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The Middlemist Trilogy #1
Una corona de hiedra y cristal
Gemma Ashbourne parece que lo tiene todo. Es joven, hermosa y rica. Su familia ha sido ungida por los dioses, bendecida con habilidades increíbles. Pero bajo esta brillante fachada, Gemma es profundamente infeliz. Años atrás, su hermana Mara fue llevada hasta la Niebla Media. Su madre abandonó al resto de la familia. Su padre y su hermana mayor, Farrin, enfrascados en una mortal rivalidad con la familia Bask, a menudo se olvidan de que Gemma existe.
Y lo peor de todo es que Gemma es la única Ashbourne que no posee magia. Su cuerpo la rechaza como si fuera veneno. Así que, enferma y sola, Gemma tan solo desea afecto y hallar un lugar en el mundo.
Entonces conoce al atractivo Talan d’Astier. Su familia se destruyó a sí misma, seducida por un demonio, y Talan, como único superviviente, está decidido a recuperar su honor. Intrigada y encantada, Gemma le propone un trato: ayudará a Talan a integrarse en la alta sociedad si él le ayuda a destruir a los Bask. Los rumores dicen que un demonio llamado El Hombre con la Corona de Tres Ojos es el responsable de la rivalidad entre las familias: matar al demonio acabaría con la rivalidad.
Pero los ataques en la Niebla Media van en aumento. El conflicto con los Bask se sale de control. Y algo inmenso y terrorífico está despertando en Gemma, y la está arrastrando de forma inevitable hacia Talan, hacia una pasión que amenaza con consumirla por completo y destruirla, o mostrarle al fin el auténtico alcance de su poder.
Y lo peor de todo es que Gemma es la única Ashbourne que no posee magia. Su cuerpo la rechaza como si fuera veneno. Así que, enferma y sola, Gemma tan solo desea afecto y hallar un lugar en el mundo.
Entonces conoce al atractivo Talan d’Astier. Su familia se destruyó a sí misma, seducida por un demonio, y Talan, como único superviviente, está decidido a recuperar su honor. Intrigada y encantada, Gemma le propone un trato: ayudará a Talan a integrarse en la alta sociedad si él le ayuda a destruir a los Bask. Los rumores dicen que un demonio llamado El Hombre con la Corona de Tres Ojos es el responsable de la rivalidad entre las familias: matar al demonio acabaría con la rivalidad.
Pero los ataques en la Niebla Media van en aumento. El conflicto con los Bask se sale de control. Y algo inmenso y terrorífico está despertando en Gemma, y la está arrastrando de forma inevitable hacia Talan, hacia una pasión que amenaza con consumirla por completo y destruirla, o mostrarle al fin el auténtico alcance de su poder.
564 pages, Paperback
First published June 13, 2023
1697 people are currently reading
44197 people want to read
About the author
Claire Legrand
31 books5,073 followersClaire Legrand is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fourteen novels, including the Empirium trilogy, the Middlemist trilogy, SAWKILL GIRLS, and SOME KIND OF HAPPINESS. She is one of the four authors behind THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, an anthology of dark middle grade fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,713 reviews
February 9, 2023
theres nothing worse than an anticipated read by an author you love letting you down. sigh.
if you look at the average rating for this book, its evident that its not really meeting readers expectations. i didnt want that to be the case, but it is what it is. and its due to flaws i never would have though CL would make. she has created an amazing fantasy series before, so i have no idea what she was thinking with this one.
the narrative is pretty juvenile for supposedly being an adult debut, the pacing of the story is very inconsistent throughout, the plot doesnt stick to a single genre creating the feeling that this is multiple stories incoherently crammed together, and none of the characters stand out or go through any meaningful development.
in all honesty, i probably would have given this 2 stars, but my loyalty to CL is preventing me from doing so, hence the rounding up.
thanks for the ARC, sourcebooks casablanca.
↠ 2.5 stars
if you look at the average rating for this book, its evident that its not really meeting readers expectations. i didnt want that to be the case, but it is what it is. and its due to flaws i never would have though CL would make. she has created an amazing fantasy series before, so i have no idea what she was thinking with this one.
the narrative is pretty juvenile for supposedly being an adult debut, the pacing of the story is very inconsistent throughout, the plot doesnt stick to a single genre creating the feeling that this is multiple stories incoherently crammed together, and none of the characters stand out or go through any meaningful development.
in all honesty, i probably would have given this 2 stars, but my loyalty to CL is preventing me from doing so, hence the rounding up.
thanks for the ARC, sourcebooks casablanca.
↠ 2.5 stars
February 28, 2023
no one is hurt more than me by this rating.
July 7, 2023
This was one of my most anticipated books of 2023, so it kills me to say that I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. Pitched as Claire Legrand's version of Bridgerton X ACOTAR X Ballet Retellings with strong anxiety representation, it had literally everything I look for in a book. I think that might have been the problem; the author tried to do too much rather than focusing on a central storytelling element. If you asked me what the plot of ACOIAG was, I probably couldn't tell you. The two halves of the story didn't fit together at all. First, we had the Bridgertion high society plotline and then suddenly were thrown into the ACOTAR/Ballet Retelling halfway through. There was no consistency or coherency, either with the plot or the characters. That being said, I absolutely adored the second half of the book. It felt like a Claire Legrand novel and the characters found their footing.
Speaking of characters, I didn't like our two leads. Gemma--especially at the beginning--was entitled and nasty to everyone who cared about her. She took everything for granted and hurt those around her. I understand that she had anxiety but I actually think using her anxiety as a weapon to hurt others is harmful stereotyping. I get that a book doesn't have to have likable characters, but especially when mental health is a main aspect of character, it's important to make characters redeemable or at least sympathetic. In that same vein, Talan was not a character, he was paper cut out that the author moved around to further the plot. He and Gemma went from disliking each other to being madly in love within a chapter and I still don't understand why. They had almost nothing in common, and the only conversations they had were cheesy declarations of love.
Since I've already established that the plot didn't really exist and the two main characters sucked, I can move on. BECAUSE EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT THIS STORY WAS AMAZING! I loved each side character and felt that they had depth and personality far beyond the main characters. I'm going to read this trilogy because I adore Mara and Farrin and can't wait for their romances, as long as Gemma stays out of the way. Farrin especially is interesting and I can already see the foundation being laid for her (hopefully) romantic arc with Ryder. Enemeies-to-lovers from rival houses where the guy falls first? Sign me up.
As in every Claire Legrand book, the writing, and descriptions were wonderful, as was the worldbuilding. Often, I had a clearer image of what a scene looked like than I did the role the characters played in that scene, which though problematic, made the story immersive (that is until Gemma started complaining). The sensory writing was incredibly vivid, as were the hints of horror the author included.
Even though this book was a miss for me, I remain loyal to Claire Legrand and will probably still buy the rest of the trilogy as it comes out. I'm already looking forward to seeing Mara and Farrin take center stage, which is the only comfort I can find in hating the first half of ACOIAG.
Speaking of characters, I didn't like our two leads. Gemma--especially at the beginning--was entitled and nasty to everyone who cared about her. She took everything for granted and hurt those around her. I understand that she had anxiety but I actually think using her anxiety as a weapon to hurt others is harmful stereotyping. I get that a book doesn't have to have likable characters, but especially when mental health is a main aspect of character, it's important to make characters redeemable or at least sympathetic. In that same vein, Talan was not a character, he was paper cut out that the author moved around to further the plot. He and Gemma went from disliking each other to being madly in love within a chapter and I still don't understand why. They had almost nothing in common, and the only conversations they had were cheesy declarations of love.
Since I've already established that the plot didn't really exist and the two main characters sucked, I can move on. BECAUSE EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT THIS STORY WAS AMAZING! I loved each side character and felt that they had depth and personality far beyond the main characters. I'm going to read this trilogy because I adore Mara and Farrin and can't wait for their romances, as long as Gemma stays out of the way. Farrin especially is interesting and I can already see the foundation being laid for her (hopefully) romantic arc with Ryder. Enemeies-to-lovers from rival houses where the guy falls first? Sign me up.
As in every Claire Legrand book, the writing, and descriptions were wonderful, as was the worldbuilding. Often, I had a clearer image of what a scene looked like than I did the role the characters played in that scene, which though problematic, made the story immersive (that is until Gemma started complaining). The sensory writing was incredibly vivid, as were the hints of horror the author included.
Even though this book was a miss for me, I remain loyal to Claire Legrand and will probably still buy the rest of the trilogy as it comes out. I'm already looking forward to seeing Mara and Farrin take center stage, which is the only comfort I can find in hating the first half of ACOIAG.
May 3, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this earc
This book was a COMPLETE mess. I’m gonna start with that I really enjoyed Bridgerton books and ACOTAR is my all time favorite. I’m telling you this right now. This book is NOTHING like those two series.
Example one. This book is marketed as adult. But the characters and the writing is VERY YA. Cursing and bad cringy sex scenes do not make book an adult fantasy.
Example two. I don’t know about you but for me it’s very hard to continue with a book if nothing interesting happens in the first 20%. The first 35% of this book read like a badly written fan fiction. REALLY badly write. From insta lust with somehow zero chemistry between two main characters to almost none to very confusing world building.
Example three. The middle of the book what I guess supposed to a transition from bad fan fiction to the fantasy part of the book was completely boring. I honestly can’t tell you one thing that happened.
Example four. Three sisters that are totally water downed versions of Archeron sisters. You really thought we wouldn’t notice?
Example five. I know I already mentioned zero chemistry between main love interests but It’s worth repeating because it doesn’t get better.
Example six and probably the biggest issue I had with this book. The main character, Gemma is absolute WORST. She is annoying, spoiled and sometimes completely empty headed.
