A Crown of Ivy and Glass

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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. There is so much I want to say about the plot of this book. So many spoilers. But I'm not going to mention any of them. This is a book about Gemma and Talan. It's filled with magic and danger. All of the twists. So many secrets. So much pain too. But also hope and love. And I adored every part of this book. I so loved how Gemma and Talan fit together. I loved reading about Gemma and her sisters together. And oh, I did love the ending. But gosh. There are so many things I need answers to. I must have the next book now. 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. Did I like everything about the writing style? No, definitely not. Was the story interesting and exciting? Yes, definitely. 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.

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. 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. 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. She was such a special girl. Fully broken, but trying. Somewhat. She was trying to seem better than she was. Trying to not let people see how much she hurt. And the panic she often had. I loved reading about it. As it was so hurtful and raw and real and honest. I loved it so. Gemma was precious to me. Sure, she often did things I did not agree with, ha. But I loved her. Most especially at the end of the book. Oh, and her family. Gosh. Her mother was not there. Her father was pretty much the worst. Ugh. I truly hated him.What in the world happened?? With a pitch that is Bridgerton meets ACOTAR written by Claire Legrand, author of one of my all-time favourite epic fantasies, this should have been a home run. I mean, everything was screaming my name and instead I am left incredibly disappointed. So, overall, this was a very mixed bag for me. I think, in the end, I didn’t end up loving this book. But, BUT!, on the other hand, I’m supremely invested in the next book in this series and can’t wait to get my hands on it! Given the nature of my complaints with this book, they all feel of the very specific sort that won’t be a problem in the books going forward. Both sisters seem like much more interesting characters than Gemma. The romantic interest/plot for one of them is already laid out and is incredibly appealing. And I think the world-building is now established enough that we won’t have the same plotting/pacing issue going forward where the tone is unclear between Bridgerton or ACOTAR. So, all of this to say, while I did struggle with this book, I do recommend it for fantasy romance readers based on my faith that the trilogy will turn out to be well worth it as a whole. 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. Gemma has grown up with a very priveleged existence: rich, beautiful, and a member of one of the most powerful families in the land. But, at the same time, Gemma has always felt herself to be on the outside looking in. Not only does she not possess any of the magical talent that her family is known for, and that both of her older sisters excel at in their own ways, but magic actively hurts Gemma, causing her to move through life in a very magical world experiencing constant levels of pain. When Gemma meets Talan, a young man who also feels that he exists outside the strictures of society, she finally begins to see a way forward, teaming up with him to hunt a powerful demon who may be the answer to her struggles with magic. But along the way, she begins to suspect that there is much more going on with Talan and the larger world as a whole.

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. 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 her sisters. Sigh. We learn so much about Gemma and her two sisters. Mara and Farrin. Both every kind of amazing. I loved them all so, so very much. Mara got taken away as a child, to work as a Rose, protecting everyone from what lived in the mist. They miss her so. Though they visit once a month. That was not nearly enough. I so loved getting to know her. Sigh. And Farrin was amazing as well. I loved her magic with music. She was fierce and loving. And I could not help but ship Farrin with her enemy, haha.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.