A Crown of Ivy and Glass
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3.3 • 12 Ratings
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- $17.99
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
"Full of high stakes and detailed fantasy worldbuilding with interesting mythology for readers." —Library Journal
New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn, Claire Legrand, makes her stunning adult debut with A Crown of Ivy and Glass, a lush, sweeping, steamy forbidden romance series starter that’s perfect for fans of Bridgerton and A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Lady Gemma Ashbourne seemingly has it all. She’s young, gorgeous, and rich. Her family was Anointed by the gods, blessed with incredible abilities. But underneath her glittering façade, Gemma is deeply sad. Years ago, her sister Mara was taken to the Middlemist to guard against treacherous magic. Her mother abandoned the family. Her father and eldest sister, Farrin—embroiled in a deadly blood feud with the mysterious Bask family—often forget Gemma exists.
Worst of all, Gemma is the only Ashbourne to possess no magic. Instead, her body fights it like poison. Constantly ill, aching with loneliness, Gemma craves love and yearns to belong.
Then she meets the devastatingly handsome Talan d’Astier. His family destroyed themselves, seduced by a demon, and Talan, the only survivor, is determined to redeem their honor. Intrigued and enchanted, Gemma proposes a bargain: She’ll help Talan navigate high society if he helps her destroy the Basks. According to popular legend, a demon called The Man With the Three-Eyed Crown is behind the families’ blood feud—slay the demon, end the feud.
But attacks on the Middlemist are increasing. The plot against the Basks quickly spirals out of control. And something immense and terrifying is awakening in Gemma, drawing her inexorably toward Talan and an all-consuming passion that could destroy her—or show her the true strength of her power at last.
Customer Reviews
Slow start but worth the read
It took awhile to really get going, but once it did I found it thoroughly enjoyable.
A rousing read
I found the book a great read and looking forward to the next. The characters were well written and the main character is honestly portrayed as are all the characters who are in the story. Seriously want to see all the characters fleshed out and learn more about them. The world is rich and fascinating
Not the best adult fantasy romance
This is the author’s debut adult novel, and I think she needs more practice. The main character Gemma is really immature and consistently acts like a teenager. It felt like reading a YA novel, just with actual sex scenes. Her older sisters, who are only a few years older, are much more mature. I’m kind of hoping future books in this series are from their perspectives, but I kind of think the author might not know how to narrate through a mature perspective. I found Gemma really hard to relate to as an adult reader and frankly her incessant crying was annoying. Seriously I think she cried at least once in every chapter.
Besides that, the plot was all over the place. I felt like I had already read an entire trilogy by the time the book was finished because of how many times it seemed to change direction. The sexual tension at the beginning was decent, though it was a bit rushed. Unfortunately it kind of fizzled out for me and by the time they actually had sex, it wasn’t fireworks.