The last third of the book couldn’t have been so much more if by the time I got there, all I wanted to do is be done already.
The only who actually interested me were the Basks. But even they couldn’t save this disaster.
This book was a COMPLETE mess. I’m gonna start with that I really enjoyed Bridgerton books and ACOTAR is my all time favorite. I’m telling you this right now. This book is NOTHING like those two series.
Example one. This book is marketed as adult. But the characters and the writing is VERY YA. Cursing and bad cringy sex scenes do not make book an adult fantasy.
Example two. I don’t know about you but for me it’s very hard to continue with a book if nothing interesting happens in the first 20%. The first 35% of this book read like a badly written fan fiction. REALLY badly write. From insta lust with somehow zero chemistry between two main characters to almost none to very confusing world building.
Example three. The middle of the book what I guess supposed to a transition from bad fan fiction to the fantasy part of the book was completely boring. I honestly can’t tell you one thing that happened.
Example four. Three sisters that are totally water downed versions of Archeron sisters. You really thought we wouldn’t notice?
Example five. I know I already mentioned zero chemistry between main love interests but It’s worth repeating because it doesn’t get better.
Example six and probably the biggest issue I had with this book. The main character, Gemma is absolute WORST. She is annoying, spoiled and sometimes completely empty headed.
The last third of the book couldn’t have been so much more if by the time I got there, all I wanted to do is be done already.
The only who actually interested me were the Basks. But even they couldn’t save this disaster.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
did-not-finish
May 3, 2023DNF at 38%
Yeah, I cannot stand this book! In theory, this book seems like something I would enjoy, but out of the almost 200 pages I've read, I have no positive thoughts.
First off, Lady Gemma Ashbourne, our main character, is INSUFFERABLE. She cares so much about her vanity and how LONELY she is. Yeah, okay she's neglected, but for VALID REASONS. Her sister is protecting the Middlemist, and her eldest sister and her father are at work dealing with a DEADLY blood feud. I get that being lonely is sad and depressing, especially considering she is lowkey dying, but GIRL think about someone besides yourself for once! She's also always bragging about how her family is so rich and how privileged they are. SHUT. UP.
Secondly, the relationship between Gemma and her love interest, Talen D'Astier is annoying. At the 189-page mark (out of the 560 pages!!!!!!!!) I got to it was a month since their meeting. Since then she's been obsessed with him since he first walked into the room, they've already done sexual things, they kiss all the time, and they're so LOVEY DOVEY to each other. I'm a hopeless romantic, I believe in love at first sight, and I've never minded 'insta-love' in books up until this moment! They BARELY know each other, have done nothing to really get to know each other, and Gemma is also weirdly obsessed with how pale he is?!??!?! I also immediately dnf-ed this book as the sexual (they didn't have sex but they were intimate with each other) scene was my final straw. It came out of nowhere, it was not attractive, and it was so oddly placed in a novel. The dirty talk was also a no for me! ALSO, HE DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING? It gives the same energy as Victorian men going feral for a woman's ankle. That was the vibe. It's a no for me. There's just no fluidity to this book.
Finally, the plot of this book actually irritates me. In the synopsis, it seems simple and kind of silly, but something I could read and potentially enjoy, especially since I enjoyed Claire Legrand's other book called Furyborn. It just goes all over the place and as said earlier it's just not fluid. I understand this is Legrand's Adult debut, but it's not her first novel and I expected more!
I can't say for how the rest of the book goes as I didn't even make it to page 200, but with the main character being dense and someone I loathe, the romance not giving what it should GIVE, the smut making my jaw drop for all the wrong reasons, and the adventurous and high-stakes storyline being far from it (thus far), I cannot continue.
(I received a physical advanced readers copy of A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand by being a Barnes & Noble bookseller, thank you!)
Original Review:
I am so excited I could quite literally combust that I got an ARC of this baby.
Yeah, I cannot stand this book! In theory, this book seems like something I would enjoy, but out of the almost 200 pages I've read, I have no positive thoughts.
First off, Lady Gemma Ashbourne, our main character, is INSUFFERABLE. She cares so much about her vanity and how LONELY she is. Yeah, okay she's neglected, but for VALID REASONS. Her sister is protecting the Middlemist, and her eldest sister and her father are at work dealing with a DEADLY blood feud. I get that being lonely is sad and depressing, especially considering she is lowkey dying, but GIRL think about someone besides yourself for once! She's also always bragging about how her family is so rich and how privileged they are. SHUT. UP.
Secondly, the relationship between Gemma and her love interest, Talen D'Astier is annoying. At the 189-page mark (out of the 560 pages!!!!!!!!) I got to it was a month since their meeting. Since then she's been obsessed with him since he first walked into the room, they've already done sexual things, they kiss all the time, and they're so LOVEY DOVEY to each other. I'm a hopeless romantic, I believe in love at first sight, and I've never minded 'insta-love' in books up until this moment! They BARELY know each other, have done nothing to really get to know each other, and Gemma is also weirdly obsessed with how pale he is?!??!?! I also immediately dnf-ed this book as the sexual (they didn't have sex but they were intimate with each other) scene was my final straw. It came out of nowhere, it was not attractive, and it was so oddly placed in a novel. The dirty talk was also a no for me! ALSO, HE DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING? It gives the same energy as Victorian men going feral for a woman's ankle. That was the vibe. It's a no for me. There's just no fluidity to this book.
Finally, the plot of this book actually irritates me. In the synopsis, it seems simple and kind of silly, but something I could read and potentially enjoy, especially since I enjoyed Claire Legrand's other book called Furyborn. It just goes all over the place and as said earlier it's just not fluid. I understand this is Legrand's Adult debut, but it's not her first novel and I expected more!
I can't say for how the rest of the book goes as I didn't even make it to page 200, but with the main character being dense and someone I loathe, the romance not giving what it should GIVE, the smut making my jaw drop for all the wrong reasons, and the adventurous and high-stakes storyline being far from it (thus far), I cannot continue.
(I received a physical advanced readers copy of A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand by being a Barnes & Noble bookseller, thank you!)
Original Review:
I am so excited I could quite literally combust that I got an ARC of this baby.
March 10, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
First, a huge thank you to Sophie from Sourcebooks International for sending me this ARC. I´ll treasure it forever.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 & 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬:
Adult fantasy, dark magic, folktales, romance, high society, panic attacks, chronic pain and illnesses, passion with a good level of spice, mystery, gods and magical creatures, fae, demons, shapeshifting female warriors, necromancer, elemental magic
Plot:
A Crown of Ivy and Glass, the first book in the Middlemist trilogy, is a story about romance, dark magic, costuming and architecture, dance, music, monsters and myths. A story about sisterhood, passionate lovers and this is only the beginning.
Each book will follow one of the Ashbourne sisters, and in this first novel, we are introduced to Lady Imogen “Gemma” Ashbourne…. a young, rich and beautiful woman of a family, which was Anointed by the gods and blessed with incredible abilities, she seemingly has it all.
But underneath every woman´s her glittering façade, Gemma is deeply sad. Years ago, her sister Mara was taken to the Middlemist to be a guard of the priory of Rosewarren, where she and other shapeshifting female warriors protect the human realm of Edyn against treacherous magic. Her mother abandoned the family. Her father and eldest sister, Farrin, often forget that she exists since they are embroiled in a deadly blood feud with the mysterious Bask family from the North. A feud brought to life long ago by a demon called The Man with the Three-Eyed Crown. And 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.
But that all changes when she meets Talan d'Astier. A charming, sarcastic and criminally handsome man, with a mysterious family history. His family destroyed themselves, seduced by a demon, and Talan, the only survivor, is determined to redeem their honour. Intrigued and enchanted, Gemma proposes a bargain: She'll help Talan navigate high society if he helps her destroy the Basks by killing the demon.
Whilst attacks on the Middlemist are increasing, the plot against the Basks quickly spirals out of control, something immense and terrifying is awakening in Gemma, drawing her inexorably toward Talan in an all-consuming passion that could destroy her—or show her the true strength of her power at last.
Personal thoughts:
My first initial reaction to this book was that it is the perfect blend between an English high society period drama and an epic fantasy novel.
It has the lightness and shimmer of a high society balls hosted at a beautiful mansion in the countryside that is covered in ivy from the out and inside. It has the softness of a silk gown and the magical aesthetic of a pre-Raphaelite painting. But it also has the weight and eerie darkness you would hope for in a fantasy world. The danger and mystery. Therefore, I absolutely adored the world building around the Mist, the Rosewarren, the history, folktales, and gods, since it was so characteristically “Claire Legrand” with its rich details, its depth and extended even further once the Fae and demons were introduced.
The romance. The romance was about passion, desire, and at one point reminded me of the rain scene in Pride & Prejudice. Nevertheless, it was also about falling in and out of trust, about wondering whether they are soulmates or if he´s just really good at manipulating. I throroughly enjoyed the dynamic between Gemma and Talan, however I was not completly convinced by how quickly they fell in love.
Along with that, Claire Legrand was once again able to create a story that was carried by an incredibly complex main character. Gemma is a woman, who not only suffers from chronic pain and illness, but also from sadness, loneliness and self-hatred that is so deeply rooted inside her. But that is not what defines her in the end. It’s her strength, resilience and emotional journey throughout the book, which we get to accompany her through both the glittering highs and the ink black lows.
I think this book isn´t going to be everyone’s taste and many will make too early decisions and judgements, however I hope that more people will fall in love with this book as much as I did. I cannot wait for this book to come out next year and for everyone to dive into this world and story. Meanwhile, I´m going to sit here in misery wondering how many human sacrifices it will take to get an ARC of the second book too.
