Genre: Fantasy (Adult)
Setting: Ivyhill
Month Read: June 2023
Book Type: E-Arc
Publication: June 2023
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Pages: 560
*Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the free e-arc. It has in no way shaped or influenced my review. All thoughts are my own
TRIGGER WARNING-
Death / Murder / Sex / Chronic Illness
No Spoiler Summary:
Lady Gemma Ashbourne seemingly has it all. She's young, gorgeous, and rich. Her family was Anointed by the gods, blessed with incredible abilities. But underneath her glittering façade, Gemma is deeply sad. Years ago, her sister Mara was taken to the Middlemist to guard against treacherous magic. Her mother abandoned the family. Her father and eldest sister, Farrin—embroiled in a deadly blood feud with the mysterious Bask family—often forget Gemma exists.
Worst of all, Gemma is the only Ashbourne to possess no magic. Instead, her body fights it like poison. Constantly ill, aching with loneliness, Gemma craves love and yearns to belong.
Then she meets the devastatingly handsome Talan d'Astier. His family destroyed themselves, seduced by a demon, and Talan, the only survivor, is determined to redeem their honor. Intrigued and enchanted, Gemma proposes a bargain: She'll help Talan navigate high society if he helps her destroy the Basks. According to popular legend, a demon called The Man With the Three-Eyed Crown is behind the families' blood feud—slay the demon, end the feud.
But attacks on the Middlemist are increasing. The plot against the Basks quickly spirals out of control. And something immense and terrifying is awakening in Gemma, drawing her inexorably toward Talan and an all-consuming passion that could destroy her—or show her the true strength of her power at last.
Review:
I'm not kidding when I say first off how much I hated this book. I was gaslighting MYSELF the entire time telling myself it was not as bad as I thought, and I slogged through every single one of the 560 (!!!!!) pages and I learned reading this that I really need to stop reading books and just DNF things I hate and save myself the light torture.
First off, this is apparently an adult novel but reads like horrible YA- from the awful lead character who is the worst kind of spoiled brat, to the tragically boring love at first sight with the bad boy leading male. None of the characters seem to grow, the characters that you're actually interested in barely get any time in the novel, and I still can't even tell you what happened because literally nothing happens for most of the book.
This is partially my fault, because while I got through Furyborn, I DNF'd halfway through the second book of that series and I think Claire just loves writing large, boring books that could easily be 1/2 or 2/3 the size. I did like Furyborn a lot more than I liked any part of this book though, and will absolutely not touch another one of her books so long as I live on this earth. I looked up some Goodreads reviews and it seems like most people seem to agree with the same problems I had with the novel, so I know I'm not crazy.
I hate writing bad reviews, and usually I chalk it up to the book just isn't for me, but this was just simply NOT a good book.
Recommendation:
I don't recommend this. I guess read her other books if you like this one.
Search Similar Reviews:
#fantasy
#ACrownofIvyandGlass #ClaireLegrand
#femaleauthor