Lastly, and on a very unprofessional note: If my “Farrin and the Queen are secretly lovers and Farrin´s book will have a sapphic romance” theory turns out to be true…. I WILL SCREAM SO LOUD IT WILL BE HEARD ACROSS THE ENTIRE PLANET!!
First, a huge thank you to Sophie from Sourcebooks International for sending me this ARC. I´ll treasure it forever.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 & 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬:
Adult fantasy, dark magic, folktales, romance, high society, panic attacks, chronic pain and illnesses, passion with a good level of spice, mystery, gods and magical creatures, fae, demons, shapeshifting female warriors, necromancer, elemental magic
Plot:
A Crown of Ivy and Glass, the first book in the Middlemist trilogy, is a story about romance, dark magic, costuming and architecture, dance, music, monsters and myths. A story about sisterhood, passionate lovers and this is only the beginning.
Each book will follow one of the Ashbourne sisters, and in this first novel, we are introduced to Lady Imogen “Gemma” Ashbourne…. a young, rich and beautiful woman of a family, which was Anointed by the gods and blessed with incredible abilities, she seemingly has it all.
But underneath every woman´s her glittering façade, Gemma is deeply sad. Years ago, her sister Mara was taken to the Middlemist to be a guard of the priory of Rosewarren, where she and other shapeshifting female warriors protect the human realm of Edyn against treacherous magic. Her mother abandoned the family. Her father and eldest sister, Farrin, often forget that she exists since they are embroiled in a deadly blood feud with the mysterious Bask family from the North. A feud brought to life long ago by a demon called The Man with the Three-Eyed Crown. And 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.
But that all changes when she meets Talan d'Astier. A charming, sarcastic and criminally handsome man, with a mysterious family history. His family destroyed themselves, seduced by a demon, and Talan, the only survivor, is determined to redeem their honour. Intrigued and enchanted, Gemma proposes a bargain: She'll help Talan navigate high society if he helps her destroy the Basks by killing the demon.
Whilst attacks on the Middlemist are increasing, the plot against the Basks quickly spirals out of control, something immense and terrifying is awakening in Gemma, drawing her inexorably toward Talan in an all-consuming passion that could destroy her—or show her the true strength of her power at last.
Personal thoughts:
My first initial reaction to this book was that it is the perfect blend between an English high society period drama and an epic fantasy novel.
It has the lightness and shimmer of a high society balls hosted at a beautiful mansion in the countryside that is covered in ivy from the out and inside. It has the softness of a silk gown and the magical aesthetic of a pre-Raphaelite painting. But it also has the weight and eerie darkness you would hope for in a fantasy world. The danger and mystery. Therefore, I absolutely adored the world building around the Mist, the Rosewarren, the history, folktales, and gods, since it was so characteristically “Claire Legrand” with its rich details, its depth and extended even further once the Fae and demons were introduced.
The romance. The romance was about passion, desire, and at one point reminded me of the rain scene in Pride & Prejudice. Nevertheless, it was also about falling in and out of trust, about wondering whether they are soulmates or if he´s just really good at manipulating. I throroughly enjoyed the dynamic between Gemma and Talan, however I was not completly convinced by how quickly they fell in love.
Along with that, Claire Legrand was once again able to create a story that was carried by an incredibly complex main character. Gemma is a woman, who not only suffers from chronic pain and illness, but also from sadness, loneliness and self-hatred that is so deeply rooted inside her. But that is not what defines her in the end. It’s her strength, resilience and emotional journey throughout the book, which we get to accompany her through both the glittering highs and the ink black lows.
I think this book isn´t going to be everyone’s taste and many will make too early decisions and judgements, however I hope that more people will fall in love with this book as much as I did. I cannot wait for this book to come out next year and for everyone to dive into this world and story. Meanwhile, I´m going to sit here in misery wondering how many human sacrifices it will take to get an ARC of the second book too.
Lastly, and on a very unprofessional note: If my “Farrin and the Queen are secretly lovers and Farrin´s book will have a sapphic romance” theory turns out to be true…. I WILL SCREAM SO LOUD IT WILL BE HEARD ACROSS THE ENTIRE PLANET!!
July 8, 2023
”I don’t care what scars you have. I have them too. I’m not afraid of your grief. I’ll help you carry it and you’ll help carry mine.”
I just finished this book and can say that I think I have a new favorite! The Empirium Trilogy is one of my all time favorites, so I was highly anticipating this book! I am so intrigued that it will be told as three connected stand-alone stories following each of the three sisters of the Ashbourne family, in a fully fantasy setting. I love the combination of conventions from the different genres.
This book starts out as a regency flavored romp, following Gemma Ashbourne as she befriends the foreign Talan d’Astier, and they form a pact to hunt down the demon responsible for the Ashbourne blood feud, and in exchange Gemma helps Talan integrate into high society. From there, things slowly devolve into madness. A book that started as parties and balls slowly unwinds to a dark fantasy horror, and I loved every second of the unspooling.
Talan and Gemma are two lonely souls. Talan has no family left to speak of, and Gemma is an outcast within her own family. She is the only one in her family to not possess magic, and even further she suffers from chronic pain and illness just being around magic. At first, she comes off flippant and flighty, but as the book continues we see more depth to her characters and honestly a lot of character development. If you start this book and are unsure how you feel about Gemma, just continue reading because her character goes through a journey. I think LeGrand excels at writing flawed, real women who might not always be likeable but draw you in nevertheless. Talan and Gemma are drawn to one another immediately, and their romance was sweet and tender.
There was a lot to be said about familial relationships in this book. I loved the growth the relationships between the three sisters went through. Gemma feels a lot of guilt and suffers panic attacks, due to her condition. She feels as though she is a burden on her family and responsible for things that have happened to her sisters that were out of her control. I loved how the sisters came together to support each other as the story unfolded.
The world building was absolutely fantastic. I loved the regency society juxtaposed with magic, and the mysteries of the Mist. I loved the different demon and horror elements that were incorporated more and more as the book continued. There was a lot of twisted imagery as the book continued.
I honestly will be thinking about this book for a long time. I was absolutely enchanted reading this and I cannot wait for the next one (about Farrin and Ryder perhaps?).
I just finished this book and can say that I think I have a new favorite! The Empirium Trilogy is one of my all time favorites, so I was highly anticipating this book! I am so intrigued that it will be told as three connected stand-alone stories following each of the three sisters of the Ashbourne family, in a fully fantasy setting. I love the combination of conventions from the different genres.
This book starts out as a regency flavored romp, following Gemma Ashbourne as she befriends the foreign Talan d’Astier, and they form a pact to hunt down the demon responsible for the Ashbourne blood feud, and in exchange Gemma helps Talan integrate into high society. From there, things slowly devolve into madness. A book that started as parties and balls slowly unwinds to a dark fantasy horror, and I loved every second of the unspooling.
Talan and Gemma are two lonely souls. Talan has no family left to speak of, and Gemma is an outcast within her own family. She is the only one in her family to not possess magic, and even further she suffers from chronic pain and illness just being around magic. At first, she comes off flippant and flighty, but as the book continues we see more depth to her characters and honestly a lot of character development. If you start this book and are unsure how you feel about Gemma, just continue reading because her character goes through a journey. I think LeGrand excels at writing flawed, real women who might not always be likeable but draw you in nevertheless. Talan and Gemma are drawn to one another immediately, and their romance was sweet and tender.
There was a lot to be said about familial relationships in this book. I loved the growth the relationships between the three sisters went through. Gemma feels a lot of guilt and suffers panic attacks, due to her condition. She feels as though she is a burden on her family and responsible for things that have happened to her sisters that were out of her control. I loved how the sisters came together to support each other as the story unfolded.
The world building was absolutely fantastic. I loved the regency society juxtaposed with magic, and the mysteries of the Mist. I loved the different demon and horror elements that were incorporated more and more as the book continued. There was a lot of twisted imagery as the book continued.
I honestly will be thinking about this book for a long time. I was absolutely enchanted reading this and I cannot wait for the next one (about Farrin and Ryder perhaps?).
May 9, 2023
DNF at 55%
October 7, 2023
3.5/5 rounded up
I believe that A Crown of Ivy and Glass is Claire Legrand's adult debut, but it definitely felt like I was reading a young adult fantasy novel instead. There is nothing wrong with this at all, but just want to be clear on what you can expect should you choose to read this trilogy. I don't read a lot of fantasy, but I really enjoyed the world-building and this fascinating concept that the author came up with. There is some information dumping but that didn't really bother me, and I was more than happy to fully immerse myself in the story and its characters. The pacing is definitely on the slower side and by the end it felt more like 700 pages instead of the 550 pages it was. I do wish the pacing had been a little quicker, but I think if you go in expecting a slow burn you will enjoy it more.
I did listen to the audiobook which helped me a bit with the pacing, and it didn't hurt that Evelyn Rose was such a great narrator. I thought she did a beautiful job as the voice of Lady Gemma Ashbourne, and she was able to infuse the emotion of the story into her narration perfectly. There is a map on the inside of the covers, but I didn't look at it once and I'm not sure how helpful it actually was. The romance between Gemma and Talan moves a little too fast for my liking since this is the first of a trilogy, but they definitely bring the chemistry and heat. I think Legrand is a very talented writer, and I hope in the next 2 books that she will talk about the monsters in the storyline even more because they were the part that I liked the best. She also brought it when it comes to rep for anxiety, panic attacks, and mental illness. Overall, I really enjoyed A Crown of Ivy and Glass and I can't wait to see where the rest of the trilogy goes!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I believe that A Crown of Ivy and Glass is Claire Legrand's adult debut, but it definitely felt like I was reading a young adult fantasy novel instead. There is nothing wrong with this at all, but just want to be clear on what you can expect should you choose to read this trilogy. I don't read a lot of fantasy, but I really enjoyed the world-building and this fascinating concept that the author came up with. There is some information dumping but that didn't really bother me, and I was more than happy to fully immerse myself in the story and its characters. The pacing is definitely on the slower side and by the end it felt more like 700 pages instead of the 550 pages it was. I do wish the pacing had been a little quicker, but I think if you go in expecting a slow burn you will enjoy it more.
I did listen to the audiobook which helped me a bit with the pacing, and it didn't hurt that Evelyn Rose was such a great narrator. I thought she did a beautiful job as the voice of Lady Gemma Ashbourne, and she was able to infuse the emotion of the story into her narration perfectly. There is a map on the inside of the covers, but I didn't look at it once and I'm not sure how helpful it actually was. The romance between Gemma and Talan moves a little too fast for my liking since this is the first of a trilogy, but they definitely bring the chemistry and heat. I think Legrand is a very talented writer, and I hope in the next 2 books that she will talk about the monsters in the storyline even more because they were the part that I liked the best. She also brought it when it comes to rep for anxiety, panic attacks, and mental illness. Overall, I really enjoyed A Crown of Ivy and Glass and I can't wait to see where the rest of the trilogy goes!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
December 17, 2022
This story is a high fantasy about a selfish anxiety riddled young adult woman. I absolutely loved it.
This story is adult. It deals with very adult topics like self-harm, suicide ideation, grief, and just generally wondering what you're supposed to do in the world and if you're meant to be here. The main character isn't roses and sunshine- she's selfish and flawed and entitled, and she's the protagonist we all need in our lives. Everyone will be able to see themselves in Gemma, as we all see our flaws and ruminate on them day in and day out, just as she does. We try to cover them and make the world think we are doing fine, just as she does. We all feel like we aren't worthy at our core, just as she does.
The world building, character development, and overarching plot of this story make it one of my top 5 for the year out of over 100 books. This book was like a Juniper & Thorn crossed with Annihilation, then throw in a good amount of romance, family curses, and high society politics. I'm not going to sum up the plot, I think it's better left a mystery with all the twists and turns. Just know that if you like ACOTAR, dark fantasy, romance, mystery, and twists, you'll enjoy this. I loved it, and I hope that you will too.
This story is adult. It deals with very adult topics like self-harm, suicide ideation, grief, and just generally wondering what you're supposed to do in the world and if you're meant to be here. The main character isn't roses and sunshine- she's selfish and flawed and entitled, and she's the protagonist we all need in our lives. Everyone will be able to see themselves in Gemma, as we all see our flaws and ruminate on them day in and day out, just as she does. We try to cover them and make the world think we are doing fine, just as she does. We all feel like we aren't worthy at our core, just as she does.
The world building, character development, and overarching plot of this story make it one of my top 5 for the year out of over 100 books. This book was like a Juniper & Thorn crossed with Annihilation, then throw in a good amount of romance, family curses, and high society politics. I'm not going to sum up the plot, I think it's better left a mystery with all the twists and turns. Just know that if you like ACOTAR, dark fantasy, romance, mystery, and twists, you'll enjoy this. I loved it, and I hope that you will too.
![Profile Image for julia ☆ [owls reads].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1636739475i%2F5520447._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
April 27, 2023
A Crown of Ivy and Glass really wasn't the Fantasy book for me. My main problem with it was the writing style and how it fit more with a YA novel than an Adult one. It was very difficult to suspend my disbelief in regard to Gemma as a main character and narrator when she sounded like a young teenager most of the time.
The world-building was a interesting, even more so when it came to people's individual magic, but some of the infodumps throughout put me off it. This also took a turn in the second half that made me understand the ACOTAR comparison and I don't think it was that well developed.
Which leads me to another point: this book was over 500 pages and the pace was so odd? Some elements, like the romance, were so rushed. Others dragged on and on and went nowhere. And then there were some points that could have been addressed and more well developed throughout that didn't come up until it was convenient for them to do so.
I'm disappointed. I had high expectations for this one and, sadly, the book didn't meet them. The ending did bring up some intriguing questions on Gemma and her family, though, but I won't be continuing the series to figure out those answers.
*
eARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
The world-building was a interesting, even more so when it came to people's individual magic, but some of the infodumps throughout put me off it. This also took a turn in the second half that made me understand the ACOTAR comparison and I don't think it was that well developed.
Which leads me to another point: this book was over 500 pages and the pace was so odd? Some elements, like the romance, were so rushed. Others dragged on and on and went nowhere. And then there were some points that could have been addressed and more well developed throughout that didn't come up until it was convenient for them to do so.
I'm disappointed. I had high expectations for this one and, sadly, the book didn't meet them. The ending did bring up some intriguing questions on Gemma and her family, though, but I won't be continuing the series to figure out those answers.
*
eARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
June 20, 2025
This book is so bad.
Going in I heard that it wasn't good, had seen passages that weren't the best but I truly had no idea the depth of shit I was getting myself into.
If anyone was going to enjoy the sort of vapid daughter of the wealthiest family in the realm finding romance in a fantasy land I would 100% expect that person to be me. But oh my god did I hate Gemma. Not only was she vapid, but the story never knew how to handle that aspect of her character.
Here we are following her as she and this mystery man run into one another and ultimately decide to work together. For Gemma she is trying to kill this demon and end the blood feud and Talan is allegedly trying to restore the sullied name of his family. Along the way the narrative takes every opportunity to skip down alleyways and twists that no one could possibly enjoy. There are enslaved zombies, potential fae, and a mist that may or not be alive... Many a ball and soem of the worst written smut imaginable.
I believe there was supposed to be chronic pain rep, because while magic exists in this world Gemma is seemingly allergic. So much so that the suicidal ideation warned in the content warning is because she longs to not be alive bc just the magic in the air could kill her in her sleep so why not have it all be over. Not that this allergy stops Talan from using magic on her in just about every scene they share in the novel.
While the story does sort of make sense in the end, at least insofar as all the of the detours do serve a purpose, it doesn't make you feel any better fro having suffered the journey of them. If anything I was more annoyed that at the end of it all what you guessed would happen from the first page is sort of what happens and all of the twists and turns only served to make you think that it could be any other conclusion. This was so unenjoyable I am once again at a loss of who could possibly want to read this, who the intended audience was when it was being written outside of Claire Legrand themself. This book is so horrid that absolutely no one should waste their time with it. Doing anything else with your life would be a better use of your time and spending anytime at all with this text will be time you wished you could get back.
Going in I heard that it wasn't good, had seen passages that weren't the best but I truly had no idea the depth of shit I was getting myself into.
If anyone was going to enjoy the sort of vapid daughter of the wealthiest family in the realm finding romance in a fantasy land I would 100% expect that person to be me. But oh my god did I hate Gemma. Not only was she vapid, but the story never knew how to handle that aspect of her character.
Here we are following her as she and this mystery man run into one another and ultimately decide to work together. For Gemma she is trying to kill this demon and end the blood feud and Talan is allegedly trying to restore the sullied name of his family. Along the way the narrative takes every opportunity to skip down alleyways and twists that no one could possibly enjoy. There are enslaved zombies, potential fae, and a mist that may or not be alive... Many a ball and soem of the worst written smut imaginable.
I believe there was supposed to be chronic pain rep, because while magic exists in this world Gemma is seemingly allergic. So much so that the suicidal ideation warned in the content warning is because she longs to not be alive bc just the magic in the air could kill her in her sleep so why not have it all be over. Not that this allergy stops Talan from using magic on her in just about every scene they share in the novel.
While the story does sort of make sense in the end, at least insofar as all the of the detours do serve a purpose, it doesn't make you feel any better fro having suffered the journey of them. If anything I was more annoyed that at the end of it all what you guessed would happen from the first page is sort of what happens and all of the twists and turns only served to make you think that it could be any other conclusion. This was so unenjoyable I am once again at a loss of who could possibly want to read this, who the intended audience was when it was being written outside of Claire Legrand themself. This book is so horrid that absolutely no one should waste their time with it. Doing anything else with your life would be a better use of your time and spending anytime at all with this text will be time you wished you could get back.
August 18, 2023
DNFing around 56% I just cant do it anymore. :(
February 28, 2023
This book could single-handedly deter people from the fantasy genre entirely. I got so bored I started just reading the first and last line of each page and did not even miss a beat because there is literally nothing to miss in the story. The characters? Straight to jail. Storytelling? All over the place.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an arc.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an arc.
February 25, 2024
Reading this book a second time was a must. I loved it just as much reading it again. And I am now even more ready to read book two right away. It is going to be amazing. This book is all kinds of special to me. It is Claire Legrand. Whom I have loved for years and years now. And I still love every one of her books.
Which is the very best to me. I do not think she will ever write a book that I will not love. The writing in this one is stunning, as it is with all of her books. I loved that this was her first adult story. Yet it feels like all her other books, which I love. The main girl is twenty years old, and I loved that as well. Gemma was the best.
I am not going to write such a long review this time. At least I do not think so. It is hard to find all of the right words after a re-read. Since I have already shared all the ways I loved this story, haha. But I am still going to share my thoughts again. But less of them this time. Probably. There is just so much that I loved about this book. And many details I had forgotten about, despite it not yet being a year since I first read this book. How rude. Which makes me even more happy that I decided to read it again before starting my ARC of book two. This first book is the story of Gemma. The second book is the story of her eldest sister, Farrin. The third book is the story of the middle sister, Mara. And I'm beyond excited for their stories as well. All three of them are amazing.
But this one was all about Gemma. Though all three of them are a big part of this story, which I loved. I think they will all have a bigger role to play later on. And I am very excited about it. I think this trilogy will end up being every kind of epic. Which this first book already was, of course. We get to know Gemma a whole lot in this book. She can be hard to love. As she keeps most of herself hidden away, only showing people her beauty and letting them love that. But inside she is fully broken and fully beautiful. Loved her.
Gemma spends all her days in pain. She comes from a family filled with magical gifts. And she has none. All she has is the pain in her body, the panic in her mind. And no magic of her own. Instead magic hurts her. She can't stand to be near magic. But she must, because her family has magic inside them and their house has parts of magic as well. And so she is constantly in pain. She is distracting herself with hosting balls and spending time with men for pleasure. She is trying to ignore her pain and pretend to be happy.
And oh, how badly I loved this girl. Sure, she could be a little rude at times. And mostly just caring about herself. But she changed. And she does care about others, she is just a little bad about showing it. I loved how she opened up to those around her, after a while. I loved how she got stronger, both body and mind. Even though she is still broken at the end of the book, she is also still stronger. And I loved that about her. Gemma was truly precious to me. I can very much relate to all her pain, as I have it too, all the time. Ugh.
But this book is about Gemma and Talan. He shows up early in this story. And oh, how badly I loved this precious and sad and hurt man. They did fall for each other pretty fast. But they also waited weeks before they actually acted on their feelings. And I shipped them from the very first moment. They were the actual best together. So cute. Both so broken and sad. But perfect together. Healing each other. Of course, they also hurt each other a little in this book. But I did not mind too much, as it wasn't awful, or bad drama, ha.
There is just so much to say about this story. I am trying not to say too much, but I have already written way too many things. Ha. The story is about Gemma and Talan. About a demon making her family and the Basks family hurt each other. About her trying to find this demon to make it all stop. Which does not go as planned at all. There is truly so much happening. And I'm not going to share it, as I do not want to spoil. But there are scenes in the mountains, with the Vilia. Those scenes were pretty great. I loved them.
And of course, the romance between Gemma and Talan. They were a little slow to get started, despite them both very obviously wanting the other right away. But when they finally do get together. Sigh. It was perfection. I loved them so much. I loved the smut, which Claire writes so well. I loved how romantic they were with each other. How much they cared. How Gemma tried her best to save Talan. Those scenes at the end of the book. Sigh. It was all kinds of exciting and evil and so good. I also loved the ending of this.
This book was also filled with other great characters. Like Ryder and his sister Alastrina. Very excited for more of them in book two. They are sort of the villains to Gemma and her family in this book, ha. But they get better. And I liked them a whole lot, and their different ways of being. I also loved Gareth, Farrin's best friend. He was so adorable. And Illaria, Gemma's best friend. She was the best. Oh. And also. Gemma's father. He was the worst person alive, to be honest. I disliked him the very most. Hmph. Hope he dies, ha.
I would say that the biggest plot of this series would be the hidden villain. We know his name. We know what he does. But we still have not actually seen him. And I am excited for him to be a bigger part of the next books. Well, mainly excited about them ending up killing him, which I am positive will happen, haha. I'm also very curious to know more about the queen of this world. She is full of magic and was chosen by the gods before they died. I loved the parts we got to see of her in this first book. She seemed awesome.
There is so much I want to say about this book. But I'm trying not to share too much, ha. I might already be failing at that. Oops. But one of my favorite parts of this book was getting to know why Gemma has no magic. Why she is in constant pain. Why magic keeps hurting her. And it was such an excellent reason. It was so painful and rude and heartbreaking and I just loved it to pieces. Love all the broken and sad parts. This story was so evil. What I loved most was that there were no easy cure for her, at least not yet. It hurt.
A Crown of Ivy and Glass is such a precious book. It is full of hurts and pain. But it's also full of hope and love and romance and the best sisters. It has the best written smut. It's a little silly at times. And I loved it with all of my heart. The story of Gemma and Talan was every kind of precious to me. Getting to know of these three sisters, Gemma and Farrin and Mara, was the very best. I love them so much. And this world created was also incredible. And I can't wait to know more about it. This is a book that you must read too.
---
I first read this book from April 1st to 5th 2023. See my review here: https://carinabooks.blogspot.com/2023...
I read this book for the second time from February 20th to 25th. See my review here: https://carinabooks.blogspot.com/2024...
Which is the very best to me. I do not think she will ever write a book that I will not love. The writing in this one is stunning, as it is with all of her books. I loved that this was her first adult story. Yet it feels like all her other books, which I love. The main girl is twenty years old, and I loved that as well. Gemma was the best.
I am not going to write such a long review this time. At least I do not think so. It is hard to find all of the right words after a re-read. Since I have already shared all the ways I loved this story, haha. But I am still going to share my thoughts again. But less of them this time. Probably. There is just so much that I loved about this book. And many details I had forgotten about, despite it not yet being a year since I first read this book. How rude. Which makes me even more happy that I decided to read it again before starting my ARC of book two. This first book is the story of Gemma. The second book is the story of her eldest sister, Farrin. The third book is the story of the middle sister, Mara. And I'm beyond excited for their stories as well. All three of them are amazing.
But this one was all about Gemma. Though all three of them are a big part of this story, which I loved. I think they will all have a bigger role to play later on. And I am very excited about it. I think this trilogy will end up being every kind of epic. Which this first book already was, of course. We get to know Gemma a whole lot in this book. She can be hard to love. As she keeps most of herself hidden away, only showing people her beauty and letting them love that. But inside she is fully broken and fully beautiful. Loved her.
Gemma spends all her days in pain. She comes from a family filled with magical gifts. And she has none. All she has is the pain in her body, the panic in her mind. And no magic of her own. Instead magic hurts her. She can't stand to be near magic. But she must, because her family has magic inside them and their house has parts of magic as well. And so she is constantly in pain. She is distracting herself with hosting balls and spending time with men for pleasure. She is trying to ignore her pain and pretend to be happy.
And oh, how badly I loved this girl. Sure, she could be a little rude at times. And mostly just caring about herself. But she changed. And she does care about others, she is just a little bad about showing it. I loved how she opened up to those around her, after a while. I loved how she got stronger, both body and mind. Even though she is still broken at the end of the book, she is also still stronger. And I loved that about her. Gemma was truly precious to me. I can very much relate to all her pain, as I have it too, all the time. Ugh.
But this book is about Gemma and Talan. He shows up early in this story. And oh, how badly I loved this precious and sad and hurt man. They did fall for each other pretty fast. But they also waited weeks before they actually acted on their feelings. And I shipped them from the very first moment. They were the actual best together. So cute. Both so broken and sad. But perfect together. Healing each other. Of course, they also hurt each other a little in this book. But I did not mind too much, as it wasn't awful, or bad drama, ha.
There is just so much to say about this story. I am trying not to say too much, but I have already written way too many things. Ha. The story is about Gemma and Talan. About a demon making her family and the Basks family hurt each other. About her trying to find this demon to make it all stop. Which does not go as planned at all. There is truly so much happening. And I'm not going to share it, as I do not want to spoil. But there are scenes in the mountains, with the Vilia. Those scenes were pretty great. I loved them.
And of course, the romance between Gemma and Talan. They were a little slow to get started, despite them both very obviously wanting the other right away. But when they finally do get together. Sigh. It was perfection. I loved them so much. I loved the smut, which Claire writes so well. I loved how romantic they were with each other. How much they cared. How Gemma tried her best to save Talan. Those scenes at the end of the book. Sigh. It was all kinds of exciting and evil and so good. I also loved the ending of this.
This book was also filled with other great characters. Like Ryder and his sister Alastrina. Very excited for more of them in book two. They are sort of the villains to Gemma and her family in this book, ha. But they get better. And I liked them a whole lot, and their different ways of being. I also loved Gareth, Farrin's best friend. He was so adorable. And Illaria, Gemma's best friend. She was the best. Oh. And also. Gemma's father. He was the worst person alive, to be honest. I disliked him the very most. Hmph. Hope he dies, ha.
I would say that the biggest plot of this series would be the hidden villain. We know his name. We know what he does. But we still have not actually seen him. And I am excited for him to be a bigger part of the next books. Well, mainly excited about them ending up killing him, which I am positive will happen, haha. I'm also very curious to know more about the queen of this world. She is full of magic and was chosen by the gods before they died. I loved the parts we got to see of her in this first book. She seemed awesome.
There is so much I want to say about this book. But I'm trying not to share too much, ha. I might already be failing at that. Oops. But one of my favorite parts of this book was getting to know why Gemma has no magic. Why she is in constant pain. Why magic keeps hurting her. And it was such an excellent reason. It was so painful and rude and heartbreaking and I just loved it to pieces. Love all the broken and sad parts. This story was so evil. What I loved most was that there were no easy cure for her, at least not yet. It hurt.
A Crown of Ivy and Glass is such a precious book. It is full of hurts and pain. But it's also full of hope and love and romance and the best sisters. It has the best written smut. It's a little silly at times. And I loved it with all of my heart. The story of Gemma and Talan was every kind of precious to me. Getting to know of these three sisters, Gemma and Farrin and Mara, was the very best. I love them so much. And this world created was also incredible. And I can't wait to know more about it. This is a book that you must read too.
---
I first read this book from April 1st to 5th 2023. See my review here: https://carinabooks.blogspot.com/2023...
I read this book for the second time from February 20th to 25th. See my review here: https://carinabooks.blogspot.com/2024...
June 23, 2023
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.
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.
Read
January 26, 2023DNF @ 10%
The writing is incredibly juvenile given that it's supposed to be adult fantasy romance. It reads like young YA, and nothing loses me faster than mediocre writing. It's a shame, because Claire Legrand writes pretty dark and interesting YA, but that talent isn't serving her in this arena.
The writing is incredibly juvenile given that it's supposed to be adult fantasy romance. It reads like young YA, and nothing loses me faster than mediocre writing. It's a shame, because Claire Legrand writes pretty dark and interesting YA, but that talent isn't serving her in this arena.
May 21, 2023
This book started off so strong. Immediately, I was drawn into the story of a noble family, in a world of magic, whose youngest daughter has no power of her own. A little more than halfway through the story seemed to lose quite a bit of momentum. The end was worth that little lull, and I'm interested in seeing what will befall the sisters in the next book.
dnfs
June 3, 2023DNFing at 50%
I have read enough to know that this book is just NOT for me.
The self harm, drawn our story, and overly confusing turns of events are hurting my brain.
I just can't connect to this heroine and I'm past the point of caring. This may work for many but I'm too uninterested to continue pushing.
Time to bow out.
I have read enough to know that this book is just NOT for me.
The self harm, drawn our story, and overly confusing turns of events are hurting my brain.
I just can't connect to this heroine and I'm past the point of caring. This may work for many but I'm too uninterested to continue pushing.
Time to bow out.
July 5, 2023
Gemma Ashbourne is the youngest member of a powerful family, but magic causes her pain and so she could never be a perfect daughter – but that makes her try even harder. With all that pain, desperation and low self-esteem she tries to hide, she developed more fears and has panick attacks. I liked that mental health issues are addressed in a fantasy novel and I could feel how it affects every aspect of Gemmas life, but it did not make me like her, the other characters – her love-interest is annoyingly perfect – or the plot of the book. Gemma lives in her bubble of self-pity and does not care for anything that does not affect her, so the fantastic world of demons, curses and family drama is pretty shallow.
GERMAN REVIEW
Gemma Ashbourne stammt aus einer der einflussreichsten Familien mit der stärksten Magie, doch sie selbst hat nicht nur keine magischen Kräfte, allein die Nähe zu Magie kann bei ihr starke Schmerzen auslösen.
Ihre fehlenden Fähigkeiten sorgen schon für Probleme in der Familie, denn ihre Schwester Mara musste ihren Platz als Wächterin übernehmen und daher fern von der Familie den Middlemist beschützen, und auch ihre Panikattacken machen Gemma das Leben schwer. Sie hat viele Ängste und Komplexe, weil sie das Gefühl hat, nie gut genug zu sein und eine Außenseiterin in ihrer eigenen Familie ist, und kompensiert das mit zahlreichen Partys und einer Obsession nach Schönheit aus – und sucht so woanders nach Bestätigung. Mit ihrer oberflächlichen Fassade, um sich selbst zu schützen, und ihrem Drang, immer allen zu gefallen, fand ich Gemma insgesamt ziemlich anstrengend und hatte eher Mitleid mit ihr.
Ihre neuste Mission ist es, einen Dämon zu finden, der ihre Familie verflucht hat, da sie hofft, dadurch ihren Vater stolz zu machen. Dabei hilft ihr Talan, in den sie sich beinahe auf den ersten Blick verliebt und dem sie einen großen Teil ihrer Ängste anvertraut. Da konnte ich Gemma auch nicht so richtig ernst nehmen, weil sie sich selbst als weltoffen sieht, aber auch ziemlich naiv ist, sich gedanklich entweder selbst bemitleidet oder Talan anschmachtet. Talan selbst ist schon fast zu perfekt um wahr zu sein, er bezaubert Gemma mit seinem außerordentlich guten Aussehen und seinem Charme, dazu unterstützt er Gemma in all ihren Plänen und ist ihr persönlicher Confidence-Booster. In Gemmas Augen ist er so vollkommen, dass er mir schon bald auf die Nerven ging.
Die Handlung klingt eigentlich ganz interessant, aber ich fand sie auch sehr chaotisch. Da ist natürlich der Dämon, der die Ashbournes verflucht hat, sodass sie sich mit Familie Bask bekriegen müssen, die aber den größten Teil des Buches nur eine Bedrohung im Hintergrund darstellen, sodass man kaum fühlen kann, warum man sie fürchten sollte. Man versteht auch kaum, warum die Ashbournes eigentlich so einflussreich sind, was Mara als Wächterin des Middlemist tut und auch generell erfährt man nur wenig über die Welt, weil Gemma in ihrer eigenen kleinen Blase lebt und nichts über ihre eigenen Probleme hinaus wahrnimmt.
Gleichzeitig habe ich aber auch irgendwie ein schlechtes Gewissen, wenn ich so hart über sie urteile, da sie offensichtlich psychische Probleme hat und daher noch weniger Kontrolle über ihre Gefühle als ein durchschnittlicher Mensch. Und natürlich hilft es in ihrer Situation auch nicht, alles zu unterdrücken und die perfekte Lady vorzuspielen, wenn sie sich selbst überhaupt nicht so sieht. Ich find es generell schön, wenn auch solche Themen in Fantasy-Romanen verarbeitet werden, aber das hat die Charaktere nicht unbedingt sympathischer gemacht und auch die restliche Handlung mit Dämonen, Familiendrama, Fehden und Geheimnissen konnte mich nicht überzeugen.
GERMAN REVIEW
Gemma Ashbourne stammt aus einer der einflussreichsten Familien mit der stärksten Magie, doch sie selbst hat nicht nur keine magischen Kräfte, allein die Nähe zu Magie kann bei ihr starke Schmerzen auslösen.
Ihre fehlenden Fähigkeiten sorgen schon für Probleme in der Familie, denn ihre Schwester Mara musste ihren Platz als Wächterin übernehmen und daher fern von der Familie den Middlemist beschützen, und auch ihre Panikattacken machen Gemma das Leben schwer. Sie hat viele Ängste und Komplexe, weil sie das Gefühl hat, nie gut genug zu sein und eine Außenseiterin in ihrer eigenen Familie ist, und kompensiert das mit zahlreichen Partys und einer Obsession nach Schönheit aus – und sucht so woanders nach Bestätigung. Mit ihrer oberflächlichen Fassade, um sich selbst zu schützen, und ihrem Drang, immer allen zu gefallen, fand ich Gemma insgesamt ziemlich anstrengend und hatte eher Mitleid mit ihr.
Ihre neuste Mission ist es, einen Dämon zu finden, der ihre Familie verflucht hat, da sie hofft, dadurch ihren Vater stolz zu machen. Dabei hilft ihr Talan, in den sie sich beinahe auf den ersten Blick verliebt und dem sie einen großen Teil ihrer Ängste anvertraut. Da konnte ich Gemma auch nicht so richtig ernst nehmen, weil sie sich selbst als weltoffen sieht, aber auch ziemlich naiv ist, sich gedanklich entweder selbst bemitleidet oder Talan anschmachtet. Talan selbst ist schon fast zu perfekt um wahr zu sein, er bezaubert Gemma mit seinem außerordentlich guten Aussehen und seinem Charme, dazu unterstützt er Gemma in all ihren Plänen und ist ihr persönlicher Confidence-Booster. In Gemmas Augen ist er so vollkommen, dass er mir schon bald auf die Nerven ging.
Die Handlung klingt eigentlich ganz interessant, aber ich fand sie auch sehr chaotisch. Da ist natürlich der Dämon, der die Ashbournes verflucht hat, sodass sie sich mit Familie Bask bekriegen müssen, die aber den größten Teil des Buches nur eine Bedrohung im Hintergrund darstellen, sodass man kaum fühlen kann, warum man sie fürchten sollte. Man versteht auch kaum, warum die Ashbournes eigentlich so einflussreich sind, was Mara als Wächterin des Middlemist tut und auch generell erfährt man nur wenig über die Welt, weil Gemma in ihrer eigenen kleinen Blase lebt und nichts über ihre eigenen Probleme hinaus wahrnimmt.
Gleichzeitig habe ich aber auch irgendwie ein schlechtes Gewissen, wenn ich so hart über sie urteile, da sie offensichtlich psychische Probleme hat und daher noch weniger Kontrolle über ihre Gefühle als ein durchschnittlicher Mensch. Und natürlich hilft es in ihrer Situation auch nicht, alles zu unterdrücken und die perfekte Lady vorzuspielen, wenn sie sich selbst überhaupt nicht so sieht. Ich find es generell schön, wenn auch solche Themen in Fantasy-Romanen verarbeitet werden, aber das hat die Charaktere nicht unbedingt sympathischer gemacht und auch die restliche Handlung mit Dämonen, Familiendrama, Fehden und Geheimnissen konnte mich nicht überzeugen.
July 19, 2023
Honestly, A Crown of Ivy and Glass did not particularly stand out to me in the genre - it felt like a mashup of several generic tropes, with the archetypal main characters.
Also, this sort of felt like two separate narratives that didn't gel together as well as they should have.
Also, this sort of felt like two separate narratives that didn't gel together as well as they should have.
March 22, 2024
Still amazing will take no criticisms
September 26, 2025
Reseña completa: https://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/20...
Gemma lo tiene todo: juventud, riqueza, belleza, y forma parte de una familia bendecida con habilidades increíbles, sin embargo es infeliz desde que su hermana Mara fue llevada hasta la Niebla Media y su madre los abandonó; su hermana mayor y su padre, enfrascados en una rivalidad mortal con la familia Bask, tampoco la hacen caso. Además, ella es la única sin magia, pues su cuerpo la rechaza como veneno. Así, encuentra el afecto necesitado en el atractivo Talan, único superviviente de la maldición de su familia, y con el que llega a un acuerdo: ayudarlo a integrarse en la sociedad si él le ayuda a destruir a los Bask; según la leyenda, el origen de la disputa se remonta a un demonio, y si lo mataran, la rivalidad terminaría. Ahora bien, los ataques en la Niebla Media empeoran, así como el conflicto con la otra familia; algo terrorífico despierta en el interior de Gemma...
Ay, con las expectativas que tenía con esta historia, me da pena que no haya llegado a ser tanto como podía haber sido. Siento que comienza con mucha fuerza, pero tal vez por la forma en que está narrado o por la propia trama, me ha resultado algo desordenada, confusa, sin llegar a profundizar pero enredando todo sobremanera con diferentes subtramas.
Gemma lo tiene todo: juventud, riqueza, belleza, y forma parte de una familia bendecida con habilidades increíbles, sin embargo es infeliz desde que su hermana Mara fue llevada hasta la Niebla Media y su madre los abandonó; su hermana mayor y su padre, enfrascados en una rivalidad mortal con la familia Bask, tampoco la hacen caso. Además, ella es la única sin magia, pues su cuerpo la rechaza como veneno. Así, encuentra el afecto necesitado en el atractivo Talan, único superviviente de la maldición de su familia, y con el que llega a un acuerdo: ayudarlo a integrarse en la sociedad si él le ayuda a destruir a los Bask; según la leyenda, el origen de la disputa se remonta a un demonio, y si lo mataran, la rivalidad terminaría. Ahora bien, los ataques en la Niebla Media empeoran, así como el conflicto con la otra familia; algo terrorífico despierta en el interior de Gemma...
Ay, con las expectativas que tenía con esta historia, me da pena que no haya llegado a ser tanto como podía haber sido. Siento que comienza con mucha fuerza, pero tal vez por la forma en que está narrado o por la propia trama, me ha resultado algo desordenada, confusa, sin llegar a profundizar pero enredando todo sobremanera con diferentes subtramas.
January 13, 2024
4.5 stars
I'm in love with everything written by Claire Legrand. Empirium Trilogy is one of my all-the-time-favorite epic fantasy book series and now The Middlemist Trilogy is a brand new Adult Fantasy series by this fantastic author that has a bold classical concept and I enjoyed reading it.
Imagine if one of Jane Austen's books (in my opinion Emma) and ACOTAR have a baby! Yeah, the baby is called A Crown of Ivy and Glass.
I really enjoyed all that classical atmosphere and everything about classic styles, dance parties and gossips. And about the fantasy parts, well... I really liked the world building and every detail about Gods and Goddesses, creatures and magic.
There was an important point about the main character that I really liked. I mean that chronic pain part and panic attacks that Gemma went through. Gemma was an interesting character. She wasn't the most beautiful, the most intelligence and strongest like 90% percents of heroens! She could be selfish and rude, she could be jealous and wicked. And she could be kind, loveable and cute as well! I liked her grayish character.
The romance part was perfect. I appreciate the chemistry between Jemma and Talan, especially at the end of the book with every actions they did for their love.
There was some side characters that I liked. Let's start with Jemma's sisters.
Farrin was my favorite and I'm so happy that the second book will narrate from her POV. (And off course I ship her with Ryder. I'm ready for them)
Mara was a complicated character. Can't wait for book 3 to know much more about her and her powers.
Illaria, Gareth and Phaidra were very good friends to Jemma. And about the Basks! I need to read about them as a whole book. Look... Ryder is very attractive and Alastrina, she is like a badass queen who wants the whole world kneel before her (Yes My Queen!)
I really don't understand about the ratings that this book is getting. It wasn't bad at all. It deserves more. What is wrong with you guys? I respect all opinions but I know that this book is much more better than so many other books that have better ratings in Goodreads but they're not better than this book themselves! So please don't let the Goodreads rating deceive you and add this book in your TBR. Hope you enjoy reading it too!
I'm in love with everything written by Claire Legrand. Empirium Trilogy is one of my all-the-time-favorite epic fantasy book series and now The Middlemist Trilogy is a brand new Adult Fantasy series by this fantastic author that has a bold classical concept and I enjoyed reading it.
Imagine if one of Jane Austen's books (in my opinion Emma) and ACOTAR have a baby! Yeah, the baby is called A Crown of Ivy and Glass.
I really enjoyed all that classical atmosphere and everything about classic styles, dance parties and gossips. And about the fantasy parts, well... I really liked the world building and every detail about Gods and Goddesses, creatures and magic.
There was an important point about the main character that I really liked. I mean that chronic pain part and panic attacks that Gemma went through. Gemma was an interesting character. She wasn't the most beautiful, the most intelligence and strongest like 90% percents of heroens! She could be selfish and rude, she could be jealous and wicked. And she could be kind, loveable and cute as well! I liked her grayish character.
The romance part was perfect. I appreciate the chemistry between Jemma and Talan, especially at the end of the book with every actions they did for their love.
There was some side characters that I liked. Let's start with Jemma's sisters.
Farrin was my favorite and I'm so happy that the second book will narrate from her POV. (And off course I ship her with Ryder. I'm ready for them)
Mara was a complicated character. Can't wait for book 3 to know much more about her and her powers.
Illaria, Gareth and Phaidra were very good friends to Jemma. And about the Basks! I need to read about them as a whole book. Look... Ryder is very attractive and Alastrina, she is like a badass queen who wants the whole world kneel before her (Yes My Queen!)
I really don't understand about the ratings that this book is getting. It wasn't bad at all. It deserves more. What is wrong with you guys? I respect all opinions but I know that this book is much more better than so many other books that have better ratings in Goodreads but they're not better than this book themselves! So please don't let the Goodreads rating deceive you and add this book in your TBR. Hope you enjoy reading it too!
May 4, 2023
This is the first book by this author for me. I have seen many of her books everywhere and was very curious about her writing style.
Since this is my first book by her, I have no comparison to her other books.
I admit, after reading the book (and listening to the audiobook!), I read some reviews and saw that many fans of her books are disappointed with this first book in her new series.
My neutral opinion, since I don't know her yet, is that I really enjoyed this book 😁
I mean, the book got me out of the reading slump.
That means a great something, right?
Did I like everything about the writing style? No, definitely not. Was the story interesting and exciting? Yes, definitely.
Was the story a bit chaotic and muddled? 100%, but it was still incredibly fascinating, engaging, and exciting.
The topic was very fascinating.
It's a mix of ACOTAR, TOG, and an action-packed fantasy version of Bridgerton.
Only we're talking about all kind of magic and mythical creatures version of them here 😉
The only problem is that the author tried to pack as much action into this book as possible, completely overloading the book.
As a result, the story is sometimes difficult to understand or follow the narration. Because many descriptions are missing or it is simply unclear what the author meant writing some things.
I think the series has a very good chance of being very good, if the story were written a little more structured.
Nonetheless, I read this book with great joy and excitement and will definitely read the other 2 books in the series. Hopefully, they'll be a bit shorter than the 560 pages here 😬
Since this is my first book by her, I have no comparison to her other books.
I admit, after reading the book (and listening to the audiobook!), I read some reviews and saw that many fans of her books are disappointed with this first book in her new series.
My neutral opinion, since I don't know her yet, is that I really enjoyed this book 😁
I mean, the book got me out of the reading slump.
That means a great something, right?
Did I like everything about the writing style? No, definitely not. Was the story interesting and exciting? Yes, definitely.
Was the story a bit chaotic and muddled? 100%, but it was still incredibly fascinating, engaging, and exciting.
The topic was very fascinating.
It's a mix of ACOTAR, TOG, and an action-packed fantasy version of Bridgerton.
Only we're talking about all kind of magic and mythical creatures version of them here 😉
The only problem is that the author tried to pack as much action into this book as possible, completely overloading the book.
As a result, the story is sometimes difficult to understand or follow the narration. Because many descriptions are missing or it is simply unclear what the author meant writing some things.
I think the series has a very good chance of being very good, if the story were written a little more structured.
Nonetheless, I read this book with great joy and excitement and will definitely read the other 2 books in the series. Hopefully, they'll be a bit shorter than the 560 pages here 😬
April 13, 2023
This is one of those books that I was excited to wake up and dive back into. Oh my goodness, I'm already dying for news about book two. I adored this one!!!
It really does feel like Bridgerton meets magic and demons, but with mental health and chronic illness rep. The writing felt so rich and well crafted, and I'm itching to unravel more of the mysteries of Middlemist. There were a few things I noticed, like how the first and second halves felt almost like separate books, and how the pacing got a little messy in the later, but I honestly didn't mind.
My biggest complaint is just that the romance felt a bit insta-lovey at first, but it does get better! Not my favorite kind of romance arc, but I definitely enjoyed it regardless. I've not been in the mood for spice recently, but this one had a light sprinkle throughout leading to one really hot part, and I found myself loving it actually. And the cast of characters was so good, I'm excited to be able to get to see (most of :') them again in the next one.
The next book will follow a different sister as the main character which I find SO exciting because we got some hints for the next romance and let's just say I'm already sold.
A new favorite, and I will definitely think of it when asked for romantasy recommendations now!!
It really does feel like Bridgerton meets magic and demons, but with mental health and chronic illness rep. The writing felt so rich and well crafted, and I'm itching to unravel more of the mysteries of Middlemist. There were a few things I noticed, like how the first and second halves felt almost like separate books, and how the pacing got a little messy in the later, but I honestly didn't mind.
My biggest complaint is just that the romance felt a bit insta-lovey at first, but it does get better! Not my favorite kind of romance arc, but I definitely enjoyed it regardless. I've not been in the mood for spice recently, but this one had a light sprinkle throughout leading to one really hot part, and I found myself loving it actually. And the cast of characters was so good, I'm excited to be able to get to see (most of :') them again in the next one.
The next book will follow a different sister as the main character which I find SO exciting because we got some hints for the next romance and let's just say I'm already sold.
A new favorite, and I will definitely think of it when asked for romantasy recommendations now!!
June 18, 2023
I was excited to get this from Netgalley. I have never seen a book with so many DNF early reviews. Yikes! First of all I have to agree with 99% of the other reviews that this is not an adult novel. This is YA. The writing is completely juvenile. The girl is supposed to be 20 but she might as well be 17. Yes there is sex but everything about this book is YA. The toxic relationship. I love you after one week. I can't trust you any more! A week later they are making out. I can't trust you any more. A week later they are having sex. The "we can't tell any of the adults what we are doing." I was very excited about this Adult debut fantasy but it is definitely not. The guy is supposedly her age and he says to her, "I've been alone for so long." (Dude you are 20!) I do think YA readers will like this but not me. I quit reading YA for a reason and this book had all of those reasons.
-"I could not save my own family. But maybe if we work together, I can save yours."
Edited to add. They must see the early reviews because this book was supposed to be published May 9th and now its been pushed back till June 13.
Pushed back again to June 27th.
-"I could not save my own family. But maybe if we work together, I can save yours."
Edited to add. They must see the early reviews because this book was supposed to be published May 9th and now its been pushed back till June 13.
Pushed back again to June 27th.
July 28, 2023
2023 reads: 164/350
Disclaimer: I received an arc from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating.
Gemma is from a wealthy and magical family. Though the rest of her family has magic, her body repels it. She meets Talan and decides to strike a deal with him: she’ll help him navigate high society if he helps her take down the Basks, a rival family. But everything quickly spirals out of control…
Something that caught me off-guard was the amount of sex in this book. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing, but I just wasn’t expecting this aspect.
As I have only read one other Claire Legrand book, and that book was a YA horror whereas this one is an adult fantasy, I had no idea what to expect going into this. However, I did end up enjoying this and I’m interested in reading more from this author!
Disclaimer: I received an arc from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating.
Gemma is from a wealthy and magical family. Though the rest of her family has magic, her body repels it. She meets Talan and decides to strike a deal with him: she’ll help him navigate high society if he helps her take down the Basks, a rival family. But everything quickly spirals out of control…
Something that caught me off-guard was the amount of sex in this book. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing, but I just wasn’t expecting this aspect.
As I have only read one other Claire Legrand book, and that book was a YA horror whereas this one is an adult fantasy, I had no idea what to expect going into this. However, I did end up enjoying this and I’m interested in reading more from this author!
May 28, 2023
I really, really wanted to like this book.
What I will say that I really loved Legrand's descriptions and narration. She conjured a lot of really unsettling horror elements and imagery, while also being able deliver on the other side of the spectrum with beautiful and stunning scenes, moments and descriptions.
This story had a great foundation. I liked all of the characters. I felt for Gemma and her experience with crippling anxiety and self harm - and I understand that there was no fleshed out "villain" in this story because her terror and anxiety was the biggest challenge she faced. I like that idea, and I felt that Legrand was capable of delivering this kind of story during the first half of the book, only to be disappointed in the direction she went with it.
It is there on surface level. To me, I can't help but feel like if she had dug deeper, fleshed out more of her world and characters instead of putting Gemma and Talan's rushed romance center stage, Legrand would have been capable of tying the threads of her story together in a way that would have been truly powerful, harrowing, and terrifying.
**Spoilers Below**
This would have been so much better if Talan had actually been evil, or, at the very least, if this had been an enemies-to-lovers story. I would have been okay with the rushed romance if it turned out to be that Talan was speed running it in order to get closer to her for his own gain or purposes. Instead, Legrand just teased that possibility, to then pull a 180 to which Talan was actually just a tall, dark, brooding trope of the misunderstood and tortured man under evil influence. The ending scenes were a glorified "noooooo baby this isn't you LOOK AT ME" and it just was NOT my cup of tea. Gemma and Talan did not work for me, and as much as I wanted to adore the idea of someone who eases their lover's pain with empathetic telepathy - because yeah, the people we love DO ease our pain at times - this was not done delicately enough for me to believe they had a strong bond. There was also a HUGE potential to play into the idea of love and comfort as an addiction, and how over-reliance on someone can ruin a connection between two people. How did the girl who has experienced pain from magic her entire life NOT become addicted to Talan, who can ease her pain with his mind? God, they could've loved each other but have been ruined by addiction, and this story would've been heartbreaking yet SO good. GAH, the missed potential angeRS ME.
Legrand, I love your initial ideas, and I desperately wanted this story about a woman with high-functioning anxiety who absolutely rules the complicated world of noble society to be true - but instead, Gemma was quite unremarkable in her socialite talents (with Talan being more well-spoken than her at social gatherings at times, with it supposed to be the other way around) and this story was just grief, grief, grief. WHICH I WAS FULLY HERE FOR - but we just dove right in man, and I don't think it was well balanced with other story elements. This made it hard to read, as Gemma was just ALWAYS in a state of needing reassurance (be it from someone else or herself, she just never fully pushed past that point. And after 500 pages, it was, unfortunately, a bit tiring).
The pacing was ALL over the place, I got whiplash several times, and most interactions between our main characters left me confused at best and annoyed at the glaring cheesiness of the half-hearted, slapped together romance at worst, and I had to skim near the end.
And, god, I wish this story had been from Mara's POV instead. As much I was fully HERE for a main character with chronic pain and mental illness, where she overcomes her selfish aspects and confronts the parts of herself she knows are ugly and mean and careless - I did not get that. There was no reconciliation. We ended our story with Gemma realizing her self worth...which I can't help but think was not supposed to be her character's destination. At least, we had to make a few pit stops before then. (This is what I mean about digging deeper. This story prompts fantastic questions - Why do we look away at others' suffering when we have the power to help? How do we be kind to ourselves when we've made a mistake that hurts others? How do we reconcile and ask for forgiveness for the things that ARE our fault, and for the things that are NOT our fault? How do we come to terms with the fact that the people closest to us have hurt us and left irrecoverable scars? How to we harbor that anger, resentment, and horror while not hurting others in the process? - ALL UNANSWERED.)
Nonetheless, I did appreciate this story, and I think if Legrand fleshed out her ideas more with this one, she could have really stunned with this narrative.
What I will say that I really loved Legrand's descriptions and narration. She conjured a lot of really unsettling horror elements and imagery, while also being able deliver on the other side of the spectrum with beautiful and stunning scenes, moments and descriptions.
This story had a great foundation. I liked all of the characters. I felt for Gemma and her experience with crippling anxiety and self harm - and I understand that there was no fleshed out "villain" in this story because her terror and anxiety was the biggest challenge she faced. I like that idea, and I felt that Legrand was capable of delivering this kind of story during the first half of the book, only to be disappointed in the direction she went with it.
It is there on surface level. To me, I can't help but feel like if she had dug deeper, fleshed out more of her world and characters instead of putting Gemma and Talan's rushed romance center stage, Legrand would have been capable of tying the threads of her story together in a way that would have been truly powerful, harrowing, and terrifying.
**Spoilers Below**
This would have been so much better if Talan had actually been evil, or, at the very least, if this had been an enemies-to-lovers story. I would have been okay with the rushed romance if it turned out to be that Talan was speed running it in order to get closer to her for his own gain or purposes. Instead, Legrand just teased that possibility, to then pull a 180 to which Talan was actually just a tall, dark, brooding trope of the misunderstood and tortured man under evil influence. The ending scenes were a glorified "noooooo baby this isn't you LOOK AT ME" and it just was NOT my cup of tea. Gemma and Talan did not work for me, and as much as I wanted to adore the idea of someone who eases their lover's pain with empathetic telepathy - because yeah, the people we love DO ease our pain at times - this was not done delicately enough for me to believe they had a strong bond. There was also a HUGE potential to play into the idea of love and comfort as an addiction, and how over-reliance on someone can ruin a connection between two people. How did the girl who has experienced pain from magic her entire life NOT become addicted to Talan, who can ease her pain with his mind? God, they could've loved each other but have been ruined by addiction, and this story would've been heartbreaking yet SO good. GAH, the missed potential angeRS ME.
Legrand, I love your initial ideas, and I desperately wanted this story about a woman with high-functioning anxiety who absolutely rules the complicated world of noble society to be true - but instead, Gemma was quite unremarkable in her socialite talents (with Talan being more well-spoken than her at social gatherings at times, with it supposed to be the other way around) and this story was just grief, grief, grief. WHICH I WAS FULLY HERE FOR - but we just dove right in man, and I don't think it was well balanced with other story elements. This made it hard to read, as Gemma was just ALWAYS in a state of needing reassurance (be it from someone else or herself, she just never fully pushed past that point. And after 500 pages, it was, unfortunately, a bit tiring).
The pacing was ALL over the place, I got whiplash several times, and most interactions between our main characters left me confused at best and annoyed at the glaring cheesiness of the half-hearted, slapped together romance at worst, and I had to skim near the end.
And, god, I wish this story had been from Mara's POV instead. As much I was fully HERE for a main character with chronic pain and mental illness, where she overcomes her selfish aspects and confronts the parts of herself she knows are ugly and mean and careless - I did not get that. There was no reconciliation. We ended our story with Gemma realizing her self worth...which I can't help but think was not supposed to be her character's destination. At least, we had to make a few pit stops before then. (This is what I mean about digging deeper. This story prompts fantastic questions - Why do we look away at others' suffering when we have the power to help? How do we be kind to ourselves when we've made a mistake that hurts others? How do we reconcile and ask for forgiveness for the things that ARE our fault, and for the things that are NOT our fault? How do we come to terms with the fact that the people closest to us have hurt us and left irrecoverable scars? How to we harbor that anger, resentment, and horror while not hurting others in the process? - ALL UNANSWERED.)
Nonetheless, I did appreciate this story, and I think if Legrand fleshed out her ideas more with this one, she could have really stunned with this narrative.
September 9, 2025
Mucho potencial, pero ejecución un tanto plof. Siento que todo resultaba demasiado confuso, desordenado y sin la debida profundidad.
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